This document examines and delineates the nature of knowledge management and its
relationship with operations management. In essence, knowledge management underlies
every facet of operations management, and must be identified and formalized in order to
promote effective operations in any organization. Knowledge is information put into
human usable form. Knowledge management is the control of the acquistion of
knowledge, the identification and protection of its sources and the application of that
knowledge to business planning and processes. Because of the developments in technology
and the electronic networks connecting the globe, we are in danger of suffing information
overload, the first consequence of which will be the loss of knowledge due to the inability
of organizations to sort the wheat fromn the chaff. Effective knowledge Management maps
the knowledge environment of the entire organization and creates plans and policies
covering its processes of acquisition, dissemination, protection and application. It
especially identifies the critical human elements without which knowledg does not exist.
All areas of operations within a company are dependent upon the knowledge needed for
their funcioning. The strategic planners in the organization need to have this knowledge
accessible for both long and short term planning. Without proper knowledge management
organizations will become inflexible and unable to adapt to the fast changing business
landscape of the 21st century. This was heralded during the last century by the creation of
various titles covering knowledge and business management, not the least of which is the
Chief Information Officer, whose job it is to oversee and control the production, creation,
acquisition, dissemination, distribution, protection and application of the organization
knowledge.