Short KM Course - Post #6

It’s time for me to continue sharing some unwanted advice….time for me to continue with the short course on KM lest you imagine I’ve lost interest! :) (Work pressure does not let one write books however short they may be ;) )

If you’re looking in for the first time, here are the links to the earlier parts of this course:

Part 1 - http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-new-definition-of-km-d.html
Part 2 - http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2006/10/short-blog-course-on-km.html
Part 3 - http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2006/10/km-course-post-3.html
Part 4 - http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2006/10/km-course-post-4.html
Part 5 - http://nirmala-km.blogspot.com/2006/11/km-course-post-5.html

And here is part 6 :

Given all the background about what goes into leveraging on existing knowledge, it is time to understand how it ought to be done. Having looked back at my previous two posts, I do think it could have been made simpler in some ways ….:) so….I am going to attempt to make this one simple and stick to the point though this may leave some people with the feeling that they don’t know everything that there is to it. But it is a risk I shall take….till I get contradictory feedback.

The story so far…
The need: Leverage on existing knowledge…
We know: What are the different types of knowledge that need to be leveraged
We also know: What it means to leverage on existing knowledge – generally speaking as well as in terms of the overall organizational requirements

An organization that wants to ensure that it is leveraging on existing knowledge and wants to reach a fundamental level of knowledge efficiency can go about this exercise without any second thoughts.

1.Choose a pilot division
2.Set up a team of people who represent the management, functions (HR etc), and the pilot division under the leadership of a KM professional.
3.Understand the key types, forms and sources of knowledge and who generates it, when it is generated, how is it generated, why is it generated, where is it generated, how is it dealt with for the rest of its ‘life’….which may end in deletion/minor updations/value-added modifications etc
4.Conduct brainstorming sessions to understand the demand for knowledge from the business perspective, the current challenges in the context and the need for corresponding cultural, procedural and technological changes
5.Plan for the changes and additions and assign ownership to relevant people. Foresee benefits and measure parameters pre-implementation
6.Implement and assess situation. Measure parameters post-implementation and publish benefits/re-look at changes if not satisfactory

Sounds simple? Experience says it’s not so. This kind of a project can be replicated in divisions that have similar situations. But the approach that needs to be adopted for an enterprise-wide KM initiative in terms of a single-window portal, expert locator etc can be quite different.

To be continued....