Knowledge management, Nature, Barriers

A general definition of knowledge management (KM), adapted from Macintosh (1997), is that it ‘comprises the identification and analysis of available and required knowledge, and the subsequent planning and control of actions to develop knowledge assets so as to fulfill individual and/or organizational objectives’.

To understand the knowledge needs of an individual or an organization and how these might best be met, it is often helpful to distinguish between different types of knowledge. Knowledge-management experts identify different types, each with its own properties and associated processes (Menzies, 1999). However, simpler classifications can be very useful.

Contents
Data, information and knowledge
Knowledge management
The nature of knowledge
Knowledge management and the individual clinician
Why case-based knowledge is under-utilized
Knowledge management in organizations
Learning organizations
Barriers to applying knowledge management
Auditing knowledge management and organizational learning
Clinical governance: the context of knowledge management
A personal reflection
Multiple choice questions
References

Format: HTML, PDF

Source: The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Author: Tom Sensky