Knowledge Management in the Aerospace Industry Without Reinventing the Wheel
- Dr. Moria Levy
- Nov 1, 2002
- 4 min read
The world is changing rapidly. Organizations are required to adapt to innovations and technologies, but more importantly, to provide solutions to customers whose expectations are growing at a rapid pace. Time to market must be shortened, and the expectation from the product is that it will be adapted to technology that was only announced yesterday. The result is continuous improvement, which is a prerequisite for long-term development and profitability.
In the aerospace industry, as a single entity rather than the sum of its 19 plants' activities, innovative solutions and leveraging core capabilities are viewed as the most effective way to meet these challenges.
Customers, people, innovation, technology, and one company are the values that the aerospace industry has chosen for itself. The subject of knowledge management within the company was identified as one of the key actions for realizing the value of innovation and technology. The knowledge manager in the aerospace industry defined the goal of knowledge management as encouraging growth, creativity, and knowledge sharing to advance and achieve the company's business objectives.
The activity began with diagnosing and mapping the existing situation in the company compared to the desired situation (according to company personnel as well as from examining what exists worldwide in this matter). This was carried out with the help of a consulting team that included Edna Pasher Company, Rom Company, and Futur Center Company, resulting in the publication of a knowledge management strategy and a work plan for its implementation. The company's management approved the plan, and a full-time knowledge manager was appointed for its implementation. In each division, plant, or headquarters organization, a part-time knowledge manager was appointed to initiate and coordinate knowledge management activities within the organization.
Initial activities carried out included addressing three layers: culture, process, and technology.
In the cultural layer, awareness creation was begun, and concepts of information documentation and knowledge sharing were disseminated. Training of managers in the essence of knowledge management, in general, and in the aerospace industry in particular, was initiated.
In the process layer, four committees of knowledge managers were established, writing the detailed chapters of activities for the four main stages of knowledge management: knowledge collection and documentation, knowledge sharing, retrieval and reuse of existing knowledge (through content management), and creation of new knowledge.
In the technology layer, the computer unit is implementing the intranet realization and examining an integrated search engine.
As part of the desire to continue learning from global developments in the field, the knowledge manager participated in a knowledge management conference held in June of this year in Monte Carlo. The conference was attended by representatives from approximately 71 leading companies in Europe, including General Electric, Lufthansa, Oracle, France Telecom, and various banks, among others. Additionally, approximately 15 solution providers specializing in areas such as content management, document management, knowledge sharing tools, portals, and internet/intranet solutions participated in the conference. The main part of the conference consisted of both case study sessions, presented by knowledge management representatives from various European companies, and sessions by solution providers who provided information about the various tools existing in the field of knowledge management. The purpose of the conference was to bring together knowledge managers for knowledge sharing between companies, for learning, and gaining impressions from what is being done in the field of knowledge management worldwide.
At the conference, the prevailing sentiment was that the aerospace industry is not alone; like in the aerospace industry, leading companies also manage knowledge when writing a strategic plan that incorporates the use of values. The companies face the same difficulties in implementation and deliberate at the same junctions. Here are several examples:
In the aerospace industry, we believe in the claim that knowledge is the organization's power, only on the condition that it is brought to expression and use - knowledge is power, mainly if you use it to position yourself, by disseminating your knowledge, by taking actions that will contribute to recognition of your knowledge. The Pfizer company views knowledge management as a means to achieve a competitive advantage. Knowledge management will help us manage what we already know, learn more quickly than our competitors, and create new forms of knowledge to transfer value to our customers.
In the aerospace industry, knowledge is managed to advance the values of customers and people based on culture, process, and technology. Similarly, at the Solvay company, the idea of intellectual capital is understood to refer to the value of knowledge to the company, comprising human capital, structural capital, and capital from customers, suppliers, and partners. Knowledge sharing is not necessarily a natural process; connecting people through electronic pipes is not enough. A combination of cultural, process, and technological mechanisms regulates knowledge sharing. This company marked in its knowledge management plan - lessons learned, Best practices, knowledge communities, and document management. These also appear in the work plan of the aerospace industry. EADS company also advocates values such as customers, people, innovation, and technology, and believes in implementing knowledge management as a triangle of culture, process, and technology.
In the aerospace industry, various plants are connected as one company, and knowledge management is utilized for decision-making. They deliberate on the difficulties in implementing Golden Pages as a tool for knowledge management, similar to the approach taken by General Electric.
It appears that the aerospace industry is in good company with leading companies, both in its goal of identifying knowledge management as an element that enables the company's growth and in the implementation methods for achieving this goal.
The review was conducted based on an interview with the knowledge manager of the aerospace industry, Mr. Roni Dayan.
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