KM 101

Knowledge Management 101

Patti Anklam

February 2016

Based on a workshop

given to a client in

August, 2015.

Examples are from

user interviews and

surveys.

This workshop

concluded with a

tutorial on Value

Network Analysis.

Those slides are

included as well.

Topics

• My role – KM Assessment

• How to Think about Knowledge Management

– Definition

– Review of the Key Concepts that have characterized KM as a discipline

– Practices, methods, and tools

• Implementing Knowledge Management

– Standard models

– Your context

• Work out next steps

– KM committee/working group/champions

– Work with IT group to integrate KM into their plans

2

What We Do in a KM Assessment

• Understand the current state – where you are today

– Knowledge sharing habits & needs

– Tools in use

– Processes and practices

• Possibilities for the future

– Generate ideas while in conversation

– Be specific about next steps – recommendations

3

KM – A Definition

Knowledge management is a collection of approaches, methods, work practices, and tools that enable an organization to identify and leverage critical knowledge.

4

Knowledge management is adaptive – the more you learn and apply knowledge

management techniques, the more you see how they work together.

You don’t have to bite it off all at once. Understand the principles, the range of

work practices and tool and get started with the ones that will make the biggest

difference NOW.

Why KM May Be Important

Problem Impact

Help when it’s neededBeing able to locate critical expertise at the moment it is needed

Not being responsive to community or funder needsInability to act on innovation

Time to FindAmount of time it takes to locate a document, person when needed

Staff productivityQuality of reporting to fundersDelay in providing services

On-boardingBeing able to bring new hires or partners up to speed quickly

Productivity of new employeeLess demand on existing employees

Knowledge hoardingMaintaining control of information so as to enhance personal status

Needless rework Reduced response times to community and fundersStaff productivity & moral

Lost knowledgeKnowledge leaves the workplace when staff goto new jobs or retire

Inability to staff key projects

When to share/how to shareStaff not knowing what might be valuable to others and providing it in a way that others can find it

Staff “reinventing the wheel”People don’t know who can provide needed expertise

5

Three “Eras” of KM

6

1st Generation 2st Generation 3rd Generation

Explicit Tacit Emergent

Content Collaboration Connection

Artifacts Individuals The Network

1995 2015

Explicit/Tacit Distinction

7

Explicit

• Identified, codified

• Reusable

Tacit

• In people’s experience

• Embedded in practices

Knowledge Transfer – SECI Model

8

• Face to face• Storytelling•Communities•Mentoring• OTJ Training

• Recipes• Reports• Post mortem• Video

• Database• Report • Portal• Reading

• Practicing• Searching• Revision •Blogging

HafidzahAziz

Data Wisdom

9

https://www.climate-eval.org/blog/answer-42-data-information-and-knowledge

22 February 2016St-Onge, Armstrong, Petrash & Edvinsson

Customer

Structural

Human Capital -the capabilities of the individuals

Structural capital - capabilities of the organization (processes, tools)

Customer capital - the value of an organization's relationships

Social capital – the stock of relationships, context, trust, and norms that enable knowledge-sharing behavior

Human

Social

Intellectual Capital

Practices, Methods, Tools

File sharing

Content management; databases

Intranet/extranet portals

Information architecture/Taxonomies

Enterprise discovery and search

[…]

Face-to-face, people practices

Videoconferencing/Web meetings

Communities of Practice

Discussion boards/collaboration tools/instant messaging

Lessons learned/peer assists

[…]

Microblogging (Tweeting)

Wikis

Blogging

Working out loud

Personal knowledge management

[…]

1

2

3

[Adapted from Nancy Dixon: http://www.slideshare.net/SIKM/km-3-eras-nancy-dixon-slides

The Challenge

12

Knowledge management is not a “one

size fits all” anything. Every organization

is unique; the specific approaches,

methods, and work practices that drive

one organization’s success may not be

useful in a different organization.

Your Environment

Where are you in each of the three “layers”?

13

Domains of Knowledge

• From improving individuals’ capabilities for knowledge sharing and collaboration

• To working as a networked set of interdependent units

• To becoming a learning organization that creates and shares intellectual property with sponsors and partners and provides thought leadership

Organizational Learning & Thought Leadership

Team Collaboration and Learning

Personal Productivity

As the organization matures, the focus shifts from the

individual to the organization

A Little Card Game

• Pick a card from the pile

• Read the description

• In groups of 3, discuss your card:

– Something new to you?

– Something you already do?

– Something that you might benefit from?

15

KM Method Cards are available from Straits

Knowledge

(http://www.straitsknowledge.com/store_new/km_method_cards/)

Elements for Implementing KM

16

Aligning Knowledge & Mission

17

Strategic KM Tactical KM Operational KM

View

A company is part of a larger ecosystem; knowledge that supports mission, vision, position & uniqueness

Configuration of people, functions, roles & relationships; knowledge that supportscorporate organization & objectives

Activities, processes & systems that keep an enterprise healthy; knowledge that supports functional flow and structural maintenance;Individual productivity

Frame Why How What

PurposeConnect knowledge to the business model

Connect people to knowledge and each other

Connect knowledge activities to results

Key QuestionsWhat is our purpose? How does knowledge create business value?

How can we better create, use & apply our knowledge?

How can we codify and share knowledge of routine tasks, etc.

Supporting Tools &

Methods(Examples)

Strategy mappingCompetency modelingCRM systems

CollaborationExpertise locationAfter action reviewsGroup processesMeeting management

Job aids (“How Do I”)Intranet/search tools

Verna Allee, The Future of Knowledge

What Knowledge Do You Need?

18

Public

Community

Partners

Social Collaboration

(Ask & answer, search & discover, real-time)

Structured Collaboration

(Creative, coordinated, goal-oriented)

Managed

(Authoritative,

stable,

controlled)

Mobile DimensionComputer, tablet, smartphone

Based on Jane McConnell’s Digital Workplace, NetStrategyJMC

Technology: The Digital Workplace

Your Stuff

Boundaries in the Digital Workplace

• Defined constituencies:

– Internal

– Community

– Partners

– Public

• Each have potential needs in any of the spaces. Questions to ponder:

– Should there be an interactive space on the web site?

– What guidelines need to be in place (messaging, standards) for interaction in each space?

– How are the spaces managed and constituencies invited in?

Digital Workplace – Spaces

Space What Do We Mean By This?

Your Current StateExample/[Opportunity]

Managed (external) “Official” data, some of which is proprietary

Web siteFacebookTwitter

Managed (internal) All documents and mission-critical information systems

Z:, R:, drives etc

Structured collaboration

Project/task managementShared documents (co-editing, co-authoring)

[OneDrive][WIKI]

Social collaboration (external)

BloggingMicroblogging

Facebook

Social collaboration (internal)

Bulletin boards, blogging, activity streaming

[Yammer][WOL]

What your staff say…

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

I can easily find theinformation I need to do my

job.

I am comfortable using thecomputer system and toolsthat we have for capturingand storing information.

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

Staff Feedback

…we had a tool that

connected all-staff in a

"real time" manner - other

than email

…we had a streamlined

system of sharing that

everyone understands

and uses consistently.

… we limited our tools and

were disciplined in their

use.

… we had a better and

easy way of organizing

and categorizing our

information; we had a

process/practice of not

only sharing our info but

also storage on our

network for files that could

be more readily shared

and found.

… I have a clear

understanding when/which

tools should be used in

any given situation

"I could do a lot better at sharing what I am learning if..."

People

• Where knowledge really lives

• But:

– How do we know who knows what?

– How do we know who needs to know what?

• How do we overcome the barriers of people sharing what they know?

• How do we ensure that people are trained and equipped to use the tools and methods that matter?

Dave Snowden’s Principles

• Knowledge can only be volunteered, it cannot be conscripted.

• We only know what we know when we need to know it.

• The way we know things is not the way we report we know things.

• We always know more than we can say, and we always say more than we can write down.

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People & Culture

• They don’t know why they should do it

• They don’t how to do it

• They don’t know what they are supposed to do

• They think the recommended way will not work

• They think their way is better

• They think something else is more important

• There is no positive consequence to them for doing it

• They think they are doing it

• They are punished for doing it

• They anticipate a negative consequence for doing it

• There is no negative consequence for them not doing it

• There are obstacles beyond their control

Reasons Why People Don’t Share Their Knowledge

Ferdinand Fournies (via Stan Garfield)

Survey Feedback

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

I am encouraged to sharemy knowledge and insightswith others on staff here at

Incourage.

I routinely shareinformation, ideas, and

insights with others outsidemy own group or team.


Interview Feedback

28

Making it a practice; [we

need] to get into the

muscle-memory of it.

Sometimes I think we are

moving too fast and there

isn’t time to share, not

that people don’t want to.

Culture trumps everything. – Tom Davenport on KM, 1994

: "I could do a lot better at sharing what I am learning if..."

…I had clarity of who

needs what information

and to what end

…we had more

opportunities to connect

together as a staff and

share knowledge

…want to know the org

structure and how I fit in.

People and Culture: The Shift

• From “I know” to “We know”

• From “Knowledge is mine” to “Knowledge is ours”

• From “Knowledge is owned” to “Knowledge is shared”

• From “Knowledge is personal property” to “Knowledge is collective/community property”

• From “Knowledge is personal advantage” to “Knowledge is company advantage”

• From “Knowledge is personal” to “Knowledge is inter-personal”

• From “I defend what I know” to “I am open to better knowledge”

• From “not invented here (i.e. by me)” to “invented in my community”

• From “New knowledge competes with my personal knowledge” to “new knowledge improves my personal knowledge”

• From "other people's knowledge is a threat to me" to "our shared knowledge helps me"

• From “Admitting I don’t know is weakness” to “Admitting I don’t know is the first step to learning”

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http://www.nickmilton.com/2010/12/top-7-reasons-why-

km-implementations.html#ixzz3iZ09jYxD

http://www.nickmilton.com/2010/12/top-7-reasons-why-km-implementations.html#ixzz3iZ09jYxD

Processes: Two Perspectives

• Embed knowledge capture into existing processes:

– One of the top reasons that knowledge management programs fail is that organizations do not embed knowledge capture and learning into their everyday processes.

– If one part of the organization is doing well at capturing knowledge, make sure they share how they do it with others

– Add “Plus-deltas” at the end of every meeting

• Institutionalize “standalone” knowledge capture processes:

– Lunch & Learns

– Monthly focused sessions to improve knowledge sharing and capture practices

30

Knowledge lives in three places in organizations – in its artifacts,

in its people, and in its processes. – Larry Prusak on KM c. 1994

Survey Feedback

31

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

I know how to capture and shareinformation from external sources

(e.g. from residents) that isimportant to our work.

We naturally capture insights andlearnings as part of our operational

processes.

When I have an idea or insight, Iknow how to share it and whom I

should share it with.


Survey Feedback

32

0 5 10 15 20

When I have an idea orinsight, I know how to share it

and whom I should share it…

We naturally capture insightsand learnings as part of our

operational processes.

I know how to capture andshare information from

external sources (e.g. from…


Survey Feedback

33

[debriefings] the

organization is getting

very comfortable with

went well/didn’t go well/do

next time

[We need to be] realistic

about the time it takes to

capture information. If it

takes twice as long as it

should, how can we support

each other?

We attend others’

debriefings but need to

strengthen how we

capture and share these.

Staff meetings have fixed

agendas but no informal

sharing at meetings.

Organization: Two Perspectives

• Defined job positions, roles and responsibilities

– Knowledge management strategy & leadership

– Knowledge stewardship: help capturing and re-using

– Training and communication & user support

• It’s everyone’s job!

– But are they measured on how well they do?

– Do they know what they are supposed to do?

– Have they had adequate training?

– Do they have time to do what they know they should be doing?

34

Interview Feedback

35

Biggest barrier is the

question of autonomy and

knowing what our roles

are so we can share

appropriately.

….there was a change in

[presidency] of a nonprofit

and it wasn’t changed [in

our database]. Need to

ask whose responsibility it

is that it be changed.

Implementation Choices

BIG KM

• Strategic, mission-oriented initiatives

• Top-down, organization-wide

Little KM

• Focused introduced of KM methods and tools

• Bottom up improvements using existing infrastructure

• Things that just make sense for groups

PKM

• Personal productivity

• Self-service information management

• Personal network management

Big KM Elements

• Information architecture

– Digital Workplace

– Taxonomy

– Templates and forms

– Vocabulary

• Mindset

– Drive KM practices into work processes

– Provide ample opportunity for staff to learn new tools and exercise new skills

37

• What are the space and what toolsare used for each?

• How does each space use the defined taxonomy?

• Who has responsibility for the tools?

– What does responsibility mean?

• Who are the users of the tools?

– Do staff have the training needed to use them effectively and consistently?

– How do the community and partners participate?

• How does information move from private to public?

– What processes? Who owns the processes?

Information Architecture

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Your Options

• Incremental deployment of Office 365’s features/options

– SharePoint – Intranet

– OneNote – Personal notes plus shareability

– OneDrive for Business – shared files and co-editing options

– Yammer

• Rollout individual/group productivity tools

– Good Meeting

• Pilot systemic KM for one project

– Collaborative Intranet

– Working out loud

– Ecosystem mapping

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Collaborative Intranet Elements

• Home Page

– Daily blog(s)

– Newsletter

– Staff listing – links to personal pages and profiles

– Search button for shared documents, Z drives, media

• Calendar

• Personal pages and profiles

– About me

– My documents (my work in progress)

– Blogs

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Working Out Loud

• What it is:

– Using private (to organization) activity streams to narrate, ask, share, think out loud

– Sharing project information with joint responsibility for managing it

– Peripheral vision – on what’s going on inside the company – that alerts you to something you might need to know

– Searchable archive of who has been doing what

– Maintaining your personal online profile so that others can find our expertise

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Working Out Loud = Observable Work + Narrating Your Work

How WOL is used

• Observable and discoverable work:

– Get an answer to a question

– Answering a question directed to you

– Answering a question not directed to you

– Collecting input before starting a work task

– Sharing who you are planning a meeting with

• Narrating work:

– Taking meeting notes and sharing them live

– Capturing brainstormed ideas

– Capturing snippets of “good practices” or good ideas and collecting them

• Purposeful network building

– Developing relationships

– Fostering collaborations42

What this looks like

43

You don’t have to know who might be interested or needs

to know. But someone who is interested will see it or be

able to find it.

WOL vs Email

44http://ipadcto.com/2011/02/28/email-is-where-knowledge-goes-to-die/

“Email is where knowledge goes to die.”

-- Bill French

Working Out Loud

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Mapping the Ecosystem

• How does the work actually get done?

• What do we exchange with others?

• In which transactions is valuable knowledge being created?

• Are we capturing the knowledge that is created? Where and for whom?

• Where are opportunities for improving value and efficiency?

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Exchanges Occur Among Roles

• A role is not necessarily the same as a group, company, or function

– One person or group might play 2-3 key roles

– Roles are different from job descriptions or job titles

• If people are not clear about their roles, they can miss value-creating opportunities and are vulnerable to competition

Getting Started Options

• Pick a Pilot

– Existing or new project

– Team members commit to working in a new way

– Map the ecosystem

– Try a few new tools

• Start a KM team

– Work with IT in reviewing, testing, selecting tools

– Develop schedule for roll out

– Champions in their own groups to mentor, coach others

– Reflect and learn on a continual basis

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Critical Success Factors

• Leadership commitment

• Embedding KM in the work processes – not something extra

• Defined roles and responsibilities

• Aligning KM initiatives with the mission

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VNA DETAIL

5

0

Basic elements for mapping value

Tangible Deliverables

Goods, services, revenue (traditional value chain) –

all contractual or mandated activities that directly

generate or deal with revenue or funding.

Value Exchanges

© 1997-2011 Value Networks, LLC All rights reserved.

Knowledge and support offerings – strategic information,

collaborative design, plans, processes, policy

development, etc.

Benefits that go beyond actual service such as

exchanging business contacts, image enhancement,

recognition, co-branding opportunities, etc.

Intangible Deliverables

ValueNet Works™ Methodology

• Purpose

• Boundaries

• Determine the level of detailScope

• Ecosystem players

• Stakeholders

Roles and participants

• Tangibles

• Intangibles

• Sequence

Transactions and deliverables

• Participants and roles

• Exchange analysisAnalysis

(1) Scope and Boundaries

• Purpose

– What does a successful outcome look like?

– What is the scope?

– Current state and/or desired future state?

• Business drivers

• Current situation

• Environment

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(2) Understand the roles

• A role is not necessarily the same as a group, company, or function

– One person or group might play 2-3 key roles

– Roles are different from job descriptions or job titles

• If people are not clear about their roles, they can miss value-creating opportunities and are vulnerable to competition

(3) Identify value exchanges and interactions

• What are the deliverables?

• How does the deliverable move through the network?

• What are the intangible exchanges that flow through the network?

http://www.valuenetworksandcollaboration.com/mapping/tangiblesandintangibles.html

(4) Analysis

• Insight level

– “Aha’s” that occur through the mapping process

• Exchange analysis

– Looking at the structure of the network

– Redundant and overlooked activities

• Impact analysis/process improvements

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A Big “Aha”

A senior VP in the professional services arm of a large telecommunications equipment provider said

that it was “scary” that the customer feedback from the delivery of services went only to the

operational arm of the company and not the organization charged to innovate in service

development.

Unnecessary transactions

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Detailed Analysis

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KM 101

Leadership & Management

Transcript of KM 101