Knowledge management is a complex model and has the ability to grow and change over periods of extensive stress and adjustment. People in business and company executives should be constantly aware of knowledge management due to the power that it holds in the modern business world. When examining the three-step process of knowledge management; it is important to look at and consider all three steps. The three steps are knowledge accumulation, integration, and finally, reconfiguration. This process is known for its natural ability to promote strategy and practicality over all else; simply because it is oriented around due process. It is also more practical and easier to apply than many other processes of its kind.

These three segments may seem complex if you just look at their names, but they are relatively simple to carry out and understand. This model for managing knowledge reflects a more strategic and practical perspective, as it is process-oriented and most applicable for leading organizations. Knowledge accumulation coupled with integration and reconfiguration ensures that this actually helps companies exchange knowledge to overcome challenging situations in the time of COVID-19. In this specific knowledge management model, organisational knowledge comes first. This is gathered and kept by the creation of fresh knowledge which is in turn collected from ‘intellectual capital’.  It is also collated by acquiring it from outside environments. This process, in turn, can allow those high up in the business to develop and understand the operation of a workplace which is effective. It can be effective in the following ways:

• The company can gather knowledge surrounding fresh products and service in their relevant industry.
• Company performance can be quote on quote ‘benchmarked’ alongside relevant competitors in the industry.
• The gathered feedback can be utilised to improve overall business performance.
• Teams can be used to manage, allocate, and understand resources.
• Training and education courses and programmed can be created and curated throughout this stage.
• Recruitment programmes and career pathways can be curated throughout this.
• Organisational events can be created

If we move to the second point, knowledge can be slowly combined into this process, which enhances the productivity and workings of the process as a whole. Emma Louise, a marketing manager at Draftbeyond and Lastminutewriting, noted that, “Systems within the organisation will improve as this knowledge is integrated internally, and various processes will become more efficient over time.” This process will causes those who are higher up in the business to develop the workplace below them to be effective in the following ways:

• Keeping an eye on organisational knowledge as a whole to keep products and services in line with the relevant regulations.
• The consistent assessment of knowledge within the industries and other requirements to keep up with the industry.
• Connecting shared knowledge within the business to improve other areas in the organisation as a whole.
• Understanding and portraying which areas of the business are crucial knowledge and competence areas, and which are not.
• Working with industry ‘experts’ to understand which areas of the business are working and which areas need work.

Lastly, the previously aforementioned knowledge in organisations must be constantly changed, adjusted, and re-shaped to fit the changing environment around the business. Although it would be nice if everything simply always stayed the same, that is not realistic! Lewis Kirby, a business writer at Writinity and Researchpapersuk, noted that, “The world is changing every day, and the business world more than most. No environment has changed as quickly as COVID-19, making this even more important during this period of time for businesses.” During this stage, the knowledge collected by organisations should be kept within the business and used to improve standing in relation to other competitors. Doing this will assists executive business people in developing their workplaces to be more effective in the below areas:

• Curating knowledgeable and educated partnerships with other members of their industries, in any stage.
• Sharing business goals and ideals with partners outside of the business to curate profitable and ideal partnerships.
• Growing and relating knowledge policies to be more than they are, and increasing them by the day.
• Connecting the systems of sharing knowledge and other shared processes with the relevant partners and people.
• Creating opportunities for connections such as big conferences, shared activities, and other ways for people to share knowledge more informally.

This piece has informally introduced a piece of business knowledge that has always been around but has not become as crucially relevant to business operation until very recently, when COVID-19 hit the world like a rock. Crises like this one change the course of history, and they change the way businesses operate, especially when it comes to the management and procurement of knowledge.

~~~

Companies want their employees to be up-to-date on the going-ons in their businesses. That’s why companies are turning to useful knowledge management software, so that employees can access and acknowledge what’s going on, on a day-to-day basis. Should anything change within the company, employees will know right away.

These days, knowledge management software can come as a self-serve tool that people can use to look up, maintain, and update information, so that others (i.e., customers) can find the right answers at the right times without delay. Thus, companies can focus on productivity, while helping people with inquiries.

With that said, here are 5 great examples of knowledge management tools:

1. Vend

“Vend takes a user-centered design approach when it comes to knowledge management,” says Chyna Sanders, a writer at Write My X and 1Day2Write. “The software shows you the most popular content at the top, while surrounding it with product areas, so that users can easily navigation through it, and user filters to narrow down options. This allows management agents to act as knowledge managers, meaning that they can create and maintain content in the software with Knowledge Centered Service. By maintaining and updating content, agents can meet customer needs and improve in any areas that everyone sees fit.”

2. Amazon

You heard right!

The online retail giant has evolved into providing its own products and services, including knowledge management. The solutions it provides comes from its state-of-the-art customer service and products to make information more accessible to users.

In hindsight, Amazon’s knowledge management solutions can do the following:

• Create accurate shift management
• Evaluate knowledge management processes
• Provide chats/message details
• Project file configuration, etc.

Amazon realizes that competitive markets call for better business analysis and effective strategies. With its solutions in knowledge management, business knowledge and performance are enhanced.

3. Spartan Race

Spartan Race is another knowledge management resource that’s customer-centric, and provides a self-serve format for users. Since there’s no one way to enhance customer relationships, this knowledge base aligns customer needs with true company success. By understanding customer needs, companies get a glimpse of the people and groups that need to served, and how they can go about it to enhance customer relationships.

All of this is possible, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). AI ensures that frequently asked questions are accumulated and archived, so that users can refer back to them in the future. Also, customers can interact with Answer Bot, a live chat bot that not only answers inquiries, but also helps companies improve help center articles while putting customers first.

4. RStudio

“RStudio is a knowledge management program that’s more community-centered than individually-based,” says Bridgette Taylor, a business blogger at PhD Kingdom and Britstudent. “In this case, people in a community can post and answer questions. It also has a database where people can refer to common issues and requests that have previously been posted. As such, this software is about learning resources and training in the knowledge management sphere. From data encryption to backup scheduling to web access and restoration, RStudio is open source in essence, while being a knowledge management tool.”

5. Canva

Finally, Canva takes plating and presenting a creation to a new level. This graphic design platform lets you create an effective knowledge management interface by letting you design your help center. Even if you’re not an avid graphic designer, Canva also has some great tools for novice designers.

You can also make a “Contact us” section that customers can see and interact with in the help center design. Plus, clean graphics from Canva allow for easy implementation of a frequently-asked-questions spot.

Conclusion

Ultimately, companies will rely more and more on knowledge management solutions, so that their customers are satisfied with their experiences when interacting with them. If there’s a concern, then companies must be ready to address it.

While the above 5 examples are just a few, when describing the effects of knowledge management, it’s important to note that this form of company mission is – and should always be – one of the top priorities of all businesses. In other words, by putting customers first, companies are being trusted authorities of a product, niche, service, etc. With the right knowledge, as well as enough of it, customers are more likely to turn to you for more information.

~~~

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have suffered immeasurable losses in different ways. This has led to an increase in remote businesses with changing models and technologies. Communication, collaboration, and event interpretation have now become very important. Most organizations now have more than 50% and up to 75% of their employees working remotely.

While there has been consistency in the level of productivity for many remote workers, others also struggle to find their productivity. For most people, some of the reasons for a drop in productivity relate to communication problems, difficulty accessing information or lack of access, etc. More people now spend more time looking for information.

From all indications, COVID-19 has affected knowledge management, which has led to an increase in the importance of trustworthy information with easy access during these uncertain times.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management is the process that organizations use to identify, capture, store, share, apply, and leverage collective knowledge for improving performance. It helps the organization coordinate and organize management actions and quickly identify people with expertise and transfer the necessary knowledge to people who decide how to deal with the crisis whenever needed.

Knowledge is a valuable resource for any organization. During a crisis that requires rapid responses such as COVID-19, appropriate knowledge management is essential to facilitate and enable effective management efforts. According to a top essay writing service and a knowledge com, managers can use effective knowledge management to use critical resources effectively to develop strategies to mitigate the damages as a result of the crisis and ensure that their organization survives and prospers.

Also, the use of information technology has become even more critical. It has become a facilitator of Knowledge Management and Crisis Management and can help organizations reach their goals.

During a health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations tend to suffer the biggest hits, and the effects only get stronger. Therefore, finding ways to contain infections and also reduce exposure risks to reduce the damage is a problem that needs solving immediately. It has become apparent that there is a need to use IT to reduce the level of pressure in the front-line health workers, solve practical problems, and improve the prevention of an epidemic.

While there are Crisis Management frameworks that give organizations valuable instructions to help them manage crisis effectively, it is impossible not to state how important it is to apply knowledge in handling the COVID-19 crisis. A vital crisis management practice in making accurate and timely decisions related to preventing, preparing, mitigating, and recovering from the crisis. However, you can’t make any strategic decisions without having and applying critical knowledge. This is why it is essential to have knowledge management practices to use in handling crises.

It is common knowledge that IT always plays a good role in enabling critical knowledge management processes to support decision-making. In the same way, Knowledge Management is also a mechanism that adds value to the organization by applying IT. This enables the exertion of the full potentials within an intellectual asset and engenders an effective response to the crisis at hand.

How to Identify Knowledge Requirements

In a statement by Paul Tella, author of cheap assignment writing service, he mentioned that the most critical Knowledge Management task is identifying the required knowledge to successfully implement a plan to curb and prevent a pandemic situation such as COVID-19. The more we're able to learn the characteristics of an emerging disease that's infectious and spreads very fast, the easier and better it is to mitigate and manage its impact.

It is necessary to establish and deploy a Knowledge Management platform that collects and manages an updated knowledge. For covid-19, the needed knowledge is the clinical features of acute respiratory diseases, the world situation (such as the total number of confirmed and suspected cases), measures and norms of pandemic prevention, as well as government regulations.

The use of Knowledge Management platforms can help in enhancing the reliability, integrity, and accuracy of knowledge. This can help mitigate fear and panic, which misinformation causes and allows for disseminating critical knowledge, continuously refined and evaluated when necessary.

Also, the acquisition of critical knowledge is used to manage the crisis by learning and identifying past experiences and using it to cope with similar cases. An example of this is the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003.

Healthcare organizations may create a knowledge base of best practices to deal with this crisis from past experiences. From the experience of the SARS outbreak in 2003, there were several deaths and infections among health workers and medical staff. Therefore, it is imperative to provide support to healthcare workers to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease among health workers and patients. This also helps to consolidate and maintain the achievement of prevention and control of the pandemic.

A normal IT infrastructure such as repositories, technology platforms, firewalls, and networks is critical for critical Crisis Management assets to facilitate Knowledge Management activities so that healthcare professionals don’t get infected with the virus. Knowledge Management activities that are supported by IT offer critical knowledge which relates highly to the current task. Getting the needed expertise from experts in infection control through internet-based learning platforms would be effective in helping individuals to improve their understanding of knowledge that relates to healthcare in different ways. Examples include the proper way to don and doff personal protective equipment and hand hygiene and promote adaptability by internalizing and translating this knowledge into actions.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world massively, and the most significant burden of it falls on the shoulder of healthcare organizations. The mortality and morbidity rate means that the demand for effective crisis management is crucial now than ever. The sustainability and survival of individuals and organizations relish on their knowledge to deal with this crisis. This has proven the importance of knowledge management to empower functioning knowledge necessary for surviving the crisis.

~~~

Researchers in the field of health have been emphasizing the concept of mental and spiritual health along with physical health as an indicator and component of health and hygiene for many years. In such a way, mental and spiritual health positively affects physical health and accelerates the healing process.

Every event that happens in human life, whether bitter or sweet, contains experiences and lessons that, if learned correctly, can be helpful in the critical moments ahead.

Suffering from the illness of oneself or one's relatives is one of these events. Unfortunately, I also joined many patients with the lesser-known coronavirus. The severity of the disease was so great that I had to be hospitalized for some time.

What I realized from the beginning of the fight with this disease until the fair recovery and health was the importance and necessity of strengthening the psychological and spiritual dimension and strengthening the physical strength.

In fact, rather than weakening the human physical powers, the disease, due to the virus's direct and indirect mechanisms, attacks the human emotional and mental strengths and makes it weaker and weaker.

Therefore, maintaining hope for the future and vitality and trusting and believing in the metaphysical has a two-way effect on healing. On the one hand, it mentally makes the disease easier to bear, and on the other hand, it helps the body and the body's defense forces in the face of the virus.

Accordingly, psychologists and counselors' presence alongside physicians and nurses in the treatment of patients helps patients fight the disease.

Before I got this disease, I was probably less aware of the importance of counselors' and psychologists' presence - those who enhance patients' mental health - in treating this disease.

As a personal experience, the days of hospitalization, the presence of a psychologist in the room, and his one-by-one talks with patients gave a unique variety to the treatment process. He calmly began to talk with coronavirus patients and listened keenly to their words and concerns.

On the other hand, for those who were unwilling to accept the new conditions of the disease and this temporary lifestyle, he first revealed the truth and made them accept these conditions. And in the next step, with motivational and hopeful sentences, he prepared them to fight this disease and hope for a bright future.

He came to us, and it was our turn. We started talking; Maybe for more than half an hour. These direct conversations, albeit brief ones, helped to better understand the situation and deal with the disease.

Boosting immunity by Story-telling

One of the highlights of this counselor's approach was the use of stories and memories he witnessed during the nine months of counseling at the Corona Hospital and ICU. In fact, he knowingly or unknowingly used the same story-telling technique used in knowledge management. These true stories cause the patient to identify with the person whose great spirit story and his or her dominance over the disease being told.

Perhaps the experience will save the life of a patient!

Other notable points in the counselor's work style were the sympathy and questioning of patients who had gone through the difficult stages of the disease, were on the verge of recovery, and experienced the last days of their hospitalization.

Perhaps, he would no longer have the opportunity to talk to these people, and he would make the most of this opportunity for the remaining few days, asking about their experiences during treatment until they recovered.

He would ask

- What experience did they have during their illness?

- And what do they say to someone who has just contracted the disease?

And would record the patient's experiences.

He also asked the patients who were recovering completely to think about these questions. In his next visit, he repeated the same questions and wrote down the result of the patient's thought and intellectual conflict with the question.

His critical phrase to attract and persuade patients was:

"These tips and your experiences may be able to save another dear life."

Manage knowledge without taking the name of knowledge management!

At the end of our conversation, I thanked him and shared the concept of "knowledge management" with him. I explained that what he is doing is exactly in line with this concept of knowledge management.

This consultant may have been unfamiliar with "knowledge management" until then, but what he was doing and applying in practice was pursuing the concept of knowledge management and applying its tools and techniques, without naming knowledge management.

This is where we always remember the words of knowledge management experts who, in implementing knowledge management in life, home, workplace, and organization, emphasize on. First of all, promoting and consolidating the culture of knowledge management and paying attention to the principle of profitability of knowledge management on a micro and macro scale.

Illuminate the future path with the light of the past

Once we come to believe that "the past is a beacon for the future" (i.e., knowledge management), we set foot on the path, and step by step - with the help of experienced knowledge management consultants - the way becomes smoother and more transparent. As the famous Iranian poet Attar of Nishapur[1] says:

You stroll in the path of the goal and do not hesitate

The road itself tells you how, whence, and in which direction to go

Purpose of writing this text

1- Transferring the experience of dealing with the coronavirus; A virus has plagued the world for more than a year.

2- Gratitude to the hospital's medical staff, especially the less mentioned group of counselors and psychologists.

3- Experience in paying attention to knowledge management and using its techniques in treating coronavirus patients, referring to the method of one of the hospital psychologists.

4- Paying attention to the necessity of prioritizing belief and trust in the effectiveness of knowledge management in making individual and professional activities more productive.

Be healthy and fresh!

~~~

Knowledge management is the practice of creating, capturing, storing, and making accessible all the information that helps an organization achieve its directives. The resulting knowledge base then becomes a priceless resource to people at every layer in the management structure. At least it will if there’s a disciplined approach. A good approach to knowledge management should be rules-based, so the following is accomplished:

●      Destruction of information silos.

●      New knowledge is propagated across the organization.

●      Processes are maintained and created according to up-to-date information.

●      Your team can relate to customers by using a clear and accurate understanding of their needs.

●      Recently hired, promoted, or transferred employees are onboarded properly.

Ultimately, a variety of people will be using and contributing to your knowledge base. Without some rules, things will become chaotic. Here are the steps you’ll want to follow for creating and maintaining your knowledge management system. Each action item is accompanied by a rule to ensure the step can be executed successfully.

1.   Identify Your Objectives

What is it that you want to accomplish with knowledge management? Imagine that your efforts are flawless, and you get everything that you want. What would the results be? They might include:

●      Ensuring that knowledge stays with the company despite personnel or organizational changes.

●      Empowering customer service agents to quickly provide accurate advice and insights.

●      Reduce turnover due to frustration over poor onboarding and training.

●      Identify inconsistencies in information across the organization.

●      Provide stakeholders with the opportunity to share or request information from all business areas.

●      Improve productivity, reduce errors, and increase efficiencies.

●      Eliminate redundancies.

Rule: All knowledge management changes should directly reflect an established business goal.

2.   Get Management Educated And on Board

An information base is only valuable if it is used, and if the people who have the knowledge are willing to share it. If managers don’t see the value in it or understand how it works, you are sunk. Not only that, but it is the managers who know where the existing information is. You need them to adopt knowledge management and to encourage their team members to do the same.

Rule: Managers must undergo training to ensure they have a full understanding of the knowledge management process and its benefits. They must also facilitate sharing of knowledge from their business area to others.

3.   Audit Your Current Knowledge Base

Even if your company is entirely new to the concept of knowledge management, you likely have something of a knowledge base already. Now that you have management on board, you’ll need to rely on them to conduct a current state analysis. You want to know what information exists, how it’s being used, and whether it’s accurate. Here’s a list of questions you might propose:

●      Where are your user manuals, policies, and other documents located?

●      When were they last modified?

●      Where do you obtain information to assist customers, employees, or other departments?

●      How do you request information from other business areas?

●      Are there roadblocks to getting the information you need?

●      What intrinsic knowledge exists within your department?

●      What are the gaps in understanding you see in other business areas?

Rule: An initial audit is important to understand the current state. However, that will need to be repeated over time to ensure the integrity of knowledge.

4.   Build And Organize The Knowledge Base

You may discover that the initial efforts to put together a knowledge management system are less about creating new repositories of information, and more about centralizing existing ones. Using the information gathered during the audit, it’s time to make some decisions about the design of the knowledge base, how it will be centralized, and the means that people will use to search it for information.

An essential part of this process is ensuring that information is communicated clearly and effectively. Readability is key. Consider the fact that the base understanding of the people who originally create or acquire knowledge may not be the same as that of other departments. Writing quality may not be up to par either. It may be worthwhile to use a business or technical writer from Essay Republic to ensure that all knowledge base documents are accurate and easy to read.

Rule: The way that information is organized, and its accessibility are as important as the information itself. Steps must be taken to assure anyone who needs to access company knowledge is able too easily.

5.   Provide Appropriate Training to Team Members

The purpose of a knowledge base is to create a centralized place where information can be accessed to allow for better problem-solving, customer service, and efficiency. This only works if employees know this exists and how to use it. They must also understand their role in the maintenance of company knowledge.

Rule: Knowledge is a company asset that must be shared by employees. To do this, adequate training must be provided by department heads.

6.   Create a Plan For Adding to And Updating The Knowledge Management System

Knowledge is never stagnant. There is information that is part of a company’s repository of knowledge that will become outdated and incorrect. New knowledge is being constantly acquired from a wide range of sources within the organization. There must be a way to facilitate adding and updating information.

On the other hand, the process for doing this must be disciplined. If not, the potential for disseminating bad or contradicting information is too great. There should be a formal process of submitting new information, along with a clear approval process.

Rule: Everyone within the organization can contribute to the company’s knowledge repository. A formal approval process will ensure that all information is accurate and consistent.

Final Thoughts

There is nothing more important to any organization than its knowledge. This is the information used to make products or deliver services. It ensures that customers are given accurate service and that employees know how to handle the challenges they encounter. With knowledge management, all the different types of understanding within the organization can be appropriately captured, organized, and accessed.

~~~