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Discussion weblog on knowledge management. Discuss best practices, ideas, news, models, methods, theories, tools, questions and answers.
What criteria must be met to guarantee a successful implementation of knowledge management in an organization?
Is knowledge management accepted all over the world? Are certain cultures more open for managing knowledge and know-how than others?
What is the structure of Corporate Knowledge? Why is it important?
Why is it important to understand knowledge vs. information qualities when
If we consider critical success factors for Knowledge Management can we include "Establish cross-functional teams" as a critical success factor?
Folks, as told by all in many forums, we are yet another organisation trying to establish KM thru intranet portal and I have feeling we are fighting a losing battle. I have joined this forum hoping to gather some new ideas to get our people to use KM and contribute. I will be more than happy to share my learning. Cheers
Organizations have three challenges in the subject matter:
1. Encouraging employees to continue with the organization.
2. If they decide to leave, ensuring that the knowledge doesn't leave with them.
3. If the knowledge still leaves, ensuring that it doesn't land up in the competitors' basket.
I will narrate the initiatives taken in the organizations known to me to meet each of these challenges.
Encouragement for a knowledge worker primarily comes from the job satisfaction. Both positive and not so positive means are adapted by organizations. The positive means are:
The negative means are policing the job seeker, making bar club agreements with potential destination companies etc. These means don't work to ensure results but only develops distrust.
Organizations which have been attempting to retain knowledge through job transfers and formal training sessions have started realizing the futility of such means and have embarked upon socialization. The popular techniques are; office hour games, informal meetings, OBLs (out-bound learning sessions) etc.
The third challenge that the organizations' knowledge doesn't land up in competitors' basket is normally managed through a legal agreement. But it has hardly any validity in the judicial court for knowledge is still considered to be a personal possession. One of the organization's CEO attempted a novel method. Any employee who leaves the organization if proves that he is not accepting an offer from the competitor will get 3 years pay, on the contrary if he does accept the offer from the competitor the employee has to pay three year pay to the his organization upfront. This two way agreement brought fairness and just to the whole process.
The introduction of paper publication as a part of the annual KRA is suggested recently. The idea emerges from the academics, wherein an expert gains credit for the number of papers he publishes or the number of knowledge he shares with others. Contrary to this in profession, an expert feels discredited when he shares his knowledge. The reason for this is fear of loss of identity. If adequate recognition can be given to the employee to preserve his identity, then the academic situation can be replicated in business environments. I have come across organizations which name the theory or process devised by the employee by his name and the same is patented. Obviously the employee is compensated for this appropriately. This patenting process also prevents the employee from selling the same process to outsiders after resignation / retirement. The whole process ensures reward, recognition and protection of knowledge.
Some industry buzzwords gain market acceptance, while others end up on the scrapheap. Business intelligence (BI) has gained acceptance (even though there are many definitions for it), but knowledge management (KM) has had a mixed reception. Knowledge management has struggled because organizations have often tried to implement large enterprise-wide knowledge management projects and failed, and also because of the complexity bringing together the many components and technologies involved.
