The goal of systems thinking in business is to explore and analyze processes as wholes and understand the inter-relations and inter-connectedness of various processes and thus how they impact on each other | Section II Infrastructures Required to Support Knowledge-Based Enterprises TEAM LinG The KM Business Infrastructure 65 Chapter IV The KM Business Infrastructure Introduction Knowledge management activities typically span several and often interconnected business processes rather than focus exclusively on a specific business process. In order to fully appreciate how knowledge is embedded within these business processes we must first trace the historical development of information processing as well as several techniques that have developed in the manufacturing arena such as TQM total quality management BPR business process re-engineering SCM supply chain management and CRM customer relationship management . Central to the understanding of knowledge within business processes is the ability to combine a process-oriented perspective of knowledge . an organization s ability to learn from and incorporate data information and or knowledge embedded within and generate by its processes with a product oriented perspective or an organization s ability to manage its knowledge asset as an output or valuable byproduct. At first the difference may appear to be subtle but it is significant and once again relates to the multifaceted complex nature of the knowledge construct itself. When examining business processes it is also useful to take what is called a systems thinking perspective of the organization. By doing so this enables the identification of knowledge as both product and process. Thus key management techniques of TQM total quality management BPR business process re-engineering SCM supply Copyright 2007 Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. TEAM LinG 66 Wickramasinghe von Lubitz chain management and CRM customer relationship management are only truly effective when combined with an understanding of how knowledge is embedded within various business processes and by then using .
