The Role of HRM as a Knowledge Facilitator
Keywords:
Human resources management, Knowledge facilitator, Co-location, Knowledge economy, Knowledge ManagementAbstract
Knowledge is increasingly claimed to be a key critical resource and source of competitive advantage in the modern global economy. The rise of the knowledge economy has seen a proliferation of information and communication technologies, coupled with greater organizational complexity, the growth of virtual and global organizations and rapid change. One major challenge for HRM as knowledge facilitator is how to obtain the same or similar benefits of co-location when knowledge and people are dispersed and co-location is not possible. This in turn requires drastic change within HRM respond to the changing demands of the knowledge economy. When knowledge is moved around, however, it often gets degraded, that is, it loses something in the moving. Furthermore, once the knowledge is moved, it has to be “contextualised”, that is, made to fit and be understood in a different surrounding. This paper identifies that Human resource management plays a significant role in ensuring that when knowledge is moved around, and identifies the best knowledge carriers (Information, Tools & People) where each carrier is used to fit the needs of the situation.
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