What is Knowledge?

Knowledge is a “validated platform for action.”

Knowledge is a fluid mix of contextual information, values, experiences and rules. It originates and resides in the minds of knowers.

Knowledge is information placed in the business context of the organization including values, vision, goals and objectives.

Knowledge is the ability to make correct decisions based on information.

Knowledge is what brings you from data and information to intelligent behavior.

Knowledge is the ability to anticipate and to proactively respond to market and customer shifts.

Definitions:

• data is just the facts without any structure.

• information is structured data which makes the data meaningful.

• knowledge is the ability to harness the information in such a way as to achieve the organization's objectives.

• wisdom is the capacity to formulate objectives which are do-able [can be done], meaningful and are of value to all the stakeholders of the organization.

Information is an evidence of a part of the knowledge. The management of knowledge requires an appropriate and effective information management in an organizational setting but it should not be assimilated to it.

The usefulness of the information in interpreting the situation and defining appropriate course of action is the core element of differentiation between knowledge and information. Just like placing data in context will yield information, placing information in context will yield knowledge. And further down the path, placing knowledge in context will be the source of wisdom.

Knowledge exists only at the time a person converts data into knowledge. Knowledge and wisdom are personal only and do not aggregate. Recognition and creation of knowledge is a human act. Data just is, and I rarely include information, because to me it is much closer to knowledge than to data. Both require the recognition of value. Information 'informs' knowledge. On the wisdom issue, I see wisdom as the ability to 'know' which knowledge to apply. Wisdom is meta-knowledge, it acts as a short cut.