Organizations are full of knowledge; not just the stuff they have in databases, although that may be very valuable, but much more so the knowledge in the people that make up the organizations and the learning opportunities offered by clients and other stakeholders. But not all organizations act on that.
Why would an organization nurture knowledge? For the sake of knowledge? Probably not (although if it did, it just might benefit from that). But there are plenty of other reasons. One such reason is that clients increasingly expect a level of service that you can only offer if you are able to learn from your clients.
Another reason, is that the people who make up the organization increasingly expect the organization to appreciate the knowledge they have generated and used.
Yet another reason is that knowledge, especially as the ability to generate and mobilize knowledge, may well prove to be one of the most competitive assets. It increases the competitiveness with the clients and on the labor market.
And then there is knowledge as part of the quality of the organization. The very reason for the organization’s existence is in its various processes through which it adds value, to clients, shareholders, employees and others. In order to be good at that, or even to suffice at that, the organization needs a lot of knowledge and it increasingly also needs the ability to generate and transfer knowledge.