Overview

Information is not knowledge.

Albert Einstein

The express goal of contemporary knowledge management is to incisively address the above-quoted concern expressed by Albert Einstein. Today, more so than ever, it is imperative to distinguish knowledge from information, to separate the chaff from the wheat, so to speak. Thanks to computers, the Web, the media, and the incessant cell phones, society is awash in information. Professionals, in particular, are inundated with a relentless surfeit of information from all quarters. The problem is that this information overload can actually get in the way of gaining pertinent knowledge.

An expansive customer database is only information; it is not knowledge. Knowing what drove most of these people to become customers is, however, knowledge. Recognizing underlying demographic patterns within this customer base would also constitute knowledge. So would identifying definite purchasing patterns and schedules for the repeat customers. Therefore, just having access to tons of customer information, though gratifying, is not enough. You need to be able to slice it, dice it, and squeeze it to extract gainful knowledge. The same is true for all other forms of information as well.

A list of constantly updated stock prices on a PC screen, though useful, is still information. Knowing what is driving the market or a particular stock at a given juncture is knowledge. Knowledge is dynamic. The knowledge pertaining to the same pool of information can and should change over time. Ideally, the knowledge base should grow and become increasingly relevant. But knowledge does...