1. Opening Case: Leveraging Knowledge at Bell Canada
CHAPTER 8
Helping Organizations Access, Share And Use Information
Opening Case:
Leveraging Knowledge at Bell Canada

2. Chapter Eight Overview
SECTION 8.1 – TURNING INFORMATION INTO KNOWLEDGE
Teams, Partnerships, and Alliances
Collaboration
Content Management Systems
Workflow Management Systems
Groupware Systems
Knowledge Management
KM and Social Networking
SECTION 8.2 – ENTERPRISE PORTALS
What are Enterprise Portals
The Potential of Enterprise Portals
Factors Affecting Enterprise Portal Adoption and Use

3. Learning Outcomes
Explain how information systems can help companies turn information into knowledge, and build partnerships, teams and alliances.
Describe what is meant by a collaboration system, and how such systems can support both structured and unstructured collaboration.
Explain the differences between, and business advantages of, various types of collaboration systems, such as groupware, content management systems, and workflow management systems.

4. Learning Outcomes
Understand the difference between knowledge management and knowledge management systems.
Explain how enterprise portals can help organizations access, share, and utilize information better.

5. TURNING INFORMATION INTO KNOWLEDGE
SECTION 8.1
TURNING INFORMATION INTO KNOWLEDGE
CLASSROOM OPENER
GREAT BUSINESS DECISIONS – Swiss Watch Manufacturers Begin Collaborating and Invent the Swatch
The Swatch is a classic tale of triumph over adversity. The Swiss watch making industry’s market share declined from 30 percent to 9 percent during the 1970s. The leading Swiss watch manufacturers decided to join and collaborate thinking it would be better to go down together in a blaze of glory than to timidly surrender in isolation to the diminishing watch market. Ernst Thomke, president of the group and Jacques Muller, chief engineer, came up with the idea to design a low-cost version of the Delirium, the world’s slimmest watch. Thomke developed the technical specifications of the original Swatch, as well as the all-important marketing and advertising ideas. The Swatch was based on the simple premise that the watch could become a disposable or replaceable fashion item. This collaborative product was the make-or-break response to cheap watch competition and almost overnight, the dormant Swiss watch industry was revived. The Swatch became a fashion accessory and the Swiss share of the worldwide watch market rose to over 50 percent.

6. TEAMS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND ALLIANCES
Organizations create and use teams, partnerships, and alliances to:
Undertake new initiatives
Address both minor and major problems
Capitalize on significant opportunities
Organizations create teams, partnerships, and alliances both internally with employees and externally with other organizations
It is getting harder and harder for any one individual to perform organizational activities in isolation
Ask your students to list types of organizational activities that are performed by individuals
Ans: For the most part, almost all organizational activities are performed in teams. For example, a customer service representative usually needs to talk with many coworkers to discover customer issues and problem resolution
A marketing executive will need to work with sales representatives to determine what is “hot” in the market, what is selling, and what issues/complaints customers have before launching a new product
The majority of work today is performed in groups and teams
These teams can be departmental, interdepartmental, cross-functional, internal, and external

7. TEAMS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND ALLIANCES
Collaboration system – supports the work of teams by facilitating the sharing and flow of information
Collaboration systems, such as groupware, enable, support, and facilitate internal and external team collaboration
This is a good time to mention the importance of people skills, or soft skills, in additional to business knowledge. Your students should anticipate working with many coworkers from different areas of the business when solving issues or finding opportunities. Building soft skills is just as important as building analytical skills. Successful people rarely work in isolation.

8. TEAMS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND ALLIANCES
Organizations form alliances and partnerships with other organizations based on their core competency
Core competency – an organization’s key strength, a business function that it does better than any of its competitors
Core competency strategy – organization chooses to focus specifically on its core competency and forms partnerships with other organizations to handle nonstrategic business processes
It is just as important for an organization to form teams, partnerships, and alliances with other organizations
An organization that uses a core competency strategy will focus on its core competency and form partnerships with other organizations to handle nonstrategic business processes
The most common example of this is outsourcing payroll or accounting functions
Many organizations want to focus on the marketing and selling of a unique product or service. These organizations do not want to incur the expense of maintaining accounting or tax experts on staff, hence they will outsource these functions to a business partner

9. TEAMS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND ALLIANCES
Information technology can make a business partnership easier to establish and manage
Information partnership – occurs when two or more organizations cooperate by integrating their IT systems, thereby providing customers with the best of what each can offer
The Internet has dramatically increased the ease and availability for IT-enabled organizational alliances and partnerships
Provide a few examples of how the Internet has enabled information partnerships:
A good example is Amazon.com
The company developed a profitable business segment by providing e-business outsourcing services to other retailers who use Amazon’s Web site software
Retailers partnering with Amazon.com include Marshall Fields, Office Depot, and Target
Amazon has also started providing fulfillment services so that small retailers can use Amazon to warehouse and ship products for the retailer

10. COLLABORATION
Collaboration system: An IT-based set of tools that supports the work of teams by facilitating the sharing and flow of information
Collaboration solves specific business tasks such as telecommuting, online meetings, deploying applications, and remote project and sales management
Collaboration allows people, teams, and organizations to leverage and build upon the ideas and talents of staff, suppliers, customers, and business partners
It involves a unique set of business challenges that:
Include complex interactions between people who may be in different locations and desire to work across function and discipline areas
Require flexibility in work process and the ability to involve others quickly and easily
Create and share information rapidly and effortlessly within a team
Increasingly, organizations are extending their focus from internal operations like planning and scheduling, enterprise resource planning and sales force automation, toward operations beyond their own four walls with external customers and suppliers

11. COLLABORATION Two categories of collaboration
Unstructured collaboration (information collaboration) - includes document exchange, shared whiteboards, discussion forums, and
Structured collaboration (process collaboration) - involves shared participation in business processes such as workflow in which knowledge is hardcoded as rules
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company shares complex project information across an extended supply chain in real time and successfully bid a $19 billion DoD contract to build 21 supersonic stealth fighters
Regardless of location or format – be it unstructured or structured - relevant accurate information must be readily and consistently available to those who need it – anytime, anywhere, and on any device

12. CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Content management system (CMS) – provides tools to manage the creation, storage, editing, and publication of information in a collaborative environment
CMS marketplace includes:
Document management system (DMS)
Digital asset management system (DAM)
Web content management system (WCM)
BMW Group Switzerland accelerated personalized, real-time information about products, services, prices, and events to its dealers countrywide
BMW uses a process that allows dealers to specify what information is seen by which employee, as well as to deliver marketing materials solely to members of the sales department, and technical specifications and support documents only to mechanics
The enhanced personalization eliminates the chance that information is sent to the wrong dealership or to the wrong individual, which provides higher quality customer services
Document management system (DMS) – supports the electronic capturing, storage, distribution, archival, and accessing of documents
Digital asset management system (DAM) – similar to DMS, generally works with binary rather than text files, such as multimedia files types
Web content management system (WCM) – adds an additional layer to document and digital asset management that enables publishing content both to intranets and to public Web sites

13. CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Common types of content management systems

14. CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Content management system vendor overview
In addition to commercial off the shelf software (COTS), there are Open Source Solutions (OSS) solutions such as Wiki’s, Drupal
Ask students whether they would consider Facebook and MySpace to be content management systems.
Ask students what they would sites that facilitate blogging to be content management systems.

15. WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Work activities can be performed in series or in parallel and involve people and automated computer systems
Workflow – defines all the steps or business rules, from beginning to end, required for a business process
Workflow management system – facilitates the automation and management of business processes and controls the movement of work through the business process
NYC was experiencing a record number of claims, ranging from injuries resulting from slips on sidewalks to medical malpractice at hospitals
NYC processes over 30,000 claims and incurs $250 million in claims costs annually
NYC implemented a workflow management tool to process contracts and claims
The system saved NYC $20 million
Many workflow management systems allow the opportunity to measure and analyze the execution of the process

16. WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Messaging-based workflow system – sends work assignments through an system
Database-based workflow system – stores documents in a central location and automatically asks the team members to access the document when it is their turn to edit the document
How could you use a messaging-based workflow system or database-based workflow system to complete a group project?
Messaging-based workflow system would send an to each group member when it was their turn to edit the document. The student would then be responsible for finding the document to edit.
Database-based workflow system would ask the student to edit the document, and supply the document to the student.
Review Figure 8.8 for workflow management system features and discuss how each feature could be used to complete a group project

17. GROUPWARE SYSTEMS Groupware technologies CLASSROOM EXERCISE
Process of Collaboration
Collaboration is always operating through certain group processes — processes of communication, coordination, cooperation, but also information sharing. Split students up into four groups, each representing the processes above. Have each group make a list of the collaborative technologies differentiated by the collaboration processes they support.
These processes do not work independently of one another but are usually intermingled and determined by each other. True collaboration tools will try to provide help for all those collaboration processes, but their main focus is mostly on one of these areas.
Review the IM for potential answers

18. GROUPWARE SYSTEMS
Groupware – software that supports team interaction and dynamics including calendaring, scheduling, and videoconferencing
Lotus Notes and Toyota developed an intranet system to promote information sharing within the company and to raise productivity
Groupware falls into two categories:
Users of the groupware are working together at the same time or different times (time difference)
Users are working together in the same place or in different places (physical location difference)
Which is easier to overcome?
Why?

19. GROUPWARE SYSTEMS Instant messaging application
is the dominant collaboration application, but when real-time communication is required Instant Messaging can provide that service.
A common application of the integration of IM into business software is application sharing.
For example, a team could be working on a budget using a spreadsheet that shared on-line, with all changes visible in real time to all team members.
IM would provide communication among the team members allowing group discussion as well as side discussions.

20. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Knowledge management (KM) – involves capturing, classifying, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing information assets in a way that provides context for effective decisions and actions
Knowledge management system (KMS) – supports the capturing, organization, and dissemination of knowledge (“know-how”) throughout an organization
Why is knowledge one of the real competitive advantages?
It is difficult to duplicate knowledge
It can take years to acquire
It is a personal asset
What if an organization could capture all of a persons knowledge using technology?
You would no longer need that person in the organization

21. Explicit and Tacit Knowledge
Intellectual and knowledge-based assets fall into two categories
Explicit knowledge – consists of anything that can be documented, archived, and codified, often with the help of IT
Tacit knowledge - knowledge contained in people’s heads

22. Explicit and Tacit Knowledge
The following are two best practices for transferring or recreating tacit knowledge
Shadowing – less experienced staff observe more experienced staff to learn how their more experienced counterparts approach their work
Joint problem solving – a novice and expert work together on a project

23. Explicit and Tacit Knowledge
Reasons why organizations launch knowledge management programs

24. KM Technologies Knowledge management systems include:
Knowledge repositories (databases)
Expertise tools
E-learning applications
Discussion and chat technologies
Search and data-mining tools
KM is not a purely technology-based concept
Organizations that implement a centralized database system, electronic message board, Web portal, or any other collaborative tool in the hope that they have established a KMS are wasting both their time and money

25. KM and Social Networking
Finding out how information flows through an organization
Social networking analysis (SNA) – a process of mapping a group’s contacts (whether personal or professional) to identify who knows whom and who works with whom
SNA provides a clear picture of how employees and divisions work together and can help identify key experts
How could you use SNA at your college?
Finding internships
Finding group members
Finding jobs

26. OPENING CASE QUESTIONS Leveraging Knowledge at Bell Canada
What type of information does the MKC portal collect and distribute as a means of promoting knowledge sharing and learning? How is this type of information different than that found in transactional databases and data warehouses containing summarized information?
Give examples of decision-making scenarios where information obtained from the MKC portal would be used. How would these decision-making scenarios differ from those where employees use transactional information obtained from databases? From summarized information obtained from data warehouses and data marts?
What type of information does the MKC portal collect and distribute as a means of promoting knowledge sharing and learning?
The information MKC portal collects and distributes includes the latest publications from in-house experts and outside consultants.
How is this type of information different than that found in transactional databases and data warehouses containing summarized information?
This information is different from that found in transactional databases and data warehouses because it is research based, and includes text, audio-conferences and invitations to live briefings or seminars.
2.Give examples of decision-making scenarios where information obtained from the MKC portal would be used.
The decision-making scenarios will differ but should be well articulated and indicate an understanding of the decision-making process.
How would these decision-making scenarios differ from those where employees use transactional information obtained from databases?
Decision-making scenarios differ from those where employees use transactional information obtained from databases because they typically involve more theoretical and broader-reaching information, and are based on research and not on company transactions.
From summarized information obtained from data warehouses and data marts?
This information differs from data warehouse and data mart information because it deals with information obtained outside of the company.

27. OPENING CASE QUESTIONS Leveraging Knowledge at Bell Canada
How has a centralized MKC portal improved knowledge sharing and information partnerships within Bell Canada and across the BCE family of companies? What is the ROI of centralizing the MKC portal solution?
What enhancements could be made to the MKC portal to further promote collaboration among project teams at Bell?
What enhancements could be made to the MKC portal to further promote employees understanding the information obtained from the portal and their ability to potentially put that information into action? That is, what features or functions added to the portal would help employees glean insights, make deductions, and forge new insights?
3. How has a centralized MKC portal improved knowledge sharing and information partnerships within Bell Canada and across the BCE family of companies?
The centralized MKC portal has improved knowledge sharing and information partnerships by eliminating duplicate spending on consultant reports, trade magazines, industry documents by centralizing subscriptions to online databases and electronic journals, and negotiating corporate-wide distribution licences with suppliers.
What is the ROI of centralizing the MKC portal solution?
The ROI can be measured according to:
responsiveness
relevance of information
value of information
impact of information provided on business decisions
timeliness of response
proactiveness
4. What enhancements could be made to the MKC portal to further promote collaboration among project teams at Bell Canada and across BCE?
Answers to this question will vary. Ensure that the suggestions include information from this chapter, and from the preceding chapters.
5. What enhancements could be made to the MKC portal to further promote employees understanding the information obtained from the portal and their ability to potentially put that information into action? That is, what features or functions added to the portal would help employees glean insights, make deductions, and forge new insights?
Student answers to this question will vary. Ensure that suggestions are justified by using information from this and the preceding chapters.

28. SECTION 8.2 ENTERPRISE PORTALS
The first major usage of portals was personalized portal services such as MyYahoo, iGoogle, live.com, and others.
Since then there has been an increase in the use of portals adapted to business needs.
Your college or university, as well as your library may provide examples of an enterprise portal.

29. What are Enterprise Portals?
Enterprise Portals - Are single-point Web browser interfaces used within an organization to promote the gathering, sharing, and dissemination of information throughout an enterprise.
Web browser interface facilitates navigation of the Enterprise Portal via:
Enterprise taxonomy or classification of information categories
Search engine
Hyperlinks to both internal and external resources

30. Enterprise Portals Features Publishing facility
Automatic indexing facility
Subscription facility
Intelligent agents
Enterprise portals provide a gate way to range of information and IT tools.

31. The Potential of Enterprise Portals
Facilitate knowledge creation, distribution, and use
Promote Collaboration
Portals must comprise three distinct areas to be effective
For Enterprise Portals to be effective they cannot focus on the content space alone, the communication and coordination space address the organizational and social requirements.

32. Factors Affecting Enterprise Portal Adoption and Use
Major factors affecting adoption and use of Enterprise Portals are not technical in nature
Lesson
Description
Lesson #1
In terms of information politics, the human struggle over an enterprise portal’s content and functionality can lead to resultant designs that favour certain stakeholder groups rather than address end-user needs.
Lesson #2
In terms of the system development process, a perceived slowness in changes to an enterprise portal’s design or information content can lead to user dissatisfaction.
Implementing a portal doesn’t mean it will work, or even be used.
Attention to the human or organizational aspects of the portal implementation is critical

33. Factors Affecting Enterprise Portal Adoption and Use
In terms of information culture, there are several lessons to be learned:
Lesson
Description
Lesson #3A
With respect to information sharing, the provision of protected, secure areas in an enterprise portal to pre-defined individuals or groups can lead to greater exchange of documents and ideas.
Lesson #3B
With respect to information overload, the filtering of information within an enterprise portal can lead to greater user acceptance of the system.
Lesson #3C
With respect to information access, providing quick and universal access to an enterprise portal can lead to heightened usage.
Lesson #3D
With respect to information control, offering a means to tailor the display and presentation of information on an enterprise portal can increase user satisfaction with the system.
Lesson #3E
With respect to attitude towards using an enterprise portal, a positive perception towards and awareness of an enterprise portal’s functionality can lead to greater user adoption.

34. Factors Affecting Enterprise Portal Adoption and Use
Insights from Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) on adoption and use of Enterprise Portals
Ensure that everyone benefits
Create incentives for use
Promote multiple perspectives
Understand current work practice
If you can’t show how the use of the portal will help an individual do their job better, can you show how it would provide a benefit to their department?
Some aspects of portals increase workload, or add new tasks to an individual, and may not be seen as a high priority.
For example, adding new content to the portal would take away time that an individual might spend on other high priority activities, especially activities that might impact their performance review and salary.
Allow open discussions, promotion and sharing of new ideas. Avoid a critical or punitive response to open dialogue.
Understand current work practices, both formal and informal.
Identify where changes to social processes might occur, and work to reduce disruptions or misunderstandings

35. OPENING CASE QUESTIONS Leveraging Knowledge at Bell Canada
Is the MKC portal an enterprise portal? Explain why or why not.
What features or functions could be added to the MKC portal to improve its potential as an enterprise portal?
Assume Bell Canada has an enterprise portal (let’s call it Bellnet) that is independent of the MKC portal. In this sense, the MKC portal would be a sub-portal of Bellnet. What are the advantages of setting things up this way? The disadvantages?
Using the lessons and insights listed in Figures 8.12 and 8.13 as a guide, what advice would you give Bell Canada to promote the avid use of the MKC portal?
6. Is the MKC portal an enterprise portal? Explain why or why not.
Student answers to this question will vary. The important part of their answer will be their justification for why the MKC portal can be considered an enterprise portal.
7. What features or functions could be added to the MKC portal to improve its potential as an enterprise portal?
Student answers to this question will vary. The important part of their answer will be their justification for why the feature or function will improve its potential.
8. Assume Bell Canada has an enterprise portal (let’s call it Bellnet) that is independent of the MKC portal. In this sense, the MKC portal would be a sub-portal of Bellnet. What are the advantages of setting things up this way? The disadvantages?
Advantages may include things such as more specialized information, individualization, and increased employee input. Disadvantages may be data redundancy, higher costs, decreased interaction between employees. Students will list additional advantages and disadvantages, but these should be justified using the information available and their own personal experiences.
9. Using the lessons and insights listed in Figures 8.12 and 8.13 as a guide, what advice would you give Bell Canada to promote the avid use of the MKC portal?
Student answers to this question will vary. The important part of their answer will be their recommendations for Bell Canada to promote the use of the portal.

36. CLOSING CASE ONE DreamWorks Animation Collaboration
How can companies use Halo to increase their business efficiency?
Explain how a company like PepsiCo can use Halo to gain a competitive advantage in its industry.
How can knowledge management be increased by using a product such as Halo?
Why would a company like DreamWorks, that is not IT focused, be interested in collaboration systems?
What are a few of the security issues surrounding this type of information system?
How can companies use Halo to increase their business efficiency?
Being able to meet with co-workers virtually around the globe will help organizations become more efficient and effective. Traveling to another country takes time, costs money, and is hard on employees with families, pets, and plants. Being able to meet with face-to-face with global business partners, from a local meeting room, is a big advantage for corporate employees.
Explain how a company like PepsiCo can use Halo to gain a competitive advantage in its industry.
PepsiCo could use Halo to collaborate internally and externally. Internally, it could offer an inexpensive way to communicate face-to-face, worldwide. Externally, it could setup a Halo meeting room where partners and customers could talk with PepsiCo employees face-to-face. It could be a good marketing technique to gain access to its customers.
How can knowledge management be increased by using a product such as Halo?
There are a few ways that a company can use knowledge management with a Halo product. First, it could record all of the meeting and store this information on a data device. It could then categorize all of the meetings, individuals in the meetings, etc. and slice-and-dice the meeting details for access by other individuals. Of course, there are privacy and ethical issues with recording all meetings. Second, it offers employees a way to meet face-to-face with other co-workers and share knowledge.
Why would a company like DreamWorks, that is not IT focused, be interested in collaboration technology?
All companies need to collaborate to work effectively and efficiently. Businesses cannot operate in a vacuum. The need to collaborate is felt in every industry from products to health care to entertainment. Collaboration is a business need, not just an IT need.
What are a few of the security issues surrounding this type of technology?
Security is a concern for any technology. A collaboration system needs to operate without the threat of anyone being able to hack into the system and view confidential information discussed in corporate meetings. Imagine how many people would like to sit in on corporate executive meetings at Microsoft, Apple, the Government, etc. Keeping the meeting safe is key to the success of this technology.

37. CLOSING CASE TWO Enterprise Content Management at Statoil
Why do you think content management is such a critical part of Statoil’s strategy?
Comment on the utility and importance of Statoil’s use of an information portal to promote enterprise-wide content management.
To what extent do you think Statoil’s predicament of information overload is typical for organizations in Canada?
What lessons learned and insights from the chapter's discussion on the factors affecting the adoption and use of enterprise portal could help promote Statoil’s adoption and use of its content management initiative?
Why do you think content management is such a critical part of Statoils strategy?
Content management is a critical part of Statoils strategy because the need for information from customers and employees is quite large. With over 5500 databases, the need to support content lifecycle that deals with capture, transformation, storage, security, distribution, retrieval and destruction of the data.
Comment on the utility and importance of Statoil’s use of an information portal to promote enterprise-wide content management?
The utility and importance of Statoil’s use of information portal is paramount, because without access to current and cutting edge materials related to their business. Answers to this question will vary, but should indicate an understanding of the need for information by every level and every department within an organization.
To what extent do you think Statoil’s predicament of information overload is typical for organizations in Canada?
Many organizations in Canada have experienced overload. Students should discuss the need for and problems with disseminating information across large organizational structures.
What lessons learned and insights from the chapter’s discussion on the factors affecting the adoption and use of enterprise portal could help promote Statoil’s adoption and use of its content management initiative?
Answers to this question will vary, but may include training employees on the availability and use of portals, implementing guidelines for use, and establishing required e-learning modules for employees.

38. CLOSING CASE THREE Open Text Gets Social
Do you think the employment of social networking software will be commonplace in corporate environments in the future? What are the drivers of the use of such software? What are the inhibitors of use?
Why is not conducive to collaborative work? How are Web 2.0 technologies better suited to support collaborative work?
What is the advantage of having Web 2.0 software functionality built upon a strong underlying ECM platform?
What factors contribute to the current low levels of adoption of enterprise content management software by corporations?
Do you think the employment of social networking software will be commonplace in corporate environments in the future? What are the drivers of the use of such software? What the inhibitors of use?
Student answers will vary as to whether or not they will be commonplace in corporate environments but their answer should be supported to the drivers and inhibitors of use. Drivers included trends to collaboration, information sharing, building networks of colleagues and the increasing pressure for businesses to adopt such tools from the Gen Xers and Gen Y now in the workforce. Inhibitors usually are the result of worries over security of information, productivity concerns, and a lack of a full understanding of Web 2.0 technologies.
Why is not conducive to collaborative work? How are Web 2.0 technologies better suited to support collaborative work?
The biggest issue with is that people are drowning in and are feeling overwhelmed and are looking for other ways to interact and does not really help people develop networks or communities, it tends to be one-on-one. Web 2.0 technologies on the other hand allow for the creation of communities and social networks, threaded discussions, and the ability to share and edit documents in real-time.
What is the advantage of having Web 2.0 software functionality built upon a strong underlying ECM platform?
The strong platform allows safe and security management of the digital content that is contained within the Web 2.0 environment. This allows organizations to address compliance risks, extend mobility support and feature key tools that employees need to support their work in a collaborative environment.
What factors contribute to current low-levels of adoption of enterprise content management software by corporations?
The lack of maturity in enterprise content management systems.
Compliance concerns
Security concerns