A view of knowledge management in the design department of a brazilian SME Company
Paulo Eduardo de Carvalho Costa, Reidson Pereira Gouvinhas
Abstract
The success of the Design department of SEBRAE/RN or any organization depends on the ability to manage the knowledge of its team members. However, an organization’s Knowledge Management (KM) is usually done informally, for in-house knowledge is neither shared nor used properly or correctly. Therefore, a view of the KM was drawn up, i.e., a KM diagnosis was made of the Design department of SEBRAE/RN based on a questionnaire aimed at discovering the existing KM and information management practices in this department. Based on a theoretical model, the purpose of the diagnosis was to identify what actions require increased attention, i.e., greater dedication to the practice of KM in the organization. The analysis identified the state of the art of the Design department that should provide support during the application of the KM methodology and tools. The practice of KM by SEBRAE/RN’s Design department is now expected to rise to a higher level, contributing to improve the organization’s products and services.