Blog | Sparrow Connected

Understanding Knowledge Management vs Internal Comms for Businesses

Written by Hamza Waqar | Nov 6, 2023 6:25:05 AM

When it comes to bolstering business performances, two fundamental aspects often lead the way: Knowledge Management and Internal Communication. Although both might appear identical at first glance, they occupy separate domains within an organization. Let's delve into the definitions, contrasts, and examples to clarify the disparity and significance of these two business realms.  

What is Knowledge Management? 

Knowledge Management (KM) is a strategic process concerned with creating, sharing, applying, and managing an organization’s knowledge and information. It involves an organization-wide approach centered around improving efficiency, fostering innovation, and making decision-making processes more streamlined. 

For instance, a multinational company may use a cloud-based system such as SharePoint to store and manage crucial documents, business insights, market trends, and employee skill sets. Having centralized and structured data enables employees across offices to leverage the same information, affirming the key role of KM within the organization. 

What is Internal Communication? 

Internal Communication, on the other hand, is a multidisciplinary realm concerned more with the exchange of information and corporate messages among the organization's members. It plays a pivotal role in employee engagement, change management, and maintaining a cohesive corporate culture. 

Consider an organization introducing a new working process or a significant policy change. As a successful example, the corporate announcements would be carefully choreographed through emails, team meetings, circulars, or an intranet portal, ensuring effective alignment of all employees to the new directives. 

How are they Different? 

While KM and internal communication both involve the dissemination of information, they differ fundamentally in their purpose and implementation. KM is primarily associated with information storage, retrieval, and utilization, focusing on leveraging knowledge for business growth and innovation. 

Conversely, internal communication is more aligned towards ensuring efficient information flow within the organization, focusing on enhancing transparency, boosting morale, and ensuring every team member is on the same page. 

Sparrow Connected: Merging Knowledge Management and Internal Communication 

Nevertheless, certain platforms bridge the gap between Knowledge Management and Internal Communication, providing organizations with the advantage of a unified approach. A prime example is Sparrow Connected. 

Sparrow Connect prides itself as an internal communications platform that natively integrates with existing corporate systems like Microsoft Suite. As a result, it not only permits easy creation, targeting, and publishing of content for a broad employee base but also enhances knowledge management by offering a centralized platform to store, retrieve and share information across the team. 

With specialized tools like intelligent newsletters, digital screens, and integrated communication channels such as SharePoint Intranet, MS Teams, web portals, and a mobile app, Sparrow Connected provides a versatile solution that caters to both knowledge management and internal communication needs. 

Invitation to Further Exploration 

As we've expounded on the differences between Knowledge Management and Internal Communication, acknowledging the potential of a platform that seamlessly integrates these vital aspects becomes fundamental to your business' success and productivity. Sparrow Connected offers you precisely this edge. Book a demo today to explore first-hand how Sparrow Connected can enhance your organization's efficiency and communication.