Implementing KM: A Case Study of TPG Telecom Limited Strategy

This report details the implementation of a new knowledge management system at TPG Telecom Limited, addressing the challenges faced by the company's existing KM processes. It proposes a new KM strategy based on the Gamble and Blackwell model, emphasizing the importance of social capital and knowledge sharing within the organization. The report outlines the strategy implementation process, including identifying objectives, preparing for cultural changes, performing knowledge audits, and assessing IT infrastructure. It further provides an implementation roadmap with strategic assessment and knowledge audit stages to ensure effective KM implementation. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a range of study tools and resources for students.

Running Head: Knowledge Management 1
Implementing Knowledge Management System

Knowledge Management 2
Executive Summary
Knowledge management provides opportunities to the organizations for using the
available resources in the business. Knowledge management basically ensures inter-departmental
functions within the organization in order to interact connect and coordinate so that the
organizational goals and objectives can be achieved. This report will focus on the
implementation process of a new knowledge management system in a company named TPG
Telecom Limited. Based on previous analysis, it is observed that the current knowledge
management in the company is not able to deal with the challenges in the business. The report
will propose new knowledge management strategy and will support the strategy with the
research literature. Further, report will provide the strategy implementation process along with
the implementation roadmap in order to implement new knowledge management strategy in TPG
Telecom.

Knowledge Management 3
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Proposed knowledge management strategy.....................................................................................3
Research literature...........................................................................................................................5
Strategy implementation..................................................................................................................6
Implementation roadmap.................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13
List of Figures
Figure 1: KM Model........................................................................................................................4
Figure 2: Factors affecting KM strategy..........................................................................................8
Figure 3: Implementation Roadmap................................................................................................9

Knowledge Management 4
Introduction
Knowledge management system is very effective e to enhance the performance of a
business process in the competitive business environment. The current report focuses on the
implementation of knowledge management system in TPG Telecom Limited. Knowledge
management is the most important corporate asset for any business as knowledge possessed by
the employees is helpful in gaining competitive advantage. So, employees within the company
must have clear communication regarding the process of knowledge management (Dalkir &
Liebowitz, 2011). Once employees would be capable to identify with the significance of
knowledge management process then it would not be complicated for the company in the
implementation of the knowledge management system in the business. Previously, it was
analyzed that company has to face some major challenges while capturing organizational
knowledge. This report focuses on some recommendations to implement knowledge
management model in the company which was previously provided. Report also provides the
implementation roadmap of knowledge management system.
Proposed knowledge management strategy
Knowledge management system is an integral part of the process of KM. Knowledge
management system can be defined as any IT system used by the business organization in order
to gain knowledge, improvements of collaboration and to locate the source of knowledge. In case
of TPG Telecom, company is using Data Mining and Data Warehousing as the knowledge
management systems. But there are some issues and challenges faced by the company related to
KM process. Company has to face challenges in terms of providing proper security to the
important information. Thus, there is the need of a new knowledge management strategy in order
to minimize the challenges faced by the company (Hislop, 2013). Previously, a new knowledge
management strategy i.e. KM model of Gamble and Blackwell is recommended.

Knowledge Management 5
Figure 1: KM Model
(Source: Gamble and Blackwell, 2001)
Gamble and Blackwell (2001) identified social capital as the characteristics of
communities of practices that impact on the creation and sharing of knowledge within an
organization. They basically defined inter-related dimensions of social capital. In the figure, the
model includes four key stages. In the first stage, the role of the organization is to provide
various resources of knowledge among the employees. Developing knowledge sources is a
significant factor of this model (Argote, 2012). Further, in the second stage, the accountability of
the supervision of organization is to acquire the knowledge to analyze the strength and weakness
of the organization. So, second step is organizing the information. Third stage is socializing that
is helpful for the management of the company to use various techniques and methods to share the
knowledge within the organization. Fourth and last stage is internationalization by which
management can internationalize the knowledge. This model is helpful in implementing effective
knowledge management. So, it is advised to TPG Telecom to implement KM Model of Gamble
and Blackwell.

Knowledge Management 6
Research literature
Knowledge management is the set of procedures that is helpful in eliminating the
business problems within the organization. Additional issues in the business are resolved by the
knowledge management system. Knowledge management is highly interdisciplinary filed that
attracts various authors and scholars from various fields (Barnes, 2002). Various scholars have
stated that knowledge management gets the correct information in front of correct people at the
accurate time. There are some crucial aspects that important to implement knowledge
management in the organizations and those factors are competitive differentiation, globalization
effects, organizational survival and aging workforce. This is the fact that every organization
competes based on their knowledge as products and services are becoming very complex
(Solano, 2010). There is the requirement of life-long learning because the rate of innovation is
rising. That is the reason that knowledge management is important. Along with this, knowledge
management system is important as increasing mobility of workforce and early retirements lead
to the loss of knowledge in some specific areas. Managing knowledge provides primary
opportunity to the companies to achieve the considerable savings important developments in the
performance of the employees and competitive advantage (Holsapple, 2013). It is important to
align the knowledge management strategy with the organizational strategy. According to Plessis
(2007), the knowledge management strategy is helpful in developing a considerate of the
knowledge management resources of the organization for the long term benefits.
Various models, strategies, tools and techniques are introduced by various researchers for
knowledge management. Ali and Fehmida (2004) have designed a mapping model that described
about explicit and tacit knowledge. Along with this, Naveed and Kathwala (2004) have
developed knowledge city model based on futuristic technologies. This model is useful for
enhancing education, business, socio-cultural, and business. Another researcher Saba (2012)
designed a conceptual model in order to share the knowledge based on qualitative research on
existing tools and models. For the Company TPG Telecom Limited, knowledge management
model of Gamble and Blackwell is recommended.
Knowledge management model of Gamble and Blackwell depicts the process of
implementing the strategy for management in order to divest, build, and improve the knowledge
assets. This is the model that focuses on ‘when’ and ‘why’ aspects. This model basically puts the

Knowledge Management 7
knowledge management actions into context. This KM model provides general hypothetical
structure and detailed procedures for the execution (Cham, Lim Cheng and Lee, 2016).
Strategy implementation
In TPG Telecom, there are two knowledge management process used by the company i.e.
Data mining and Data warehousing. Along with this, the company is using centralized system in
order to store the organizational data. Now, there is the need of new knowledge management
system in order to fill the gap of knowledge. After identifying the new knowledge management
strategy for TPG Telecom, it is important to develop an effective process to implement the KM
strategy. There are various steps i.e. strategy, planning and requirement gatherings that would be
included in the implementation process of new strategy (Alavi & Leidne, 2001). The decision to
apply new knowledge management process can be a critical task for the company TPG Telecom.
So, it is necessary to have a strong management support for KM to be successful. First, it is
important to understand that KM is the organized procedure in order to create, maintain and look
after the company in order to make best use of knowledge so that sustainable competitive
advantage or high performance can be achieved (Rao, 2012). The implementation process for
new KM strategy in TPG Telecom is described below:
Identifying knowledge management program objectives-
Before implementing new strategy, defining the process and developing workflows, TPG
Telecom needs to identify the key objectives for knowledge management. In order to establish
suitable program objective, it is important to identify the business problems. In case of TPG,
there are various challenges like cultural changes and conflicts in the leadership. It is observed
that company is facing challenges in terms of motivating the employees to overcome the cultural
changes. Along with this, keeping the information relevant is another challenge for TPG
Telecom. There are some security issues also in the company as it is important to provide
security to the relevant information. So, there is the need to implement new KM strategy in order
to deal with all these challenges (Abbasi & Farashahian, 2011).
Preparing for change-

Knowledge Management 8
Knowledge management is more than just a function of expertise. It basically involves
cultural changes among the employees. In case of TPG Telecom, company needs to create a
collaborative culture which is required to redesign the organizational values and implementing
incentives to meet the organizational goals. For the company, time and support are two important
success factors to knowledge management and employees with the time for knowledge
management also require coaching and help. Company will provide required training and
coaching with the technical tools. Successful implementation of new knowledge management
program needs changes in the shared values and norms of the company and employees might
resist in the company. In order to minimize the negative impact of the changes, company will
establish the approach for managing cultural changes (AlRowaily & AlRowaily, 2012).
Performing knowledge audit-
TPG Telecom will perform a knowledge audit in order to solve the business problems.
The knowledge audit will identify the sources of knowledge which are required in the company
to solve business challenges. In the knowledge audit process, management of the company will
work with the employees to locate the knowledge which they need to solve the business related
problems. The audit will start by breaking the information into two catagories i.e. what
knowledge is currently used by the company and what knowledge is required. In case of TPG
Telecom, there are some factors i.e. leadership, culture, knowledge processes organizational
structure and technology infrastructure that impact on the knowledge management system
(Albers, 2009).

Knowledge Management 9
Figure 2: Factors affecting KM strategy
(Source: Albers, 2009)
In the company TPG Telecom, the knowledge audit will identify what, where, and how
exiting knowledge resources are used. In the audit process, there will be cycle processes i.e.
acquisition, formation, codification, sharing, access, function and recycle. In the company,
management will focus on the business needs, gaps and issues and knowledge required to fill the
gaps.
Performing IT assessment-
In the company, management will focus on information technology assessment including
diagnostic areas i.e. IT assets, IT management process, and IT investment performance. Based on
the objectives, management will identify the knowledge management technology needs. TPG
Telecom needs to provide security to the relevant and important information so; management of
the company will identify the right applications and functionality in order to support the business
process (Borghoff & Pareschi, 2013). The management of the company will examine the IT
project management skills i.e. strategic and technical direction setting, and execution and review
of the projects. TPG Telecom needs to redesign its IT infrastructure in order to implement new
knowledge management system effectively (Martin, 2015).

Knowledge Management 10
Building blocks for knowledge management-
For applying the knowledge management system, there is the requirement of a phased
approach. In case of TPG Telecom, management will use technological building blocks and will
take a phased approach that will balance the need of knowledge in order to achieve long-term
goal. Every block will contribute to the ultimate knowledge management system. Blocks will
provide beneficial outcomes to the entire company and each phase in the process will provide the
foundation for the implementation.
Implementation roadmap
Figure 3: Implementation Roadmap
The above given figure describes the roadmap of implementing knowledge management
system in TPG Telecom. The process of implementation is as follows:
Strategic assessment-

Knowledge Management 11
This is the first step of developing KM initiatives. The overall strategy of the company is
to provide high-quality services with the focus on development, productivity and consumer
faithfulness. So, the management of the company will perform ‘back-office’ functions in order
to analyze the required business functions in the effective and efficient manner (Albers &
Whitmore, 2006).
Knowledge audit-
This will be the second stage while implementing the knowledge management system.
Knowledge audit will be done in order to identify the gaps between what is known and what
must be known. TPG Telecom is currently lacking with the cohesive knowledge management
program. The company is not focused on developing dedicated platforms for sharing the
knowledge. This is a basic strategy to focus on the own business objectives (Kebede, 2010).
Aligning knowledge strategy with business strategy-
After identifying the gaps, it is important to develop appropriate knowledge relationships
in the company. Aligning knowledge strategy with business strategy will be helpful in
maintaining the efficient process to record the accurate and desired results. This process will be
accurate easily understood and readily available. For this manner, communication is the best
element that can be used by the management of the company. So, management of the company
will connect the identified knowledge strategy with the business strategy (Rollett, 2012).
Knowledge management team-
After completing the strategic reviews, management will focus on identifying the
resources and knowledge management initiatives with the dedicated employees. New initiatives
will be sponsored as they will present high probability of success and benefits to the company.
Knowledge management team will be prepared that will identify the opportunity cost for
implementing new KM system. The KM program will be successful by establishing benefits,
determining value and associating benefits with the costs. In the KM team, there will be senior
manager, knowledge manager, and knowledge committee including cross-functional team
members (Omotayo, 2015).
IT assessment and change management strategies-

Knowledge Management 12
The KM framework will focus on the IT resources i.e. how those resources can be used
for the knowledge management. The company relies on providing effective communication
services to many customers. IT department operates in the production environment so;
management would request to update other production platforms. This competitive industry
needs the continuous changes in the services and new offerings so, more business analysts will
be assigned to gather the functional requirements. It is observed that there is the lack of exchange
and capture of the information. So, there would be organizational learning facilities in order to
implement the change and make the employees ready to adapt the changes (Kuo & Lee, 2011).
Organizational change management strategies-
The value and objectives of new knowledge management system is clearly defined. The
principles of management provide an environment to the employees to operate efficiently. The
culture of TPG Telecom needs to become more collaborative. For this manner, team-building
events will be conducted by the management of the company. The employees need to rely on
each other for solving the problems in order to reduce the time wasted. The reward system i.e.
rewards and recognition, gifts and certificates will also be redesigned. In order to achieve
benefits from the KM system, the leadership team in the company will develop an approval for
‘knowledge management’ and hold the official execution of KM process.
Deployment of KM system-
KM system and initiatives will be most successful when it will be implemented in phases
over a period of time. In case of TPG Telecom, company is using Data Mining and Data
Warehousing as the knowledge management systems. But, after identifying the issues in current
knowledge management system, KM model of Gamble and Blackwell will be implanted. In
order to implement successfully, there would be some efforts i.e. make knowledge associable,
conducting employees training, enhancing the flow of information, reducing the work cost and
productivity losses. Management of TPG Telecom will deploy number of KM initiatives during
the short term (Groff & Jones, 2012).
Measurement system-