IN 1597, Sir Francis Bacon coined a now-famous phrase: “For also knowledge itself is power”. About a thousand years before Bacon, Islam has already acknowledged this very fact.
From the onset with the first verse of the Quran, Islam had impressed upon its believers the importance of knowledge. The word iqra’ ‘the first word of the revelation’ which literally means “read”, shows the significance of obtaining knowledge. Reading is recognised as the key to the acquisition of knowledge.
It is, therefore, not surprising to find many verses in the Quran as well as the traditions of the Prophet of Islam that highlight the magnitude of acquiring and having knowledge.
This importance is further stressed in the Quran when it is mentioned that even at the dawn of the creation of Adam, the Almighty Creator has revealed that knowledge is all important when He taught Adam of things which were not known to the angels.
As often mentioned, Islam and knowledge go hand in hand, ever since the time when God created the first man. Man has been bestowed with the gift of the mind or ‘aql.
The mind has the capacity to gather very large quantity of “data” which is later organised into “information” which is then stored as “knowledge” which makes up one’s “wisdom”. This is the so-called “knowledge hierarchy”.
Knowledge should be thought of as a strategic asset which is an essential organisational component. This is again acknowledged in the Holy Quran in verse 9 of Surah al-Zumar, when God says to the effect that: “Are those equal, those who have knowledge and those who do not? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.” The strategic nature of knowledge means that it must be part of the decision making process during the management of change. To fail to account for knowledge during management of change can lead to serious problems.
Unless one is managing knowledge, one is very probably not managing change. Therefore, knowledge management should be viewed at a strategic level, that is a level which does not require precise detail but which can provide decision support during the management of change.
It must be noted that knowledge is more than just information. Knowledge is situated above information in the knowledge hierarchy. We know for a fact that databases can store records of facts, figures, data, rules, patterns and connections. Databases however have limited power to create anything new or to innovate.
Therefore, knowledge is more powerful in that it enables a person to innovate. Possession of knowledge enables people to further “create” new knowledge. This is what distinguishes knowledge from information.
A consultant and practitioner of Knowledge Management in the United States, Karl Wigg, sums it up concisely and accurately by saying: “Information describes circumstances, situations and problems whereas knowledge enables people to handle problems and to solve them.” Organisations should also be fully aware that an individual possesses his or her knowledge.
The knowledge is loaned to the organisation only if the individual wishes to make it available. An individual can share knowledge and can co-operate with others to use knowledge only if that person is motivated to do so.
Companies place a book value on their physical assets and follow welldefined procedures to allow for depreciation and replacement. These, together with other monetary measures, help to give a picture of the health and future well-being of a company.
However, very few companies are able to place a value on their intellectual assets. Intangible assets are not assigned values in annual reports.
Intellectual capital is just as valuable as physical assets to the success and competitive position of an organisation.
Some organisations define intellectual capital as the sum of “human capital” and “structural capital” (information systems, customers and the organisational structure). Many companies possess very little physical capital, but possess much intellectual capital. For them, knowledge management is essential for their wellbeing.
Organisations that ignore knowledge management would make costly mistakes. The cost to a company can often be both immediate and long-lasting.
Indeed, a company may suffer severe damage from the loss of a crucial part of its knowledge asset.
Managers may be left wondering what happened as they frantically try to repair a situation which could have been avoided. It must be stressed that despite its intangible nature, knowledge is a very important asset.
Knowledge lies within the worker or employee. When an employee leaves the organisation, he or she leaves with the knowledge that he or she has.
The loss of knowledge to an organisation would be detrimental in that it takes time to train a new employee to gain the knowledge that the previous employee had and it is well-nigh impossible to find a replacement who has the same knowledge and capabilities if not more.
In the case of Malaysia, organisations should be proactive in managing knowledge. Employees may come and go, as do the owners and board of directors.
However, in ensuring the survival of the organisations, knowledge must be managed with utmost care so that no knowledge is lost to the competition.
Losing out to the competition would undoubtedly put the organisation at risk. In verse 195 of Surah al-Baqarah, God has reminded mankind to the effect that: “And spend your substance in the cause of God, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for God loveth those who do good.” This verse highlights the importance of proactiveness in management. In this day and age, one of the proactive measures that is required in managing an organisation is the management of knowledge. We are all aware that the process of globalisation has brought with it intense competition. Akin to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, the age of globalisation is indeed an age of “the survival of the fittest”.
The fittest in this case would not only mean those with the biggest share in the market or with the biggest cashflow and assets, but would certainly also include those with the most knowledge.
True to Bacon’s words, knowledge is indeed powerful. Failure to acknowledge this would be disastrous. In this instance, we should remember the words of the Prophet Muhammad. He said, “Whosoever wants success in this world, he must have knowledge. Whosoever wants success in the hereafter, he must have knowledge. And whosoever wants success in both worlds, he must have knowledge.” The Prophet’s words are simple and easy to understand. For anyone or any organisation to succeed, the key is possessing knowledge. And this knowledge must be managed well in order for it to be beneficial to all.