Managing Knowledge Report: HRM Practices and Knowledge Management

This report delves into the multifaceted realm of knowledge management, emphasizing its critical role in organizational success. It examines how Human Resource Management (HRM) practices, specifically training and development, recruitment and selection, compensation, and talent management, directly influence knowledge management processes within a company. The report uses Nestle as a case study to illustrate these concepts, exploring how the company's strategies in these areas contribute to its knowledge management efforts. Furthermore, the report analyzes the impact of organizational culture on knowledge management, highlighting cultural characteristics such as attitude, values, and learned behaviors. It underscores the importance of a positive organizational culture for effective knowledge acquisition and sharing. The report provides a comprehensive overview of how various HRM practices and cultural factors intertwine to shape knowledge management within an organization, offering valuable insights for businesses aiming to enhance their knowledge management strategies. The report is contributed by a student to be published on the website Desklib. Desklib is a platform which provides all the necessary AI based study tools for students.

Managing Knowledge

Running head: Managing Knowledge
Introduction
Knowledge management is considered as the method of creating, sharing and also it focuses on
managing the overall information of the company. It is related with the multidisciplinary
approach that helps to consider the organizational objectives by considering the use of good
knowledge. So, in this paper the focus will be given on the various factors related to knowledge
management.
HRM practice affects the knowledge management processes
Training and development
Training and development is considered as one of the HRM practice that can affect the overall
process of knowledge management. It can be seen that training given to the employees in the
Nestle Company helps in enhancing the knowledge and skills. Through effective training, the
knowledge of the employees can be enhanced in the workplace. Nestle is able to achieve positive
outcome just because of training given to the employees as it not only enhances the knowledge
but also helps them to manage the overall activities in the workplace. Nestle focuses on giving
various training to the employees in many areas so that it can be easy to emphasize on the overall
process of knowledge management. It can be seen that Nestle emphasizes on the training
programs which helps to focus on knowledge management. To enhance the pool of high caliber
managerial talents, the company focuses on the fresh management graduates in various streams
of management. The company gives cross functional, multi-location training programs so that it
can be simple to consider proper knowledge management process in an effective manner.
Knowledge of the employees can only be maintained when there is proper training given by the
top management and also it motivates the employees to give their best towards the overall
activities of the company (Sung and Choi, 2014).
Training and development is the best way that can help in giving knowledge to the employees in
the workplace. It can be seen that training and development in the workplace is considered as the
important aspect that helps the employees to manage their activities with confidence. It can be
stated that it is important to focus on managing the overall activities with confidence and also it
emphasizes on boosting the entire organizational activities (Bell et al., 2017). Nestle offers
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
training to the employees with the aim to motivate the employees towards the overall
organizational activities and also it emphasizes on the overall goals and objectives.
Recruitment and selection
It can be analyzed that if there is no proper knowledge with the top management then it can
affect the overall process of recruitment and selection. It can be stated that Nestle conduct the
process of recruitment and selection by having experts in a particular field so that positive
outcome can be attained. Knowledge management in the human resource practice related to
recruitment and selection is important as it helps to select the right candidate at the right job. It is
important to recruit the right candidate at the right post so that it can it can be easy for them to
give their best towards the activities of the organization (Hislop, Bosua and Helms, 2018).
Nestle emphasizes on considering the recruitment and selection process and this responsibility is
given to the higher authority or the skilled person so that right candidate can be selected at the
right post. It is necessary to emphasize on selecting the right candidate as the overall outcome is
dependent on that only. Also, knowledge is considered as one of the important aspect that helps
the employees to manage the activities with proper efficiency and dedication (Taylor, 2014).
Compensation
In Nestle, it can be stated that knowledge management has a direct impact on the overall process
of compensation process. It can be analyzed that by having proper knowledge it can be simple
for the employees to earn incentives. Compensation is considered as a reward which is earned by
the employees but by having proper knowledge they can easily earn incentives in the workplace.
In Nestle, the employees are trained enough and this is the major reason that they give their best
towards the organizational activities. Compensation is also considered as the human resource
practice and it affect the overall process of the knowledge management (Martinez-Conesa et al.,
2017). It can be analyzed that in Nestle, the top management focuses on enhancing the
knowledge of the employees by offering their compensation policies which motivate them to
give their best towards the assigned activities.
Also, it can be seen that knowledge management if considered by the company can boost the
overall productivity level of the employees in the workplace. If knowledge is there with the
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
employees they will focus on the organizational activities and it can also enhance the overall
efficiency of the employees in the workplace. Efficiency of the employees can only be
maintained of they have the knowledge of the activities which are taking place on the routine
basis in the workplace. So, to maintain the overall efficiency of the employees in the workplace,
it is necessary to focus on considering the knowledge management as it is one of the important
aspect in the workplace (Becerra-Fernandez and Sabherwal, 2014).
Talent management
It can be stated that talent management in the workplace is also considered as the best part of the
human resource practice. Without proper talent management it is not possible for the company to
accomplish its goals and objectives. By having proper talent management it can be possible for
the company to achieve success in the competitive market (Inkinen, 2016).Knowledge
management has an important role in maintaining the overall talent in the workplace. Talent is
something which can be boosted easily of the employees and in the workplace it is important to
have proper knowledge so that employees in the workplace can be talented towards the overall
activities of the company. Talent in the workplace can be managed if there is proper knowledge
of the activities with the higher authorities. They can easy give training to the employees that
will enhance their overall skills towards the activities in the workplace (Armstrong and Taylor,
2014).
In Nestle, it can be seen that top authorities appointed the highly skilled managers which offers
proper knowledge to the employees. When top management gives knowledge to the higher
authorities then it can be seen that confidence and talent of the employees is boosted in the
workplace. There are various departments in Nestle and there is a manager in every department
who focuses on managing the overall activities of employees and also helps in coordinating the
activities in the workplace. The managers in the department analyze the talent of the employees
in the workplace and according to that only the activities are assigned to the employees so that
they can finish it on time.
It has been seen that it is important for the management to focus on maintaining the overall
knowledge of the employees so that they can learn more about the different activities that takes
place in the management. Through proper talent management in the workplace, it can be easy for
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
the other employees to manage the entire practices in the workplace. It is necessary to have
talented employees in the workplace as this can help to maintain the positivity in the workplace.
It can also help in motivating the other employees to be dedicated towards the activities assigned
by the management (Collings, Wood and Szamosi, 2018).
Impact of culture on Knowledge Management
It can be stated that culture plays an important role in the success of a knowledge management
efforts. If there is no proper culture in the workplace then it can be difficult to focus on managing
the overall knowledge in the workplace. In the workplace, it is necessary to have positive culture
so that it can be simple to boost the overall knowledge and also it helps the company to
accomplish its goals and objectives in the competitive market. Without positive culture it will not
be possible for the employees to acquire knowledge in terms of the overall activities of the
company. So, it can be stated that the culture impact the overall knowledge management. Also,
there are many cultural characteristics of companies that impact the knowledge management
practices (Lee, Shiue and Chen, 2016). The characteristics are related to
The characteristics are
 Culture consists of attitude and value knowledge: it can be seen that the culture of the
workplace can be determined by the attitude and also by the values with are considered in
the workplace. If in the workplace the employees are not working with the positive
attitude then it can be difficult for them to acquire new knowledge and skills in relation to
the overall activities of the company. Culture of the workplace is also related with the
group of people which focuses on behavior, beliefs, and values and also symbols which
are accepted and also through proper communication it is passed from one employee to
another. So, it is necessary to have proper culture as it can help in boosting the overall
knowledge of the employees in the workplace (Chen and Fong, 2015). If there is no
positive attitude of the employees then they will not be able to motivate other in the
workplace and also it can lead to demotivation among the employees. So, it is necessary
to focus on managing the knowledge as it can help to boost the productivity level of the
employees in the workplace. Organizational culture can be one of the important aspects
which are necessary to be considered as it can help in boosting the positive environment
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
in the workplace. So, it is necessary to have proper culture so that positive outcome can
be attained or success can be achieved in the highly competitive market (Bharati, Zhang
and Chaudhury, 2015).
 It is a learned behavior: It can also be analyzed that organizational culture can help to
bring modification in the learned behavior and also it boost the overall knowledge of the
employees in the competitive market. It is necessary to emphasize on bringing the best
from the employees and it can only be done when focus is given on attaining the
knowledge with the positive behavior. It is necessary for the employees to focus on
enhancing the knowledge by maintaining the overall culture of the company in the
competitive market. If the employees are having the behavior of learning then it can be
simple for them to acquire the right skill with proper efficiency and dedication (Santoro
et al.,2018 ).
 It is a related with behavior : It can be seen that if the company have positive employees
in the workplace then it can be easy to boost the overall behavior of the workplace then it
can be simple to enhance the profits in the competitive market. If the employees with
positive attitude behave in a good way with the customers then it can be easy to boost the
image in the market. It has been stated that employees can only achieve success when the
customers are satisfied with the services which are offered to them.
It can be seen that there are various companies who consider the knowledge management
programs so that it can be simple to boost the confidence and skills of the employees in the
competitive market. Like Nestle focuses on giving training so that it can be simple to boost
the skills and knowledge of the employees towards the overall activities of the company. The
main aim of the company is to maintain the commitment and also to offer training on the
corporate business principles, nutrition and environmental sustainability. The aim of the
company is to focus on improving the skills of the employees so that they can be independent
towards the overall activities which are assigned to them in the workplace (Inkinen, 2016).
One of the best strategies that can be considered by the company is related with training.
Training can help to boost the overall knowledge of the employees in the workplace.
Through training the employees get to know their weakness and in which area they need the
improvement. So, the companies main emphasize on giving training to the employees in
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
specific field so that it can be simple to boost the overall efficiency in the competitive
market. So, training is also related with the culture of the company and it is important that it
should be positive so that the outcome can be positive. The culture of the workplace is one of
the best way that should be improved as it can help in accomplishing goals and also it focus
on the set targets (García-Holgado et al., 2015).
It can also been seen that there are various non- profit companies that are made and led by
those who want to fulfill the needs of others. These companies manage its unique model and
the no profit organizations are started by the people who want to start up the business. The
knowledge management can be considered as an important factor as it can help to boost the
knowledge which is involved with the company (Geisler and Wickramasinghe, 2015).
There are few categories that can be divided and those few categories are related to explicit
and tacit. In this there is a generic description of the category which is taken in relation to
knowledge management systems which is followed by the subsections. It can be seen that
explicit knowledge can be stated as the knowledge which can be institutionalized and also it
can be transferred easily. Tacit knowledge also showcases the knowledge which cannot be
transferred in context to the knowledge of the person. So, knowledge management in
nonprofit companies can take place through proper leadership which is necessary to be
considered as it can help in boosting the overall growth of the company in the competitive
market. The leaders give guidance to the employees so that they can take the right step which
can help in managing the overall activities of the company in the competitive market (North
and Kumta, 2018).
Knowledge management systems are related to the IT system that can help to store and also
to retrieve the knowledge. It is one of the best ways that can help to boost the overall
collaboration in the activities and also it locates the knowledge sources which can help to
capture and use the knowledge. Knowledge is considered as one of the essential factor that
should be there in the employees as it can help to manage the overall activities in the
competitive market (Jiménez-Jiménez, Martínez-Costa and Sanz-Valle, 2014).
It can be examined that knowledge management tool which is considered by the companies is
related to the customer relationship systems, learning management systems and knowledge
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
bases. To enhance the knowledge it can be seen that it is important to focus on maintaining
the relation with the customers so that it can be easy to boost the overall activities in the
competitive market. To deal with the customers it is important for the employees to have
proper knowledge so that it can be easy to boost the customer satisfaction and it will
positively impact the overall growth of the company (Reich, Gemino and Sauer, 2014).
Importance of communities of practice in Nestle
It can be stated that communities of practice stimulate the process of learning by offering the
vehicle of communication, mentoring, coaching and self-reflection. Also it captures and share
the existing knowledge to assist the people to bring improvisation in the practice by offering a
forum to search the solutions of the issues and also it is a process that gather and evaluate the
best practices. There is the importance of communities of practice on sharing the knowledge and
information. It can be seen that communities of practice is important as it can help in sharing
knowledge and information (Martín-de Castro, 2015). Community of practice is important as the
professional learning strategy as they focus on the potential to
 Connect people: It can be seen that through communities of practice it can be easy to
connect with the people and also by interaction messages can be transferred in an easy
manner (Al Saifi, 2015).
 Stimulate learning: Communities of practice is the source that can stimulate the learning
of the people and also information is shared which maintain the personal experiences.
 Organize people: Communities of practice is essential as it can assist the employees to
manage the overall activities and also the main focus is on organizing the people in the
workplace (Valmohammadi and Ahmadi, 2015).
 Generate new knowledge: Communities of practice is one of the sources that can help in
generating the new knowledge in the employees who are managing their activities in the
workplace (Ahern, Leavy and Byrne, 2014).
 Provide a shared context: It has been seen that communities of practice help the people in
sharing the views and opinion and also enhance the overall understanding. Through
proper communities of practice it can be simple to maintain the overall share of the
company in the competitive market (Hislop, Bosua and Helms, 2018).
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
These are considered as the importance of communities of practice in relation to sharing of
knowledge and information.
In this context the company which is selected is Nestle. The strategy which should be considered
by the company is related to promotion. It is important to consider the promotional strategy as it
can boost the overall activities of the company and also demand can be maximized in the
competitive market. Through promotional strategy it can be easy to boost the sales of the
company and also it is the best strategy that can grab the attention of the customers. Promotional
strategy in context to community of practice is considered when a professional person manages
overall activities in the workplace. It can be seen that in Nestle, the promotional strategy should
be managed by the sales person of the company as he or she has the capability to influence the
people and it is the right opportunity which can be considered by the company to promote the
sales in the competitive market (Tan and Wong, 2015).
The product development can take place when the company considers the promotional strategy
as it is the strategy which boosts the overall growth and profits in the competitive market. It can
be stated that product development is one of the important factor that should be there so that
main objective of the company can be fulfilled. In the workplace there can be professional and
ethical issues which can take place in relation to the overall activities of the company. To
maintain confidentiality is one of the factors that should be there so that privacy of the
information can be maintained in the competitive market (Obeidat et al., 2017).
The ethical issues that can take place are related to decision making. It can be seen that the
ethical dilemma focuses on the ethical course of action that consist of gathering the facts and also
in evaluating the actions. Ethical decision making process should be the center of safeguarding
the rights of the employees and customers so that the activities can be finished in an ethical
manner (Donate and de Pablo, 2015).
The next professional and ethical issue relates with the diversity problem in which it can be seen
that current and potential employees are the group who deserve to be respected and also they
select to work in an efficient to work. To maximize the value of the employees is also one of the
factors that should be considered so that it can be simple to achieve success in the competitive
market. Also, it can be analyzed that strategic policy focuses on the marketing planning which
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
should be there so that goals can be attained. The companies can set their policy so that large
market share can be attained (Massaro et al., 2016).
For example: the company also create marketing plan with the goals that can reach to the
overall segments prevailing in the market. Through this it can be simple to align the resources
and also consist of the money and human resources so reach the segments. It is important for the
marketing managers to ensure that the overall spending also relates with the marketing goal. In
this the issue that can take place is related to governance issues in which the businesses are
expected to focus on considering the environmental laws and also safety rules so that overall
civil laws can be maintained (Edwards, 2015).
The Nestle Company focuses on giving security to the employees and customers by offering
quality products in the market. If proper quality is not considered then it can impact the overall
activities of the company in the competitive market. In this, it is important to focus on marketing
planning so that it can be easy to generate the demand of the customers towards the products and
services. Also, ethical practices are important to be considered so that in right way the activities
can be completed. If company is managing the entire work by emphasizing on the overall ethical
decisions then it will impact the organizational activities in a positive manner. Also, through this
it can be easy to align with the resources and human resource management of the company as it
can help in boosting the overall activities in the competitive market (Soto-Acosta and Cegarra-
Navarro, 2016).
The strategic policy is also related with the partnership that should be done with the community
so that companies can work and can build the services that meet the requirement of the public. It
is important for the companies to structure its activities so that needs of the business owners can
be fulfilled. The strategic tactic of the company also focuses on the advisory board and it invites
the local government and business leaders to staff the board. It is one of the policies that can help
the company in boosting the image in the market and with this it can be easy to maintain the
overall competitive advantage in the market.
The next strategic policy is related with environmental policy that can help the company in
maintaining the brand in the market. It is important for the company to focus on the social factor
so that it can be easy to maintain the harmony in the society and also it will boost the overall
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Running head: Managing Knowledge
goals in the competitive market. Nestle focuses on making campaigns that can help in boosting
the customer satisfaction in the market. Also, the ethical behavior is one of the factors which are
important in the workplace. People and customers can feel safe and good at the time of working
with the people and can also consider the factor on the basis of morality. So, it can be analyzed
that it is important for the company to focus on strategic policies by considering the professional
and ethical issues which are important to be reduced. Also if the activities are managed in a
proper manner then it can be simple for the company to focus on development of the products
which can help in attaining the large market share in the competitive market. Also, through this
market share is one of the best concepts that can be boosted if proper activities are taken into
consideration. Communities of the practice help in sharing the knowledge which can boost the
overall knowledge of the employees. It also assists in boosting the overall image of the company
in the competitive market (Mao et al., 2016).
Conclusion
So, these are the different aspects in relation to the knowledge management that should be
considered by the companies. It will help in boosting profits and market share.
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