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Knowledge managementUnleash: Unified Enterprise Search Across All Workplace ApplicationsToday's businesses face the challenge of managing and searching through vast amounts of data from various sources. Enterprise search tools have emerged as a solution to this problem, allowing users to search through multiple sources such as documents, databases, websites, intranets, and applications.
Unleash is one such enterprise search engine that offers powerful features and quick onboarding. It allows users to find files stored in the cloud or on computers in one place and integrates with other apps.
What Are Enterprise Search Engines?
Enterprise search engines facilitate information retrieval from internal or external sources, doing for an organization what Google does for the internet—creating a secure, efficient, and functional search engine so that businesses don't have to manually tag, index, share, and retrieve information.
These tools organize data so that users can encode and access data across multiple sources, like documents, databases, websites, intranets, applications, and more. In a business context, enterprise search tools should be able to integrate with content management solutions and business intelligence software. Such seamless integration ensures information remains organized and easy to locate, not siloed under different data banks.
Having excellent enterprise search software is one of the keys to productivity and proficiency, especially in industries where customer-facing information needs to be accessed quickly.
✶ Federated search vs. enterprise search: Which to choose?
Traditional Enterprise Search
Traditionally, enterprise search tools were limited to searching only through structured data or documents such as application forms and invoices.
In addition to formats having to be predictable and search keywords having to match the database exactly for the user to find what they're looking for, searchability was limited to natively digital text. This meant that only the texts typed in specific file formats were recognized, and not scanned or handwritten documents. Other limitations of this type of enterprise search engine include the following:
Limited scalability: traditional enterprise search tools struggle to keep up with large amounts of data, resulting in slow search speeds and reduced efficiencyLimited functionality: traditional enterprise search tools may only offer basic search functionality, making it difficult for users to find the information they needLimited integration: traditional enterprise search tools may not integrate well with other software applications, which can make it difficult to access information from multiple sources
Although enterprise search has traditionally been restricted, you can now opt for a secure enterprise search solution that offers capabilities for both cloud and on-premise data, structured and unstructured data.
Nevertheless, certain problems with regard to implementation still exist—as with anything tech-related, not all solutions are easily adaptable. Some solutions may come with all the bells and whistles but require a rigorous onboarding process that costs businesses more time and money in the long run, while others may offer quick onboarding but not much else in terms of functionality and features.
So, is there a sweet spot for an enterprise search solution that offers all the key features a good enterprise search tool should have?
Unleash: Our Full-Spectrum Solution
Enter Unleash, an enterprise search tool that seamlessly marries powerful features with quick onboarding.
Offering a modern enterprise search tool for cloud and on-premise data, Unleash allows you to find everything you need with just one tool. In addition to integrating with all your favorite apps, Unleash will help you search for anything from files stored in the cloud to those on computers or anywhere else, all in one place!
Costing less than 10 cents a day, our full-spectrum solution is incredibly easy to set up. Powered by seamless searching technology, our software does away with context switches, allowing you to activate productivity in one click.
Most importantly, you can rest assured your data is secure with us—our company was founded by cyber security veterans, so we take privacy and security very seriously. With Unleash, you never have to worry about these things:
Privacy: your data will never be shared or sold to anyoneMulti-layer security: your data is isolated and fully encrypted on our secured AWS data center cloudControl and visibility: you have full control over which services you wish to link with Unleash, as well as the level of access you’re comfortable withCompliance: Unleash is GDPR-ready and SOC2 Type II-compliant
What Makes Unleash Special?
Unleash allows you to access your data at lightning speed to find what you need in one place—be it emails, receipts, videos, images, records, or anything else. Our intelligent search engine also analyzes user behavior and delivers relevant information, giving you a smart, personalized experience each time.
Some of our stand-out features include:
Search inside documents: you can find a file without remembering its actual file name, as Unleash brings up the most relevant results to your search inquiryAdvanced filters: get more personalized and intelligent results, as Unleash learns user behavior and frequently accessed informationAll-around calculator: get instant answers for currency conversions, time zone differences, computations, temperatures, volumes, distances, and moreSearch the web: search isn't limited to cloud-based applications and on-premise data—you can also search Google, Bing, Wikipedia, and DuckDuckGo directly from Unleash!Meetings: organize and launch meetings all in one place with the calendar view
Unleash Your Potential With a Comprehensive Enterprise Search Tool
Harness the power of intelligent searching and data mining with Unleash! Once you try our comprehensive enterprise search tool, you won't have to deal with too many tabs on your desktop whenever you’re trying to look for something or when in need of information retrieval. Pull up a file, contact, or email in a split second!
Improve collaboration and productivity in your workplace for a fraction of the cost—that’s the Unleash promise.
Knowledge managementEnterprise Search Software: Key Features & BenefitsAn enterprise search engine is essentially a technology that enables employees to easily find the information they need within the organization, whether through email, databases, file shares, document or content management systems.
Businesses are constantly collecting vast amounts of data, making it difficult to find relevant information. However, enterprise search engines shorten the time it takes to find data, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about this innovative technology and how to optimize your enterprise search capabilities.
How to Use an Enterprise Search Engine
According to McKinsey's estimates, a typical digital worker spends approximately 28% of their time looking through email and 20% of their time looking for internal information or tracking down colleagues who can assist them. We all know that time is money, but that's even more true in enterprises. In fact, the International Data Corporation found that companies with 1,000 knowledge employees waste $48,000 per week due to information retrieval issues.
To prevent such waste, organizations can use enterprise search engines to improve their search capabilities, allowing employees to look for information anywhere in the organization, even if it’s scattered across multiple databases or file systems. Enterprise search engines index all of the information in a business's intranet, databases, and file shares. Here are some common use cases for an enterprise search engine
✶ Does your company need enterprise search or federated search?
Knowledge Management
Most businesses have a lot of information, so enterprise search engines are most commonly used as internal company search engines to facilitate looking up and managing that information. To simplify knowledge management, enterprise search engines allow finding and gathering data across multiple systems to do an intranet search for an improved employee experience.
✶ Learn how to develop a knowledge management strategy
E-Commerce and Customer Service
In addition to presenting customers with products they're most likely to purchase on an e-commerce website, an enterprise search engine can also provide businesses with data about customers' past purchases and purchasing habits.
Also, if a customer has a problem, an enterprise search engine will enable a customer service representative to quickly find the solution.
Finding Contacts
An enterprise search engine efficiently finds the contacts you need by looking through name fragments and providing results for names with similar spellings.
Recruitment
Large companies will have a huge pool of candidates in their databases, which can be difficult to navigate. Enterprise search engines can be used to search and match applications with job descriptions, speeding up the process of finding the right applicant for the job.
Insight Engines
Enterprise search engines equipped with AI should be able to detect insightful relationships between data points, whether that’s people, content, or other data. However, with so many enterprise search engines available, it's essential to choose the right engine for your business and configure it correctly to provide value to your business.
We’ve established that data needs to be accessible, but you don’t want any corporate information to get into the wrong hands. To safeguard your data, your organization should implement secure enterprise search software that will encrypt data, have ways to send alerts and detect intrusions, and protect information with access authentication.
✶ Discover the key differences between enterprise search and web search
The Benefits of an Enterprise Search Engine
Enterprise search engines not only make it easier to access data, but they also help organizations centralize information and reduce data silos. Here’s a closer look at the five benefits of enterprise search engines for your organization.
1. Improved Productivity
On average, employees spend almost 2 hours daily just searching and gathering information, which amounts to over 9 hours per week that could be spent focusing on tasks or improving their skills instead.
Having an effective enterprise search engine can also empower employees to act independently since they won't have to seek help from coworkers as much. In addition, they'll be more productive since enterprise search engines allow users to refine their queries.
2. Increased Collaboration
Enterprise search engines make it easy for any employee to stay up to date on any information in the company. They'll also be able to share what they know with their coworkers, which will help them work together better and reduce miscommunications.
3. Enhanced Decision-Making
Organizations face many challenges that require swift, data-driven decision-making. Without access to accurate information, workers are unable to move freely and may even perform worse, which has a detrimental impact on the organization as a whole.
4. Reduced Data Silos
Data silos hamper collaboration and knowledge sharing. When data is locked away from users who need it, the organization suffers from duplicated or fragmented data, flawed decision-making, and lowered productivity. One way to reduce data silos is to implement an enterprise search solution and enable employees to search across all the data repositories in the organization, including internal and external sources.
✶ Why are data silos problematic? See the answer and ways to fix them
5. Refined Data
Enterprise search engines are designed to centralize information. When employees have access to accurate information, the organization can uphold its data integrity. This means data stays consistent, and employees get information from one true source, which is a massive benefit for businesses of all sizes, especially larger organizations with vast amounts of data.
6. Efficient Time Savings
An enterprise search engine offers a significant time-saving advantage for organizations. It swiftly locates vital information from various sources, eliminating manual searches, thus reducing the amount of time employees spend searching for information. This efficiency frees up time for essential tasks.
7. Accuracy
Another valuable benefit of enterprise search engines is their accuracy, which minimizes the risk of errors and enables users to quickly access the most relevant and up-to-date information. As a result, decision-making becomes more informed and reliable, fostering better outcomes for businesses.
Types of Enterprise Search Engines
There are two primary types of enterprise search engines: on-premises and cloud-based solutions. Choosing between these types depends on factors like data sensitivity, resource availability, and scalability needs.
On-premises search engines are deployed within an organization's local infrastructure. They offer direct control over data and security but require maintenance and hardware resources. Cloud-based search engines, on the other hand, operate remotely on cloud platforms. They offer scalability, reduced maintenance, and accessibility from anywhere. Cloud-based solutions leverage the cloud provider's infrastructure and offer seamless updates.
Key Features of an Enterprise Search Tool
Now that we’ve outlined the many benefits of this technology, here are some key features to look for in an enterprise search tool:
1. Scalability
If your organization is growing rapidly or acquiring high volumes of data, the enterprise search engine you choose must be able to scale accordingly.
2. Semantic Search
Semantic search is a useful enterprise search engine feature for organizations with plenty of unstructured data. This feature lets the tool understand the context behind an employee’s query and deliver the most relevant results.
3. Data Security
Not all data should be available to all users. To keep this in check, enterprise search engine security features like role-based security authorization restricts data access to authorized users only.
4. Search Analytics
This feature will provide organizations with more than just searching for data—it also offers new insights that can help improve operational efficiency.
5. Smart Recommendations
AI-powered tools recommend results to employees with similar interests and search patterns. This makes their search results more relevant to their current needs.
How Do I Select an Enterprise Search Engine Provider?
Now, how do you implement enterprise search? You’ll first need to choose the right enterprise search engine provider. To do this, take the following aspects into account:
Can it accommodate all your files and employees?Is it easy to use?Can it return the most relevant results first?Can users customize the search results based on their needs?Can users preview documents before clicking?Is there a limit to how many documents you can index?Can it integrate with your existing systems?
Overall, the best enterprise search engine for you is the one that meets your company's specific needs.
Using an Enterprise Search Engine: The Verdict
If you're wondering whether you should use an enterprise search engine, consider your organization's size, the number of documents you need to index, and the amount of time and money you're willing to invest.
Although a powerful enterprise search tool like Unleash is very useful for large organizations, if you're running a smaller organization or only have a few hundred documents to index, you should be able to get by with a basic search engine.
Knowledge management4 Top Knowledge Management Trends in the Digital AgeWhen running a business, being ill-informed is equivalent to being ill-prepared. Breakdowns in the flow of information can affect the smooth functioning of an organization. Stored knowledge is useless unless it can be accessed whenever it is needed. That’s why companies need an efficient system of Knowledge Management (KM).
What is Knowledge Management?Knowledge Management refers to the systems and processes which enable a business to collect, organize, and utilize important information. This includes databases, internal emails, announcements, and important assets. Any information needed for the smooth running of the business’s operations should come under the KM system.
Having an efficient KM system allows companies to function with greater efficiency. That’s why it has been a priority for businesses even before the digital age. Today, as technology revolutionizes how we record and consume data, KM has also adapted for a new future. In a special report from April 2023 by the magazine KM World, the author says, “…most businesses are keeping up the investment in knowledge management or even increasing it this year—a wise move in today’s uncertain economy since knowledge management can help reduce operational costs.”
Digital Innovations in Knowledge Management
Technology is responsible for completely reimagining how KM works. What was earlier an esoteric practice that only management was concerned with is now accessible to every department, thanks to technology. Here are the top digital trends that will shake up the world of KM in the coming months:
AI and Knowledge ManagementKnowledge Management and Machine LearningKnowledge Management and Social MediaKnowledge Management and Search
Let's take a closer look at each of these upcoming trends in KM.
1. AI and Knowledge Management
Artificial intelligence, the poster child of commercial tech innovation, is making waves in the KM domain. The introduction of AI-powered chatbots into KM systems enables expedited searches through databases, extracting pertinent results with ease. AI also automates components of the KM process, like data entry, mining, and user profiling, enhancing efficiency.
With AI capturing the popular imagination this year, thanks to products like Chat-GPT, it will surely play a greater role in KM in the coming months as well.
✶ Learn more about knowledge management processes
2. Knowledge Management and Machine Learning
As a company grows, so does its body of organizational knowledge. As more data is added to the KM system, it can become unwieldy for human operators to sift through it efficiently. But machine learning turns this weakness into a strength.
ML requires large data sets for training, making it the ideal technology to navigate dense, extensive libraries of organizational knowledge. It makes knowledge discovery much easier by analyzing past queries to provide more accurate responses to future ones. ML can also be used to make predictions about internal systems since it trains on historical data.
3. Knowledge Management and Social Media
Social media changed the way we interact with the internet. Now, it’s also changing the way professionals interact with KM systems. Technologies from social media, such as quick notifications, mobile-friendly platforms, and content aggregation, are being adopted into KM systems to improve their functioning and user experience. Also, as social media graduates from its Instagram and Tik-Tok-themed adolescence to its working years with platforms like Slack and Jira, KM systems that integrate with professional social media platforms allow for better functionality.
As KM evolves, the imprint of social media on its growth will be plain to see.
4. Knowledge Management and Search
Valuable information never simply presents itself. It has to be discovered. The only way to do that is through a search, which is why enterprise search engines have always been the backbone of any good KM system. The future of knowledge management will involve enterprise search engines with more features and capabilities than ever before. The increased adoption of AI, ML, and other path-breaking technologies is going to set the stage for search engines that turn KM from a passive process to an active one.
✶ Explore the key features and benefits of enterprise search engines
Enhancing Knowledge Management With Enterprise Search Engines
The purpose of an enterprise search engine is to secure important knowledge and keep it ready for employees as soon as they need it. The ability to get relevant results simply from entering keywords or employee names streamlines KM and boosts productivity across your organization.
Unleash is an AI-powered enterprise search engine with the semantic processing ability to respond to even the most vague prompts. It searches every folder and directory within a knowledge base and is easy to use for every department in your company. Use Unleash and unlock the full potential of knowledge management technologies.
Knowledge managementThe Role of Enterprise Search in Successful Knowledge ManagementEasy access to relevant knowledge is key to workplace productivity. That’s where efficient knowledge management comes in. Knowledge management involves gathering, storing, and disseminating information along channels throughout an organization. Research shows that the majority of these systems are for document management (77%) and search (68%).
An enterprise search is an invaluable internal company search engine that combines internal data with web-focused search tools to yield the most relevant results and insights quickly. It involves an intranet search of an organization’s databases. And its importance is reflected in the global enterprise search market's projected 10.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) until 2030.
So, here's how enterprise search supports knowledge management.
What Is Knowledge Management?
Effective knowledge management processes allow companies to stay competitive. Plus, companies can make better-informed decisions, identify skill gaps, increase efficiency, and promote better collaboration among team members.
When setting up a knowledge management system, you first have to classify the types of knowledge already existing within your organization. These include:
Explicit knowledge: This is the most easily accessible. Explicit data is created when it's processed, organized, and structured for dissemination. Examples include training manuals, annual reports, and customer surveys.Implicit knowledge: This refers to experience or know-how that helps a company meet its goals. Implicit knowledge is not formally codified but can be passed between team members through informational exchanges.Tacit knowledge: This is challenging to capture and is acquired through personal experience. Because of its subjectivity, tacit knowledge can't usually be shared or taught. For example, interpersonal skills or basic social etiquette.
✶ Discover the importance of AI in knowledge management
Benefits of Enterprise Search for Knowledge Management
While tacit knowledge cannot be recorded or examined purposefully, explicit and implicit knowledge combined represents a formidable mountain of data to sift through. An enterprise search tool, however, lets employees find the information they need by scanning databases, document management systems, and other stores of knowledge.
An enterprise knowledge management tool offers the following benefits:
Saves Time
Gone are the days of thumbing through musty ledgers or scrolling through endless spreadsheets. Enterprise search tools provide smart, relevant responses to search queries within seconds so employees can focus their time on other tasks that help boost team performance.
This saved time helps the company overall with:
ProductivityProficiencyEmployee satisfaction
Reduces Gaps in Knowledge
A large organization often has valuable information spanning across years, clients, and projects. Its knowledge base can become segregated into data silos. This is not ideal as it causes data duplication and slows down work since employees may struggle to access information.
Enterprise search tools turn all existing records into a knowledge base that employees easily can comb through without encountering clutter from human error, like unnecessary document duplications or redundant files.
Supports Teams
An enterprise search tool boosts productivity in every department by ensuring the smooth flow of information at all levels of the organization. Not having to trawl for information helps with the following:
New employees work faster because knowledge is more accessibleExperts can be identified quickly and easilyTeams spend less time on repetitive tasks so there's more time to apply knowledge and deliver value to customersEfficiently stored knowledge ensures easier decision-making
Fun fact: Knowledge management helps improve data security by offering insight into potential data integrity risks so companies can enforce tighter protection and management measures.
✶ Want to know more? See how enterprise search improves internal communication
Unleash Efficiency With Enterprise Search
By granting all departments access to a useful body of knowledge, knowledge management systems add value at every level of a company. Advanced search tools, like enterprise search, can help facilitate this, especially for large-scale organizations that hold and use large quantities of information.
Unleash is a robust enterprise search option for a company looking to streamline its productivity. It integrates with popular workplace apps, supports multimedia formats, and promotes intra-organizational collaboration. So, why not activate the hidden potential of your knowledge system and watch your organization’s efficiency skyrocket?
Knowledge managementThe Importance of AI in Knowledge ManagementKnowledge management is an integral area of operations for most companies. McKinsey research shows a sufficient knowledge management systems can boost productivity by 20-25%. Ensuring that information is safely stored, organized, and readily accessible when needed is the essence of knowledge management.
IBM found that 35% of companies use artificial intelligence (AI) as of 2022. AI programming mimics human intelligence by scanning existing databases. So, the rise of AI brings the potential to restructure the knowledge management landscape.
Here's what you need to know about the use of AI in knowledge management.
The Importance of Knowledge Management
Knowledge management systems enable workers to focus on results rather than unearthing information. With easily accessible information, employees can do their jobs properly and businesses can retain knowledge, which helps boost productivity and employee satisfaction.
Designing the optimal knowledge management system for increased team performance requires knowing the types of knowledge within it and how it can be shared.
1. Explicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge is the most basic form of knowledge, and it's structured, easy to store, and sharable. Some examples of explicit knowledge within an organization are:
Company data sheetsResearch reportsMarketing leads
2. Implicit Knowledge
Implicit knowledge is created through the practical application of existing explicit knowledge, which offers new learning potential. The lessons learned through implicit knowledge can be identified through a knowledge audit, documented and recorded, then converted into explicit knowledge.
Implicit knowledge is usually:
Transferrable skills from previous jobsSkills learned on the job and achieved through day-to-day tasks
An example of implicit knowledge is a mechanic’s apprentice who learns how to tune up a car engine during his internship.
3. Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge refers to the skills and abilities your employees gained through personal experience, making it challenging to share.
The main difference between tacit and implicit knowledge is that tacit knowledge is made up of subjective perspectives, while implicit knowledge comprises universally applicable insights. For example, interpersonal skills can differ based on individual experiences.
✶ Learn these 4 knowledge management processes for an effective strategy
Benefits of Using AI in Knowledge Management
Earlier, knowledge management systems were mainly used for documentation. However, the evolution of the relationship between knowledge management and AI has allowed organizations to use their knowledge management systems to share information as well.
AI-powered knowledge management systems have many advantages, such as:
Data Classification
AI can simplify knowledge management by sorting unstructured data into classes.
AI's pattern recognition skills can identify the key connections that hold the entire knowledge system together. For instance, AI can help differentiate between private and public data to help ensure confidential information is segmented securely.
Machine learning lets AI software develop a better understanding of its content by identifying links between classes. These data links can help with strategic planning and analytics insights to allow for more informed decision-making.
Outlier Detection
AI software can be trained to detect atypical knowledge behavior. This helps it quickly identify suspicious outliers in datasets and protect data integrity. These anomalies lead to inconsistencies in datasets, which can trigger problems in an organization’s workflow.
Some of these problems include:
Production line disturbancesCybersecurity scams
Knowledge Processing
The sheer volume of some organizations’ databases can overwhelm a human worker. Informational overload and archaic databases can cause:
Loss of focusProcessing errorsTime-consuming data retrieval
But AI-powered knowledge management systems leverage advanced search tools to enable productive information filtration, processing data according to the user’s needs. This allows personalized search parameters and can be processed based on user segmentation.
✶ Check out these steps to developing a knowledge management strategy
Unleash More Precise Knowledge Management with AI
Knowledge is essential in the workplace, whether you're upskilling new employees or assisting existing clients. With an enterprise search tool, organizations can optimize knowledge management. And AI-powered search tools take it a step further.
Luckily, Unleash has the solution—it searches every folder and application within a database to deliver actionable results. The simple design lets anyone use its features so that you can boost productivity, disseminate information, and organize data across all departments in your organization.
Knowledge management4 Knowledge Management Processes for an Effective StrategyAn effective knowledge management strategy can help organizations leverage collective knowledge, increase employee productivity, and streamline operations. Additionally, organizations can save time and effort on training by speeding up knowledge transfer—assuring employees are equipped with relevant skills and knowledge to perform their duties.
Let's dive into the crucial processes that can bolster your organization's collective knowledge, enhance employee productivity, and optimize operations.
Understanding Knowledge Management
First things first: what is knowledge management? At its core, knowledge management encourages collaboration and increases efficiency within organizations. The process involves capturing, organizing, sharing, and managing an organization's collective knowledge and expertise for effective use among its employees and teams.
Knowledge management processes integrate knowledge management actions (such as capturing and organizing data) into already existing business processes. This way, internal and external users can access and update knowledge as needed.
✶ Learn how to use a knowledge management matrix
The Benefits of Knowledge Management
Implementing an effective knowledge management system can nurture a culture of continuous learning and development. It's like building a vast library of wisdom and expertise that employees can draw from to improve their skills and productivity. This process can increase engagement and motivation and also aid in attracting and retaining top talent. For example, Toyota has gained industry-wide recognition for its knowledge management practices, which have become an integral part of its organizational culture.
Now, let's examine the four pivotal processes that form the backbone of any effective knowledge management strategy.
The Four Pillars of Knowledge Management
The top 4 processes you need to know about to implement an effective knowledge management strategy are:
Knowledge acquisitionKnowledge storage and organizationKnowledge distributionUtilizing knowledge
1. Knowledge Acquisition
Think of knowledge acquisition as laying the foundation for your knowledge management strategy. It involves collecting, identifying, and creating new knowledge.
This process includes setting up systems for capturing internal and external knowledge, such as using raw data or examining a business competitor's new products. Additionally, organizations can import relevant data from other sources or encourage employees to submit their ideas.
Accurate data is the key to successful knowledge acquisition, as it drives informed business decisions.
NOTE:If knowledge is previously undocumented in an organization, then it's necessary to document existing knowledge and flag new knowledge for categorization and processing.
2. Knowledge Storage and Organization
Once you've acquired the knowledge, the next step is to store and organize it effectively. This is like building the shelves of our library. Without proper storage and organization, even the most valuable information can be rendered useless. Tools like knowledge management systems can help keep data from multiple sources organized and indexed for better utilization.
Most businesses have plenty of unorganized data and information, but effective knowledge organization can help them make the most of relevant information. Knowledge storage saves both existing and new knowledge for organization and categorization.
3. Knowledge Distribution
With our knowledge library set up, the next step is to ensure that this wealth of information is accessible to all employees. Knowledge distribution involves sharing both implicit (less tangible things like organizational culture) and explicit knowledge (accessible and easily shareable knowledge like case studies and documents). This process fosters a collaborative environment and enhances the free flow of information within the organization.
Institutional KnowledgeEffective knowledge management protects valuable organizational memory, which could otherwise get lost due to poor documentation or employee turnover.
4. Utilizing Knowledge
The final pillar of effective knowledge management is using the acquired, organized, and distributed knowledge to benefit the organization's goals. Whether it's to speed up task completion, make informed decisions, or solve problems, effective knowledge utilization ties together all other processes.
Knowledge utilization occurs either through routine or direction:
Routine: Used in routine processes and behavior within an organization. It refers to knowledge use ingrained in organizational procedures, workflows, processes, and products.Direction: An external source, such as a consultant or industry expert, provides advice and knowledge input based on existing information about an organizational issue that needs solving.
It's worth noting that an effective utilization process also requires an organization to effectively link acquired knowledge and resources with the skills and abilities of its employees for better optimization. Additionally, organizations should ensure that they have methods of measuring the success and accuracy of their decisions based on the knowledge they are using.
✶ Here's how you can supercharge your intranet search
Unleashing the Power of Knowledge Management
When implemented correctly, these four processes can provide a robust structure for an effective knowledge management strategy. Companies can gain a competitive edge, increase productivity and efficiency, and reduce costs. Remember, the key to successful knowledge management lies in continual learning, sharing, and effective utilization of knowledge.
f you're on the hunt for a tool that can support your knowledge management processes, consider Unleash. It's an AI-powered tool that allows you to instantly access and organize your company's knowledge, making it readily available for use across all teams. Try Unleash for free today and see how it can empower your knowledge management strategy!
Knowledge managementKnowledge Management Matrix: 4 Steps to Improve Team PerformanceA knowledge management matrix helps organizations assess their knowledge assets. It can be used to develop an awareness of any skills shortages, enhance operational proficiency, and boost overall performance. The matrix comprises four quadrants (internal, external, institutional, and individual), each representing a different kind of knowledge.
To foster a successful knowledge management system, companies should create a learning and growth-oriented atmosphere that motivates employees to share their findings. This will ultimately benefit the overall workforce by providing access to valuable resources. Here are four steps to successfully implement and maintain a knowledge management matrix:
1. Encourage Collaboration
No matter what knowledge management methods you have, employees may keep their most important insights to themselves if your team's atmosphere does not promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing. In competitive work settings, people attempt to outdo one another—often causing a lack of trust and communication between employees.
To circumvent this issue and allow for the free exchange of ideas among staff members, organizations should cultivate an environment that builds camaraderie and encourages collaboration. This will allow everyone to feel comfortable enough to share valuable information.
2. Prioritize Important Information
Effective knowledge management requires a focus on sharing meaningful information that can boost productivity and innovation. It's essential to prioritize information that is critical for achieving your organization's goals, such as knowledge related to product development, distribution, and customer service operations. By doing so, you can help employees work more efficiently and better serve customers.
NOTE: You will have the opportunity to fill in the gaps with non-priority information later. This allows your team to focus on the information that is most critical for success while still leaving room for additional knowledge to be added to the system over time.
✶ Learn how to use Notion for project management
3. Identify the Experts in Your Organization
In today's rapidly evolving workplace, knowledge management is no longer just about storing data—it's about creating an environment of continuous learning. Identifying the experts within your organization and tapping into their insights can be a powerful way to manage knowledge.
An efficient knowledge management matrix allows experts from different departments to come together and share their experiences in an organized manner. By periodically conducting surveys or interviews with these experts via the matrix, you can better understand their knowledge base and enrich institutional knowledge. Experts can also submit reports or articles that capture the latest insights on relevant topics, allowing your organization to keep up with industry trends.
✶ Search might be the missing element in your internal knowledge base software
4. Find the Right Tools
Effective knowledge management requires finding the right tools to help your team capture, store, and share institutional knowledge. However, this can be challenging, especially if the size and needs of your organization change over time. To maximize the benefits of knowledge management, you need to be adaptable and willing to try different tools to determine which are the best fit for the needs of your business.
PRO TIPIf you find that the tools you are using are not a great fit, don't hesitate to change. The success of your knowledge management system depends on your team's ability to effectively use the tools available to them.
One popular knowledge management tool is Confluence, a digital workspace for teams to exchange knowledge. It's great for document management and makes it easy to collaborate on projects. However, it only reaches its full potential when you make use of third-party integrations like Unleash. Put simply, Confluence search sucks as a lot of its search functions are not in the main navigation menu, and users need to perform complex workarounds to actually use it.
Streamline Productivity and Improve Performance with Unleash
By embracing a knowledge management approach, companies can leverage the expertise of their employees and teams to increase efficiency by disseminating crucial information. However, finding and organizing that information can be challenging. This is where enterprise search tools with third-party integrations like Unleash come in.
Unleash can help you consolidate all your organization's knowledge into one place, making it easier to manage and access. In addition, you'll be able to customize your search and even set up personalized search rules. By taking advantage of these features, you can improve team performance, streamline productivity, and help your organization achieve its goals.
Knowledge managementSearch: The Missing Element in Your Internal Knowledge Base SoftwareHow many hours a day are your employees spending searching for information just to do their jobs? A survey by Zapier found that 73% of employees spend 1–3 hours searching for information or documents each day.
Effective search is a critical part of your internal knowledge base software. If your organization’s knowledge base doesn’t have an effective search engine, your employees won’t be able to find the information they’re looking for—and that defeats the purpose of having a knowledge base in the first place.
✶ Make the most out of your project management with Notion
Your Internal Knowledge Base Search Isn’t Working for Employees
If you already have a knowledge base set up, how much time do your employees spend looking for information? How much time do they spend asking each other questions to do their jobs? An effective knowledge base should be able to answer most questions quickly. If not, you need to optimize your knowledge base for search.
In the Zapier survey mentioned above, 90% of employees said they spend up to five hours every day checking messaging apps like Slack. If your own teams are spending that kind of time messaging each other instead of working on their core tasks, that might be a warning sign that your internal knowledge base isn’t offering your employees the level of support it could be.
Another sign that your knowledge base could use some work is if certain employees are known to be the ones with all the answers. If a small handful of employees are constantly fielding questions about how to do certain tasks or where to find information, you have a knowledge base gap.
Obviously, some roles will require more messaging and interaction than others. There aren’t any simple rules we can apply regarding the maximum number of hours employees should be spending on messaging apps. It’s important to know the difference between employees collaborating or problem-solving a particular issue together and employees asking each other questions about how to do their jobs. One is something only a human can help with, and the other can be done by a complete knowledge base and a smart search engine.
You have to gauge how well your internal knowledge base software is providing for employees based on a combination of employee productivity and employee feedback.
The goal of a good knowledge base is to make it easier for less experienced employees to learn how to do something at their company without needing to ask a more experienced employee. Policies, workflows, and templates are all things employees should be able to easily find from day one. If you’re seeing or hearing that employees have to spend a lot of time asking each other questions, there’s a good chance your internal knowledge base software needs improvement.
A good place to start is to set up a workflow or documentation process for FAQs. If a question is asked more than once or twice, it’s worth adding to the knowledge base. Remember those employees who are the ones people go to with questions? Ask them if they’d like to get that work off their plate by flagging the questions they repeatedly get. Then the team members responsible for updating the knowledge base can make sure the information is added.
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Use SEO Best Practices in Your Internal Knowledge Base Software for a Better Employee Experience
If you want to make your knowledge base helpful, you have to optimize it for search by using SEO best practices. In particular, the employees adding information to the knowledge base need to understand “search intent,” or what a person using your internal knowledge base would likely type into the search box.
If your marketing team already has SEO experts on staff and uses SEO tools, include them in the project. If not, someone is going to need to learn some SEO basics, or you can bring in a consultant. However you decide to do it, make sure whoever is writing or updating the knowledge base is knowledgeable about SEO and has strong people skills.
Remember that this is about human behavior, not just organizing documents into a central repository. You’re attempting to predict employee questions and word choice. Make sure the team in charge of your knowledge base can think strategically about human behavior and search intent.
Let Your Employees Help You Improve the Searchability of Your Knowledge Base
Expect that you will miss the mark often and actively solicit your employee's feedback.
While it’s important to think carefully about keywords and search intent when writing the pages that make up your knowledge base, be mindful to also make it a collaborative effort. Anticipate some stumbles and embrace collective wisdom. Your employees are your users, and just like any user base, it’s impossible to predict exactly what they need 100% of the time. This is why you need to ask them about their experience. Start surveying your employees on how they use the knowledge base, along with what’s missing or what they think could be done to improve it.
An internal knowledge base is a living support tool that will never be finished. It’ll always need additions and tweaks. Set up a way for employees to easily request articles that don’t yet exist and suggest changes to articles that do. Make sure there’s an assigned person or team who’s checking for keywords. Whenever an employee searches your knowledge base and can’t find a page you have, that’s an opportunity to ask the employee what they were searching for and add those search terms to the page.
Unleash a More Helpful Knowledge Base With a Smarter Search Engine
The last element to ensure your knowledge base is truly supporting your employees is to make sure the search engine you use is advanced, user-friendly, and designed to improve productivity.
Unleash can search nearly 40 applications at once. Not only can Unleash users search their internal knowledge base but also email, Slack, Asana, Microsoft products, and just about any other app your teams use. This can help employees find what they’re looking for, even if your knowledge base doesn’t have that particular piece of information yet.
Then, because you’ve done the work to set up an easy system for employees to request changes to your knowledge base and submit FAQs, they can quickly tip you off with what needs to be added and where the answer or resource is currently located.
What if you built your own knowledge base in house? Or you have your own intranet? Not a problem. Unleash can also connect to custom builds. Enterprises often build many of their own tools, and an effective search engine for employees has to include custom integrations.
Help your employees get the most out of your knowledge base with Unleash.
Knowledge managementKnowledge Management and How to Use ItKnowledge management is the process of creating, capturing, organizing, and utilizing knowledge within an organization to uphold the integrity of data. This can be done in a variety of ways, including through the use of online tools and techniques, such as document management, data mining, knowledge-sharing platforms, and social networking.
Why is knowledge management important?
One of the major benefits of knowledge management is that it can help improve efficiency within a business. By making sure that employees have access to the right information in front of them when they need it, companies can improve productivity and task effectiveness.
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Types of Knowledge Management
There are 3 key types of knowledge management systems: Explicit, Implicit, and Tacit.
1. Explicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge is information that can be communicated verbally, in writing, or through other forms of communication. It is also possible to codify explicit knowledge into manuals, rules, or other reference materials.
Explicit knowledge can be shared easily with others. When it is properly communicated, this type of knowledge helps to improve team collaboration and achieve common goals. Explicit knowledge can also help to reduce uncertainty and improve decision-making.
2. Implicit Knowledge
Implicit knowledge is a term used in knowledge management to describe information that is not explicitly stated or codified. Implicit knowledge can be found in the experience and intuition of individuals, and in the informal networks that exist within organizations.
Implicit knowledge can be extremely valuable for a business, as it can help employees make better decisions and solve problems.
3. Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge is hard to transfer, but it's a critical part of a company's success and culture—often the key to innovation and reducing data siloes.
Managing tacit knowledge can be a challenge for organizations. One way to do this is through using tools like social media and wikis. These tools can help employees share information and experiences with each other. They can also help employees access information when they need it.
Another way to manage tacit knowledge is by creating a culture where employees are encouraged to share their ideas and experiences. This can be done through training programs and by giving employees the opportunity to work together on projects.
Knowledge Management Processes
There are several key processes that are involved in knowledge management: discovery, capture, organization, assessment, sharing, reuse, and creation.
To break this down further, specifically, what are the knowledge management processes?
Discovery
The process of finding information and data that applies to the task at hand. The goal of discovery is to find all the relevant information, regardless of where it is stored. This can include both internal and external sources of data. Capture
The process of capturing information and data into a system where it can be accessed and used. The goal of capture is to ensure that all relevant information is stored in a single location.Organization
The process of organizing information and data so that it can easily be sorted through and utilized.Assessment
The process of assessing the value of information and data. The goal of assessment is to understand the value of the information so that it can be used effectively.Reusing knowledge
This helps organizations save time and money. There are several ways to reuse knowledge, including using templates, creating libraries of reusable components, and using tools like mind maps.Sharing knowledge
This helps employees learn from each other and increases productivity. There are several ways to share knowledge, including face-to-face meetings, email exchanges, training modules, and messaging or collaboration tools.Creating knowledge
This helps employees create new products and services and formulate ideas that can help the organization grow.
Knowledge Management Systems
Finally, what are the knowledge management systems?
A knowledge management system is a software application or set of applications that help an organization capture, store, and share knowledge, essentially managing its intellectual property, improving decision making, and identifying best practices.
There are many types of knowledge management applications, and the best one for an organization depends on its specific needs. Some common features of knowledge management system applications include document management systems, discussion forums, tagging, and enterprise search engines.