Critical Knowledge Management Skills for Knowledge Management Professional Work
Essential KM Skills Required to Carry out KM Professional Work
This article exclusively focusses on the skills that are relevant for any career within knowledge management. Various professionals comprise of a knowledge management team. Conjunctively, in this discussion, there is a concise development of the skill set necessary to peruse knowledge management responsibilities. Often, leadership positions rely on the ability to influence, manage, and organize, whereas technical areas focus on information technology skills. In the pursuit to recruit relevant professionals in an organization to take up knowledge management roles, stakeholders usually align their positions with the required skills and experiences.
Task Force Pro Libra (TFPL), a company based in the United Kingdom, over the past three decades, has enhanced its efforts in working collaboratively with other sectors to aid in developing and implementing knowledge and information strategies. TFPL drafted a knowledge management skills competency framework that offers a platform for managers to define their staff who will hold the posts in defining knowledge and information management roles and their competencies (Lawes, 2018).
One of the essential skills is management skills, which entail competencies I business processes, the building of teams, process mapping, management of people, and measurement. Possession of such an ability is critical in exercising management and controlling regarding their roles. Time management is another skill necessary in resourcefully using time and energy in the acquisition of relevant knowledge that helps develop the processes of the organization (Dalkir, 2017). Again, informal networking skills are critical in knowledge management since they enable personnel to build influence among the professionals and allow access to individuals with the required knowledge. Information technology is skill skills ranging from the workflow, database management to programming, which facilitates recording and distribution of information within the organization. Also, having intellectual and learning capabilities also help in abstract and conceptual thinking, mentorship, and solving of problems whenever they arise in your firm. TFPL also highlights communication and interpersonal skills essential in collaborative teamwork, interprofessional coordination, listening, and negotiation, all of which enhance collaboration in performing activities and responsibilities, thus improving workflow (Dalkir, 2017).
Conclusively, a variety of knowledge management skills are required to guarantee success in the knowledge management professional work. Leadership positions and technical positions rely more on a particular skill set for effective knowledge management. According to TFPL, the skill set required include strategic and business skills, management skills, intellectual and learning skills, communication and interpersonal skills, information management skills, and information technology skills (Lawes, 2018). These knowledge management skills are a diagnostic tool that aid in the identification of professionals with knowledge and information roles.
References
Dalkir, K. (2017). Knowledge management in theory and practice. MIT press.
Lawes, A. (Ed.). (2018). Management skills for the information manager. Routledge.