Professor Mohamed Zairi

Creating Knowledge Enterprise Professor Mohamed Zairi

The essence of any knowledge based enterprise is learning as a core activity. Knowledge enterprise is a sophisticated organisation that feeds from information and creates knowledge that enables it to function effectively, to support the decision making process and to enable employees to provide high quality contributions towards the end customer. If therefore knowledge is the feed stock for a modern knowledge based enterprise it is consequently important to understand the critical factors that drive knowledging capability and the creation of a seamless environment that feeds on information and that has the ability to replenish on a continuous basis. A learning organisation therefore is one that is capable of making sense out of new information and that is curious about raising standards and practices through the acquisition of knowledge and the adoption adaptation of best practices in order to suit its internal work environment but also in terms serving to the best effect its strategic intentions and competitive direction. The following are some of the essential requirements for creating a learning organisation or an organisation that can be considered as knowledge based. 1. The importance of creating an ambitious vision that inspires all the key stakeholders and in particular the employees within the organisation. This is an essential component that generates curiosity, interest, passion and a commitment to learn, grow, experiment and impact positively. 2. The role of senior management in enabling the organisation to grow through the active acquisition of new knowledge and the open flow of information in all quarters. 3. Understanding that the notion of change in its management is to create a healthy cell that feeds from new thinking and where the old thinking can be phased out. Change has to be accepted as a pre-cursor to growth and development and not as an impediment to progress and advancement. 4. Creating organisational systems that enable the free flow of information and the absorption capability of change externally and allowing synergy, inter-dependability and integration to happen without any impediments. 5. Creating sets of behaviours within the organisation that are based on role model and where no short cuts are allowed and the love for using fact based, information orientated and knowledge driven work practices. 6. Linking knowledge based practices and performance to measuring impact internally and externally and for creating capabilities and building a competitive advantage. 7. Allowing the organisation to be audited on a regular basis from the point of view of injecting change, maintaining the knowledge thirst and phasing out redundant practices and old information reservoirs. 8. Making learning individually orientated and allowing and encouraging employees for their learning not only in terms of providing value but also in terms of their own aspirations and intentions for growth and development. 9. Being proactive in scanning externally in search of practices that are superior and also in terms of building credibility and allowing the organisation to position itself at the competitive level through knowledge based impact.