Knowledge mapping

A knowledge map belongs to the field of knowledge management. A knowledge map gives a schematic overview of the knowledge and skills of the employees in a company or organisation.

Knowledge maps are used to map the available knowledge in an organisation or company. They give information about the place at which the knowledge resides, or rather, who the expert is. Knowledge maps do not contain knowledge from the knowledge base of the organisation itself; rather they contain the meta knowledge about the knowledge base. The knowledge of the employees and the organisation itself is shown graphically in the form of a landscape. Typical for landscapes are hills and valleys. You will find these properties on a knowledge map as well. The hills represent the degree of concentration of a specific field of knowledge. This means that the more special knowledge is available in a certain area, the higher the hill on the knowledge map will be. The valleys represent a lack of information in some areas. The less knowledge is available, the deeper the valley will be. Similar to a map of a real landscape, hills and valleys are represented with different colours from dark green (deep valley) to dark brown (high mountain). Related fields of knowledge are represented with regional proximity. Knowledge maps in combination with a document management system allow the user to access the documents and information directly by simply clicking on it with a mouse.

Types

The Knowledge Inventory Map shows where and how specific knowledge inventories are stored. It is a big difference for the user whether he can find the desired information in a data processing service centre, on a floppy disk or in the mind of a retired employee. Thus, an inventory map helps him to set the next action to process the information.
The Knowledge Topography shows where which knowledge inventory (collective or individual) is available and in which characteristic and from whom it can be obtained.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are developed to show the know-ledge in a geographical context. They order information according to geographical criteria. Information about sales regions could, for example, be ordered in a geographical way to support some marketing decisions. This intuitive illustration of the available knowledge definitely improves management decisions. It is no wonder why GIS applications are growing rapidly.
Another possibility to show information is a Knowledge Matrix. Depending on the question, it is possible to span the knowledge between two dimensions. The use of “leading differences” (internal/external, new/available, tacit/explicit …) opens different perspectives to the organisational knowledge base and shows trends more clearly.

Requirements

Knowledge is alive. Thus, knowledge maps are alive, too. Only regular maintenance will grant optimal benefit. Therefore, it is necessary that employees describe their documents with metadata (author, keywords…) and put them into the knowledge map system. Another prerequisite is that the system is accepted by the employees as well as the management. To grant this, it is necessary to design the knowledge maps tailored to the needs of the users. Furthermore, the users must all be inclined to share their knowledge and their competencies. This is necessary for jobrelated and private knowledge. For example: An employee has a specific hobby and, therefore, in-depth knowledge in this field. However this knowledge is not necessary for the current job he is doing. However, there might come a day when the company needs exactly this specific knowledge. A short look at the knowledge map is enough to localise the employee as a gainful resource.

Advantages

There are several benefits for a company to use knowledge maps: It grants a high transparency of the knowledge concerning the following questions

Who has the knowledge?
Where does the knowledge reside?
In which form is the knowledge available?
How much knowledge is available for a specific field?

It is easy for managers to see in which fields a lot of knowledge (hills) is available and in which fields a lack of information (valleys) exists. This can lead to strategic considerations about which knowledge that is currently shown as a valley in the landscape is important for the company . There are enormous benefits especially for the employees. They could search selectively for their information, see related topics in an overview and easily localize the contact person.

Points of criticism

Knowledge management shifts the internal balance of power because of the spread of knowledge within the company.
Knowledge maps have to be up-to-date.
They should not breach privacy
Knowledge maps have to be understood as living documents which are never finished, but are rather developed steadily. The quality of the data and information is strongly related to the acceptance by employees and management. This is also an important factor for the success of such a project. Therefore, it could be helpful - especially in the starting phase of the project - to collect only very important knowledge and to ensure interoperability with existing systems.
In phases of negative business activity it is hard to implement such a system. Because of the fear of loosing their jobs, the employees will not be willing to reveal knowledge.
It is necessary to use a collective language. Only a “controlled vocabulary” grants a comparable conceptual usage and classification.
Only if knowledge is of adequate worth will knowledge maps attain their full power. A knowledge map system is deployed most effectively if an internal know-ledge market is already in existence.

Related fields

References

Böhmann, T. / Krcmar, H.: Werkzeuge für das Wissensmanagement, Report Wissensmanagement, Symposion Publishing, Düsseldorf 1999, p. 82-91
Reinmann-Rothmeier, Mandl, Erlach, Neubauer: Wissensmanagement lernen, Beltz Verlag, Weinheim und Basel 2001, ISBN 3407363761
Wissenskapital, Studienarbeit von Tobias Mueller, Sven Szigeti – HdM Stuttgart