The Foundation of Operations Management

This document examines and delineates the nature of knowledge management and its relationship with operations management. In essence, knowledge management underlies every facet of operations management, and must be identified and formalized in order to promote effective operations in any organization. Knowledge is information put into human usable form. Knowledge management is the control of the acquistion of knowledge, the identification and protection of its sources and the application of that knowledge to business planning and processes. Because of the developments in technology and the electronic networks connecting the globe, we are in danger of suffing information overload, the first consequence of which will be the loss of knowledge due to the inability of organizations to sort the wheat fromn the chaff. Effective knowledge Management maps the knowledge environment of the entire organization and creates plans and policies covering its processes of acquisition, dissemination, protection and application. It especially identifies the critical human elements without which knowledg does not exist. All areas of operations within a company are dependent upon the knowledge needed for their funcioning. The strategic planners in the organization need to have this knowledge accessible for both long and short term planning. Without proper knowledge management organizations will become inflexible and unable to adapt to the fast changing business landscape of the 21st century. This was heralded during the last century by the creation of various titles covering knowledge and business management, not the least of which is the Chief Information Officer, whose job it is to oversee and control the production, creation, acquisition, dissemination, distribution, protection and application of the organization's knowledge.