The Assignment on Knowledge Management

Running head: KM
Knowledge Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

1
KM
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
1. Organizational Description: Problem or Opportunity.....................................................2
2. Nature of Knowledge Management Initiative.................................................................3
3. Analysis of the Difficulties in Implementing the System................................................5
4. Assessment of Success of Knowledge Management Initiative.......................................7
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................8
References..........................................................................................................................10

2
KM
Introduction
Knowledge management (KM) can be indicated as a process of creating, sharing and
managing the knowledge and information needs of an organization. KM is integral and it helps
the employees to remain aware of their key task and responsibilities (Hislop, Bosua and Helms
2018). The process of KM facilitates the employees by saving their time and effort.
KM initiative was taken in Microsoft to provide the employees with the needed training
that would enhance their working process and working experiences. Microsoft has been
successful in their knowledge management initiative by designing an effective KM strategy.
The report provides a brief overview of Microsoft to discuss the opportunity that KM has
provided to the Company. The report further provides an idea of the nature of KM initiative that
was taken by Microsoft. The KM initiative involved certain difficulties that are identified in the
report. A detailed discussion is provided on assessing the success of KM initiative that has been
taken in Microsoft in the following paragraphs.
1. Organizational Description: Problem or Opportunity
Bill Gates established Microsoft in the year 1975 and become market dominant in PC Os
and office suite markets by the year 2013. It is an American multinational technology company
that develops and licenses computer, software, consumer electronics and personal computers.
The company is known for enabling digital transformation with the products and the services it
offer.
The KM initiative at Microsoft proved to be an opportunity for the company. Although
the evaluation of knowledge management was gradual at Microsoft, it proves to be beneficial for

3
KM
the same. In the year 1995, a project of development of an online system for storing the
competency level of the employees was undertaken. This was the first step todays the KM
initiative in Microsoft (Microsoft.com. 2020). The storage of the competency level and the
knowledge of each of the employees has helped in easier knowledge sharing within the
organization. The knowledge of the individual team members proved to be a large source of
knowledge database.
Microsoft is into providing various KM services as well. For example, the Microsoft
SharePoint is considered to be an effective platform for management of knowledge. However, it
has certain critical shortcomings as well (Microsoft.com. 2020). The KM process deals with the
process of capturing and sharing of the content. Microsoft SharePoint provides an opportunity of
storing the documents, images, audio and video in shared libraries.
Microsoft has taken several initiatives to increase the opportunities that can be gained
from the existing KM practices. The nature of KM initiative that is undertaken by Microsoft is
discussed in the following sections.
2. Nature of Knowledge Management Initiative
The KM initiative started as early as in the year 1995 with the storage of the competency
level of the employees in an online system. The goal of developing such online system in
Microsoft involves creation of an online competency profile for jobs and employees within
Microsoft. The practice of knowledge management is promoted in Microsoft as the founder of
the organization puts an emphasis on management of the data, documents and the effort of the
people working in the organization.