Chapter 9: Knowledge Intensifying Organizations

This chapter is concerned with forms of knowledge intensification. All organizations engage to some degree of knowledge intensification when they create and development knowledge. In this section we shall recognise that knowledge intensification means different things to different cultures. Following this we shall see how knowledge intensification occurs in different types of knowledge related organization, four of which are identified. The relationships between these types will also be explored.

According to Argyris (1990) learning organizations may be: (a) adaptive, and therefore respond to a perception of a changing environment, and/or (b) proactive and thus responsive to a perception of the needs for organizational improvement. Both adaptation and response are seated in the noumenal domain, which is associated with ideate imagery and system of thinking and information that occurs (metaphorically speaking) at the subconscious level of the organization. Hence, the learning organization maintains a vision that enables knowledge to be strategically created and harnessed according to ad hoc requirements. Fundamentally therefore, it may be envisaged as a virtual knowledge process. In contrast the knowledge organization may be seen to be relatively conscious of its overall knowledge and generic knowledge needs, and these may be both tacit (held in its employees) and explicit (held in its libraries). In addition they may engage in processes of knowledge intensification (in which identifiable knowledge is acquired and applied), and be able to create, maintain, track and apply their knowledge. The intelligent organization is able to see, evaluate and diagnoses its pathologies and problems of coherence that inhibits its ability to: make intelligent decisions; manage its own change processes; and maintain its viability. Hence it is in a position to be aware of both its learning and knowledge needs, and is able to create a network of processes that engages with both the visions of the learning organization and the knowledge properties of the knowledge organization.