Using Human Resource Management and Knowledge Management to Drive Competitive Advantage A Requisite Complementary Relationship to Drive Competitive Advantage for Organizations (original) (raw)

Abstract

Managing people is not, has not, and will not be an easy thing to do because people are dynamic (ie. they change their actions, and emotions based on a huge spectrum of factors that beset them), and originate from different cultures, races, religions, and ideologies; all of which, to a certain extent, are unique, and approached differently in different environments or geographical locations. Most often, Human Resource papers address those issues, in addition to recruiting, training, compensating, and developing people as a way of achieving the goals of a firm. Knowledge management, on the flip side, focuses on the tools or techniques used to improve people's knowledge within an organization, how to, and why it is vital to employ/create, distribute, implement, and retain said knowledge for the competitive edge it potentially renders an entity. This paper looks at the relationship between human resource management and knowledge management, and how organizations use or should use them in a complementary fashion in order to gain competitive advantage. It seeks to show knowledge gaps in organizations as a result of their failure to implement KM practices, potential other reasons why those gaps exist, and how they can be remedied while at the same time using HRM concepts to help the process. The observations arrived at in this paper are a result of interviews, research, surveys, and questionnaires from a wide range of sources across variant biographical characters (ie. different age groups, spousal statuses, races, religions, etc).

Figures (4)

The above framework seeks to explain how effective human resource management, and knowledge management processes help organizations achieve a competitive edge in a vastly, and rapidly growing competitive business world. It looks at how HR practices such as competitive salary or pay practices, effective conflict management, smart recruitment, proper training, among many others, and Knowledge management practices such as knowledge creation, technology, knowledge sharing and implementation, knowledge audits, and knowledge retention etc., complement each other in order to make organizations more competitive, and better competitors. The research also seeks to investigate the following hypothesis:

The above framework seeks to explain how effective human resource management, and knowledge management processes help organizations achieve a competitive edge in a vastly, and rapidly growing competitive business world. It looks at how HR practices such as competitive salary or pay practices, effective conflict management, smart recruitment, proper training, among many others, and Knowledge management practices such as knowledge creation, technology, knowledge sharing and implementation, knowledge audits, and knowledge retention etc., complement each other in order to make organizations more competitive, and better competitors. The research also seeks to investigate the following hypothesis:

2. THEORY AND RELATED RESEARCH

2. THEORY AND RELATED RESEARCH

Additionally, by observing and recording the organizational capabilities in terms of employees strengths and weaknesses, and the environmental conditions in terms of the opportunities and threats to the organization, effective human resource management may help organizations become more competitive by addressing those strengths and weaknesses, and or opportunities and threats; in other words, by doing a SWOT analysis, human resource management can lead to competitive advantage.

Additionally, by observing and recording the organizational capabilities in terms of employees strengths and weaknesses, and the environmental conditions in terms of the opportunities and threats to the organization, effective human resource management may help organizations become more competitive by addressing those strengths and weaknesses, and or opportunities and threats; in other words, by doing a SWOT analysis, human resource management can lead to competitive advantage.

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References (5)

  1. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/eb046412
  2. http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/Editorial/Features/Knowledge-retention-What-practitioners-need-to-know- 73363.aspxBook: Jay Leibowitz: "Knowledge Management: Strategies and Solutions" BOOKS:
  3. In "Figure 10.8" his book, "Knowledge Management; An Integrated Approach", on page 309 Ashok Jashapara mentioned Stewart"s 1999 "Systematic training cycle" model
  4. Mullin, R. (1996). Knowledge management: A cultural evolution. Journal of Business Strategy, 17 (1), 56-59.
  5. Gemma Reucroft, Tim Scott Human Resources: A Practical Guide