KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Chapter 1: Knowledge Is Power

‘Knowledge is Power, 'is a very meaningful and important proverb. We would be as good as animals wandering like a nomad if we did not have the power of knowledge. Knowledge is important to gain awareness, information and skills to progress in life.

It empowers us to invent and achieve a lot in life. It is vital for the success and development of humans, communities and nations. There is no limit to gaining knowledge. The more learned a person is the more able he is to deal with situations and problems in life. Knowledge builds our confidence and self esteem and makes us feel more powerful.

‘Knowledge is Power’, is indeed a proverb that is true in every sense. We all know where the power of knowledge can take us.

Knowledge helps us in our everyday life to deal with any situation or to solve any problem. No one in life can actually prosper without knowledge. It gives you social power and helps you gain more respect in the society. We humans are the most powerful beings on earth because of the power of knowledge.

Though animals have the strength to harm us we protect ourselves from them not just with physical but mental strength. We not only have the power to protect ourselves but to protect others, to protect our nature and environment too. Knowledge gives us the ability to understand, analyze and act in a certain manner in life. It helps us evolve and grow. Knowledge is important in all aspects of human life. Therefore, gaining more and more knowledge is gaining more power.

‘Knowledge is Power’ is a well-known fact. Without knowledge it would have been impossible for humans and human civilizations to develop. We live in a modern, urbanized nation where one cannot compete with lack of knowledge. To compete and transform in the changing times it is very important to stay up to date.

We are in a tech-savvy era where the use of new technology and gadgets is not obligatory but essential. We can only use technology if we are well-informed about how to use it effectively or we might just feel helpless and dependent most of the time. Knowledge is important to progress and achieve success in life.

We gain knowledge not only by reading books but also by practical experience in life. It is more powerful than physical strength as it gives us the ability to deal effectively with any situation in life.

The non violent movement of Mahatma Gandhi is the perfect example of this. The non violent movement was a huge success that led to Indian independence. Hence, mental ability and knowledge are more powerful than physical strength. One can achieve anything in life with the power of knowledge. Knowledge is a powerful resource that we can gain and use in abundance and the good news is it won’t get depleted.

Knowledge is information, skills and awareness gained through experience and education. It is the theoretical or practical understanding of the subject under study. Knowledge is important in every aspect of life. We are rarely aware which skill or piece of information we are going to need. It is vital to stock up a little on a broad range of subjects and gain skills that we know would be useful in future.

Humans are not as strong as tigers or cannot run as fast as horses nor can they fly as birds, yet they are the most powerful species on earth because of knowledge. A tiger is strong physically but a contrary man is more powerful with his mental ability and ideas. Physical strength is important but when we couple it with our mental strength we get a better understanding of how to use it effectively.

Knowledge helps us convert our ideas into action. Humans can domesticate, train and rule animals with their skills as they are superior to them mentally. Knowledge is the real power humans are gifted with that distinguishes them from animals. Humans can gain, learn, understand, analyze, experiment, research, perform, share and multiply their skills and knowledge.  The more wisdom they gain the more power, ability and authority they obtain.

Knowledge is the power of awareness and perspective gained from experience and education. This means that a person has the capability to gain and criticize information as a well educated individual who can take decisions based on his awareness and insight to deal with day to day situations in life. Knowledge is powerful as it gives him the ability to understand, analyze, evaluate, interpret and act or react effectively. Without wisdom it is not possible to act and execute wisely. Indeed, knowledge is essential to gain power.

‘Knowledge is Power’ denotes the personal power we acquire through knowledge that we gain from education, experience and social relations. Applying knowledge effectively is power. When we learn new things and get educated we obviously have better understanding and ability to make decisions and act more responsibly.

It makes us a more valuable person to the community. It is the powerful element that helps us attain success and better position in life socially and economically.

‘Knowledge is Power’, is a proverb credited to Sir Francis Bacon. As per Francis Bacon, Knowledge is the power that distinguishes man from animals. It empowers us to operate and control. It helps us to move forward in every aspect of life and achieve what we want. With the help of knowledge, man from living a simple life as nomad has now progressed to live a multifaceted life where science plays an important role.

Chapter 2 : Types Of Knowledge

There are 7 core types of knowledge that work together to shape the way we exchange information and learn new concepts.

The 7 types of knowledge are:

1. Explicit knowledge

2. Implicit knowledge

3. Tacit knowledge

4. Declarative knowledge

5. Procedural knowledge

6. A Posteriori knowledge

7. A Priori knowledge

When creating a knowledge management strategy, the different types of knowledge must be taken into account in order for the end result (of creating a knowledge base) to be as useful as possible in both the short and long terms.

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge is knowledge covering topics that are easy to systematically document (in writing), and share out at scale: what we think of as structured information.

When explicit knowledge is well-managed, it can help a company make better decisions, save time, and maintain an increase in performance.

These types of explicit knowledge are all things that have traditionally been what has been captured in a knowledge base or as part of a knowledge management strategy.

It’s formalized documentation that can be used to do a job, make a decision, or inform an audience.

For example, companies can share explicit knowledge by maintaining well-documented information in the company knowledge base. Examples of explicit knowledge include things like FAQs, instructions, raw data and related reports, diagrams, one-sheets, and strategy slide decks.

Importance   Of   Explicit Knowledge

Explicit knowledge plays an important role in organizations, due to its ability to be easily articulated, documented, and accessed. Since explicit knowledge can be easily shared across teams, this type of knowledge allows companies to save time by maintaining a single source of truth.

Implicit Knowledge

Implicit knowledge is, essentially, learned skills or know-how. It is gained by taking explicit knowledge and applying it to a specific situation. If explicit knowledge is a book on the mechanics of flight and a layout diagram of an airplane cockpit, implicit knowledge is what happens when you apply that information in order to fly the plane.

Implicit knowledge is gained when you learn the best way to do something. You can then take that experience and synthesize it with other learned information in order to solve an entirely new problem. This type of knowledge has traditionally been excluded from formal knowledge bases, as it can be difficult to document and capture in a scalable way.

In order to add it to a knowledge base, think of it this way: “What new thing did I learn, would it be useful to others, and how can I explain it?”

While implicit knowledge can be more difficult to document, some examples of implicit knowledge could include an individual’s ability to prioritize tasks or juggle projects to meet deadlines.

Tacit Knowledge

Tacit knowledge is intangible information that can be difficult to explain in a straightforward way, such as things that are often “understood” without necessarily being said, and are often personal or cultural. This type of knowledge is informal, learned with experience over time, and usually applies to a specific situation.

When it can be captured (if it’s not, for instance, a feeling), it should be added to a knowledge base.

Doing so makes it easy to share expertise gained over time with others who may need it.

Tacit knowledge can be difficult to transfer and usually isn’t able to be stored. An example of tacit knowledge could be a salesperson’s ability to know the perfect time to give their pitch during a meeting. A combination of experience, reading social cues, and other personal factors must come together to form that unique bit of knowledge.

Since this knowledge is learned with experience over time, companies can help employees strengthen their tacit knowledge by sharing techniques and tips on handling certain situations. One of the easiest ways to gain tacit knowledge is by observing others in the workplace, whether it be how they prioritize, address or scale tasks and projects.

An example of this could be a list of phrases for sales leads to look out for when dealing with customer complaints. The sales lead could better understand how to ‘read’ or rectify a situation by being prepared with possible conversation outcomes.

Declarative Knowledge

Declarative knowledge which can be also understood as propositional knowledge, refers to static information and facts that are specific to a given topic, which can be easily accessed and retrieved. It’s a type of knowledge where the individual is consciously aware of their understanding of the subject matter.

This type of knowledge is typically stored in documentation or databases and focuses more on the 'who', 'what', 'where', and 'when' behind information and less on the 'how' or 'why'.

When documented, it creates the foundation for understanding the subject matter and can help companies improve how they share procedural and explicit knowledge.

Some examples of declarative knowledge include an individual's ability to know what the company goals are for the year. The individual can also understand how performance will be measured due to reading the company newsletter where the goals and metrics are shared across teams.

Procedural Knowledge

Procedural knowledge focuses on the ‘how’ behind which things operate, and is demonstrated through one’s ability to do something. Where declarative knowledge focuses more on the ‘who, what, where, or when’, procedural knowledge is less articulated and shown through action or documented through manuals.

Since procedural knowledge is focused on the ability to take action, some positive aspects of procedural knowledge include being goal-oriented and having the ability to problem-solve.

Stemming from the root “procedure”, an example of procedural knowledge could include a standard operating procedure on how to do specific tasks, or use certain equipment in an organization.

A Posteriori Knowledge

A posteriori knowledge is a subjective type of knowledge that is gained from individual experience. While this type of knowledge isn’t one to be documented on a company’s knowledge base, it still plays a critical role in the success of teams. This kind of knowledge gives individuals the ability to know their strengths and weaknesses that stem from their experiences, and can help companies diversify their team's skill set.

Due to a posteriori knowledge being derived from individual experiences, some examples of a posteriori knowledge could include an individual's ability to lead teams based on their previous roles in management, or the ability to de-escalate or diffuse tense situations.

A Priori Knowledge

A priori knowledge is the opposite of posteriori knowledge, and is gained independent of experience or evidence. This type of knowledge is often shared through logical reasoning, or one's ability to think abstractly. Although a priori knowledge isn’t necessarily documented, it’s often shown in the form of a team's ability to understand and reason when faced with situations.

Examples of a priori knowledge could include one’s ability to excel in mathematics, or logical reasoning due to their natural ability to understand and interpret information without needing further explanation.