Use of Knowledge Management in IDiAL

Emine Bilek

Institute for Digital Transformation of Application and Living Domains,

Fachhochschule Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany

Keywords: Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning, Collaborative Software.

Abstract: The paper deals with knowledge management and organizational learning in general and its possible

application at the Institute for the Digital Transformation of Application and Living Domains (IDiAL) which

focus is on the main topics digital transformation of application and living domains at Fachhochschule

Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts in particular. Firstly, the different forms of knowledge

management and organizational learning are discussed, followed by a description of IDiAL, its development

and its focus. In addition to the main areas of research and the transdisciplinary collaboration between the

institute's scientists, this article describes how organizational learning is used at IDiAL by means of

collaborative software with sample contents and how this has improved communication in general and

administrative processes at the institute's head office.

1 INTRODUCTION

We all live in a world of organizations, for example

we live in a family, work in a company and

collaborate with customers and suppliers.

According to a Forrester report, employees

reported spending 29% of their week searching for

key information they needed to do their work (VB

Staff, 2022). Knowledge Management is the way

organizations collect, organize, update and share

information with customers, employees and business

partners. It is the process of making knowledge

available for everyone in organizations, instead of

having it reside in the heads of the few and causing

information silos. Companies can more easily achieve

their objectives by making better use of the

knowledge that resides within their domain. They

develop a culture of continuous learning and allow

knowledge to flow freely throughout their

organization.

In companies, every manager must organize

something, e.g., a team, a project, a department or an

entire company. In the past, organizing was done on

the side and the quality of the organization did not

play a decisive role. This has changed over time. In

the coming years, organizing could become a key

design element, as this is where the greatest potential

for improving their effectiveness lies (Pfiffner, 2020).

Organizational learning is therefore particularly

important for companies to be able to continuously

develop and operate successfully in this way. It is

important that organizational knowledge is retained

within the company. After a project is completed, the

newly acquired knowledge is often not recognized

and remains unused on storage devices or shared

drives (Tryon, 2012). To avoid this, the use of

collaborative software is a good way of storing this

knowledge and using it for new projects or to improve

the organizational structure.

2 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Globalization, digital transformation, but also the

coronavirus pandemic show that knowledge

management is becoming increasingly important.

This is also evident in the areas of demographic

change and Work 4.0. In the former case, there is a

threat of knowledge loss due to employees retiring

and the topic of Work 4.0 is associated with the

flexibilization and mobilization of work with new

forms of IT. Knowledge management is not only

relevant for private sector organizations of all sizes

and industries, but also for the public sector such as

hospitals or universities, as it can be a decisive

competitive advantage.

168

Bilek, E.

Use of Knowledge Management in IDiAL.

DOI: 10.5220/0013268400003929

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems (ICEIS 2025) - Volume 2, pages 168-175

ISBN: 978-989-758-749-8; ISSN: 2184-4992

How has knowledge management developed? The

first time this term was used at McKinsey in 1987 for

an internal study on the information handling and

utilization (McInerney and Koenig, 2011). In 1993,

knowledge management became public at a

conference in Boston (Demarest 1997). But what

exactly does knowledge management mean? Tom

Davenport gave the famous definition of knowledge

management: “Knowledge Management is the

process of capturing, distributing, and effectively

using knowledge.” (Davenport, 1994).

2.1 Types of Knowledge Management

Knowledge can take many different forms, and it can

also be applied in an effective way in practical work.

Four types of knowledge can be distinguished:

explicit, implicit, tacit and embedded. In the

following these types will be described (Majumder

and Dey, 2022):

2.1.1 Explicit Knowledge

Explicit knowledge is knowledge that can be easily

documented and articulated in a formal way and is

also mentioned as know-what. This knowledge is

usually related to facts, processes, techniques, best

practices, etc. And that is exactly why you can easily

write down this knowledge, store it and share it with

your staff (e.g. the use of knowledge management

platform).

2.1.2 Implicit Knowledge

In contrast to explicit knowledge, implicit knowledge

is referred to as know-how, which takes place at the

subconscious level. This knowledge is deeply

embedded in behaviours and skills and guides your

decision-making and problem-solving processes.

Implicit knowledge is the best method to learn

something and gain knowledge.

2.1.3 Tacit Knowledge

Tacit knowledge is majorly experience-based

knowledge and is hard to explain. This knowledge

includes skills, insights, and judgments that you

internalize over time, which makes it challenging to

transfer to others through traditional means of

communication. It can be said that the implicit

knowledge is stored in the brain and therefore an

access is not possible.

The knowledge iceberg (Figure 1) best describes

the difference between these three types of

knowledge. Only explicit knowledge is visible in this

iceberg – this knowledge is easy to transfer to others

in the organization, e.g. data, documents and files.

The other types are hidden under the water. Implicit

knowledge that lies beneath the surface of the sea, is

knowledge obtained by applying explicit knowledge.

Examples of this are lesson learned, beliefs or

generalized rules.

Figure 1: Difference between explicit, implicit and tacit

knowledge.

Tacit knowledge is difficult to transfer, because it is

usually acquired through experience, e.g. knowledge,

organizational values or competences.

2.1.4 Embedded Knowledge

Embedded knowledge refers to the knowledge that is

locked in processes, products, culture, routines,

artifacts, or structures (Horvath, 2000, Gamble and

Blackwell, 2001). Embedded knowledge can be

divided into formally on the one hand and informally

on the other hand. Formal embedded knowledge is

like an initiative to formalize a particular useful

routine, and informal embedded knowledge is used

when organization uses and applies the other two

knowledge types.

2.1.5 SECI Model

The SECI model describes the four processes of

knowledge creation in organizations, which include

the interplay of tacit and explicit knowledge. This

model emerged from studies on successful

innovations in Japanese companies in the 1980s and

1990s (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). The following

section takes a closer look at the model that represents

the knowledge spiral as a model for the generation of

knowledge in companies (Figure 2). The spiral starts

with the Socialization mode, in which the tacit

knowledge transfer through direct interaction

Use of Knowledge Management in IDiAL

169

between individuals, e.g. learners learn from their

teacher. In the next mode, Externalization, the tacit

knowledge is converted into explicit knowledge

through reflection, articulation, and documentation.

The next mode Combination involves the integration

of explicit knowledge to create new knowledge. In

this mode the use of computerized communication

networks or large-scale databases can facilitate the

knowledge conversion. The SECI spiral ends with the

Internalization. This mode involves the process of

transforming explicit into tacit knowledge, e.g.

reading documents and or manuals about the

company and reflecting about them. (Müller, 2022,

Farnese et al. 2019).

With this model description, the importance of

tacit and explicit knowledge in the process of

knowledge creation becomes clear. This model

clearly shows that the process of knowledge creation

is a continuous and iterative process.

Socialization Externalization

Internalization Combination

Tacit Knowledge

Explicit Knowledge

Tacit Knowledge

Explicit Knowledge

Figure 2: The SECI model of knowledge creation.

There are many ways in which companies can

integrate this model into their day-to-day operations.

Each phase

of the SECI spiral offers different

methods for knowledge development. The knowledge

spiral provides companies with a tool to make the

tacit knowledge of their employees explicit. In this

way, the joint exchange of knowledge is

strengthened, and new solutions are found.

2.2 Connection Between Knowledge

Management and Organizational

Learning

According to W.R. King, organisational learning is

complementary to knowledge management (King,

2009). An early description of organizational learning

was “…encoding inferences from history into

routines that guide behaviour” (Lewitt and March,

1988).

Knowledge Management enables individual

learning which then contributes to the organizational

learning process (Fernandes and Machado, 2021).

Organisational learning is based on knowledge

management. Knowledge management involves

extracting information from various relevant sources

to enhance the learning process, while organisational

learning is the application of knowledge gained

through knowledge management to enhance

organisational capabilities (Somasundaram, 2024).

2.2.1 Organizational Learning

Organisational learning (OL) is described as a

purposeful organisational process in which

individuals are the learning agents for the

organisation (Chuah and Law, 2020). There are

different definitions for organizational learning. The

best definition is the following “Organisational

learning is a collective learning process regulated by

the organisation, in which individual and group-

related learning experiences are transferred into

organisational routines, processes and structures that

have an impact on the future learning of individual

members of the organisation.” (Schilling and Kluge,

2013). Crossan et al. (1999) see organizational

learning as a dynamic process that takes place in

recursive feedback and feedforward loops at

individual, team and organizational level (Kaudela-

Baum, 2022).

Based on Lawrence et al. (2005), several types of

barriers to organizational learning can be

distinguished:

• action-orientated-personal barriers.

These barriers refer to the thinking, attitudes

and behavior of individuals.

• structural-organizational barriers

These barriers are rooted in the strategy,

culture, technology and formal regulations of

organizations.

• social-environmental barriers

These barriers describe negative influences of

the organizational environment.

2.2.2 Forms of Organizational Learning

It is therefore important to institutionalize and

coordinate the exchange of knowledge and learning

among employees. Different forms of organizational

learning can be defined for companies - as with

people. Four forms of organizational learning are

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briefly presented below (Franken and Franken, 2023;

Schreyögg and Koch, 2014):

• Organizational Learning through experience

This form learning is probably the best-known

way of acquiring knowledge. In this form, you

try something out and learn from your own

experience, how the learning form of

individuals.

• Mediated learning in companies

This learning occurs when companies can learn

from the experience of another company, e.g.,

through contacts at trade fairs or conferences.

• Incorporation of new knowledge

This refers to learning that is based on the

acquisition and integration of new knowledge.

This can take place through the recruitment of

experts or the acquisition of innovative

technology.

• Learning as the generation of new knowledge

This form of learning takes place through the

insight of individuals, i.e., you learn without

trying things out and without imitating. This

learning process was described by Nonaka and

Takeuchi, which means that a company

develops innovations on its own.

The stronger emphasis on knowledge led to a

concentration on knowledge management. The aim is

to link the acquisition and creation of new knowledge

with methods of distributing and making knowledge

available. In this way, organizational learning was

merged with the use of modern communication and

information technologies. Organizational knowledge

can therefore be better digitized and recorded through

the connection with information technology.

3 IDiAL

IDiAL was founded in 2017 by the Faculties of

Electrical Engineering, Computer Science,

Economics and Information Technology at

Fachhochschule Dortmund University of Applied

Sciences and Arts.

3.1 IDiAL and Its Development

Increasing digitalization can make an important

contribution to addressing current challenges in the

areas of global competition or keeping work,

education, supply channels and contacts going in the

areas of climate and demographic change different

application domains like health and demographic

change, civil security and rescue technology,

production and logistics, mobility and resource

efficiency and digital competence.

This change in living and working environments

offers many opportunities, but also risks in the social,

economic, and ecological spheres. IDiAL develops

scientific findings and solutions to turn these

opportunities into benefits for the economy and

society and to address the emerging challenges in

terms of social and economic transformation

processes. The use of digital innovations for the good

of the population and the economy in various living

and working environments raises several application-

related research questions. The institute performs

tasks in research, development, and teaching in the

fields of Digital Transformation of Application and

Living Domains in connection with the scientific

disciplines of computer science, electrical

engineering, and economics.

For a better understanding of digital

transformation, the next section explains the

difference between digitization, digitalization und

digital transformation. Digitization is the process of

converting analog information into digital

information. Examples for digitization are the transfer

of music from CD to MP3 format or the transfer of

paper documents to digital documents. Digitalization,

on the other hand, is the use of digital technologies to

change a business model (Gartney IT Glossary,

2024). One example of its application are the digital

payment methods such as PayPal or Apple Pay, which

helped to make paying with cash and with credit cards

increasingly rare. Characteristic of the digital

transformation is the process of switching from

traditional business models and working methods to

digital technologies and processes. One of the most

prominent examples of the digital transformation is

the electric car-maker Tesla. The company has

positioned itself as a change agent within the

automotive industry by infusing technology into all

facets of the driving experience (TechTarget, 2024).

3.2 Organizational Learning at IDiAL

IDiAL has various research specialisms. The merger

of the four different faculties in IDiAL often results

in transdisciplinary collaboration in projects. Based

on existing expertise and networks IDiAL is

concentrating on the following domains:

• Health and Demographic Change

• Civil Security and Rescue Technology

• Production and Logistics

• Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Energy

• Digital Competence and Education

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• Mobility and Infrastructure

• Project Management

At the start, a rapid build-up in different areas was

necessary. The researchers focused on their work and

wanted to make progress.

3.2.1 Choice of the Collaboration Tool

There are several collaboration tools, which can be

used for document sharing, collaboration and

knowledge management. At the beginning, a tool was

sought to support the institute in its collaboration and

to record and store information centrally. Several

requirements were defined during the selection

process, such as the use of a digital knowledge

platform, a collaborative software in which users

create and jointly edit pages and entries. Further

requirements are centralized workspace for team

collaboration, documentation, and project

management. According to McKinsey & Company,

employees spend 20% of their workday hunting for

information, which they require in disorganized

repositories or coworkers’ minds (Chui et al., 2012).

Therefore a centralized tool like the following three

tools Google Docs, Microsoft SharePoint and

Confluence offer the possibility of structured and

organized data.

Firstly, these are briefly described and then the

possibility of using them as collaboration tool and

knowledge management. Google Docs is an online

word processing programme from Google that was

launched on the market in 2006. With this programme

(Figure 3, (Workspace, n.d.)), documents can be

created, formatted and edited together with others.

Google Docs can also be used to show presentations

in real time.

Figure 3: Google Docs: Example Page.

Microsoft SharePoint offers various functions like

saving, structuring, sharing and accessing information

and thus enables a comprehensive tool for document

management, the intranet and process automation

(Figure 4, (Was Ist SharePoint Online?, n.d.)).

Figure 4: Microsoft SharePoint: Example Page.

Confluence is a web-based corporate Wiki and a

product of Atlassian Corporation, which is an

Australian-American software company that

develops various products. Confluence offers a

networked workspace, designed for collaboration and

built to last. This tool can be used for information

exchange across the entire company for remote work.

Through this tool, team members can collaboratively

manage and complete tasks and projects.

With the use of Confluence, it is easy to centralize

information gathering and share knowledge to keep

everyone in sync (Figure 5, (Atlassian, n.d.)).

In the end, the choice fell on Confluence, as this

tool best fulfils the institute's requirements

(communication, centralization and customization) in

knowledge management and project management.

Confluence offers the possibility that the team

members can create and share different content, e.g.

meeting notes or research reports, and the managers

can also provide direct feedback on the content.

In IDiAL, we use Confluence for documentation

and for collaboration on reports or project

applications and for quickly locate information, this

enables transparent communication.

With Confluence IDiAL cannot only store

knowledge, but actively manage, share and further

develop it. In this way, constant changes can be

accommodated. Regarding to the knowledge iceberg,

the use of Confluence allows knowledge about

different areas and projects to be collected and stored

so that the knowledge can remain in the institute when

employees leave (e.g. no contract renewal or career

changes).

Colleagues were already using Confluence for

joint projects, for example to record the status of the

project. Meeting notes and instructions can also be

found there, as well as information on software

installations. The head office also uses Confluence to

keep a structured record of administrative processes

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Figure 5: Atlassian Confluence: Example Page.

(contact persons, instructions, such as the

procurement process, etc.). After identification, the

process is documented, often in conjunction with the

development of optimizing measures.

The following illustration shows the

administration information from the head office that

colleagues can access and read at any time.

For a better understanding the process of

onboarding will be described. Figure 6 shows a

screenshot on which the contents of the onboarding

can be partially seen.

Figure 6: Entry page IDiAL.

On this page, colleagues can find information on

various areas (telephone, IT procurement, keys,

flexitime, but also ordering business cards, holiday

days and business trips) and contact persons with

contact details. This information is adapted in the

event of changes or updates. By collecting internal

knowledge in this way, colleagues can either quickly

acquire knowledge or quickly gain access to the

information they need. The task of the head office is

to ease research by advising and supporting

researchers in the administrative aspects. The office

acts often as a bridge between science and

administration. Confluence is also a useful tool for

informing new colleagues about IDiAL and its

processes as part of onboarding, Confluence is a good

tool to help new colleagues to take a self-guided tour

to acquire their knowledge about onboarding

documents, branding guidelines. So they can settle in

more quickly and familiarise themselves with the

institute's processes. Figure 7 shows one page of the

onboarding content. The new team member gets here

different information about how to get an account of

the institute, to get a telephone number and to get IT

tools, etc. A contact person is also provided for each

issue so that contact can be made immediately to

clarify the matter.

Figure 7: Content of the onboarding process.

4 CONCLUSIONS

With the help of knowledge management, companies

can collect and secure information and data and in this

way share knowledge with employees and, if

necessary, with customers. Organizational learning

then uses the knowledge gained from knowledge

management to improve organizational skills.

In IDiAL the use of organizational learning has

resulted in two possibilities: firstly, the storage of

information and finding documents quickly and

secondly, the preservation of knowledge or better to

say the preservation of the institutional memory.

Importantly, the knowledge of colleagues who leave

is retained within the institute in this way. By using

the web-based corporate wiki Atlassian Confluence

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the information is stored centrally and can be

accessed by all employees at any time. In this way,

new team members can be familiarised more quickly,

as they can learn the information in a self-guided tour

at their own pace and the information can be called

up at any time if it is still missing. Confluence enables

information to be updated quickly and easily and the

data can be adapted to the new information

immediately. The use of Confluence also enables

collaboration within a national or international

research project, so that the exchange between the

partners runs smoothly and each partner can view the

development of the project at any time, work on their

tasks and work together on a research report.

Confluence can also be used to support the planning

of events with national and international partners,

who are also given access to Confluence. The head of

office is considering further possible uses of

Confluence to support the work and optimisation

possibilities (e.g. coordination tasks or

documentation).

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