KnowledgeManagement

TrainingManual
CorporateTrainingMaterials

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ModuleOne:GettingStarted...............................................................................................................4
WorkshopObjectives................................................................................................................................4
ModuleTwo:UnderstandingKnowledgeManagement........................................................................6
WhatisKnowledge...................................................................................................................................6
WhatisKnowledgeManagement............................................................................................................7
ABriefHistory...........................................................................................................................................7
ApplicationsintheWorkplace..................................................................................................................8
ModuleThree:DosandDonts.............................................................................................................9
Data,Information,andKnowledge..........................................................................................................9
TheTacitMode.......................................................................................................................................10
TheExplicitMode....................................................................................................................................10
IdentifyingConversionCategories..........................................................................................................11
ModuleFour:TheKnowledgeManagementLifeCycle.......................................................................12
UnderstandingEpisodes.........................................................................................................................12
Acquisition..............................................................................................................................................13
Knowledge..............................................................................................................................................14
Integration..............................................................................................................................................15
ModuleFive:TheNewKnowledgeManagementParadigm................................................................16
ParadigmsofthePast.............................................................................................................................16
TheNewParadigm.................................................................................................................................17
ImplicationsandApplications.................................................................................................................18
TheKnowledgeManagementEndgame................................................................................................18
ModuleSix:KnowledgeManagementModels...................................................................................20

TheNonakaandTakeuchiModel(SECI).................................................................................................20
WiigModel.............................................................................................................................................21
KakabadseModel...................................................................................................................................22
BoisotModel...........................................................................................................................................22
ModuleSeven:BuildingaKnowledgeManagementRationale...........................................................24
WhyRationaleisNecessary....................................................................................................................24
BuildingaBusinessCase.........................................................................................................................25
FindingSuccessStories...........................................................................................................................26
TheCommoditization/CustomizationModel.........................................................................................26
ModuleEight:CustomizingKnowledgeManagementDefinitions.......................................................28
ComponentsofaKnowledgeManagementDefinition..........................................................................28
CustomizingtheComponents.................................................................................................................29
SampleDefinitions..................................................................................................................................30
CreatingaKMBOK..................................................................................................................................30
ModuleNine:ImplementingKnowledgeManagementinYourOrganization......................................31
GatheringSupport..................................................................................................................................31
IdentifyingOpportunitiesforRevenueStreams.....................................................................................32
KeyKnowledgeManagementTechniques..............................................................................................33
AMapforSuccess...................................................................................................................................35
TheNoBudgetScenario.........................................................................................................................36
ModuleTen:TipsforSuccess.............................................................................................................38
AbouttheChiefKnowledgeOfficer.........................................................................................................38
KnowledgeManagementSkillChecklist.................................................................................................39
TheKnowledgeManagementImperative..............................................................................................40
TheHypeCurve.......................................................................................................................................41
BarriersandHelperstoSuccess..............................................................................................................41

ModuleEleven:AdvanceTopics.........................................................................................................43
TheKnowledgeManagementMaturityModel......................................................................................43
AbsorptiveCapacity................................................................................................................................44
Rustiness.................................................................................................................................................44
ProcessModelTypes...............................................................................................................................45
ModuleTwelve:WrappingUp............................................................................................................46
WordsfromtheWise..............................................................................................................................46

I hear, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I

understand.
Confucius
Module One: Getting Started
WelcometotheKnowledgeManagementworkshop.Todays
culturethrivesonknowledge.Itisevidentintheitemswebuyor
activitiesweinvesttimemanaging.Possessingknowledgegives
advantagesinmakingtherightdecisionorstrategytoimplement.
TheInternetdistributesknowledgeatsplitsecondrates.Laptops
andsmartphonesbringknowledgetoourfingertips.Astheold
adagesays,knowledgeispower.
Organizationshaveawealthofknowledgeaccessiblethroughthe
peopletheytouchinternally,likeemployees,andexternally,likecustomers.Organizationsthatallow
knowledgetogounmanagedmaybegivingtheircompetitorstheupperhandinthemarket.The
organizationthatisabletocapture,store,andretrieveknowledgeeffectivelyisthencapableoflearning
asanorganization.Alearningorganizationisonewhereemployeesareempoweredtochangeand
developnewmethods,thoughts,andstrategiesthatwilladvancethemissionoftheirorganization.
KnowledgeManagementistheestablishmentofasystemthatcapturesknowledgepurposefullyfor
incorporatingintobusinessstrategies,policies,andpracticesatalllevelsofthecompany.Thiscourse
willteachthelearnerhowtoinitiateaknowledgemanagementprogramatwork.Whenitcomesto
knowledgemanagement,anyorganizationisabletoimplementastrategy.Wherevertherearehumans
workingtogetherforonegoal,thereisknowledgetobeharvested,stored,anddispensedasneeded.

Workshop Objectives
Researchhasconsistentlydemonstratedthatwhencleargoalsareassociatedwith
learning,itoccursmoreeasilyandrapidly.
Thisworkshopisdesignedtohelpyouinthefollowingways:

Understandthebasicconceptofknowledgemanagement(KM)

IdentifythedosanddontsofKM

IdentifytheKMlivecycle

IdentifythenewKMparadigm

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IdentifytheKMmodels

UnderstandhowtobuildaKMrationalforyourcompany

UnderstandhowtocustomizeKMdefinitions

IdentifythestepstoimplementingKMinyourorganization

Identifytipsforsuccess

UnderstandtheadvancetopicsinKM

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Knowledge is power.
Sir Frances Bacon
Module Two: Understanding Knowledge Management
Thewordsknowledgeandmanagementaretwoverybroad
conceptswhenseparated.Whenthetwowordscometogether,it
speaksofaconceptthatstrivestoorganizeinformationinaway
thatproducesanadvantageforanorganization.Whileanyone
wouldthinkthatharnessingtheknowledgeofanorganizationisa
positivethingtodo,therearemanywhodonotseethevalueof
knowledgemanagement.Theymayseethisasawasteoftime.
Thisistrueofmanyotherdisciplineslikeprojectmanagement.
Manyseeplanningandassessingriskastimeconsuming.
Therefore,theydonotsupportinitiativesthatbringthischange.
Inallhonesty,changeistherealissue.
Thiscoursewillgiveyouthetoolstopresentknowledgemanagementtoyourorganizationinthemost
positivewayinordertogaintherightsupportforittothriveinyourorganization.Themoreinformation
youcansharewithyourorganizationaboutknowledgemanagementthemoreapttheyareinaccepting
it.Thismoduleexplainstheprinciples,history,andapplicationofknowledgemanagementinthe
workplace.Thiswillbethebaseonwhichwewillbuilduponthroughouttheentireworkshop.

What is Knowledge
Thewordknowledgeisoftenconfusedforinformationordata.Theonline
versionoftheMerriamWebsterdictionarydefinesknowledgeasthefollowing:
Factorconditionofknowingsomethingwithfamiliaritygainedthrough
experienceorassociation.
Laterinthisworkshop,therewillbeadiscussiononwhatdataandinformation
is.Bothofthesetermsareapartofknowledge.Dataisrawcontent,whichbyitselfhasnomeaningor
value.
Whendataisgroupedtogether,itbecomesinformation.Forexample,gettingatemperaturereadingof
theclimateoutsideononedayismeaninglesswithoutotherinformationtomakeacomparison.
Onceadatabaseiscreated,itbecomesinformationbecausecomparisonscanbemade.Intermsof
knowledgemanagement,knowledgeisinformationthatisincontext,producinganactionable
understanding.

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Backtoourtemperaturescenario,whenthetemperatureinformationisplacedincontextwithsay
agriculture,thenknowledgeiscreated.Forexample,knowingthatiftemperaturesfallbelowacertain
pointinJanuarytheytendtolastforaboutaweek.OrangefarmersinFloridamustdetermineiftheyare
goingtoharvestearlyortakeotherprecautionslikeheatingtheorchard.Thedecisionwillbebasedon
howlongorangescanwithstandcoldconditionsatacertaintemperature.
Organizationsandcompaniesholdandtransferdataandinformationthatcanbeplacedintocontext
allowinganactionableeventoranunderstandingtooccur.

What is Knowledge Management

Knowledgemanagementisaprogramorsystemdesignedtocreate,capture,share
andleverageknowledgetowardsthesuccessoftheorganization.Thisiseasiersaid
thandonebecauseinstitutingaknowledgemanagementprogramrequiresmany
changesandsupportatalllevelsoftheorganization.Furthermore,thereare
differentformsofknowledgetocontendwithandunderstand.
Knowledgecanbetacitorexplicit,whichrequiresdifferentstrategiestocaptureeachtype.Another
challengeistodistillthepracticeofknowledgemanagementintooneneatconcept.
Thiscoursewillprovideyouwiththespecificunderstandingyouneedtotakeawayagoodconceptual
frameworkofknowledgemanagement.Thiswayyoucancommunicateandmanageaknowledge
managementprojectwiththetoolsforsuccess.

A Brief History
Theoriginsofknowledgemanagementcanbetracedbacktothelate1970s.Everett
RogersandThomasAllensworkininformationtransferlaidthefoundationtothe
conceptofhowknowledgeiscreated,implemented,andintegratedthroughoutan
organization.
Inthe1980s,knowledgebecameafocalpointtoincreasingthecompetitiveedgefor
companies.PeoplelikeSengeandSakaiyadiscussedtheadvantagesofcreatinglearningandknowledge
basedorganization.Theprimaryobjectduringthistimewasimprovingbusinessingeneral.
Inthe1990s,knowledgemanagementwasintroducedintomainstreambusinessmanagement
publications.AuthorslikeTomStewart,IkujiroNonaka,andHirotakaTakeuchibroughtformalitytothe
managingofknowledge.Inthemid1990s,theInternetbecamethechannelwhereknowledge
managementexpandedgreatly.
ThehistoryofknowledgemanagementhasmanyprominenttheoristslikeKarlWiig,PeterDrucker,and
PaulStrassmann.Frominformationtechnologytoimprovinghowanorganizationlearns,knowledge
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managementstartedinmanyareasofbusiness.Thereisnoonesourceofitshistory.Nonetheless,
knowledgemanagementhasahistoryofproducingthekindofchangebusinessesdesireintermsof
improvingthecommunicationofknowledgeinordertoachievesuccessfuloutcomes.
Today,knowledgemanagementhasmanyapplicationsandisusefulinmostanydisciplineinan
organization.

Applications in the Workplace

Knowledgemanagementcanbeappliedtomanyareasoftheorganization.
Rememberthatknowledgemanagementisnotonlystoringknowledge.Thelarger
focusisonsharing.Withthisinmind,applyingknowledgemanagementinthe
workplaceisnearlyunlimited.Areasthatcanbenefitfromknowledgemanagement
areasfollows:

Corporategovernance

Stafftraining

Operations

Humanresources

Marketing

Informationtechnology

Researchanddevelopment

Applyingknowledgemanagementinanyoneoftheseareaswillleadtoimprovedcommunicationand
responsivenesstochange.Herearesomepotentialbenefitstoimplementingknowledgemanagement:

Encourageinnovationbyallowingideastoflowthroughouttheorganization

Improvecustomerexperiencebybecomingmoreefficientinservice

Increaseprofitsbycapitalizingonopportunitiesbecauseoffasterproducttomarkettime

Increaseretentionrateofemployeesbecauseofrecognitionandrewardfortheirvaluable
knowledgeinput

Reducecostthroughimprovedinternalefficiencies

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The soft stuff is always harder than the

hard stuff.
Roger Enrico
Module Three: Dos and Donts
Therearemanywaystoimplementknowledgemanagement.The
informationavailabletoyoumaybeoverwhelming.Understanding
thetypesofknowledgeandplacestoacquireitwillreduceerrorsand
increaseefficiencyinimplementingyourknowledgemanagement
project.Inthismodule,youwilllearnaboutdata,information,tacit
andexplicitmodesofknowledge,andcategorieswhereknowledge
converges.

Data, Information, and Knowledge

Earlierwhenwediscussedthedefinitionofknowledge,welearnedthatknowledge
wascomposedofdataandinformation.Hereisabriefsummaryofeach
component:

Dataisbitsofcontentineithertextornumericalformat.Byitself,datahas
nomeaning.
o

Informationisdatathatisaccumulatedtoallowcomparison,grouping,andcategorizingwhich
enablesthecontentviewertodeterminewhattodowiththedatagroup.
o

Thecreditscorescollectedinthelastexampleisaccumulatedandcategorizedintohigh,
medium,andlowriskaccordingtothecreditscorenumber.

Knowledgeistakingtheinformationandputtingcontextaroundit,makingitactionable.
o

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Afinancecompanycouldcollectcreditscoresfromalltheirapprovedapplications.The
individualcreditscoredoesnotmeanmuchbyitself.Letseewhatinformationdoes.

Ifthefinancecompanyistryingtomeetaregulationonhowmanyriskyloansare
permittedintheloanportfolio,theymaycalculatethepercentageofhighriskloanto
thetotalloansonthebooks.Theresultscouldguidethecompanyonnewstrategiesto
reducethenumberofriskyloansorhelpthemmaximizetheriskbecausetheriskyloans
aremoreprofitable.

Nowthatyouhaveabasicideaofwhatdata,information,andknowledgeis,hereissomethingtoavoid.
Donottrytocategorizeitemsintodata,information,andknowledge.Thecontextoftheinformationis
intheeyeofthebeholder.Tryingtodothiscouldendyourprojectearly.Instead,focusonthetypeof
knowledgethecontentrepresents.

The Tacit Mode

Tacitknowledgeisknowledgethatisnoteasilydocumented.Itistransferredsilently
throughbehaviorsandexperience.Herearesomeexamplesoftacitknowledge:

Knowhow

Judgment

Experience

Insight

Rulesofthumb

Skills

Tacitknowledgeisdifficulttocommunicatebecauseitisverypersonalandsubjective.Theknowledge
residesdeepwithinthepersonwhoholdsit.Tacitknowledgeisinfluencedbybeliefs,ideals,values,and
mentalmodes.
Thismodeofknowledgeiseasilyoverlookedbecausecapturingitrequiresunconventionalmethods.
Thesemethodswillbediscussedinalatermodule.Inthemeantime,whenplanningyourknowledge
managementproject,rememberthatthereisknowledgefloatingaroundthatisbeingtransferred
throughonthejobexperience.

The Explicit Mode

Explicitknowledgeiseasiertorecognizeanddocument.Itiseasilycommunicated,
writtendown,transferred,storedandretrieved.Explicitknowledgecouldbethe
stepsonhowtodriveacar.Theexplicitknowledgeisoutlinedinamanualandeasily
followedbecauseofitsstructure.Thisisthemostcommonformofknowledgefound
inmostorganizations.Youmayfindthisinformationinthefollowingareas:

Databases

Manuals

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Trainingcontent

However,havingonlyexplicitknowledgeisnotalwaysdesirable.Forexample,wouldyoufeel
comfortablewithsomewhoonlyknewhowtodriveacarbystudyingamanualasopposedtosomeone
whohasbeendrivingfor10years?Thechoiceiseasybecausethereisvalueintheexperienceacquired
in10yearsofdrivingexperience.Theexperienceddrivercannotexplainallthedetails,butthereis
knowledgethatthecarefulobservermaypickup.
Understandingwherethesetransfersofknowledgehappenisessentialtodesigningyourknowledge
managementsystem.

Identifying Conversion Categories

Conversioncategoriesareareaswhereknowledgeisconvertedorexchanged.The
bestwaytothinkoftheseconversioncategoriesisusingthetacitandexplicit
modesforboththetypeofknowledgeandthetypeofbehavior.Herearesome
examples:

Onthejobtrainingallowspeopletoexchangetacitknowledgethrough
tacitbehaviorsbecauseitistransferredfromoneindividualtoanotherthroughobservation.In
thissituation,normsarereinforcedandnewknowledgecouldbecreateddependingonthe
personbeingtrained.

Anothercategoryiswhensomeoneexpresseshisorherideasandthoughts.Thisisstilltacit
knowledgebutitiscoupledwithexplicitbehaviorliketalkingaboutitaloudtoothers.

Explicitknowledgeandexplicitmethodsformmorecommonconversionpointslikedatabases,
emails,andmanuals.

Anotherconversionpointoccurswhensomeonetakesexplicitknowledgefromadatabaseor
manualandcreatesnewknowledgethattheyinternalize(tacit).

Understandingconversioncategoriesenablesyoutodeterminewherethesecategoriesexistinyour
organization.Overlookingconversioncategoriescouldleadtogapsinyourknowledgemanagement
system.Later,youwilllearnhowtodetermineconversioncategoriesinmoredetailbyusingathorough
approachinvolvingtheenduser.

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A person who graduated yesterday and

stops studying today is uneducated
tomorrow.
Anonymous
Module Four: The Knowledge Management Life Cycle
Knowledgemanagementisacycleofidentifyinginformationthat
mayormaynotbeusefulknowledge,formattingitintousable
knowledge,andintegratingitintotheorganization.Thismodulewill
teachyouthebasicphasesintheknowledgemanagementcycle.This
informationwillhelpyoucommunicatetothoseinyourorganization
thecomponentsofknowledgemanagementinawaythatmakes
sense,creatingmoresupportforyourproject.

Understanding Episodes
Episodesofknowledgetransfercomeinmanyforms.Understandingthat
anytimeaproblemisrealizedoranewventureonthehorizon,thereisa
goodpossibilitythatthereisknowledgetocapture.Thereareinstances
whereepisodesareplanned.Herearesomeexamples:

Anewproductisbeingdevelopedandrolledout

Enteringintoanewmarketorterritory

Internalrestructuringlikeanewdivisionorenhancementofanexistingdepartment

Implementinganewprogramlikeenterprisewideprojectmanagementprogram

Buildinganewfacility

Mergers,newpartnerships,andtakeoverofanothercompany

ChangeinleadershipatthetoplevellikeanewChiefExecutiveOfficer

Someepisodesmayoccurunexpectedly.Forexample:

Arecallofadefectiveproduct

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Newgovernmentregulations

Dramaticchangesinthemarket

Hereareafewideasyoucanusetohelpdealwithepisodeswhetherplannedorunplanned:

Whatessentialactionsdoestheaffectedareahavetotake?

Whatdecisionspeopleintheaffectedareamustmaketocompletetheirjob?

Whatinformationisneededinordertomakethosedecisionsandcompletetheirjob?

Isitexplicit?Maybeisstoredinadatabase.

Isittacit?Doesthisinformationhavetocomefromaperson?

Acquisition
Theacquiringstageseekstoobtaininformationfrombothinternalandexternal
sources.Itaddressestacitandexplicitmodesofknowledgeandinvolvesmany
techniques.Acquiringinformationorknowledgecanbeseenastwocategories:
capturingandcreating
Capturingisacquiringinformationorknowledgethatalreadyexistsandrequires
littleadjustmentstomakeitvaluabletotheorganization.Itcanbeinternalinformationthatisfloating
aroundtheorganizationorexternalinformationorknowledgefromoutsidessources.
Creationistakingexistinginformationorknowledgeandcombiningitwithotherinternalknowledgeor
informationtoproducenewknowledgetheorganizationcandeemactionable.Theremaybesome
analyzinginvolvedtomakethenewknowledgeactionablefortheorganization.
Hereisabrieflistoftoolsandtechniquesthathelpstoacquireknowledge:

Explicitinformationexistshereandmaybeusedincombinationtoformnewknowledgeand
maybeinternalorexternal
o

Repositorieswithdocumentinformation

Filingsystems

Tacitinformationexistsbetweenpeopleorexpertsandstoredinformationandmaybeinternal
andexternal

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Expertssharingtheirideas

Databaseswithinformation

Internaltoolsforknowledgecreationandcapturing
o

Interviewingemployees

Knowledgeteams

Externaltoolsforinformationorknowledgecapturing
o

Dataminingdatawarehouses

Externalexpertopinion(i.e.consultant)

Oncetheknowledgeisacquired,itmustbeorganizedsoitcanbeeasilyintegratedintothe
organization.

Knowledge
Rememberthatknowledgeisinformationthatisplacedincontextsothatitbecomes
actionable.Inorderforthistohappen,knowledgemustbeevaluatedagainstthe
businessgoalsandstrategies.Knowledgethatisdeemedusefulfortheorganization
passesonthroughtothenextcycleandintegrated.
Evaluatinginformationorknowledgerequirescomparisontothegoals,vision,
mission,andstrategiesoftheorganization.Failingtoaligntheknowledgetothesebusinessstrategies
couldrendertheknowledgemanagementprogramineffective.Herearesomeareastoconsiderwhen
evaluatingknowledge:

Whatisthenatureofyourorganization

Organizationvision

Organizationgoals

Strategytoachievegoals

Currentbusinessenvironment

Industry

Knowledgethatisnotreadyforintegrationmaybestoredforlateruse.Herearesomewaystoevaluate
knowledgeforintegration:

Knowledgecommittees

Knowledgeforums

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KMsoftware

Eachofthesetoolswouldrequirerepresentationfrommanyareasoftheorganization.Thegoalhereis
todeemacquiredinformationorknowledgeusefultotheorganization.Notallknowledgeacquired
mustbeintegrated.Ifthiswerethegoal,theknowledgemanagementsystemwouldbecometoo
burdensomeandruntheriskofnotbeingused.

Integration
Integrationismakingknowledgeknown.Thereareseveralgeneralmethodsto
gettingknowledgeoutthroughouttheorganization.Hereareseveralexamples:

Broadcasting:emails,announcements,newsletters,aresomeexamplesof
integratingknowledgebybroadcasting

Searching:databases,portals,extranets,records,areexamplesofintegrating
knowledgebymakingitsearchable

Teaching:classroom,webinars,computerbasedtraining,areexamplesofhowtrainingcanhelp
integrateknowledgethroughouttheorganization

Sharing:yellowpagesystem,bestpracticessystem,communityboards,areexamplesofhow
sharingknowledgehelpstointegrateitthroughoutyourorganization

Theexactdesignsandprocesswilldependonhowyourculturesviewofthesetoolsandtheirplacein
theorganization.Otherconsiderationsrevolveoncosts.Laterinthisworkshop,wewillgetachanceto
discussmodestwaysofimplementingknowledgemanagementinyourorganization.
Nowthatwehaveabetterunderstandingoftheknowledgemanagementcycle,letusreviewpastand
presentmodels.Thiswillhelpyoudetermineifinfact,youalreadyhaveaknowledgemanagement
systeminplace,butitneedsalittleupdating.

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The single greatest challenge facing

mangers in the developed countries of the
world is to raise the productivity of
knowledge and service works.
Peter F. Drucker
Module Five: The New Knowledge Management Paradigm
Withtheadventofinformationtechnology,knowledge
managementhasevolvedintoatechnologicalbasedprogram.
Understandingwhatknowledgemanagementistodayrequires
reviewofwhatitwasinthepast.Whatandhowitisappliedisthe
overallgoalofknowledgemanagement.Understandingthese
conceptswillallowyoutounderstandtheprinciplesbehindtodays
knowledgemanagementmodel.Thisinturn,willallowyoutobe
moreknowledgeableabouttheprogramyouareabouttointroduce
toyourorganizationandrecognizeifyoualreadyhaveaknowledge
managementsysteminplacebutisoutdated.

Paradigms of the Past

Knowledgemanagementdoeshaveapastandtherearemodelsouttherethat
relyonknowledgecollectionandstorageasthedesignforaknowledge
managementsystem.Whatresultedfromthisstrategyisusuallyaquerydatabase
thatemployeesusedtosearchforknowledge.Thisapproachhaddrawbacks.
Herearesome:

Highmaintenanceofknowledge,becauseallknowledgewasputintothesystem

Storedknowledgebecameoutdated

Employeesdidnotusethesystembecauseitwastoovast

Itwasagotosystem

Itwasastaticsystem

Highcostinlaborandhardwaremaintenance

Knowledgeusuallyinputtedbyonepersonorteam

Onlygoodforexplicitknowledge

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Afterawhile,organizationsdidnotseevalueinthesetypesofknowledgemanagementsystems.
Researchanoldstyleknowledgemanagementsystemthatwaspreviouslyused.Getlessonslearned
fromthosewhowereinvolvedandincorporatethisinformationinyournewerknowledgemanagement
systemproposal.

The New Paradigm

Thenewparadigmforknowledgemanagementisvastlydifferentfromthepast.
Insteadoffocusingondatastorageandretrieval,thefocusisonconnectionsand
networksinvolvingemployees.Thereisstorage,butthiswouldbemorefor
sharingdocumentsandreferencematerials.Storagewouldnotbetheendallbe
allsystemforknowledgemanagement.
Herearesomecharacteristicsinvolvingthenewmodelofknowledge
management:

Focusonnetworkingtechnology

Learningenvironmentfostered

Knowledgepushedoutinsteadofstored

Informationisevaluatedbeforeintegrating

Goodforbothexplicitandtacitknowledge

Employeescancontributetotheknowledgemanagementsystem

Noticetheemphasisonconnectionsbeingmadeinsteadofahubforknowledge.Thissystemdoeshave
itsbenefits.Herearesome:

Realtimeknowledgeavailable

Moretacitknowledgecaptured

Employeesareconstantlylearning

Organizationalculturemoreopen

Knowledgeisfreeflowinganddynamic

Thenewparadigmtakesadvantageofnewtechnologieslikesharingprograms,portals,intranets,etc.
Ofcourse,nosystemisperfectandthenextlessonwilldiscusstheimplicationsofestablishinga
knowledgemanagementsystem.

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Implications and Applications

Asyoucontemplatetheintroductionofknowledgemanagementtoyour
organization,youshouldconsidertheimplicationsthatapplyingknowledge
managementbrings.Ifyourorganizationisnotusedtosharinginformation
andlearning,thiscouldbecomeanobstacletoyourknowledgemanagement
project.Herearesomequestionstothinkaboutwhendealingwithyour
culture:

Whatvaluedoesyourcultureplacesoncommunication?

WhatsilosexistinyourculturethatcouldbeapotentialroadblocktoyourKMproject?

Whatlevelofsupportdoesuppermanagementgivetothisinitiative?

Whatvaluedoesyourorganizationplaceonknowledge?

Howwelldoesyourorganizationrespondtochange?

Whatvaluedoesyourorganizationplaceonlearning?

Consideringthesequestionswillhelpyoudeterminehowopenyourorganizationalcultureisto
implementingaknowledgemanagementprogram.
Anotherconsiderationistheeffectoftechnologyontheorganization.Thenewprogramsand
communicationtoolspresentsomeissuestoaddressinyourprojectplan.Itisnotwisetomakeyour
knowledgemanagementprojectatechnologyproject.
Finally,youalsohavetoconsiderwhowillbetheagentsforchampioningandmanagingtheknowledge
managementprogramasitdevelopswithinyourorganization.Whowilldowhat?Choosingthewrong
peoplecoulddoomyourprojectbecauseofassociationwiththewrongpeople.Thinkglobally.Ifyouare
notaprojectmanager,youshouldconsiderhavingoneonyourproject.Theyaretrainedtowatchfor
thesetypesofrisks.

The Knowledge Management Endgame

Themostimportantmessageyoushouldconveyaboutknowledgemanagementis
whatitwilldofortheorganization.Simplysuggestingknowledgemanagementon
itsownmeritswillnotgainthesupportyouneed.Youmustrememberthat
knowledgemanagementinvolvestheentireorganizationandthebenefitsshould
spantheentireorganization.
Therefore,youshouldclearlycommunicatetheknowledgemanagementendgame.Yourknowledge
managementprojectshouldaddressoneormoreofthefollowingareastohelpgroundittoamore
commonbusinessstrategy:
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Changemanagement

Bestpractices

Riskmanagement

Benchmarking

Increasingefficiency

Increasedquality

Placingknowledgemanagementmoreonthebackburnerthenthefrontwilltakethefocusoffthe
knowledgemanagementprojectitselfandplaceitonthebusinessstrategiesthatgettheinterestof
managers,creatingmoresupportforyourproject.
Thegoalofknowledgemanagementistoconnectemployeestooneanotherinanefforttofacilitate
knowledgeinawaythatpromoteslearningandnewknowledgethatwillhelptheorganizationgaina
competitiveadvantagethroughincreasedefficiency,quality,andinnovation.
Clearlycommunicatingthistoyourstakeholderswillcreateasolidfoundationforsupportandgrowthof
yourknowledgemanagementproject.
Inthenextmodule,youwillgetsomemorebackgroundknowledgeonthevarioustypesofknowledge
managementprinciples,whichwillincreaseyourvocabularyandcredibilityinthisdiscipline.

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Imagination is more important than

knowledge.
Albert Einstein
Module Six: Knowledge Management Models
Wearedelvingintotheoriginsandcoreprinciplesofknowledge
managementinthismodule.Therearemodelsthathaveinfluenced
knowledgemanagementgreatlyovertheyearsandtheseareworth
understanding.Again,byhavingmorebackgroundinformationon
theprinciplesofknowledgemanagement,youwillbeableto
influencethoseinyourorganizationthatmaynotknowofthe
originsandtheextentofthehistoryinthisdiscipline.Manytimes,
projectsaredoomedwhenthestakeholdersdonotunderstandthe
product.Lackofinformationwhenattemptingtocreatechangewill
typicallycreateresistancetothechange.Letusincreaseyour
knowledgeandabilitytoshareit.

The Nonaka and Takeuchi Model (SECI)

IkujiroNonakaandHirotakaTakeuchimodelofknowledgecreationdescribesa
spiralingprocessoftacitknowledgeandexplicitknowledge.Theygiveanillustration
ofhowknowledgeisconvertedthroughfourpatterns.Herearethefourpatterns:
1. Socialization:tacitknowledgetransfersthroughindividualinteraction(tacit).
Theinteractiondoesnothavetoinvolvelanguage.Itcanbeobserved.
Capturingthistypeofknowledgeinvolvesdirectinteractionwithemployees.
2. Externalization:thefirstpartofthispattern,involvestacitknowledge,whichismadeexplicit
becauseoftheexpressionoftheknowledgethroughideas,images,words,concepts,andvisuals
toothers.Thesecondpartisthetranslationoftheknowledgeintounderstandableformats.
3. Combination:takesexplicitknowledgeandiscommunicatedsystematically(explicit).Thereare
threebasicphasestothispattern:

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Capturingknowledgefrominsideandoutsidetheorganizationandinternalizingit

Disseminatingtheexplicitknowledgethroughnetworksandsystems

Processingtheexplicitknowledgeintoamoreusableformatlikedocuments,plans,and
reports

4. Internalization:istheindividualtakingexplicitknowledgeandinternalizingittobecometacit
knowledgeonceagain.
TheSECImodelbasicallytakesindividualtacitknowledgeandevolvesitintoexplicitknowledgethrough
thefourpatternsuntilitthenfinallyreachestheindividualagain,changingtheexplicitknowledgeback
totacitwhentheindividuallearnsfromit.

Wiig Model
KarlWiigfocusedonsixstrategiestoorganizationalknowledgemanagementprocess.
1. Knowledgemanagementasabusinessstrategy:thisplacesknowledge
managementasastrategythatspanstheentireorganization
2. Managingintellectualassetsstrategy:thisisafocusontheexisting
knowledgethatispresentwithintheorganizationandutilizingthemorenhancingthemfully
3. Personalknowledgeassetresponsibilitystrategy:thisisastrategythatsupportemployeesto
developtheirskillsandknowledge,sharingitwithothers
4. Knowledgecreationstrategy:focusesoncreatingnewknowledgethroughresearchand
developmentforshapingthefutureoftheorganization
5. Knowledgetransferstrategy:thisissharingandtransferringbestpracticesinsupportof
improvingqualityandefficiencythroughouttheorganization
6. Customerfocusedknowledgestrategy:thisstrategyfocusesonunderstandingcustomerneeds
andprovideproductsandservicesthataddressthoseneeds
TheWiigmodelishighlyfavoredbecauseitdoesaddresstheorganizationasawholeandincludes
businessareasthatarecommonlyfoundinmostorganizations.

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Kakabadse Model
Kakabadseidentifiedfivemodelsforknowledgemanagement.
1. Philosophybasedmodel:focusesontheorganizationsvieworphilosophyof
knowledge.Acompanythatfocusesontheimportanceofknowledgeshould
askthefollowingquestions.
o

Whatdowenotknowthatweknow?

Whatdoweknowthatwedontknow?

2. Cognitivemodel:makesknowledgeanassetanditshouldbemanagedandaccountedasapart
ofnormalbusiness.
3. Networkmodel:hereknowledgeisseenasrequiringcollaborationthroughnetworks,allowing
teamstousetheknowledgeforthebettermentoftheorganization.
4. Communityofpracticemodel:takesknowledgeandcommunicatesitinamorerelaxedand
communalenvironmentutilizingstorytellingormetaphorsasthechannel.Itismeantto
breakdowncomplexknowledgeintoasimpleformat.
5. Quantummodel:itpositionsknowledgeasscenariodriveninsteadoffactdriven.Thismodel
makesknowledgedynamicandadjustabletothescenarioinsteadofreferringtotheknowledge
asastaticfact,leavinglittleroomforinnovation.

Boisot Model
Boisotdescribesaknowledgemanagementmodelthatisthreedimensional.His
InformationSpaceorISpacephilosophydescribesthreeaxes.
1. Uncodifiedtocodified
2. Concretetoabstract
3. Undiffusedtodiffused
BoisotthendescribesaSocialLearningCyclethatworkswithintheISpacemodel.Thisprocessflows
throughsixphases:
1. Scanninginvolvesknowledgeobtainedfromtheenvironment,whichisuncodified.
2. Codificationknowledgeisgivenstructurethroughproblemsbeingsolvedwiththatknowledge.
3. Abstractioniswhennewandcodifiedknowledgeisappliedtoawiderangeofscenarios,making
thisknowledgemoreabstractinnature.
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4. Diffusioniswhenknowledgeissharedwiththepopulation.
5. Absorptioniswhentheknowledgeisappliedtomanyscenarios,whichproducesnewindividual
learning,whichbecomesuncodifiedbecauseitreturnstotacitknowledge.
6. Impactingiswhentheabstractknowledgeisintegratedintoorganizationalpracticesasrules,
policies,andprocedures.
Bynow,youmayfeelabitoverwhelmedbythisinformation.Rememberthisinformationwaspresented
soyoucanhaveabaseknowledgeofseveraloftheprinciplesthatcontributedtoknowledge
management,asweknowittoday.Donotworryaboutgettingallthedetails.

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Companies have a hard time

distinguishing between the cost of paying
people and the value of investing in them.
Thomas A. Stewart
Module Seven: Building a Knowledge Management Rationale
Allprojectsmustahaveareasonforitsexistence.Implementinga
knowledgemanagementprogramisnodifferent.Agoodrationale
forimplementingknowledgemanagementwillhelpinfluencethose
thatcontrolbudgetstoseethevalueofsinkingfundsintoyour
project.Thismodulewillhelpyoudevelopasolidrationalfor
implementingknowledgemanagementinyourorganization,by
buildingabusinesscase,sharingsuccessstories,andmakingthe
knowledgeinyourorganizationvaluablebymakingitacommodity.

Why Rationale is Necessary

Simplysayingtheorganizationneedsknowledgemanagementisnotgoingtogetyou
thesupportyouneedtoimplementthisproject.Youneedarationaleorreasonfor
implementingknowledgemanagement.Anothermistakeyouwanttoavoidis
focusingonlyonthereturnoninvestmentforimplementingknowledge
management.Therearemoreinterestingreasonstoimplementknowledge
managementandyouwillneedtopointthatout.
Belowaresomereasonstoimplementknowledgemanagement.However,youwillhavetoevaluate
eachtodetermineifthiswillbeseenasaviablereasontoimplement:

Creatingaculturethatsharesknowledge

Usingknowledgemanagementtoenhanceyourcustomersexperience

Creatingalearningenvironment

Improvecompanyperformance

Helptoresolveanidentifiedgapinthebusiness

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Thesearejustafewreasons.Theideaistotaketheattentionoffknowledgemanagementandplacing
onabusinessneedordriver.Thiswillgettheattentionoftopmanagementandmaybeopenthedoorto
aprojectsponsorfromthatlevel,whichisagoodthing.
Developingyourrationalemaybethemostimportantpartofyourproposal.Takethetimetoresearch
anddeterminewhatyourcompanyvalues.

Building a Business Case

Buildingabusinesscasegoesbeyondtherationalewediscussedearlier.Abusiness
caseoutlinesthebusinessreasonsthatjustifyimplementingknowledge
management.Thebusinesscaseoutlinesthebenefitsofimplementingtheprogram
andthepotentialconsequencesofnotusingknowledgemanagement.
Thisdoesnothavetobecomplicated.Infact,wehavethreebasicstepsyoucanuse
tomakeyourbusinesscase.

Makeknowledgeanassettotheorganization.Thereisacosttoknowledge.Ifyouareableto
pointoutthatfacttotheorganization,theymayrealizethattheymaybelosingknowledge.
Herearesomeareastodiscussinyourbusinesscase:
o

Marketvalue:placeavaluecertainknowledgeassetslikedatabases,networks,teamof
experts.Providesomebenchmarkingnumberstodemonstratethevalue.

Cost:putacostfigureonhowmuchittakestotrainanewemployeeorwhatittookto
developacurrentassetlikeyourorganizationsintranet.

Replacement:doawhatifscenariooflostknowledgeandthecosttoreplaceit.

Liability:showpotentialliabilityduetoregulationorcontractviolationbecauseof
poorlymanagedknowledge.

Makeknowledgemanagementabenefittothebottomline.Discusshowknowledge
managementcanincreaseproductivity,timetomarketfornewproducts,andcustomerservice.
Herearespecificareasyoucanemphasize:

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Knowledge:havinginformationattheemployeesfingertipsgivesthemaccesstoexpert
information,allowingthemtotakeactionquicker.

Intermediate:discussreductioninduplicateofeffortsandfasternewhireadaptation.

Organizational:showthecostreduction,increasedproductivity,andpotentialin
innovations.

Customerandstakeholders:discussproductimprovements,betterqualityservice,and
increasedvalue.

Demonstrateknowledgemanagementasacosteffectivetool.Thisisbestfororganizationsthat
arecostconscious.Youfocushereisonsavingmoneythroughknowledgemanagementby
sharingbestpracticesandfocusingactivitiesthatbringinthemostrevenue.

Finding Success Stories

Incorporatingsuccessstoriesintoyourknowledgemanagementcasewillhelpto
demonstratethevaluethroughanobjectivesource.Youwillhavetoperform
someresearchandfindcrediblesourcesthatdemonstratesuccesswhen
implementingknowledgemanagement.Avoidpresentingyourentireresearch
work.Insteadprovideandexecutivesummarywithbulletpoints.Herearesome
areaswhereyoucanfindresearchonknowledgemanagementsuccesses:

Researchthewebforwhitepapersorreports

Obtainanindustryjournalormagazine

Gotothelibraryandreadbooksonknowledgemanagement

Herearetwocompaniesthathavesuccessfulknowledgemanagementprogramsyoumaywantto
research:

HewlettPackard

BritishPetroleum(BP)

The Commoditization /Customization Model

Knowledgemanagementisnotaonesizefitsallprogram.Yourorganizationdoes
notwanttobepitchedablandandgenericknowledgemanagementprogram.If
youwantcommitmenttothisprogram,youwillhavetocustomizetheprogram.A
visionofwhatthisprogramwilllooklikeonceitisimplementedwillgetyoumore
supportforthisproject.Presentingagenericprogramwillbesubjecttocriticism
andmayberejected.
Hereareisaneasywaytobegincustomizingyourproject.Determinewhatyourareaofconcentration
is.Youcanconsidertwogeneralareas:

Doyouwanttoconnectpeople?

Page26

Doyouwanttodocumentknowledge?

Thetypeofworkandlevelofcollaborationneededwillhelpyoudeterminewhichareayouwantto
workwith.
Herearesomefactorstowantingtoconnectpeople:

Workperformediscomplexandrequiresexpertjudgmentorinterpretation

Workrequiresahighlevelofinterdependence

Knowledgeislargelytacit

Herearesomefactorstowantingtodocumentknowledge:

Workperformedisroutine

Workisperformedwithlittleornointerdependency

Knowledgeismostlyexplicit

Onceyoudeterminetheareaofconcentration,youareabletodefinewhatthesystemwilllooklike.Ifit
isconnectingpeople,youvisionwillbenetworks,andprogramsthatsupportthisstrategy.Ifitis
documentingknowledge,thenyourvisionwilloutlinedatabasesandretrievalsystems.Themore
detailedyouare,themorethisbecomescustomized.Thegoalistomakeknowledgemanagementa
commoditywithinyourorganization,creatingadesiretoownit.

Page27

There is less to fear from outside then from

inside inefficiency, miscalculation, lack of
knowledge
Anonymous
Module Eight: Customizing Knowledge Management Definitions
Atthispoint,youwanttocustomizewhatknowledgemanagement
willlooklikewithinyourorganization.Thisisimportantbecauseyour
projectstakeholderswouldliketoknowwhatyouareattemptingto
achieve.Withoutacleardefinitionofwhatknowledgemanagement
willbeinyourorganization,youmaylosesupportforyourproject.
Inthismodule,youwilllearnhowtodefineyourknowledge
managementprojectbyidentifyingthecomponents,customizing
themtosuityourorganizationinabodyofknowledge.

Components of a Knowledge Management Definition

Havingagoodfoundationinprojectmanagementwillhelpyoutodefineyourproject
andcommunicateclearlytostakeholders.Ifyoudonotpossessprojectmanagement
skills,youmaywanttogetsomeonethatdoesonyourteam.Rememberthat
implementingknowledgemanagementhastobeateameffortinorderforitto
permeatethroughoutyourorganization.
Definingyourknowledgemanagementprograminvolvesdiscussionaroundthe
followingitems:

Provideaconcisedescriptionofdeliverables,tasks,oractionitems.Thisshouldexplainanynew
systems,processes,policies,andspecificationsofresultsyouareplanningtoachieve.Themore
detailthebetter.Eachdeliverableshouldhaveanownerresponsibleforcompletingthetask
alongwithaproposeddateofcompletion.

Inyourdefinition,youshouldincludethebenefitstoimplementingknowledgemanagement.
Thiswasdiscussedearlierthisworkshop.Thisisprobablythebestplacetoputthisinformation
sincethisdocumentwillbetheoneusedtogainapprovalforyourproject.

Developalistofobjectives.Remembertolinktheobjectivetobusinessdriversand
organizationalneeds.Avoidmakingknowledgemanagementitselfasthemainobjective.Tieit
toperformance,organizationalefficiency,etc.

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Definewhatkindofsupportisneededfromtheorganization.Youwillneedsupportfromother
departmentslikeIT,training,andmarketing.Makesureyouspeakwiththoseareasfirstto
ensuretheyareonboardbeforeyoulistthemasasupportgroup.Remembersupportmeans
thattheyarewillingtolendyouresourcesfromtheirareatohelpwithyourproject.

Discusschangestoanybusinessprocesses.Thenyoushouldlistnewprocessesorareasthatwill
becreatedbecauseofimplementingknowledgemanagement.Perhapsyouareproposinganew
positionthatmanagesknowledgemanagementlikeaChiefKnowledgeOfficer(CKO).Define
thatrolehereasapartofthetotalknowledgemanagementdefinition.

Provideatimelineofeventsthatmapstheprogressofthisproject.Youcanfocusonmilestones
insteadofthedetails.

Definingyourknowledgemanagementprogramwillgiveyourmanagementteamsomethingto
reference,makingiteasierforthemtorenderadecision.Yourgoalistowinthemovertoknowledge
management.Cleardefinitionwillhelpyouachievethis.

Customizing the Components

Inordertocustomizeyourknowledgemanagementprogramtofitthe
organization,youwillhavetoinvolvetheorganization.Youcouldspendmonths
puttingaprogramtogetheronlytofindoutthattheemployeesdonotlikethe
system.
Customizingwillinvolveafewcrucialsteps.Atfirst,thesestepsmayseemlikea
lotoftroubletoperform,butintheend,itwillreaprewardsthatwillbenefityourknowledge
managementproject.
Herearesomestepsyoucantaketocustomizeyourprogram:

Involvetheemployeesorusersoftheknowledgemanagementsystem.Holdfocusgroups,
surveys,andoneononemeetingstogatherinformationonsystemexpectations,desired
features,typeofknowledgetheyvalue,andpotentialdrawbackstoyourplans.Allofthis
planningandpreparationshouldhelptoavoidcostlymistakes.

Involvemanagementinyourcustomizationprocess.Getvaluableinsighttostrategicgoals.Have
thempokeholesinyourplan.Allowingthemtogiveinputandadvicewillmakethempart
ownerofthisprogram,allowingyoutogetmoredetailsthatwillhelpyoutailoryourknowledge
managementprogramtotheorganization.

Whenintheprocessofcustomizingyourprogram,remembertoremainobjectiveandopentofeedback.
Ifpeoplestarttogetthefeelingthatyouaresensitivetofeedback,theymayavoidgivingyoufeedback.

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Finally,remembertotakeintoaccountyourorganizationalculture.Iftheyarenotusedtobeingopento
sharinginformation,youmayhavetocomeupwithamoresubtleapproachtosharinginformation.
Alwayskeepinmindwhattheculturevaluesandincorporatethatsomehow.
Takethetimetodoresearchonthistopic.Thisclassgivesyouthebasicssoyoucanhaveabetter
understandingoftheknowledgemanagementconcept.Usetheweb,readbooksorresearchcompanies
thatuseknowledgemanagement.Whenyoudoyourhomework,youwillexpandhowyoucan
customizeknowledgemanagementtomeetyourorganizationsneeds.

Sample Definitions
Takeamomenttoreviewthesampledefinition.Ofcourse,thisisonlyasample.You
cancustomizethelookandfeeltocatertoyourorganization.Focusonthe
elementsofthedefinitionotherthantheformat.Rememberthatthereisnoone
sizefitsallapproach.

Creating a KMBOK
AknowledgemanagementbodyofknowledgeorKMBOKisanenterprisewide
programthatcapturesallknowledgewithintheorganization.Theactualknowledge
managementsystemoverseesallmajorareasofknowledgewithintheorganization.
TherearethreemajorareasindevelopingaKMBOK.

Projectmanagementishowtheorganizationmanagesthetemporary
activitieswithintheorganization.Manycompaniesuseawellknownbodyofknowledgeforthis
disciplinepublishedbytheProjectManagementInstitutionaptlynamestheProject
ManagementBodyofKnowledgeorPMBOK.

Leadershipandmanagerialknowledgeishowthemanagementinanorganizationoperates.This
involvestheirstrategicleadershipskills,managerialskills,theirroleswithintheorganization,
andtheirfunctions.

Organizationalstructureknowledgeinvolvesallthesystemsandprocessesthatdefinethe
company.Organizationalfactorsliketheculture,thepeople,andtheprocessesandthewaythe
organizationhandleschallengesmakeupthisareaofknowledge.

Rememberthatabovethesethreebroadcategoriesexistsyourknowledgemanagementprogram,
whichthreadsallofthisknowledgeintoanetworkforsharingacrosstheorganization.
CreatingtheKMBOKisnotarequirementtoimplementingknowledgemanagement.However,asyour
knowledgeprogrammatures,youmaywanttodevelopaKMBOKsotheorganizationhasan
understandingofwhatallisinvolvedinthedailyoperationsasitrelatestoknowledge.
Page30

People dont resist change. They resist

being changed!
Peter M. Senge
Module Nine: Implementing Knowledge Management in Your
Organization
Nowyouarereadytoputtogetheryourprojectplan.Likeinany
otherproject,thereisalevelofsupportbothpoliticallyand
financially.Themoreorganizedanddetailedyourplanis,themore
yourchancesofsupportincreases.Managementrarelysupports
poorlyplannedprojects,especiallyintightbudgetsituations.Inthis
module,youwilllearnhowtogathersupport,findfundingforyour
project,mapaplan,andimplementyourprojectinthecasewhere
thereisnobudgetavailableforyourproject.

Gathering Support
Inallhonesty,itisbesttogainsupportfromaseniorlevelorexecutivemanager.
Youmaybeabletobeginagrassrootscampaignforyourknowledgemanagement
project,butwithouttherightlevelofsupportfromseniormanagement,youmay
findyourselffightinganuphillbattle.Herearesomeadvantagestogainingsenior
levelsupport.

Youareinabetterpositiontogetfundingforyourproject.Usuallyseniormanagement
approvesprojectbudgetsandtheresourcesdedicatedtothem.

Yougainvaluableinsighttotheworldofseniormanagement.

Youmaylearnhowtocommunicateatastrategiclevel.Rememberthatyourknowledge
managementprojectisfortheentireorganization.Havinganarrowscopecouldleadtomissed
opportunitiesformoresupport.

Aseniormanagergivesmorecredibilitytoyourprojectandavoiceatthehigherlevelsofthe
organization.

Gettingaseniorlevelmanagertosponsoryourprojectisnotalwayseasytodo.Youhavetopitchyour
projecttotheseniorsandhopethatoneexpressesinterest.Evenwhenthishappens,youwillhaveto
Page31

cultivatetherelationship.Theymaynotwanttomovethatfast.Theyhavetothinkaboutother
importantissues.Addingonemoremaynotbeadesiredoutcomeoftheirrelationshipwithyou.
Anotherwaytobuildsupportforyourprojectistoinvitethosetoyourprojectteamwhomayhave
differingopinionsthanyoudo.Donotbediscouragedbythosewhodonotalwaysagreewithyou.
Havingeveryoneontheprojectteamthinklikeyoumayleadtoslowdevelopmentoftheprogram.
Whenthereishealthydebate,innovativeideasemerge,shapingyourproject.
Ifyouwelcomediversityandmaintainafocusoninvolvingsomeonefromtheseniormanagementlevel,
youwillbegintobuildthesupportyouneedtoimplementknowledgemanagementinyour
organization.

Identifying Opportunities for Revenue Streams

Thebestchancesofgettingfundingforyourprojectsrelyheavilyonhowwellyou
presentthebudget.Onceagain,goodprojectmanagementandbudgetingskillswill
help,andifyoudonothavetheskillstobuildabudget,gethelpfromsomeone
whoknows.
Next,youwanttodeterminewhattypeoforganizationyouhave.Ifyour
organizationiscentralized,meaningthereisastronggoverningbodyoverallthedepartments,andthen
youwillwanttoapproachthatteamtoaskforfunds.Ifyourorganizationisdecentralized,meaning
thereisweakgoverningbody,andthedepartmentsareautonomous,youmaywanttofinda
departmentthatisopentofundingyourproject.Forinstance,IT,HRorR&Daregooddepartmentsto
askforhelp.
Becomefamiliarwithhowyourorganizationhandlesbudgeting.Somecompaniesdobudgetsoncea
yearandthatisituntilnextyear.Youwillhavetotimeyourprojectforthisevent.Otherhavemore
flexiblebudgetsandyoumaytapintosomereserves,butyoumustgainthesupportfromsomeonein
seniorleadershipsotheycangetyouaccesstothosefunds.
Youroverallbudgetapproachshouldoffervariouspricingpoints.Presentingonebigbudgetmakesit
easiertosayno.Instead,offervariousscenarioswithdifferentcoststructures.Whenyouofferavariety
ofcostoptions,seniormanagementmaybemoreinclinetoapproveoneofyourproposals.
Trynottolowballyourbudgeteitherjusttogetitapproved.Underfundingcouldleadtoprojectfailure.
Considerallthecostinvolvedwithlaunchingaknowledgemanagementproject.Herearesomeitemsto
thinkabout,whichyoumayneedtoincludeinyourbudget:

Ongoingdevelopmentofprojectteam

Trainingandlearningcosts

Membershipstoknowledgemanagementorganizations

Page32

Consultantcosts

Fundstousetokeeptheprojectteamsmoralegoing

Knowledgemanagementcouldbeacostlyventure,butifyoupresentadetailedbudgetwithvarious
pricingpointsandpresentthattotherightgroupandtherighttimeyoumaygetthefundingyouneed
toimplementyouproject.

Key Knowledge Management Techniques

Therearemanyknowledgemanagementtechniques.Wearegoingtolearna
fewaccordingtoeachofthemajorphasesoftheknowledgemanagementcycle.
First,thephasestoknowledgemanagementareasfollows:

Knowledgecreation

Knowledgecapturing

Knowledgecodification

Knowledgeintegrationsandsharing

Herearesometechniquesforeachofthephasesmentioned:

Creation
o

Teamdedicatedtocombiningnewknowledgewithexistingknowledgetocreate
updatedknowledgeforsharing

Jobanalysiswhereajobisbrokendownintothedetailsandknowledgeiscreatedby
studyingtaskandtaskorder

Capturing
o

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Tacitknowledge

Expertevaluation

Interviewing

Explicitknowledge

Observation

Brainstorming

Conceptmapping

Codification:rememberthatcodificationisconvertingtacitknowledgeintoexplicitknowledge.
Explicitknowledgeiscodifiedbyorganizingit,categorizingit,andindexed.
o

Knowledgemaps

Decisiontable

Decisiontree

Integrationandsharing
o

Portals

Collaboration

Contentmanager

Eworld

Intranet

Extranet

Groupware

Ebusiness

Supplychainmanagement

Customerrelationshipmanagement

Learning

Traditional

Webbased

Thereisanarrayoftoolstousewhenpracticingknowledgemanagement.Researchingbestpractices
withorganizationswithasimilarstructuretoyourorganizationishelpfulindevelopingyourplan.There
arealsopackagedprogramsthatofferasuiteofsolutionsthatcanmeetmanyoftheseneeds.
LeveragingyourITdepartmentisalsoagoodthingtodoespeciallywiththeselectionofprogramsfor
yourknowledgemanagementsystem.Theywillgiveyoudetailsonhowtheprogramintegrateswiththe
companyssystem.Inaddition,youwillwanttoidentifywhowillmaintainsuchsystems.Many
programsareinstalledbyIT,butmanagedbyusersthroughouttheorganization.

Page34

A Map for Success

Hereisamapforsuccessfulrolloutofyourknowledgemanagementproject.

Vision
o

Timeline
o

Knowthatyouwillbechallenged,faceoppositiontochange,andwillhavetowork
aroundit.

Strategy
o

Makesureyouplanaccurateandrealistictimelines.Adecentknowledgemanagement
programtakesyearstodevelop.Makingthisaquickfixprojectwillnotgetyouthe
seriousnessyouneedfromyourstakeholders.Usemilestonestocommunicateyour
timeline.

Strongleadership
o

Creatingavisionofwhattheorganizationwilllooklikewitha
knowledgemanagementsystemwillhaveyourleadersandusers
seethefutureandtheneedtoinvestinsuchaprogram.
Describetothemwhatthiswilllooklikewhenitisdone.

Useasmallapproach.Implementsmallprojectinsteadofonelargeone.

Internalmarketing

Page35

Developashareddefinitionofknowledgemanagement.Getwiththosewhohave
influenceandholddiscussions.Trytoavoidtellingthemwhatitis.Gettheirinputand
incorporateitintothemessage.

Developaquick30secondadforyourproject.Thinkofcreativewaystodiscuss
knowledgemanagementwithoutoverbearingeveryonewithdiagramsandcharts.Avoid
thesetools.Instead,developaclear,crisppitchthatdescribesthevision.

Getyourmarketingdepartmentinvolved.

Focusonbusinessresults
o

Multiplepricingpoints
o

Tiewhatknowledgemanagementwilldoforthebusiness

Developdifferentbudgetcosts

Developmentofaprototypeandrunatestpilot
o

Startsmallanddevelopaprototypeandholdpilottestbeforefullrollout

The NoBudget Scenario

Ifyourunintoanobudgetsituationwithyourproject,thereisstillsomefrugal
waystoimplementaknowledgemanagementprogram.Itmaynotbefancy,butit
getstheballrollinguntilthereisabudget.Herearesomethingsyoucanuseto
helpyoumanageknowledge

First,takeinventoryofanytoolsthatcurrentlyexistthatyoucanleverage
andmakefeasiblewithslightadjustments.Seeifyouhavethefollowing:
o

Email

Intranet

Webportal

Electronicconferencingtools

Databases

Chatcapabilities

Second,getwithyourITdepartmentandseeifyoucanmakesomemodificationstoanyofthe
toolsmentionedabove.

Page36

Createanemailgroup

Createaninternalintranetpage

Createsometypeofcollaborativesiteonusingthewebportal

Networkusingexistingconferencingtools

Usetheexistingdatabasetechnologytocreateaseparatedatabase(ex.Microsoft
Access)

Theonlyexpenseyoumayincurislabor.Ifyouorganizationdesiresknowledgemanagement,butdoes
nothavethemonetaryresourcestosupportit,negotiateresourcesthatcouldhelpmakeenhancements
toexistingprogramsandsystems.Youmayneedtodevelopguidelinesandpoliciessothiscanbe
trainedtostaff.

Page37

A manager is responsible for the

application of knowledge
Peter F. Drucker
Module Ten: Tips for Success
Youneedallthehelpyoucangetwhentryingtocreatea
changeasgreatastheoneinvolvedwithimplementing
knowledgemanagementwithinyourorganization.Itemsthat
helptoincreasesuccessmayincludeapersoninchargeof
knowledgemanagementatyouorganization.Thisisjustone
example.Inthismodule,youwilllearnthetipstosuccessful
implementationofknowledgemanagementatthe
workplace.

About the Chief Knowledge Officer

Givingsomeoneafulltimejobinknowledgemanagementisadefiniteadvantage.If
yourcompanyisseriousaboutknowledgemanagement,theymayliketheideaofa
ChiefKnowledgeOfficer(CKO).CKOswillkeepknowledgemanagementinthe
forefrontofthebusiness.Theyareintouchwiththebusinessstrategiesonadayto
daybasis.TheroleofaCKOintheindustryisnotclearlydefinedsotheirrolemay
changefromcompanytocompany.
TheroleofaCKOcanbetemporaryuntiltheknowledgemanagementisfullyinplace.Rememberthat
thiscouldtakeseveralyearstoachieve.Theirrolemaybepermanentandoverseeareaslikelearning
andeducation.
Iftheorganizationdecidestohirefromtheoutside,thenewCKOwillhavetheknowledgeabout
systems,butwillnothavetheculturalunderstanding,increasingimplementationtimeoftheknowledge
managementproject.InternalpromotionstoCKOaddresstheculturalaspectandcanexploit
establishedconnectionswithseniormanagement.Ontheotherhand,beinginternalcouldleavethe
CKOblindedbycultureandunabletoseetheirfaults.
Hiringanexternalresourceandpairingthemwithaninternalemployeecouldresolvethisproblemand
movetheprojectforward.Ofcourse,theywouldhavetogetalongwell.

Page38

HereisaquicklistofwhataCKOdoes:

Identifygaps

Benchmarkperformancestandards

Integrateneedthroughouttheorganization

Manageresourcesfromvariousareaswithinorganization

Developstrategies

Buildsupport

Collaborate

Leveragestrengthswithinthecurrentculture

Createsharingandlearningenvironment

Practicechangemanagement

Demonstrateresults

Recognizeandchampionsuccess

Knowledge Management Skill Checklist

Hereisabrieflistofskillneededtomanageaknowledgemanagementproject.

Musthaveapassionforknowledgemanagement

Mustbeabletoconstantlysharethemessageofknowledge
management

Musthaveanentrepreneurialspiritandowntheprogram

Selfstarter

Risktaking

Createnewcapabilities

Changethewaypeoplethink

Changethewaypeoplework

Page39

Mustbeabletopersuade

Excellentwrittenandverbalskills

MustbeITsavvy

Theseskillsapplytowhoeverisleadingtheknowledgemanagementproject.Theseskillsarecriticalto
thesuccessoftheproject.

The Knowledge Management Imperative

Presentingaplanorstrategywithoutanyenergyorreasonforchangemaygetyour
projectonthestovebutonthebackburner.Theremustbeahealthylevelofurgency
togettingthisprojectunderway.Hereareacoupleofstepsyoucantaketocreatea
burningplatform.

Getyourstakeholderstoahealthylevelofsurvivalanxiety.Avoidover
dramatizingthepointasyoumayraiseskepticism.Presentinformationandfactsthatpointtoa
choicethathastobemade.Letthemcometotheirownconclusion.Hereisanexample:
o

IfwecontinueonthispathwewillloseXamountofdollars.

Makeknowledgemanagementthechoiceforasolution.Hereisanexample:
o

Ifwegowithknowledgemanagement,wewillincreaseprofitsbyXpercent.

Inanycase,theburningplatformformulaisthis:

Presenttherealisticdilemma

Providefactsandfigures

Presentthechoices

Pauseandletthemthinkitaboutit

Bepreparedtoanswerquestions

Page40

The Hype Curve

Thehypecycleconsistsoffivephases.

Triggerphaseiswhensomethingnewisintroduced,itcreatesabuzz,
andthereisahighlevelofinterestintheitem.

Peakofexpectationsiswhenthehypeisbuilduptothepointwhere
theemployeeswillstartgeneratingunrealisticexpectations.

Troughofdisillusionmentiswhentheemployeesaredisappointedbecausetheitemdidnot
meettheirinflatedexpectations.

Slopeofenlightenmentiswhenemployeesexperimentwiththeitemandunderstandthe
benefitsandpracticalityoftheitem.

Plateauofproductivityiswhenthebenefitsoftheitemaregenerallyaccepted.Theitem
stabilizesandisreadyforenhancementsandevolution.

Understandingthesephaseswillhelptomanagetheunrealisticpeaksandthedepthsofthetrough.
Herearesomethingstothinkofwhenmarketingyourknowledgemanagementproject.

Avoidsensationalizingitormakingbigpromisesyoucannotkeep.

Setexpectationsaheadoftime.Letthemknowthiswillbeaworkinprogressandwilltaketime
toperfect.

Communicateoftenandcollectfeedback.

Publishthebenefitstohelppushtheemployeestotheplateauphase

Barriers and Helpers to Success

Thebiggestchallengeyouwillfaceistheculture.Ifyourcultureisopentochange
andembracelearningandsharingthiswillhelpyoumoveyourprojectalong.Onthe
otherhand,ifyourcultureisclosedandresistanttochange,youwillfindit
challengingtoimplementyourproject.Herearesomethingstoconsiderasyou
navigateyourcultureandchange:

Organizationalcultureistacitanddeeplyrooted

Cultureisnoteasilychanged

Cultureiscomplexanddifficulttodefine

Analyzeyourcultureanddeterminethetoleranceforchange

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Definingknowledgemanagementcouldbeachallengeincertaincultures

Herearesomewaystoovercomethosebarriersandachievesuccess.

Learntounderstandyourcultureandworkwithinit

Reviewtheorganizationshistoryfromamemberspointofview

Listentothestoriestoldwithintheorganization.Thiswillgiveyouasenseofwhattheculture
tendstoassume

Approachmiddlemanagement.Theyarethegatetothegeneralemployeepopulation

Createarewardsystemforknowledgemanagement

Championsuccessstoriesthroughouttheorganization

Viewchangeasthreestages
o

Current,transition,andfuturestate

Developaplanforthetransitionstateandcatertohowtheorganizationadoptstochange

Providetrainingearlyinthechangeprocess

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The organization cannot create knowledge

on its own without the initiative of the
individual and the interaction that takes
place within the group.
Nonaka & Takeuchi
Module Eleven: Advance Topics
Thismodulewilldiscusssomeadvanceconceptsrelatedto
knowledgemanagement.Theseconceptswillhelpyou
understandwhenknowledgemanagementbecomesamature
programinyourorganization.Inaddition,youwilllearnhowto
keepithealthyandstrongthroughouttheyearsafterithasbeen
implemented.

The Knowledge Management Maturity Model

TheKMmaturitymodeldescribesfivelevels.
1. Initial:theorganizationisatthebeginningandjuststartingoutintracking
theirperformanceusingknowledgemanagement
2. Respectable:theorganizationisexperiencingsuccess,butproblemsareas
exist.
3. Defined:theorganizationisbeingmanagedwell;itiscompetingstronglywithinthemarket.
4. Managed:theorganizationisincontrolofthemarketandemployeesareempoweredtomake
decisions.
5. Optimizing:theorganizationisatamaturelevelandhasastrongreputation,andissetting
trendsinthemarket.
Thismodelwillhelpyouunderstandwhereyouareintheprocess.Rememberthatitcouldtakeyears
forknowledgemanagementtoaffectyouorganizationinthewaylevel5describes.

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Absorptive Capacity
Theabsorptivecapacityistheorganizationsabilitytorecognizethevalueof
newknowledge,integrateit,andapplyitinawaythatcreatescompetitive
advantage.Theabilityforanorganizationtodothisdependsontheprior
knowledgeanddiversityofbackground.
Therearetwolevelsofcapacity:

PotentialCapacityistheorganizationsreceptivenesstoacquiringandassimilatingexternal
knowledge.

RealizedCapacityistheorganizationsabilitytocombineexistingknowledgeandnew
knowledgeandintegratingit.

Thereareindicatorsindeterminingtheextentofabsorptivecapacity.

Levelofknowledgeacquisition
o

Assimilation
o

Numberofreferencestoothersourcesinanorganizationspublication

Transformation
o

Howmuchisinvestedinresearchanddevelopment

Numberofnewproductsideas

Exploitation
o

Numberofnewproductrollouts

Rustiness
Herearesometipstokeepingyourknowledgemanagementprojectvibrantover
time.

DonotrelyonITtosustainyourprogram.Knowledgemanagementisnota
program.Itisaphilosophyandculture.Keepinvolvedintheprocessand
alwayslooktonewwaysofdoingthingsorimprovements.

Expandyoursupporttoasmanyhighlevelmanagers.Donotrelyononesponsor.Whatwillyou
doiftheyleavetheorganization?

Keeptrainingemployeesonnewtechnologiesandprocesses.

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Keepthelinesofcommunicationopen.

Worktomakeknowledgemanagementastandardintheorganization

Whenpossible,buildyourKMBOK

Process Model Types

Aprocessmodeldescribeshowaprocessshouldbedone.Itoutlineswhatthe
processlookslike.Itisusuallyanillustration,whichconveystheactions,
relationships,andreasonstocompletingaprocess.Usingaprocessmodelwill
helptomaketheprocessmorememorabletoyourorganization.Youcanuse
manymodels.Onceyoufinalizewhattheprocessforknowledgemanagementwill
looklike,itisagoodsteptoputitinaprocessmodel.
Theexampleyoureceivedisjustonewaytoputyourknowledgemanagementprograminan
illustration.Therearemanywaystoachievethis.Thepointhereittocreateaprocessmodeltohelp
solidifyknowledgemanagementandcreatealastingimageforyourorganization.

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Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of

the lifelong attempt to acquire it.
Albert Einstein
Module Twelve: Wrapping Up
Althoughthisworkshopisending,wehopethatyourjourneyto
improveyourknowledgemanagementisjustbeginning.Pleasetake
amomenttoreviewandupdateyouractionplan.Thiswillbeakey
tooltoguideyourprogressinthedays,weeks,months,andyearsto
come.Wewishyouthebestofluckontherestofyourtravels!

Words from the Wise

Includesomequotestowrapuptheday.

JohnPlamenatz:Thestoreofwisdomdoesnotconsistofhardcoins,which
keeptheirshapeastheypassfromhandtohand;itconsistsofideasand
doctrineswhosemeaningschangewiththemindsthatentertainthem

LeifEdvinsson:Ofcentralimportanceisthechangingnatureofcompetitive
advantagenotbasedonmarketposition,sizeandpowerasintimespast,but
ontheincorporationofknowledgeintoallofanorganization'sactivities

BaruchLev:Innovationsarecreatedprimarilybyinvestmentinintangibles.Whensuch
investmentsarecommerciallysuccessful,andareprotectedbypatentsorfirstmover
advantages,theyaretransformedintotangibleassetscreatingcorporatevalueandgrowth.

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