A knowledge audit establishes the goals and tools for a knowledge management (KM) strategy by exploring the tacit and explicit knowledge in an organization. It identifies the core information and knowledge needs, uses, gaps, duplications, and flows, and how they contribute to business goals. The knowledge audit process involves categorizing critical knowledge, selecting methods to gather data on each category, formulating instruments, planning the audit, conducting the audit, analyzing the results, and making conclusions about an organization's critical knowledge. KM in healthcare aims to optimize information, collaboration, expertise and experience to improve organizational performance and involves communities of practice, content management, knowledge transfer, performance tracking, and technology infrastructure.
2. Introduction
The competitiveness and economic growth objectives of
the world, the concept of knowledge has emerged as
main differentiator and unique resource, and all
companies and organizations have become more
concerned how to successfully manage their knowledge
resources and gain benefits from them.
4. knowledge audit (KA) establishes a sound base for
determining the main goals and tools of the KM
strategy, and at the same time, identifies KM awareness
levels and attitudes. Explores the available tacit and
explicit knowledge in the organization, and describes
how knowledge processes underpin business processes
and create value for them, which is the organizational
framework related to technology, culture and
leadership, the study of all these issues provides input
for building the knowledge management system
5. According to Dalkir and Hylton, “Knowledge Audit
identifies the core information and knowledge
needs and uses in an organization, their gaps,
duplications and flows, how they contribute to
business goals, and which areas need
improvement”.
6. Knowledge Audit Process
A knowledge audit is a systematic method of determining the
status of critical knowledge in your organization/group, a way of
‘knowing what you know.’ It is essential to the development of a
KM strategy. In general, the knowledge audit involves the
following steps:
1. Categorize your critical knowledge items. After doing your
task analysis (Step 4, Guide on Developing a KM Strategy), you
will have an idea what knowledge items are critical to the tasks
your group/organization has to perform. You may find that these
are essentially of three types (Brooking, 1999):
• Knowledge about the users of your outputs, products and
services, or assets that give your organization power in the
marketplace — market knowledge;
• Knowledge about the collective expertise, creativity, and
leadership and managerial skills of people in the organization —
human-centered knowledge;
7. 2.For each category of critical knowledge items, select a
method of gathering data. Your method should be able to
capture the data or information you require to determine the
status (relative strength/weakness) of each critical knowledge
item, to help you develop an effective strategy.
3. Formulate the appropriate instruments for gathering the
data and information you need.
4. Plan how you will do your knowledge audit. How will you
administer your instruments? Will you be taking notes, voice-taping,
or video-taping the proceedings? Who will you ask to
participate in your knowledge audit? Should you include
everyone, or just a sample? When will you conduct your audit?
How will you present your results?
8. 6. Conduct your knowledge audit as planned. Be sure to
explain the purpose and the process involved to your
participants. Collect data and information accurately,
efficiently, and with utmost respect for your participants.
7. Organize your data and information for subsequent analysis
and presentation. Use tables, matrices, and lists.
8. Analyze and interpret your data and information. What do
they mean? Then make your conclusions on the status of your
organization’s critical knowledge
9. KM IN HEALTH CARE
Knowledge management in health care is “aligning
people, processes, data and technologies to optimize
information, collaboration, expertise, and experience
in order to drive organizational performance and
growth”
10. Applying Knowledge Management to Health
Care—a Framework
1. Communities of practice
2. Content management
3. Knowledge and capability transfer
4. Performance results tracking
5. Technology and support infrastructure.