Knowledge Management

The organizational tension refers to the difficulty in achieving a balance between process and practice. Process refers to a top-down structured coordination of people and information whereas practice refers to a more bottom up approach which subscribes to the notion that the best way to foster knowledge is by responding to the creative ways in which people get things done. In the absence of practice rigid structure exists leaving little room for improvisation and in the absence of process creativity runs rampant in the without a structure to harness it.

This tension is something managers live with because the only solution lies in turning the tension to their advantage by striking a balance since the problem cannot be worked around. In contrast to the process model, which assumes predictability, the practice model assumes unpredictable conditions under which people do their jobs. The other issue is to facilitate shared expertise, which is a challenge as only the high-level employe...