Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable
Competitive Advantage
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable
Competitive Advantage
David Hyde, Project Engineer
Aaron Crews, Principal Engineer
PresentersPresenters
David Hyde
Aaron Crews
Company Logo
Company Logo
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable
Competitive Advantage
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable
Competitive Advantage
David Hyde, Project Engineer
Aaron Crews, Principal Engineer
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable
Competitive Advantage
TAG’s recent successes in Knowledge Sharing using “low barrier to entry”
tools and practices
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable
Competitive Advantage
TAG’s recent successes in Knowledge Sharing using “low barrier to entry”
tools and practicesDavid Hyde, Project Engineer
Aaron Crews, Principal Engineer
Terms and ConditionsTerms and Conditions
We are not Knowledge Management experts
We are sharing TAG’s story
We are on the journey
We want to instill the importance of getting started
AgendaAgenda
Why we think Knowledge Sharing is important
Our approach What we’ve learned
along the way Where we are going
Key TermsKey Terms
Knowledge = information + experience Knowledge Management = manage
with due attention to the value of knowledge
Why We Think Knowledge Sharing is ImportantWhy We Think Knowledge Sharing is Important
Increases efficiencies Avoids repeating mistakes Nurtures the creation of new knowledge
– Speeds up innovation– Gains competitive advantage
Identifies experts Transfers knowledge between people &
organizations (horizontal and vertical)
Why We Think Knowledge Sharing is ImportantWhy We Think Knowledge Sharing is Important
What your organization collectively knows,
how efficiently it uses what it knows,
and how readily it acquires new knowledge
Is your company’s
Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Our VisionOur Vision
Maintain industry advantage Nurture innovation Drive knowledge workers to higher
levels Align knowledge strategies with
organizational strategies
Our VisionOur Vision
Our clients are now demanding it!
BarriersBarriers
Q: What’s so hard about sharing?
A: It’s not that easy.
BarriersBarriers
Cognitive Motivational
BarriersBarriers
Cognitive– Challenges
• Expertise leads to abstraction• Difficult to bridge gap • “Tacit” knowledge
– Overcoming• Use intermediate experts• Apprenticeships• Boundary objects
BarriersBarriers
Motivational– Challenges
• “Knowledge is power”• Formal Processes• Trust• Time/dedication
– Overcoming• Norm of reciprocity• Part of normal daily affairs (culture)
BarriersBarriers
Siloed
Image credit AnnieGreenSprings on flickr
This is a common problem.This is a common problem.
An entire field of study called “Knowledge Management” has been built around trying to solve these issues
GapsGaps
We’re doing some things (actually, a lot of things), but there are gaps.
Image credit squeaks2569 on flickr
The KM ToolboxThe KM Toolbox
Lessons Learned
Knowledge Harvesting
Knowledge Centers
Best Practices
Exit Interviews
KM Strategy
Knowledge Audit
Communities of Practice
KM
Peer Assists
Social Network Analysis
White Pages
Story Telling
Why doesn’t KM always work?Why doesn’t KM always work?
Lack of design thinking– Tools aren’t designed around how we work– Tools aren’t designed to feed back into the organization– Tools are too onerous
• Difficult to maintain• Difficult and time consuming to use (and more passwords!)
Lack of context – archiving solutions only– Knowledge is more about reframing problems than repeating
solutions– We need to know why, not just how
StrategyStrategy
Q: How do we know how to build the right tool?
A: We don’t. (hey, at least we know we don’t)
– Exec sponsorship– ID Champions– Jump In– Start small, be agile.– Capitalize on indirect methods
Executive Buy-In+
Evangelism
Celebrate small winsSmall, informal tools
Organizational AwarenessAnd
Culture Change
Start
StrategyStrategy
TacticsTactics
KM Program
People
TechnologyProcesses
TacticsTactics
KM Program
People
TechnologyProcesses
TacticsTactics
Processes– Fed by People and Technology outcomes– Led by Management to drive participation– May be formalized/institutionalized– Examples
• Lessons Learned• Exit Interviews• Customer Surveys• Employee Performance Goals• Standards and Procedures
TacticsTactics
KM Program
People
TechnologyProcesses
TacticsTactics
People– Knowledge Shares– Solution Circles– Peer Assists
OutcomesOutcomes
Knowledge Shares– Story Telling– Kick-off for Monthly Brown Bags– 10 minute Share, 5 minute Q&A– Highlights expertise informally– The Point: Not so much to remember the
content, but the expert– Reinforce KM initiatives and “wins”
OutcomesOutcomes
Based on “Knowledge Café” model by David Gurteen
Uniquely structured brainstorming sessions Very actionable and challenging outcomes Source of most TAG KM initiatives
OutcomesOutcomes
Peer Assists
TacticsTactics
KM Program
People
TechnologyProcesses
TacticsTactics Technology
– Fit into existing workflow when possible– Flexible and inexpensive– Lowering barriers
• Use open standards• Web-based
– Examples• Communicator• Mindstream• Sharepoint• Search
OutcomesOutcomes
Mindstream– Web-based application– Open source: based on Wordpress– Provides
• Whitepages• Virtual Communities of Practice• Easy publishing
– Open/searchable document format (just html, not Word)
OutcomesOutcomes
Mindstream• Whitepages
OutcomesOutcomes
OutcomesOutcomes
OutcomesOutcomes
Mindstream– Internal Google
search – Analytics
OutcomesOutcomes
MS Communicator– Instant messaging– Already available,
not used
– Real-time collaboration& group chat
ClosingClosing
Ongoing Challenges– Continue celebrating small wins– Nurturing uptake/participation of tools– Consistency – schedule and follow-up of
people and process-related solutions– Governance
QuestionsQuestions
Feedback Questions
Thanks!Thanks!
Thank you for attending. Your feedback is welcome!
David Hyde:– [email protected]– Twitter/davidmhyde– LinkedIn/davidmhyde
Aaron Crews:– [email protected]– Twitter/aaroncrews– LinkedIn/aaroncrews
Sources and CreditsSources and Credits
ABC’s of Knowledge Management, by NHS National Library for Health
Knoco Ltd. Knowledge management models, SPE poster Gabriel Cepeda-Carrión (University of Seville, Spain), Competitive
Advantage of Knowledge Management APQC’s Road Map to Knowledge Management Results: Stages of
Implementation Knoco Ltd. Knowledge management stories, www.nickmilton.com Olivier Amprimo, The Adaptation of Organisations to a Knowledge
Economy and the Contribution of Social Computing Andrew McAfee, The Business Impact of IT, andrewmcafee.org Mark Gould, Enlightened Tradition: Unpicking traditional
assumptions about KM and the life of the law, blog.tarn.org