Case Studies in Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management for Healthcare 339

Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written

CURRENT CHALLENGES

FACING THE ORGANIZATION

Impact of New ICT in Decision Making

Senior management at Company X noted that the existing ICT (i.e., the intranet) was
not enabling users to create new knowledge and/or exploit existing knowledge. It was
decided to create a new IT infrastructure, one which would be seen as an enabler and
which would comprise of various tools. At the same time, it was decided to restructure
existing pay and reward schemes (i.e., remuneration), so as to reward information/
knowledge sharers (both at an individual and group level). It was also decided to bring
about a change in the leadership style and organizational culture, so as to enable members
of staff to develop a strong feeling of cultural affinity toward each other.
As a first step, Company X carried out a network-wide installation of Lotus Notes.
At the same time, it offered financial and nonfinancial incentives to those teams and
individuals who adopted Lotus Notes to capture and share best practices. This scheme
was complemented by senior management communication initiatives that emphasized
integration of the new IT infrastructure in a new organizational culture—one that
emphasized knowledge sharing.
As a result of the above initiatives, the following developments took place:

1. Middle- and lower-level managers have started to enable and promote learning. As
   a consequence, communities of practice whose focus is on creation and transfer
   of best practices have evolved.

Figure 4. Elaborated OCKD framework for Company X