The Role of Knowledge Management in Quality Management Practices: Achieving Performance Excellence in Organizations

Abstract

The problem and the solution. Knowledge management involves “knowledge” and “information.” Both of these concepts lie at the heart of human resource development (HRD) practice in the workplace. In fact, knowledge management strongly supports both paradigms of HRD—learning and performance. Quality management, on the other hand, applies knowledge management as one of its core components. However, the problem is that knowledge management and quality management are viewed as unrelated fields and their interaction has not been fully explored. Understanding these two vital organizational processes will enable HRD practitioners to develop and design effective programs and services that fully utilize both processes in the organization. Considering knowledge management as a key element in the quality management process can help increase knowledge creation and utilization within the organization. This article explores the relationship between knowledge management and quality management and discusses its applicability in HRD for enhancing organizational capacity and capability to achieve performance excellence.