Knowledge Management in Hewlett-Packard: A BAS51 Report

This report examines the knowledge management practices of Hewlett-Packard (HP) to achieve competitive advantage within the context of the knowledge economy. The report investigates HP's vision, concepts, and activities related to knowledge management, focusing on the KM process and organizational learning perspectives. The study identifies key issues such as balancing people, procedures, and technology, as well as challenges in implementing new knowledge management technologies. Two models are discussed: the model by Bukowitz and Williams (1999), which emphasizes strategic alignment, and the model by Botha et al. (2008), which focuses on practical implementation. The analysis highlights the importance of these models in helping HP acquire, distribute, and leverage knowledge effectively. The report concludes with recommendations for improving knowledge management within HP, including fostering employee motivation and adopting techniques for transferring implicit knowledge. The report is a mini research report based on a group presentation assignment for the course BAS51, Dimensions of the Knowledge Society, reflecting the application of KM theories to a real-world business context.

RUNNING HEAD: Dimensions of the knowledge society 0
DIMENSIONS OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY
Hewlett-Packard Company

Dimensions of the knowledge society 1
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Knowledge management models in Hewlett-Packard Company....................................................2
The knowledge management models...........................................................................................3
Model by Bukowitz and Williams (1999)................................................................................3
Model by Botha et al (2008).....................................................................................................4
Discussion........................................................................................................................................5
Importance of models...................................................................................................................5
Analysis, interpretation of the findings........................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

Dimensions of the knowledge society 2
Introduction
The management of the knowledge is concerned with the procedure of generating, distributing,
using and administrating the information and knowledge of the company. This approach helps
the company in accomplishing the objectives and goals by making the efficient use of data and
knowledge (Dalkir, 2017). The purpose of the report is to examining the practices of the
knowledge management that the Hewlett-Packard can adopt to achieve the organization’s
competitive advantage. The key issue is considered to sustain in the competitive environment.
The question is considered important because rapidly increasing competition in the technology
companies. The issues involved in the company regarding management of the knowledge that is
misbalancing of the people, procedure and the elements of the technology, this approach focuses
on contributing documents or update skills which is considered difficult, new technologies of
knowledge management are implemented but they failed to work efficiently. The
recommendations and conclusion for managing the knowledge is also provided to the company
so that better allocation of knowledge would be done within the company to achieve the growth
in the long run and to take competitive advantage.
Knowledge management models in Hewlett-Packard Company
The Hewlett- Packard Company was an American multinational company of information
technology. It provides broad variety in the mechanism of hardware and software and it also
provides other associated services to customers, small and average sized companies and big
ventures as well as to government, and sectors of health and education (Rouse, 2014). The
company specialized in manufacturing personal computer devices, commerce standard servers,
products of networking, storage devices. The vision of the company is to generate the
technologies that build life superior for everybody, all over the place, each person, each
enterprises and each group of people around the world (Anon., 2019).

Dimensions of the knowledge society 3
The knowledge management models
Model by Bukowitz and Williams (1999)
Source: (Grant & Dumay, 2015)
This model defines the strategy to make, divest and improve the assets of knowledge. It is the
model that underlines the characteristics of why and when. The advantage is that it focuses on
the concept of strategy, which basically puts the management of knowledge act into
circumstances (Barbaroux et al., 2016). The knowledge management scheme is the outcome of
the response to tactical and strategic altering and wants. This model gives a better outline of the
plan and strategy behind the management of the knowledge.
In this case the company is facing the issue in balancing the procedure, people and the parts of
the technology. This model helps the company in supporting the procedure and people by
keeping the technology on priority and also contributes in improving the relationship between
the knowledge repositories and infrastructure of communication (Grant & Dumay, 2015). This

Dimensions of the knowledge society 4
model also helps the company in solving the issue of advancement the skills by letting the
approach of emerging the credentials and proficiency at the time of requirement.
Model by Botha et al (2008)
Source: (Hawamdeh & Chang, 2018)
This model shows the practical view and comprises the formation of the new knowledge as a
specific knowledge management initiative. In this model it also involves that which of the three
categories are more people oriented which deals with formation, sensing, arranging and

Dimensions of the knowledge society 5
capturing the knowledge another is allocation and dissemination which are considered more
technology focused (Hawamdeh & Chang, 2018).
In this case company is facing the issue of implementing the new technologies of knowledge
management are but they failed to work effectively. This model helps the company to overcome
the issue of established and executed new knowledge management technologies which is not
working efficiently. By creating and organizing the knowledge through people and accessed
through the technology. This also helps in making the better and innovating decision and to take
the competitive advantage by analytics and business intelligence (Baporikar & Neeta, 2017).
Discussion
Importance of models
The above models of Bukowitz and Williams (1999) and Botha et al (2008) will lead the
company to achieve the goals or objectives and also to take the competitive advantage. The
necessity of these models is required in Hewlett- Packard because:
 It helps the company to develop the capability to acquire, distribute the knowledge and
also benefited the company to exist and be successful in highly competitive environment.
 The model helps the company to own the methods, arrangements, principles and the
process of the organization that maintain and support management of knowledge.
 The models also store, advance the knowledge through this company can take the
competitive advantage (Stephens et al., 2017).
 The model makes the effective strategy according to the situation and improves the
various assets of the knowledge.
 It acquires the information from the several places of the organization and collaborates
through the simple technique of technology which helps the staff members to make the
effective and efficient decisions (North & Kumta, 2018).
 It move, generate, use and separate the knowledge into the four proportions which means
obtaining the knowledge, changing it into the valuable form and applying it according to
requirements.
 It also develops the abilities of the person by the cognitive computing and through the
artificial intelligence (Tholen, 2017).

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Analysis, interpretation of the findings
 From the above analysis, it found that the Hewlett- Packard Company is facing the
various issues in the management of the knowledge which includes difficult in balancing
the procedure, people and various parts of the technologies, integrating with the new
technologies of the knowledge, difficulty in upgrading the skills and contributing to the
documents. The key issue of the company is to successes in the competitive environment
and to take the competitive advantage.
 In this research report the two models of knowledge management were suggested which
helps the company to effectively distribute, store and acquire the knowledge from the
various places. These models help in managing the knowledge in the company
efficiently.
Conclusion
From the above study it can be conclude that knowledge management is the method of
producing, allocating, using and controlling the information and knowledge in the
organization. In this research report the various issues which company faced like
balancing, failing of new technologies to work efficiently. The two models of knowledge
management were suggested to Hewlett- Packard which helps the company to effectively
distribute, store and acquire the knowledge from the various places. These models help in
managing the knowledge in the company efficiently. Further the company can also give
the gamification and rewards, recognition to motivate the employees to keep the balance.
The company can also adopt the technique of transferring implicit knowledge. This will
help the company to work with experts of knowledge management who are qualified in
helping the Hewlett- Packard to make and execute the solutions.
References
Anon., 2019. HP. [Online] Available at: https://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/index.html
[Accessed 9 July 2019].
Baporikar & Neeta, 2017. Knowledge Integration Strategies for Entrepreneurship and Sustainability.
Hershey: IGI Global.

Dimensions of the knowledge society 7
Barbaroux, P., Attour, A. & Schenk, E., 2016. Knowledge Management and Innovation:Interaction,
Collaboration, Openness. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Dalkir, K., 2017. Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Grant, K. & Dumay, J., 2015. Leading Issues in Knowledge Management,Volume Two, Volume 2.
Walldorf: Academic Conferences and publishing limited.
Hawamdeh, S. & Chang, H.-C., 2018. Analytics and Knowledge Management. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
North, K. & Kumta, G., 2018. Knowledge Management: Value Creation Through Organizational
Learning. Germany: Springer.
Rouse, M., 2014. Hewlett-Packard (HP). [Online] Available at:
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Hewlett-Packard-HP [Accessed 9 July 2019].
Stephens, M., Moonesar, I.A., Awamleh, R. & Rowland-Jones, R., 2017. UAE: Public Policy
Perspectives. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing.
Tholen, G., 2017. Graduate Work: Skills, Credentials, Careers, and Labour Markets. England: Oxford
University Press.