Knowledge Management in Small Organizations? Possible

There is a tendency to think that knowledge management is only necessary in large organizations. In large organizations, much knowledge is dispersed among many heads. It's easier to see the success of knowledge management since with process implementation, one can expect a process of Multi-Use (multiple use of knowledge by many people). The importance is clearer since many more situations can arise in a large organization where different people work on similar projects without being aware of each other's existence. Another example could be a situation where a specific department approaches a client without being aware that a previous contact has been made and without knowing the client's current status.

And what happens in small organizations? Don't they also accumulate informal knowledge and experience among employees, regardless of the number of employees they may be? Don't they have the problem of employee turnover? Sometimes, in small organizations, this problem can be even more severe if the company depends on a single person who knows everything and without whom it would be impossible to manage the specific activity within the company. Small organizations can sometimes be dispersed in small geographical units that constitute independent units but carry out similar projects. It's clear, but not simple, that there's room for knowledge management within small organizations.

However, in a small organization, it's more challenging to manage knowledge in conventional ways. In such an organization, the cost of introducing technology and establishing knowledge repositories for knowledge management purposes might be too expensive. Another problem can stem from the organization's regular work processes, which are often manual and not always integrated with computerization.

These problems have a solution. Most computerized solutions can be implemented using tools that already exist within the organization, eliminating the need for new equipment, training, or the implementation of new technologies. It's also possible to combine computerized solutions and process solutions, so that the computerized solution is used for efficient storage and updating, and the process solution is utilized for distribution and use, while integrating with employees' regular work processes.

Below are several examples that enable knowledge management implementation in small organizations at relatively low cost. A combination of several examples together can constitute a relatively inexpensive solution for knowledge management:

Using various Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.):

• Templates: Using templates to create uniform forms that anyone in the organization can use both as a computer file and as a document. The forms can be created so that movement between fields needed for filling is guided, and default values or multiple-choice options can be added.

  • Good examples – Examples of documents that have proven to be good, which can be reused. By adding comments, tips can be provided on how to fill in the blank spaces. Contracts, confidentiality agreements, specifications, and other documents can be prepared and executed.

  • Good lists - Small "knowledge repositories" can be prepared in Excel in the form of good lists. Lists of what is found and where, expert lists, lists of important documents, and more.

  • Tracking reports – Reports that can easily be used to track various tasks and can be prepared in Excel or Word.

  • Tagging lists – Also known as checklists, such lists can be prepared to help check, especially long documents. Enables guided reading and prevents forgetting critical details. o Forms – Forms such as discussion summary forms, project summary forms, and travel summary forms can be prepared and given automatic properties to facilitate their search.

• Document organization:

  • In small organizations where it's not worthwhile to introduce document management software, the folder tree where the organization's documents are stored can be organized in a way that makes it easy to know where to save each document and facilitates its search through navigation in the hierarchical tree.

• Repository of tips and recommendations: A repository of tips and recommendations can be established in Excel using simple means, with the possibility of filtering according to different headings according to topics relevant to each organization.

We've surveyed here how tools commonly found on every computer can be utilized for knowledge management purposes, leveraging technology that also enables manual use of the proposed solutions. Every organization can choose the means that are suitable for it and wisely plan how to integrate them into its existing work processes.

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