Web 2.0 adoption in the corporate sector has been slow, of that there is no doubt. The reliance on traditional information management systems that are heavily process oriented is tremendous. There is very little incentive ( or so a lot of people think ) towards investing in “newer” applications and services.

However there is a slow shift in that line of thought, i read a rather interesting survey conducted by the Mckinsey group on how Web 2.0 is being adopted in large corporates. The indication being that recently there has been a noticeable increase in corporates willing to invest in these new technologies and more importantly the rewards attained as a result of this leap of faith.

On the whole i think it’s a wait and watch game, the one thing you need to understand is that implementing a Web 2.0 application is considered something of a risk as most “corporates” as most do not have the exposure or understanding to realize the benefit it could garner for them.

I’m currently involved in a large project within the company i work for to rollout a large application that encompasses most Web 2.0 features like Wikis, Blogs, Social networking and such. Something that i personally feel has become long overdue and i can already forsee the huge benefit to the employee within the organization.

A decade or so ago the office was a treasure trove of new technologies, today the world wide web gives you a better variety of tools. What organizations need to realize is that most of their employees depend on these tools and services on a daily basis and the flexibility it provides them only strengthens the argument that there are serious drawbacks to the services they have to use back at the office.

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One of most difficult questions I’ve had to answer with respect to the subject of Knowledge Management is why Technology is so important.

The people asking these questions do not confuse Knowledge Management with Content Management ( as a lot of people very often do ). More often than not they do understand what KM is about and what it could potentially achieve.

So what is the answer? Is technology really that important to KM?

I tried drawing a correlation between the various KM initiatives I’ve been a part of over the years and whether technology did play an important role in it. The results were pretty startling, in over 80% of the initiatives technology did play a vital role. The most common role being the ability to bridge the huge geographical divide that comes with the day to day runnings of a Multi-national corporation.

As I’ve stated in many of my previous posts Knowledge Management is very simply creating channels of communications ( in essence, getting people to talk to one another ). With the breadth of communication enablers that we have at our disposal today its no wonder KM has started relying heavily on technology.

Lets not forget another valuable contribution of technology to the implementation of KM in an organization. The ability to derive metrics! a necessary task for those of us battling with the leadership teams for funds. As with all companies success speaks volumes when it is in the form of a verifiable number. KM is held to the same level of accountablility as any other function. You need to know where and how KM helped achieve a particular organization goal.

Bottom line…. For KM to survive in todays organization a technology framework is vital.

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Title : The Role of Knowledge Management Governance in the Implementation of Strategy.

Author(s) : Suzanne Zyngier and Frada Burstein (Monash University Australia
suzanne.zyngier@infotech.monash.edu.au frada.burstein@sims.monash.edu.au)
Judy McKay ( Swinburne University of Technology Australia )

Abstract :

Previous research has examined different understandings of the concept of knowledge
management and from this, a multiplicity of approaches to implement strategies have been
derived. This paper presents research that examines the role of governance as a framework to ensure the effective delivery of a knowledge management strategy. Knowledge management governance is considered and a conceptual framework developed to appropriately position knowledge management governance within the organization. It draws on the results of research into knowledge management governance practices in a major scientific research facility and those in a confectionary manufacturer. We conclude that the implementation of a knowledge management strategy through such a framework ensures the delivery of anticipated benefits in an authorized and regulated manner.

Read the full article here.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Forrester sees an effective IT asset management (ITAM) system as a prerequisite for establishing business service management. The reason is simple: If you don’t know your IT estate, you cannot build and support sophisticated service levels. Nor can you record accurate financials and establish a financial chargeback system for the services. Underlying many ITAM solutions is a data repository known as a configuration management database (CMDB). But the CMDB is an application that, perhaps leveraging an effective ITAM system, maps the linkages between business services, their metrics, and the configuration items (CIs) being maintained by an IT infrastructure. Forrester believes that the implementation of a CMDB is a key next step after IT asset management is established; the CMDB is used to provide the logical and physical picture of how these assets are connected to the business services or applications of a business.

You can find the entire article Here. However this is an aritcle you have to purchase, i couldn’t very well list out the contents here now could i?

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As a continuation to the previous post on KM from CEN find below a list of the 5 papers.

CWA 14924-1
European Guide to good Practice in Knowledge Management - Part 1: Knowledge Management Framework

CWA 14924-2
European Guide to good Practice in Knowledge Management - Part 2: Organizational Culture

CWA 14924-3
European Guide to good Practice in Knowledge Management - Part 3: SME Implementation

CWA 14924-4
European Guide to good Practice in Knowledge Management - Part 4: Guidelines for Measuring KM

CWA 14924-5
European Guide to good Practice in Knowledge Management - Part 5: KM Terminology

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As with most of my thoughts this one started after a conversation i had with a colleague.

A number of us are so caught up in meeting deadlines, creating drivers that ensure our existing KM initiatives don’t fall flat. We don’t stop to think “Why KM?”, atleast thats what i’ve found after talking to a number of people. Sure there were indicators that lead to the decision of implementing KM, however no clear cut goals were established right at the beginning.

I see this trend continuing with companies that have started to adopt KM within their ranks. They often seem uncertain of benefits that KM can bring to the table, while they may know the answer to the “What” they don’t know the “How”.

In today’s world, with attrition levels being where they are there are often instances where initiatives lose direction and focus after key personnel leave the organization. For the true success of any KM initiative the agenda and focus should be independent of any single person. The vision should be at an organization level for it to have any chance of long term success.

So while i had a quiet moment i asked myself the question once again. Why do we need KM? We seem to be working just fine without it. Sure we aren’t as efficient as we’d like to be, but still. What has caused this sudden rush for the implementation of KM? I will leave this open ended to allow you the reader to help me answer this question.

For those of your reading this, do leave a comment as to why you think KM is important?

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Continued….

Intangibles

Community rating of portlets

All vendors and open source communities brag about the depth of available, 3^rd-party portlets. Reusing and sharing components is already a great idea, but without community ratings it can be prohibitively difficult to assess the quality and usefulness of available portlet code.

Widely available community support

Whether formalized in a user group or using an informal network, community support is a fast and effective way to get answers to your questions. Moreover, location still matters. Local consultants that can support and guide you can make a decisive contribution to your implementation.

A Word About Standards

Vendors may say, “don’t worry about URLs and communities, since our wonderful standards support guarantees your investment.”

Sure, unlike most other adjacent technologies (such as content management), the portal marketplace boasts many relevant technology standards. However, I encourage you to look beyond industry standards and leave it to the vendors to fight about who has the best implementation of JSR 168, BPEL, EJB, SOAP, and so forth. Don’t get me wrong — these standards matter and are helpful — but you should look at the market from a broader business and technical perspective.

http://www.cmswatch.com/Feature/160-Portal-Must-Haves

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One of the biggest challenges in Knowledge Management these days is getting people involved in the process. Unlike other initiatives which use a mix of the carrot and stick approach, KM can only be promoted using the carrot.

Now the challenge is, what motivates the average users to contribute towards the system? Is it the rewards or the recognition? From what i’ve seen its a balance between both.

However, for the long term sustainability of any KM initiative there has to a be focused move from a rewards based system to one of recognition. For one, its cheaper , second and more importantly, studies done in corporates have shown that the single largest motivator amongst employees is recognition by their peers and superiors.

Knowledge Management is that perfect platform that enables even the youngest of employees’ to show case their ideas and talents on a corporate platform. It ensures that if you are good at what you do, your voice isn’t lost in the crowd. This, i feel is the biggest selling point of KM to the average employee.

The driving force behind KM implementation for an organization is a little different. Numbers speak volumes, and unless corporates see a monetary benefit towards implementing a KM initiative, chances are they’d rather invest the money somewhere else.

So, the method with which you decide to promote Knowledge Management in your organziation depends entirely on your people. Rewards will only get you so far.

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