Knowledge assets

This is knowledge relevant to an organisation’s strategy and operations.

Knowledge assets can be human (individuals, teams, communities), structural (strategies, policies, processes, procedures) or supporting technologies.

By understanding the knowledge assets an organisation possesses, the organisation can improve its ability to use them to best effect and also to spot any gaps that may exist.

For more infomation see Nilmini Wickramasinghe and Graydon Davison's, 2004 article, Making explicit the implicit knowledge assets in healthcare: the case of multidisciplinary teams in care and cure environments published in Health Care Management Science, 7(3), on pages 185-195.

Mapping knowledge assets

Mapping knowledge assets determines where these assets are in an organisation, and how knowledge flows operate in the organisation.

Evaluating relationships between holders of knowledge will then illustrate the sources, flows, limitations, and losses of knowledge that can be expected to occur. Identifying knowledge and directing it to the relevant people who might need it.

What is mapped?

Mapping knowledge assets, otherwise known as a knowledge audit, typically involves the following:

• creating an inventory of knowledge assets including owners and locations, for example, listing clinical guidelines, who has responsibility for them and agreed review dates
• appreciating how knowledge supports key business activities, for example, by mapping knowledge to organisational strategic objectives, national and local performance indicators
• maps of knowledge flows, for example, organisational and departmental charts
• identification of knowledge gaps, for example, via training needs analyses and user surveys
• diagnostics around knowledge risks, pain points and cultural issues, for example, via the corporate risk register, lessons learned exercises

More information

This postcard describes the knowledge assets tool in words and pictures.

View the NHS Knowledge Mobilisation Framework elearning module on Knowledge Assets.

Contact the Knowledge for Healthcare team on [email protected] for the postcard in an accessible format.