Knowledge capabilities as the focus of organisational development and strategy

Abstract

Knowledge organisations perform knowledge processes, using their primary resources of intellectual capital, and their key input of information. Their effectiveness in performing these processes depends on their knowledge capabilities. In most cases these capabilities must be highly dynamic in order to respond to the changing environment of the organisation and resulting evolution of the required core knowledge processes of the organisation. All organisational development must be centred around developing those dynamic knowledge capabilities on an ongoing basis. The strategic capabilities of an organisation depend on its ability to process rapidly changing information and perspectives on the organisation and its business environment, so these are in fact high‐order knowledge capabilities. The development of organisational knowledge capabilities can be addressed most completely by considering the four fields of individual technology, organisational technology, individual skills and behaviours, and organisational skills and behaviours.