Knowledge Management Systems - Desklib

This report is based on the analysis of the knowledge management systems that has been implemented in an organization. The analysis is based on the case study related to the knowledge management system implementation of Roche Laboratory. The ways by which the employees and the managers of the company have collaborated for the success of the system is also analysed in the report. The discussion has been concluded by stating the implementation of knowledge management based systems have been helpful for the company.

Running head: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Name of the Student
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1KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Executive Summary
This report is based on the analysis of the knowledge management systems that has been
implemented in an organization. The analysis is based on the case study related to the
knowledge management system implementation of Roche Laboratory. The ways by which
the employees and the managers of the company have collaborated for the success of the
system is also analysed in the report. The discussion has been concluded by stating the
implementation of knowledge management based systems have been helpful for the
company.

2KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................3
Literature review of the theme.......................................................................................3
Review of the knowledge management system.............................................................8
Critical discussion..........................................................................................................8
Conclusion......................................................................................................................9
References....................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The system of knowledge is mainly based on the management of the information and
knowledge that is available for the company. The various integrated IT systems are used for
the purpose of managing the knowledge base of the various companies. The
IT systems that are used by the companies help in the successful management of the
knowledge that is available and the collaboration of this knowledge in such a manner which
can help in the enhancement of the entire process. The system of knowledge management
cannot be totally termed as an IT process 1. This is a process which helps the organizations to
enhance their knowledge base. The goals and the objectives of the organization can be
achieved with the help of proper knowledge management. The information that is managed
with the help of this process includes, the information of the customers, the suppliers and
various other important entities of the company 2
The report will be based on the detailed analysis of the case study that is provided and
is based on the management of knowledge related to the ways by which the company
operates in the industry. The large organizations have specific resources that are dedicated for
the knowledge management purpose.
Literature review of the theme
The case study is based on the analysis of the organization named Roche Diagnostics
which was established in the year 1998. The manufacturing systems of the company are
situated in the cities of Penzberg and Mannheim in Germany. The various products of the
1 Becerra-Fernandez, I. and Sabherwal, R., 2014. Knowledge management: Systems and processes.
Routledge.
2 Becerra-Fernandez, I., Leidner, D.E. and Leidner, D., 2014. On knowledge, knowledge management,
and knowledge management systems: an introduction. In Knowledge Management (pp. 17-24). Routledge.

4KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
company are developed in these locations. The immunological components are the major part
of the entire development based process of Roche Diagnostics. The components that are
manufactured in these units are further transferred to the various other areas of the country.
The company has an employee base of 6500 people in the production plants in Germany 3.
The approach based on knowledge management was used by the company in the year
1995 for the purpose of meeting the increasing customer demands. The new and integrated
system was implemented in the laboratories of the company. The three major factors that
were taken into consideration for the successful implementation are, human resources,
organization and the technologies. The development of the organization was the major aim
behind the implementation of these processes within the systems. The major goal that was
based on the development was mainly related to the goals and the objectives of three various
individual units of the company4. The major goals that have been set by the company are,
 Production of the quality products.
 Production in a dynamic and cost-effective manner.
 Establishment of a manageable and simple structure and the work flow of the
organizations.
 Using the flexible technologies and the new form of the organization5.
The units of the factories of the company are mainly based on the high degrees of
self-optimization and self-organization. The structures of the teams are developed in such a
3 Birasnav, M., 2014. Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service industry:
The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional leadership. Journal of Business
Research, 67(8), pp.1622-1629.
4 Botha, A., Kourie, D. and Snyman, R., 2014. Coping with continuous change in the business
environment: Knowledge management and knowledge management technology. Elsevier.
5 Cohen, J.F. and Olsen, K., 2015. Knowledge management capabilities and firm performance: A test
of universalistic, contingency and complementarity perspectives. Expert Systems with Applications, 42(3),
pp.1178-1188.

5KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
manner which can help in the production process of the company. The teams are given
freedom to take the decisions related to various organizational processes. The high levels of
flexibility in the company also affects the ways by which teams are able to operate within the
company. The managers of the organization perform various supervisory activities in the
units6. The encouragement that is provided to the autonomy of the teams is also a part of the
implementation of various knowledge management based systems. This process further
results to the adoption of responsibilities by the employees. The managers are thereby able to
create and further promote the space that is required by the employees to take various
organizational decisions. The managers of the teams thereby need to support the ideas that
are provided by the employees or the team members. The structure of the organization can
also be created with the help of managers along with the employees7. The redesigning of the
organization will further lead to the improvement of the various organizational processes.
The quality of the products needs to be high. However, the costs that are related to the
manufacture of products needs to be reduced. The reduction of the costs will be major part of
the development of the organizational processes. The integration of the various staff members
results in the simultaneous increase of the flexibility8.
Another process that was implemented in the organization was based on team
building and the empowerment of the teams. The organization has implemented the
knowledge management based concept related to the manufacturing based facilities. The
entire process of production is mainly based on the cooperation of the employees and the
high levels of self-management. The levels of teams and the traditional process of the
6 Davenport, T.H., 2015. Process management for knowledge work. In Handbook on Business Process
Management 1 (pp. 17-35). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
7 Donate, M.J. and de Pablo, J.D.S., 2015. The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in knowledge
management practices and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 68(2), pp.360-370.
8 Fidel, P., Schlesinger, W. and Cervera, A., 2015. Collaborating to innovate: Effects on customer
knowledge management and performance. Journal of business research, 68(7), pp.1426-1428.

6KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
management of knowledge are mainly based on the facts that the teams are capable of
managing themselves with the autonomous plans9. The teams in the companies are mainly
responsible for the scheduling of the operations, the purchasing of materials and the planning
of various sequences. The Laboratory systems have thereby placed high emphasis on the
open process of communication which can be created with the help of the assistance of the
employees. The transparency of the processes is also based on the ways by which the
organization responds to the various situations that are faced. The main functions that were
related to the implementation of the systems of knowledge management can be used for the
revival of the functions of the management of the company10. The main focus of the company
is to thereby place the responsibilities of the organizational processes on the employees. This
can further help in increasing the involvement of the employees in the organizations. The
cooperative work process in the organization has also helped the in the improvement of the
organization. The managers thereby need to be prepared for the task of passing the expertise
to the employees who are capable of performing the jobs. The major aspect of this category is
related to the coaching and consulting based activities of the company. The main part of the
implementation of these policies is related to the ways by which the managers are able to
create team orientation in a consistent manner11.
The culture of the organization is also important for the purpose of providing the
access to the important data and knowledge. The knowledge that is acquired by the members
of the organization is based on the access to all types of information that is available. The
knowledge that is held by the members of the staff is mainly based on the written documents.
9 Grant, K., 2015. Knowledge management: an enduring but confusing fashion. Leading Issues in
Knowledge Management, 2, pp.1-26.
10 Kianto, A., Ritala, P., Spender, J.C. and Vanhala, M., 2014. The interaction of intellectual capital
assets and knowledge management practices in organizational value creation. Journal of Intellectual
capital, 15(3), pp.362-375.
11 Lăzăroiu, G., 2015. The role of the management consultancy industry in the knowledge
economy. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, 3(2), pp.71-76.

7KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
The team structures in the organization are also based on the organization of the knowledge
management based activities. The promoters and the multipliers of decision making process
are mainly the managers and the role that is played by them as the coach of the team12.
The company has created a framework based on which the knowledge management
related activities can be fulfilled. The different professionals in the hierarchical levels of the
company are able to relate their professional knowledge with the framework that has been
developed by the company. The managers also played an active part in the implementation
based process of the knowledge management systems. The opinions of the managers were
taken based on the ways by which they wish to use the systems for the management of the
employees13.
The organization has been providing continuous training based on the implementation
process of various systems. The training based process that has been implemented in the
organization is thereby based on different methods that have been formulated. The teams in
the organization are therefore able to create a learning environment for the employees. The
documentation based process that is followed within the organization is quite rigid in
nature14. The implementation of the knowledge management based systems can thereby cause
huge effects on the operations of the company. The speed of various organizational processes
can increase and the employees are thereby able to complete their work process faster as
12 Meihami, B. and Meihami, H., 2014. Knowledge Management a way to gain a competitive
advantage in firms (evidence of manufacturing companies). International letters of social and humanistic
sciences, 3, pp.80-91.
13 Obeidat, B.Y., Tarhini, A., Masa'deh, R.E. and Aqqad, N.O., 2017. The impact of intellectual capital
on innovation via the mediating role of knowledge management: a structural equation modelling
approach. International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 8(3-4), pp.273-298.
14 Pawlowski, J.M. and Bick, M., 2015. The global knowledge management framework: Towards a
theory for knowledge management in globally distributed settings. Leading Issues in Knowledge Management,
Volume Two, 2, p.134.

8KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
compared to the previous times. The knowledge of the staff members thereby needs to be
stored in an effective manner for the future use by the company15.
Review of the knowledge management system
The knowledge management system that has been implement in Roche has been
mainly based on the long- term based process of the restructuring of the teams. This process
has been carried out by the company with its conviction towards the high levels of teamwork.
The success that was experienced by the company with the help of its in two of the
production plants had further helped in providing the encouragement of further integration of
the knowledge management based systems in the company16. The management has thereby
found potential in different areas like, the incorporation of new members in the team, the
content-based networks of the teams and the re-qualification of the managers for the purpose
of fulfilling new duties.
Critical discussion
The implementation of various knowledge management based processes has further
been helpful for the company to increase its knowledge base. The re orientation of the
employees is the most important duty that needs to be fulfilled by the managers. The unity
which is based on the core processes of the management of knowledge is based on the
accomplishment of the goals of the organization. The major organizations are often
challenged by various fields like, the culture, the policies based on human resource
management and the proper management of the employees17. The top managers of the
15 Pawlowski, J.M. and Bick, M., 2015. The global knowledge management framework: Towards a
theory for knowledge management in globally distributed settings. Leading Issues in Knowledge Management,
Volume Two, 2, p.134.
16 Wang, S., Noe, R.A. and Wang, Z.M., 2014. Motivating knowledge sharing in knowledge
management systems: A quasi–field experiment. Journal of Management, 40(4), pp.978-1009.
17 Reich, B.H., Gemino, A. and Sauer, C., 2014. How knowledge management impacts performance in
projects: An empirical study. International Journal of Project Management, 32(4), pp.590-602.

9KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
companies however need to be committed towards facing these challenges. The efficiency of
the managers was thereby the most important aspect that is based on the way by the
knowledge management systems were implemented by Roche. The managers of the company
were also cooperative in nature and were able to hand over the responsibilities to the
employees so that they can take the work process more seriously. The coordination of
different knowledge management based activities has also been helpful for the fast
implementation of these processes. This has further been quite helpful for the managers of the
organizations and the employees so that they are able to work in coordination with each
other18.
Conclusion
The report can be concluded by stating that the employees and the managers need to
cooperate with each other based on the ways by which they can create a positive work
environment and culture. The successful implementation of the knowledge management
based systems are thereby based on the collaboration between the employees. The managers
and the employees together are able to create a collaborative work environment which can
further help in the successful implementation of knowledge management based. The effective
formation of teams is also important for the proper methods of the operations of the
companies. The implementation of knowledge management systems in Roche was helpful in
creating a positive culture and in increasing the operational speed of the company. The
organization has thereby proved to be suitable for the implementation of various systems that
are related to the management of knowledge. The entire processes of the company have been
changed with the help of the implementation of the systems of the knowledge management.
This has further affected the proper operations of the company in the environment. The
18 Donate, M.J. and de Pablo, J.D.S., 2015. The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in knowledge
management practices and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 68(2), pp.360-370.

10KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
process has thereby been helpful for the successful operations of Roche in the industry. The
collaboration of employees was the major reason behind the success of this implementation
process. The increased importance of the management of knowledge thereby needs to be
understood by the modern organizations so that they are able to enhance the operations. This
will further help in the inclusion of employees in the decision making process.

11KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
References
Becerra-Fernandez, I. and Sabherwal, R., 2014. Knowledge management: Systems and
processes. Routledge.
Becerra-Fernandez, I., Leidner, D.E. and Leidner, D., 2014. On knowledge, knowledge
management, and knowledge management systems: an introduction. In Knowledge
Management (pp. 17-24). Routledge.
Birasnav, M., 2014. Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service
industry: The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional
leadership. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), pp.1622-1629.
Botha, A., Kourie, D. and Snyman, R., 2014. Coping with continuous change in the business
environment: Knowledge management and knowledge management technology. Elsevier.
Cohen, J.F. and Olsen, K., 2015. Knowledge management capabilities and firm performance:
A test of universalistic, contingency and complementarity perspectives. Expert Systems with
Applications, 42(3), pp.1178-1188.
Davenport, T.H., 2015. Process management for knowledge work. In Handbook on Business
Process Management 1 (pp. 17-35). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Donate, M.J. and de Pablo, J.D.S., 2015. The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in
knowledge management practices and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 68(2),
pp.360-370.
Fidel, P., Schlesinger, W. and Cervera, A., 2015. Collaborating to innovate: Effects on
customer knowledge management and performance. Journal of business research, 68(7),
pp.1426-1428.

12KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Grant, K., 2015. Knowledge management: an enduring but confusing fashion. Leading Issues
in Knowledge Management, 2, pp.1-26.
Kianto, A., Ritala, P., Spender, J.C. and Vanhala, M., 2014. The interaction of intellectual
capital assets and knowledge management practices in organizational value creation. Journal
of Intellectual capital, 15(3), pp.362-375.
Lăzăroiu, G., 2015. The role of the management consultancy industry in the knowledge
economy. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, 3(2), pp.71-76.
Meihami, B. and Meihami, H., 2014. Knowledge Management a way to gain a competitive
advantage in firms (evidence of manufacturing companies). International letters of social
and humanistic sciences, 3, pp.80-91.
Obeidat, B.Y., Tarhini, A., Masa'deh, R.E. and Aqqad, N.O., 2017. The impact of intellectual
capital on innovation via the mediating role of knowledge management: a structural equation
modelling approach. International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 8(3-4),
pp.273-298.
Pawlowski, J.M. and Bick, M., 2015. The global knowledge management framework:
Towards a theory for knowledge management in globally distributed settings. Leading Issues
in Knowledge Management, Volume Two, 2, p.134.
Reich, B.H., Gemino, A. and Sauer, C., 2014. How knowledge management impacts
performance in projects: An empirical study. International Journal of Project
Management, 32(4), pp.590-602.
Wang, S., Noe, R.A. and Wang, Z.M., 2014. Motivating knowledge sharing in knowledge
management systems: A quasi–field experiment. Journal of Management, 40(4), pp.978-
1009.

13KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS