Knowledge Management

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This course studies the knowledge management practices of contemporary global Organisations. For a long time companies relied on labour, capital and (raw) material as their most important assets, but nowadays intellectual capital (knowledge) is seen as the key driver of competitiveness for many Organisations. Organisations such as consultancy and law firms heavily rely on so-called knowledge workers to deliver their services. The growing recognition that knowledge is a distinct production factor has led to a new field of study and practice: knowledge management.
Knowledge management can be defined as the systematic, explicit and deliberate acquisition, storage and application of Organisational knowledge, aimed at maximizing Organisations’ return on knowledge assets. Managing knowledge is a difficult endeavour, because knowledge originates in the human mind and can be difficult to codify. Information technology (e.g. corporate Facebooks, wikis, online forums) can support knowledge management initiatives in Organisations, but these systems are not without limitations. Hence, this course is concerned with a very fundamental question: “How can we manage knowledge?” This question is addressed using academic and business press readings and a diverse set of company cases.