Knowledge in Flight: Examining Knowledge Management Practices at British Airways

Introduction

Knowledge management is the practice of managing the expertise of the employees, where the employees are the major stakeholders of the organisation to run the internal and external operations of the firm. In the recent era of globalisation, the multinational corporates re facing intense competitive threats and it is required for the leader and managers to manage knowledge in the workplace, so that they can improve the employee’s productivity and overall performance of the firm. For gaining high competitive advantage, the organisation is trying to develop good knowledge management practice. The study hereby aims at the organisational practice for knowledge management. The company is British Airway where through critical analysis; it is possible to explore the knowledge management practice in the company. The study provides a scope to identify different types of knowledge and the role of ICT, as well as critically analyse the importance of HRM practices and their contribution to knowledge management and explore the organisational culture that facilitates knowledge management practices in the company British Airways.

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom and according to the Aviation (2020), it becomes the second largest airline by passenger numbers for domestic flights. The company has been established in the year of 1974 and it is successful to manage their international operations through 183 destinations. It is also efficient to generate more than US$1 billion on a single air route in 2017-2018 (British Airways, 2021a). The company has generated approximately 13 billion pound revenue in 2019, hence the company is successful to manage their financial stability and maximise profit to manage the stakeholders, who are engaged with the organisation operations. Knowledge management is one of the major strategic planning of the brand, where the aviation activities are complex task with collaborative working practice of experienced employees, technicians, pilots and executive officers. More than 40,000 employees are recruited and managed well in the organisation, where the leader and corporate team are efficient to handle the huge employee base and maximise their skill and expertise to manage the operational activities (British Airways, 2021b).

Exploring different types of knowledge and the role of ICT at British Airways

The organisation aims at managing the knowledge and expertise of the employees, so that they can meet their job roles and responsibilities as well as contribute positively in managing the operational activities of British Airways. the organisation is successful to expand their operations across the international nations, and in this context collaborative working practice And managing all the staff are mandatory so that there are continuous communication, sharing information and data for serving the customers with best quality airways services by ensuring safety and security (Karami, 2017). The organisation becomes the world’s trusted company in serving the customers; where British Airways aims at provide the best global connectivity for the customers by expanding their operations across global cities, either directly or through network of airline partnership. The mission statement of British Airways is “To ensure our customers fly confidently that together, we are acting responsibly to take care of the world we live in”, and the vision statement of the organisation is to become the world's most responsible airline. for meeting the strategic aims of the company, the leaders and corporate managers try to develop good technic infrastructure by implementing GPS System, Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP and Information and Communication Technology or ICT, so that the organisational data base can be managed well, the managers can conduct the operations smoothly and there would be strategic changes through business creativity and innovation. The main aim of such technical advancement and using ICT is to maximise organization's efficiency and save knowledge within the company, where British Airways can share, structure and enhance knowledge in the workplace. The company is successful to handle huge numbers of employees, where there are recently more than 40,000 employees working efficiently in the corporation internationally (British Airways, 2021b).

As per the knowledge management practice, there are mainly two types of knowledge, tacit and explicit. The explicit knowledge is easily gathered and codified through structured training programs and attending different business management courses, where the employees can learn more and collect vast range of theories and concepts about the organisational activities. On the other hand, the tacit knowledge can be gathered through gaining experience. The employees get different training and workplace skill developmental opportunities, where they can improve their professional knowledge and skill set in future. Both the types of knowledge are mandatory for the individual to perform better and understand the aviation services efficiently. British Airways focus on developing both types of knowledge of that the staff members can gain in-depth understanding about the techniques and the working process in the company as well as grab new ideas and efficacy to serve the customers successfully (Mills, 2017). The company in this regard hires the experienced staff, who can handle the internal process. Moreover, the technical support is there, where the employees can utile he attest technology for working and meeting their job responsibilities. All the employees are getting structured raining to understand the technology and run the machineries with effective knowledge and proficiency. Hence, the workplace training is mandatory at British Airways so that the employees can access the latest technology and improve the quality of airways services. There is suitable learning and skill enhancement culture, where the leader and managers try to support and guide the employees to acquire latest knowledge and updated technology to run their operations efficiently and provide the best services to the customers quickly. Hence, the structure of the training and support through technical assistance are effective for the company to manage knowledge of the staff and lead them toward achieving the future success (British Airways, 2021c).

In this context, the corporate leader and managers at British Airways focused on developing ICT as it is playing a crucial role in managing communication and further facilitating the knowledge management practice in the workplace (Papanikou, 2020). Through ICT development, the organisation can create a structured technology with the access of computers, e-mail, database, and data mining system, search engine, video conferencing equipment and telephones. All the systems are interconnected, in order to manage knowledge and hire adequate information and data successfully. British airway is financial stable to arrange capital for such innovative technology and create good technical infrastructure at the workplace. Telephonic conversation is handled well through walky-talkies as well as telephones at reception. The employees are connected with each other through telephonic conversation, so that they can share the activities and provide the best quality services to the customer. Additionally, there is organisational notice board and group announcement through urgent meeting arrangements are also beneficial for the management team to handle the workers. Hence, the company activities through ICT are beneficial for managing knowledge and expertise of the staff members (Siricharuanun, Na-Takuatoong and Koraneekit, 2017). The managers and employees are also sending e-mail to share latest news and updates with others. The employees also can utilise the online data base management system of British Airways. In the workplace, the managers provide the access of organisational database, which is password protected system to maintain data safety and security. The employees can access such database by maintaining its confidentiality for better workplace activities. ICT is hereby effective for the employees to understand the working process, access the data and information or improving their efficiency as well as ensure creativity and technical innovation to provide the best airway services to the customers quickly (British Airways, 2021d).

The management team access personal computers to handle customer’s data and also tackle the organisational technologies and database through continuous supervision and monitoring. All the employees are working under the management team with continuous communication and cooperation. Hereby, data is fragmented pieces of symbols and characters strung together, and information is refined data, whereas the knowledge is useful information. The employees access all the data and information related to the organisation for managing their job responsibilities (Siricharuanun, Na-Takuatoong and Koraneekit, 2017). The managers create webinars for conducting online seminars. In the recent pandemic situation, webinars is useful to arrange the conferences and meeting online, which ensures widely disseminating ideas throughout teams, branches or the entire company. Through webinars, all the employees, external staff and managers are collaborative with each other for better knowledge sharing practice so that the employees can understand and develop own abilities to achieve future success. In the recent pandemic era, knowledge management practice becomes critical as there are remote working facilities for some employees of British Airways. in such critical phase, the corporate leader arrange the video conferencing and Zoom meeting, so that they can be connected with others and hare the latest techniques and knowledge with each other (Papanikou, 2020). Hereby, ICT is an integrated system that provides a scope to the corporate leader and managers to share data and information for improving the knowledge and abilities of the employees. The managers mainly focus on in-person tutoring, company-wide training sessions, online chats and group discussions in order to enhance internal communication and create collaborative working process successfully. the training needs of employees is met efficiently by providing access of the computerised data base system, supporting them with latest technology and promoting learning environment in the workplace of the airway company. Induction training is also arranged for the fresher at the organisation and there are other grouped discussion and seminars through which the managers provide in depth information and data to the employees (British Airways, 2021d).

Companywide training programs and technical support are hereby essential for British Airways to facilitate knowledge management practice and ICT in this context is playing an important role to enhance internal communication and shared working process. Online chats and group discussion are there through which the staff members can clear their doubts and get assistance from the senior manager to perform better and meet individual roles (Siricharuanun, Na-Takuatoong and Koraneekit, 2017). Documentations, guides, guidelines, FAQ and tutorials are arranged in the workplace of British Airways to provide vast range of ta and information and hire the working practice with the employs. These are mainly written database which is shared with the staff, so that the members can review the reports, charts and graphs and improve own creativity to make alternative decision. Hence, the written reports and database are also beneficial which are shared through ICT framework for better knowledge management practice. The managers try to enhance employee’s creativity to make innovative solutions by sharing the documents as well as the training and skill enhancement program. In the recent era of digitalisation, there is also automated process, where the customers can ask their queries and get robotics reply to resolve their solution. Along with this, the managers develop the shared workspace, where more than one employee can work collaboratively and analyse customer’s activities for helping them to book the flights as per their requirements (Papanikou, 2020). Apart from the shared workspace, the employee web portal is also arranged through ICT process, where the employees can collaborate, share the instructions and important information as well as seek help from the senior management team in order to maximise their capabilities. Hence, the overall technical infrastructure and the ICT framework are playing a crucial role in handling the operations of British Airways and manage the knowledge and capabilities of the staff.

Analysing the importance of HRM practices and their contribution to knowledge management internal processes

The management team of British Airways focus on facilitating knowledge management practice and in this regard Human resource management or HRM is playing a crucial role in managing knowledge and promoting harmony and freedom to work at the workplace. HRM provides a scope to the management team of British Airway to create values for the employees across the international countries by providing them monetary and non-monetary incentives (Mills, 2017). The HRM is beneficial to meet the basic needs, health and safety of the staff, job security, and the need of love and belongingness as well as self-actualisation and self-esteem needs. The HRM practices are also advantageous to facilitate knowledge management, where the managers at British Airways re successful to support the staff with adequate company resources and technical infrastructure, so that the employees can access the techniques and work hard to meet individual roles and responsibilities (Pellegrini et al., 2020). The cope for personal and professional development can be possible through HRM practice, in which the management team can provide learning environment and influence the staff to acquire new skill and maximise their abilities to perform better. Knowledge sharing activities with training and developmental practice are hereby effective for the employees to utilise ICT and latest technology at British Airway and meet the team objectives successfully.

Team learning activities and continuous support is hereby important tactic of employee management and leading the employees towards achieving success through continuous skill enhancement programs. in order to manage the employees and create good learning environment, the management team at British Airways also focus on arranging technical training and skill development programs and provide them offline and online training courses, so that the employees can access the organisational resources and improve own capabilities in long run. Hereby, the HRM practice is important as it helps the managers at British Airways to facilitate knowledge management practice at the workplace and motivate the staff members to perform better (Adeniran and Olorunfemi, 2020). The managers as encourage employee’s creativity and continuously motivate them to show their perception and creative working practice, so that they can run the operations uniquely. There are structure monetary incentives, salary and performance related pay which further motivates the staff members of British airways to work hard and achieve future success. All the employees are getting structured salty, employment contract and performance relate pay which lea them successfully. Additionally, the workplace supervision and monitoring process are also beneficial for the management team to review the performance of the team and provide them clear vision and tactics to improve their abilities. Hence, continuous skill enhancement program, support from the senior staff and continuous supervision and control are beneficial to facilitate knowledge management practice. Through such monetary incentives, as well as the workplace promotion, shared vision and employee’s creative activities are effective for the staff to get better working circumstances and work with motivation (British Airways, 2021c).

In this regard, ICT is playing an important role to engage the employees and lead them with proper empowerment, so that cooperative decision can be made for achieving organisational success. Hereby, the employees are guided properly with adequate recourse and latest technology to show their creativity and innovation. In this context, the managers also focus on HRM practices as these have essential effects on the knowledge management practice (Adeniran and Olorunfemi, 2020). The health and safety of the employees are managed well in British Airways, where the female and male members re safe to work under CCTV area and continuous supervision. There are emergency exit, safety measures and fire extinguisher in order to control any hazardous situation. These safety measures are also beneficial for the employees to be encouraged and maximise their abilities through effective working and experience gathering practice. The management team at British airways also focus on meeting organisational commitment and developing loyalty and trust in order to create values for the staff. The company is hereby successful to manage more than 40,000 staff members across the international offices through developing team working practice and knowledge sharing activities, where the workers share the information and adapt to perform collaboratively for delivering the best quality airway services to the customers (Alpaslan, 2018). All the workers are coordinated with each other and there are senior managers who handle each team carefully. Hereby, these human resource management practices of British Airways are effective for the organisational manager to facilitate knowledge management practice and lead the employees by maximising their abilities to perform well. The manager also create online employee portal for sharing adequate data and important information, where the employees can get latest updates and improve their abilities. The employees also can post on the portal for sharing own perception and resolving their queries so that they can contribute in the firm for providing best services to each international client (British Airways, 2021d).

Evaluating organisational culture to facilitate knowledge management at British Airways

In order to facilitate knowledge management practice, the organisational culture is also playing an important role, which includes the expectations, internal practice, human resource managerial practice and internal values. British airway is efficient to develop good organisational culture in order to manage the staff members across international offices. The company is successful to operate across international countries and it is role of the leader and management team to handle all the employees over 40,000 staff, to develop strong team so that the employees can meet individuals and contribute proficiently in achieving the company’s mission (Jackson and Tozer, 2020). Inter departmental activities are mandatory to be managed well through collaboratively working practice, where the employees at different departments including technology, research and development, finance, marketing and sales, customer handling and operations department are managed well through continuo motivation. The company focuses on organisational commitment and create values for the employees in order to facilitate knowledge management practice. Innovation and risk taking culture further help the managers to renovate the business operations and identify the risk factors for developing alternative solutions (Blissett, 2021). The management team focuses on employee motivation through providing performance related payments, overtime payments, rewards, managing health and safety, workplace promotion and compensations which are effective to satisfy the staff and retain them in long run. Hence, the managers and leaders try to handle all the employees through providing them monetary and non-monetary rewards so that they can feel valued and work efficiently. The HR team focus on empowering the employees and experienced technicians at British Airway, in order to run the operations and lead the staff towards achieving the future success. Employment contract, safety measures and continuous monitoring process are hereby beneficial to create good corporate culture (British Airways, 2021c).

The organisational culture by Cameron and Quinn (2006) develops four dimensions that include clan, adhocracy, and market and hierarchical oriented. Clan oriented culture is suitable for family business, in which equal participation, continuous mentoring and having personal places are effective to run the business efficiently (Ferreira, Mueller and Papa, 2018). The adhocracy culture is related to the situation, where the manager focuses on team dynamic and entrepreneurial management by encouraging individual creativity and continuous innovation. The people are taking risk and developing creative solutions for better business activities. On the other hand, the market oriented culture leads the managers to act as a result oriented management practice, where the managers try to complete their job and meet the team objectives by continuous monitoring. The leaders and managers are result oriented and aim at meeting the organisational vision by getting their job done successfully (Al-Emran et al., 2018). The hierarchical culture refer to the practice of following good organisational structure, coordination, maintaining seniority and developing good practice of rewarding and punishment. In the recent era of globalisation, the organisation British Airways must focus on adhocracy culture, in order to ensure continuous business decision by creativity and technical innovation. About gaining competitive advantage and secure future sustainable growth are mandatory for British airway, where the corporate leader focus on business creativity by utilising the internal resources and employee capabilities (Antunes and Pinheiro, 2020). The managers continuous encourage the staff creativity and share their ideas in order to make business solutions. This culture is hereby suitable for knowledge management practice through continuous skill enhancement programs. In such organisational culture, it is possible for the management team to handle the expatriates and the employees at home country by sharing knowledge and informing others about latest technology and organisational tactics. Hence, cooperative working practice through continuous business innovation is beneficial for British Airways to lead the employees and maximise the overall productivity and performance of the company to serve the customers with innovative airways services (British Airways, 2021d).

Through adopting adhocracy culture in the organisation, the managers can create strong corporate relationship with the employees through continuous communication and cooperation. The managers encourage the opinion and individual perception of the employees and motivate them to share their creative solutions with each other’s. Adhocracy culture with creating values and respect each of the staff are effective for leading the experienced staff onwards achieving the company’s goal (Webb, 2017). The management team aims at respecting each employee and provide them structured salary and other performance related pay to encourage them and maximise their efficacy to work. Moreover, there is trust and bonding among the individuals, which create strong team. The managers must ensure harmony and freedom to work at the workplace, where the employees can manage work life balance (Abubakar et al., 2019). The employment rules along with health and safety of the staff members at the workplace, continuous support and guidance are beneficial to support the staff and lead them efficiently. In his context, the leadership skill with emotional intelligence is mandatory for the leader of British airways to show empathy and meet the commitment to each staff successfully. The learning opportunities are necessary to be created in the corporate culture in order to facilitate the knowledge management practice. The managers and leaders should also focus on good supervision and control, implement situational leadership style with continuous support and guidance as well as maximise self-actualisation and self-esteem needs of the individuals. Under adhocracy culture, the managers of British Airways also need to arrange learning resources and technical training programs, in order to support the employees with adequate internal resource and sharing information for better management. The employee’s creativity can be maximised through the training programs, where the offline and online training will be provided to each staff, so that they can access the resources and also company database for maximising their abilities in long run (British Airways, 2021d).

It is hereby essential for the managers and elders to develop good organisational culture by developing different workplace characteristics such as,

Developing purpose driven culture where the employees need a clear sense of purpose of their jobs and need to be able to identify immediate and long term goals. In this regard, the managers of British Airways share the corporate vision and provide them clear job roles so that they can fulfil own responsibilities in the workplace.

Open feedback is mandatory and encouraged in the workplace, where the employees and provide feedback and there would be continuous supervision and monitoring of the whole process. This further ensure continuous improvement of the employees and develop their technical skill and expertise to conduct the jobs at British Airway

Embracing diversity by mitigating language gap, promoting equality and diversity as well as providing equal opportunity to all the staff are mandatory for British Airways to manage the employees at international offices.

Effective communication with empathy for others and showing respect are also essential, where the managers utilise ICT for enhancing internal and external communication among the employees.

Continuous innovation and risk taking activities as well as result oriented culture further motivate the individuals to work as a team to achieve the company’s goal, where the managers continuously support the employees with company resources and latest technology and encourage their creativity to make innovative business solutions.

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Conclusion

Knowledge management practice is hereby beneficial for British Airways, where the organisation is able to manage the international employees and lead them towards achieving the future success. Latest technology, integrated computerised system and ICT further facilitates collaborative working practice and manage knowledge among the staff. There is continuous support and guidance from the leaders and managers which is also considered as an effective factor in managing knowledge and developing good corporate culture for achieving the organisational aim successfully. The shared workspace as well as the computerised data base management system is also beneficial to improve the knowledge and skill set of the staff members successfully. the adhocracy style of corporate culture would be suitable practice for British Airways where continuous communication, encouraging employees creativity and team working practice further facilitates knowledge management practice and provides a scope to maximise overall performance of the employees.

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