A methodology for best practice knowledge management

Abstract

Capturing and reusing knowledge of best practices has been identified as one of the requirements for next-generation product development. Knowledge identification is therefore already being done to some degree in many organizations, through instruction manuals or 'how to' guidelines. However, this is only a first step, as to fully exploit valuable knowledge, best practices must be identified and shared. A detailed review of previous research in best practice knowledge management shows that the method of modelling best practice knowledge and the resulting model structure are critically important for the successful reuse of best practice knowledge. Yet, to date, only limited research has been focused on these aspects. This paper therefore presents research into a methodology to determine ways for better communication, sharing, and reuse of best/good practice knowledge. The proposed methodology has been divided into two parts: firstly, the identification of best practices for product development, and secondly, the structuring of best practice knowledge for effective sharing and reuse. This methodology encourages the adoption of best practices by providing knowledge about both process and implementation elements. This makes the explicit knowledge easier to find and reuse. Once a best practice is found to suit current requirements and circumstances, an expert who has identified and used the best practice can also be contacted to gain additional knowledge/information. This helps to address the challenges posed by 'tacit' knowledge, which cannot easily be shared within the knowledge base.

Family business best practices: Where from and where to?

“…It involves the systematic identification, measurement, and benchmarking of processes that result in better outcomes (Watson, 1993). Dani et al (2006) noted that what is meant by 'best' are those practices that have been shown to produce superior results; selected by as systematic process; and judged as exemplary, good, or successfully demonstrated (p. 1718). Benchmarking is a way to search for practices that lead to superior performance (Camp, 1989;Lankford, 2000) and of adopting best practices (Dani et al, 2006;Paauwe & Boselie, 2005).…”

“…The best practice approach to business performance and excellence has been critiqued along several grounds including: Practices need to be context specific and prioritized (Purcell, 1999); relationship between best practices and performance (Davies & Kochhar, 2000); adoption of best practices is insufficient to emulate success of key players (Szulanski, 1996); challenges in selecting and applying best practices (Brannan, Durose, John, & Wolman, 2008); loss of meaning resulting from increased use of best practice terminology (Dani et al, 2006;Patton, 2001); better practices rather than best (Patton, 2001;Smith & Sutton, 1999).…”

Quality of Educational Programs in Life-long Learning

“…A good lector should use this fact to activate other participants and to provide such an erudite professional the chance to contribute as a way of refreshing and improving the quality of instruction. (Dani, Harding, Case, Young, Cochrane, Gao & Baxter, 2006). In evaluating the results of instruction, the following should be adhered to:…”

Knowledge Management of Best Practices in a Collaborative Environment

“…Now, individuals who share common interests can meet virtually in an online community without geographical restriction [8]. The great majority of virtual communities depend on Web-based environments to connect, collaborate, communicate and contribute to community activities [9,10]. A community's specific purpose and goals inform the appropriate activities and technologies that should support it.…”