A process‐based approach to knowledge‐flow analysis: a case study of a manufacturing firm

Abstract

The manufacturing industry is usually operated on the basis of business processes, and most workers are familiar with their own processes. The process-based approach can provide an efficient way to capture and navigate knowledge. In this study, we focus on knowledge that may be missed during knowledge transfer among workers. For this, we propose a method for analysing knowledge flow, which is passed among business processes.As a means of developing a process-based approach to analysing knowledge flow, a new categorization of knowledge is presented in three dimensions: scope, type, and usage level. Then we propose a process-based knowledge management framework for analysing knowledge flow, which employs a two-phase analysis: process analysis and knowledge-flow analysis. We use process decomposition and process dependency analysis techniques for process analysis. A knowledge-flow model, represented by a knowledge-flow diagram, is proposed as a tool for representing knowledge. We formulate several semantics for knowledge-flow modelling and suggest procedures for knowledge-flow analysis. The proposed approach is verified and illustrated through a case study of the manufacturing process.

Pattern-based knowledge workflow automation: concepts and issues

“…Although high-level workflow centric knowledge management frameworks (Stein and Zwass 1995;Zhao 1998), document recommender systems (Abecker et al 2000;Kwan and Balasubramanian 2003) and analysis methods (Nissen 2002;Kim et al 2003) have been proposed, they do not support directly the modeling of knowledge flows and their systematic execution. This technology gap is one of the major deterrents to knowledge sharing within an organization (Bruno 2002).…”

“…An analytical method called the Knowledge Association Algebra is also presented for maintaining and initializing the Organizational Knowledge Network. Kim et al (2003) propose a process-based framework for analyzing knowledge flow. They identify different knowledge flow patterns and present a technique to document knowledge at the conceptual, logical and physical levels.…”

“…While a number of knowledge management frameworks (Stein and Zwass 1995;Zhao 1998), document recommender systems (Abecker et al 2000;Kwan and Balasubramanian 2003) and knowledge flow analysis methods (Nissen 2002;Kim et al 2003) have been proposed, they do not directly support the modeling of knowledge workflows and their systematic execution. Currently, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer processes require the manual integration and organization of information channels supported by a fragmented set of tools such as email, discussion forums, search engines, etc.…”

Revisão Sistemática da Literatura de Fluxo de Conhecimento: Definições e Variáveis Influenciadoras

“…Em termos concretos, o fluxo de conhecimento pode ser visto como um processo que flui de um produtor de conhecimento para um usuário de conhecimento (KIM;HWANG;SUH, 2003).…”

Understanding expert systems applications from a knowledge transfer perspective

“…Based on communication theory, knowledge transfer is influenced by five basic elements: source, channel, message, recipient, and context (Szulanski, 2000). The process of knowledge transfer has been described as a two-stage process from the knowledge transmission by a sender to the absorption by a receiver by Garavelli, Gorgoglione, & Scozzi (2002), a multi-stage process by Santoro & Gopalakrishnan (2000), and multi-stage knowledge flow by Kim, Hwang, & Suh (2003).…”