Why adopt a Knowledge Management strategy?
Key pointers about the value of adopting a knowledge management strategy. Is KM a business or an IT tool?
True knowledge management?
I keep hearing about KM and I can see there is value locked away somewhere that has to be harnessed. We are looking at KM from a standing start and practical advice seems to be very vague. I don't just want to throw money at a project that will give us an extra layer of information. Is KM an IT issue or a cultural issue? Can you give me three clear pointers about how to approach KM adoption?



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The Solution
Verbal garbage causes confusion
David Taylor
Certus
Knowledge management (KM) is a meaningless term dreamed up as a fad, designed to make consultants a shed-load of money. Its greatest advantage in this respect is that no-one has a clue what it means, and so it can mean anything the consultant tells you it is. The big question you have to ask yourself is, "Can you put KM in a wheelbarrow?" In other words, is it tangible, measurable, is it a real thing? No, of course it's not, and many people are now realising this. Here are three ways to approach KM:
KM is the type of verbal garbage that causes confusion. If you don't believe me, try asking five people what it means - you'll get five different answers.
It crosses boundaries but must be business-driven
Dr Karin Breu
Research fellow in IS, Cranfield School of Management
KM crosses organisational and functional boundaries. It is both an IT and a cultural issue. Initiatives at adopting KM should always be business-driven and include:
KM novices need culture switch
Nafisa Ashraf
Impact
To answer your key question first- yes, if you are looking at KM from a "standing start", then KM is primarily a cultural issue. In most medium and large businesses executives are facing an information overload so that merely providing more is counter productive. Also, although a knowledge infrastructure will become necessary it is unlikely that this can be driven by IT initiatives alone. What advice can we give?
Do an information audit first
David Isherwood
Senior consultant, NCC Group
While KM is both an IT and a cultural issue, in most organisations the culture would need to change quite significantly so that information and knowledge are viewed as a resource and an intellectual asset - and recognised as being of significant value to your organisation.
The first step in the adoption of KM throughout your organisation is to perform an information audit. This will need to:
As we are living and working in the most information rich era in human history, it seems criminal not to use the knowledge the asset can provide for our benefit. The trick is to liberate it without reducing productivity in the process.
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