Albert SimardPresented to

Knowledge Strategy Exchange NetworkToronto, ON. May 13-14, 1013

New Approaches to Knowledge Management (Part1)

DefinitionsParadigm: Shared worldview, or knowledge “landscape” and all its implications within which a discipline legitimately operatesParadigm Shift: A profound change in the underlying model that increases its capacity to explain observed phenomena; a higher-order understanding.

The Thinker - Rodin

Signs of Paradigm Problems

Accumulating anomalies that the paradigm cannot explain.

Competing concepts, theories, and principles.

Diverse interpretations of observations and experience.

Anomalies, disagreements, and diversity are increasingly important.

What if…

Instead of the mantra that organizational culture must change for knowledge management to succeed,

We ask the question: “Given an existing culture, what can knowledge management do to leverage the value of organizational knowledge and increase the productivity of knowledge work?”

OutlineManagement Levels

Management RegimesCreation

Validation

Organization

Authorization

Knowledge Manageability

Knowledge Management Levels

Assets

Sharing

Work

Transfer

Infrastructure

Collaboration

National Defence, National Security, Public Safety

Markets

Resources Government

Application

Stock

Flow

Defence R&D Canada

Creation

KM Levels

Knowledge Infrastructure

work routineslessons learned, best practices,

Peoplelearning, motivation,

rewards, incentives,

staffing, skills

roles, responsibilities, authorities, resources

Content, Services

data, risk analysis, reports, monitoring, operations, policies

Toolssystems to capture, store, share, and process content

KM LevelsKM Levels

Governance

Processes

Knowledge AssetsCapture: Represent explicit or tacit knowledge on reproducible media

Inventory: Find, list, and describe knowledge; map to business needs, value and prioritize

Needs: What needs to be known to accomplish organizational goals; identify core knowledge

Gaps: Difference between what is known and what needs to be known

Preserve: organize, store, search & retrieval, maintain and migrate throughout life-cycle

KM LevelsKM Levels

Knowledge SharingExplicit Knowledge

• Dissemination (Provider Pushes – transmission, semantics, effectiveness)

• Access (User Pulls – awareness, permission, accessibility, searching, retrieval)

• Exchange (Market Trades – reciprocity, trust, signals, inefficiencies, pathologies)

Tacit Knowledge• Methods (conversations, Q&A, capturing, advising, teaching,

storytelling, mentoring, presenting)• Place (meetings, workshops, conferences, on-site,

demonstrations, classrooms, symposia, communities) • Technology (telephone, e-mail, video conference, chat rooms,

bulletin boards, on-line forums, blogs, social network sites)

KM LevelsKM Levels

CollaborationDialogue, conversations in groups

Sharing, exchanges among peers

Candor, freedom of expression

Trust, safety, honesty

Transparency, openness

Agreed rules of conduct

Diversity, flexibility, outliers

Equality, meritocracy of ideas

Collective, not individual benefit

KM LevelsKM Levels

Social Network Principles

Openness – collaboration based on candor, transparency, freedom, flexibility, and accessibility.Peering – horizontal voluntary meritocracy, based on fun, altruism, or personal values.Sharing – increased value of common products benefits all participants.Acting Globally – value is created through large knowledge ecosystems.

Cass Sunstein (2006)Cass Sunstein (2006)

KM LevelsKM Levels

Knowledge Work (DRDC)

Governance

Monitoring

Intelligence

Needs

Priorities

Establishment

Programs

Services

Acquire

Create

Develop

Mobilize

Learn

Report

Integration Innovation Mitigation Advice

Adaptation

Clie

nts

DND

(management)

(R & D)

KM LevelsKM Levels

Knowledge TransferCommunications: one-way dissemination of approved messages and positions.Transaction: two-way exchanges of knowledge products & services.Parallel: Transferring knowledge products & services from or to two or more providers or users.Sequential: Multiple organizations sequentially produce and transfer knowledge products & services.Cyclic: Knowledge service “value chains” continuously create and transfer new knowledge.Network: Interactions among large numbers of participants in a “knowledge ecosystem.”

KM LevelsKM Levels

OutlineManagement Levels

Management Regimes

Creation

Validation

Organization

Authorization

Knowledge Manageability

Organizational Knowledge Flow

CreationCreation ValidationValidation

OrganizationOrganizationAuthorizationAuthorization

Incentives Compliance (you will)

Pay, job security, duty, work ethic, penaltiesMilitary, manufacturing, law, regulation, policiesMeet quotas, minimum standards, routine tasks

Motivation (you’ll be rewarded)Ambition, challenges, bonuses, rewards, recognitionEfficiency, productivity, qualityIncreases, improvements

Engagement (would you like to?)Meaningfulness, ownership, self-esteem, enjoymentCreativity, innovation, discoveryCommitment, involvement, willingness, enjoyment

CreationCreation

Engagement

Autonomy: (agreed task, flexible schedule, select technique, choose team) Mastery: (mindset, takes time and effort, is asymptotic)Purpose: (meaningful goals, words are important, policies)

Daniel Pink (2009)Daniel Pink (2009)

CreationCreation

Eliciting Methods

Conversations, discussions, dialogue (colleagues, peers)

Questions & answers, problems & solutions (novice/expert)

After-action reviews, lessons learned (event/group)

Capture, document, interview, record (expert/facilitator)

Extraction, identify, codify, organize (expert/know engineer)

Advising, briefing, recommending (subordinate/superior)

Teaching, educating, training (teacher/student)

Storytelling, narratives, anecdotes (teller/listener)

Explaining, demonstrating, describing (technician/user)

Presentations, lectures, speeches (speaker/audience)

CreationCreation

Communities Create & Validate Knowledge

Knowledge exists in the minds of people. Experience is as important as formal knowledge.

Knowledge is tacit as well as explicit. Transferring tacit knowledge is more effective through human interaction.

Knowledge is social as well as individual. Today’s knowledge is the result of centuries of collective research.

Knowledge is changing at an accelerating rate. It takes a community of people to keep up with new concepts, practices, and technology.

ValidationValidation

Participants- Help with their work- Solve problems- Find experts- Receive feedback- Place to learn- Enhance reputation

Participants- Help with their work- Solve problems- Find experts- Receive feedback- Place to learn- Enhance reputation

Management- Connect isolated experts- Coordinate activities- Fast problem solving- Reduce development time- Standardize processes- Develop & retain talent

Management- Connect isolated experts- Coordinate activities- Fast problem solving- Reduce development time- Standardize processes- Develop & retain talent

Community Benefits

Outputs- Tangible: documents, reports, manuals, recommendations,

reduced innovation time and cost- Intangible: increased skills, sense of trust, relationships,

diverse perspectives, capacity to innovate, spirit of enquiry

Outputs- Tangible: documents, reports, manuals, recommendations,

reduced innovation time and cost- Intangible: increased skills, sense of trust, relationships,

diverse perspectives, capacity to innovate, spirit of enquiry

ValidationValidation

Harvesting Methods Service Center: repository for community outputs; interface with communities, minimize duplication, inform communities

Leader: transfer community outputs; Identify emerging trends, prioritize issues

Sponsor: endorse community outputs; bridge between the community and the organization, provide support, minimize organizational barriers

Champion: ensure adoption of community outputs; communicate purpose, promote the community

ValidationValidation

Organizational StructureOrganizationOrganization

Technology

support

Manage

InterfaceContent

Research

Social

Common

Governance

context

workwork

Knowledge Services Value Chain

Use Internally

Use Professionally

Use Personally

Create Transform

Add Value

Transfer

EvaluateManage

ExtractAdvanceEmbed

Legend

S&T Partners Centre for Security Science

Practitioners & Stakeholders

OrganizationOrganization

Knowledge Creation Process

Legend: Work Output Service

Legend: Work Output Service

Social Statistical apps.

Store

Analyze

Body of knowledge Review

Literature

Experimental design

Test

Experiment

inadequate

adequate

Write

Review

Publish

EditHypothesisHypothesis

DataData

TacitTacit

ExplicitExplicit

ProductProduct

GapGapLibrary, Web, Search Expertise

Office app.Data mgt. Analysis apps.

Interface

CollaborationCollaboration

OrganizationOrganization

Organizing Knowledge

Classification systems

Indexes, catalogues

Thesauri, Taxonomies

Ontologies, Mind maps

Folksonomies

Automated methods

Artificial intelligence

OrganizationOrganization

Governance Framework

Negotiation

Negotiation

Negotiation

AuthorizationAuthorization

Direction, Authority, ResourcesProgram

Governance

Project Governance

Work

Systems

Reports, Advice, Issues

Corp. Service Governance

Centre Service Governance

KIT Services

Technology Content

Reports, Advice Issues

Other services: science, HR, finance, purchasing…

Mandate Resources ConstraintsAuthority Responsibility Accountability

Budget Staff Capacity

Laws TB Policies DND Policies

Corporate Governance

Authorization

Understanding – Keep it simple; one message with stories and multiple analogies from different perspectives.

Experience – Do your homework; pre-brief decision makers, solicit opinions, negotiate objections (to a point).

Resources – Pick low-hanging fruit; plan low cost, small effort, low impact activities.

Management – Think big, start small; divide into small projects with measurable, high-impact deliverables.

Submission – Leadership is essential; bypass unjustified objections, accept majority vote, authorize work.

AuthorizationAuthorization

SustainabilityLeadership – Outputs must be delivered within a leader’s tenure; preferably, get them institutionalized. Governance – Representative, federated decision making is the only sustainable governance for knowledge work.Reorganization – Align a project/activity with the organizational business model. Priorities – Align the project/activity with the organization’s long-term strategySupport – Deliver initial outputs when & as promised; be prepared to adapt to changing priorities.Culture – Develop favorable policies, reward desired behavior, leverage work, implement helpful systems.

AuthorizationAuthorization

OutlineManagement Levels

Management RegimesIndividuals

Communities

Organization

Authorization

Knowledge Manageability

Cynefin Framework ManageabilityManageability

Kurtz and Snowden (2003)

Management Regimes

Authoritative Hierarchy

Organizational Structure

Negotiated Agreement

Responsible Autonomy

Purpose (Why) Authorize Organize Collaborate & Validate

Create

Entity (What) Decisions & Actions

Objects & Tasks

People & Connectivity

Environment & Interests

Process (How) Decide & Act Capture & Structure

Connect Communities

Engage People

Interactions Hierarchy Work Process Agreements Dialogue

Knowledge Authoritative Explicit Tacit Innate

ManageabilityManageability

AuthorityAuthorityKnowledgeKnowledge

Definitions

Authoritative Hierarchy: Knowledge creation, management, and use can be completely, totally, or entirely mandated, governed, structured, and evaluated. (>90%)

Organizational Structure: Knowledge creation, management, and use can be predominantly, generally, or mostly mandated, governed, structured, and evaluated. (50%-90%)

Negotiated Agreement: Knowledge creation, management, and use can be partly, nominally, or incompletely mandated, governed, structured, and evaluated. (10%-50%)

Responsible Autonomy: Knowledge creation, management, and use can be slightly, minimally, or not mandated, governed, structured, and evaluated. (10%<)

ManageabilityManageability

Knowledge Manageability

Management levels

Authoritative Hierarchy

Organizational Infrastructure

Negotiated Agreement

Responsible Autonomy

Transfer Direction Products & Services

Exchange Knowledge markets

Work Mandate Process Agreement Self-interest

Collaboration Assignment Representation Partnership Participation

Sharing Vertical Horizontal Community Network

Assets Embed Sole IP rights Joint IP rights Open source

Infrastructure Authoritative Standardized Connective Enabling

Management RegimesManagement Regimes

Manageability

Management Regimes and Strategic Trends

Authoritative Hierarchy

Organizational Structure

Partnership Agreement

Responsible Autonomy

knowledge assets

generation capacity

structured processes

individual abilities

Re

lativ

e

Imp

ort

an

cehigh

low

Management Regime

Competitiveness

Sustainability

ManageabilityManageability

Main Messages

There are six knowledge management levels.

There are four knowledge management regimes

Knowledge flows across all levels and regimes.

This is a new paradigm for knowledge management. M. C. Escher (1957)

“Cube with Magic Ribbons”M. C. Escher (1957) “Cube with Magic Ribbons”

http://cradpdf.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/PDFS/unc118/p536618_A1b.pdf