Kick Start Knowledge Management

Delhi K-Community Learning Session

• Knowledge management can be defined as "the harnessing of a company's collective expertise wherever it resides and the distribution of that expertise to the right people at the right time. It's not a product but a process-the process of gathering, managing, and sharing your employees' knowledge capital.“

- GartnerGroup

Can Knowledge be Managed?

Ask yourself!

• Can’t manage what you can’t measure• Where does knowledge exist?• Can technology create/manage knowledge?

• You can't manage knowledge. Knowledge is between two ears and only between two ears.

Peter F. Drucker,

Knowledge facts!• Knowledge is about context• Knowledge cannot be transferred• Knowledge sharing is voluntary• We share knowledge with right audience• We trade knowledge• Knowledge travels faster in informal networks• Formal : Informal network ratio = 1 : 1000• Knowledge is leaky

Some KM myths!• KM is about ‘implementation’• KM is a set of procedures • KM can be outsourced• KM is about storing knowledge• KM is about enhancing knowledge supply• KM always helps innovation• KM is about building a knowledge-based

organization

Typical situations we face• Information is there, but can’t find it.• Delivered in the past, but out of touch, therefore

redo the work.• Can’t find any experts due to "brain drain“ • Resource is away and nobody knows how to finish

‘that’ crucial contract• Search returned 187 items. Which one is relevant?• Development team used old specifications• Can’t find all project documents at one secure place

Some KM mistakes• Weak guiding strategy• Let’s go shopping• Build it and they will come• Document-centric approach• Big-Bang implementation approach• Supply-side solution approach• Starting with a low-profile project

Some KM mistakes• KM initiatives are supplementary• Quantity v/s Quality• Heavy taxonomy, weak search• Lengthy KM assessments• Where’s the ROI?• Too many portals• Too many protocols

What do you want to do?• Share solutions to customer problems in a BPO?• Help groups or teams collaborate and share work?• Locate people with specific skills or create CoPs?• Manage unstructured content repositories?• Provide customized access to existing information?• Document, model and execute business processes?

Challenges in KM• People

– Resistance to change– Culture – Awareness– Accountability– Collaboration (WIIIFM)– Priorities– 90-9-1 rule– Know – Tell – Write– Leadership support

• Process– Business direction– Strategies– Decision making– Documenting

• Technology – Virtualization– Scalability– ROI– Information overload

Simple Rule

• Promote values

• Learn, Collaborate, Build Relationships, Encourage Dialog, Induce Critical Thinking

• Make it easy for ‘them’!

Questions!

Open-house Discussion

Thoughts, Ideas, Opinions, Queries, Critical analysis, Next steps!

Share your feedback: http://kcommunity.ning.com/group/delhikcommunity

Thank you!

Vikash & Sandeep (for the commute and venue)

K-Community, LinkedIn, Facebook, Skype