Managing knowledge through people

Knowledge management is a key issue to firms. While many firms have gained a considerable technological edge over their competitors, managers in these firms still find themselves inadequate to deal with knowledge. Knowledge derived from technology is mostly conceived in syntactic levels, which managers can easily understand and manage. However, knowledge that is based on social relations is soft, impersonal, and sensitive, and is difficult to manage through a set of standards and techniques. An in-depth study of two firms showed that too much emphasis on technology could be one-sided, without offering any significant advantages to firms. On the other hand, firms which pay equal attention to technology as well as people by encouraging informal meetings among employees, get-together, and personal interactions perform better to meet customers’ expectations in products and services.Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Cornwallis Emmanuel Ltd.