5. Processes

KM processes are described as those put in place to facilitate the creation, sharing and use of knowledge for the benefit of an organisation.

They may be primary or secondary processes depending upon the type of organisation. In a knowledge organisation, for example, the KM processes as a whole would be viewed as primary processes. In a manufacturing entity, primary KM processes would be aimed at support of the main product while secondary KM processes might apply to supporting departments of the organisation, such as personnel management.

Included in Chapter 5 is a list, with examples, of the principal processes associated with KM and IM. The list is structured according to the processes of the Knowledge Value Chain mentioned earlier in this Summary and fully explained in the ‘Models and Tools’ section of the paper.