Evolutionary knowledge management: a case of system development within the manufacturing industry

Mitra, Amit, Brown, Mildred and Hackney, Ray A. (2005) Evolutionary knowledge management: a case of system development within the manufacturing industry. International Journal of Technology Management, 31 (1/2). pp. 98-115. ISSN 0267-5730

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Abstract

Significant volatility within the manufacturing industry has meant that managers are expected to maximise advantages out of available resources. A large part of these available resources have over time become intangible, resident in the skills and knowledge of the workforce. Competitive advantages have been gained by inter alia, reducing lead times in production, shortening of product lifecycles and enlarging the diversity of product ranges. Such initiatives are linked to flexibility and adaptability of the knowledge systems in place. Evidently for these organisations to succeed, it is necessary for them to have formal knowledge systems that could sufficiently facilitate production processes. The first objective of the present paper is to evaluate current practices in developing knowledge management systems. The second objective is to relate obtained evidence within a particular manufacturing organisation which produces components for the electronics industry. For the purpose of this paper the organisation is referred to as Sarison.