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Getting to Square One
The concept of Knowledge Management has been around for almost a decade, and it hasn't had an easy time. It still
takes a lot of explaining and can't be defined with any precision. So KM practitioners don't really have a choice of going back to "Square One" -- most of us are still trying to get to Square
One.
It sometimes helps to bring the lofty idea of Knowledge (with a capital "K") down to the more accessible concept of "stuff."
We've all got stuff, and most of us
probably have too much. (It seems counterintuitive, but it's actually easier to acquire stuff than it is to get rid of it.)
We need some of our stuff, but not all of it. Academics might argue,
but on Knowledge Street, we believe this is a big part of what KM is about: taking inventory of the stuff, then figuring out ways to separate the important from the unimportant. If you're lucky, you can
even find some stuff to throw away.
So the first step is finding out what stuff your users really need (Processes & Procedures? Case Histories? Expert Advice? Sources of Inspiration?). That
should be the foundation of your program, and the provision of same should be your goal for Square One. Also understand that some stuff can't be codified. Experts always know more than they say, and will
always say more than they're willing to write down. If your users want better access to experts, don't build a library, build a better phone book.
When the Going Gets Tough
Knowledge Management is particularly vulnerable in bad times. Its benefits are hard to
measure, even if its costs are not. That's unfortunate, since KM programs can provide a real competitive advantage for companies that are willing to let them out of their box. Arie de Geus said "The only way to sustain competitive advantage is to ensure that your organization is learning faster than the competition."
On one hand, KM offers the potential for cost savings through increased efficiency. This is the land of best practice, and much has been written about KM's potential as a cost-saving discipline.
Better search technologies provide faster access to critical information, while user-friendly portals lead to shorter learning curves. This view presents the KM practitioner as a latter-day Efficiency
Expert, and it's an important part of what KM can do. On the other hand, KM is also about helping organizations make better decisions and establishing the conditions for increased innovation. It may not
be possible to cost-cut your way out of a business downturn, and the right kind of KM program can help identify other options.
So when the going gets tough, it's time to fight even harder to
protect your program. KM is something companies need if they're to remain competitive over the long haul. Cutting back on KM is like eating the seed corn.
Engineering Serendipity
Sometimes, the most interesting discoveries are made when you're looking for something else.
North America, for example. Also, a well known drug that was in clinical trials as a treatment for angina, when its developers noticed an unusual side effect...
By definition, you can't really engineer an accident. (It wouldn't be an accident, then, would it?) What you can do is understand that human systems work best when there's a degree of ambiguity
and an opportunity for failure. Failures generally make for more interesting stories; that means they get told more often and spread more quickly. It's a natural form of learning, both for individuals
and for organizations, as long as neither goes into denial mode. Lewis Thomas wrote: "Mistakes are at the very base of human thought...If we were not provided with the knack of being wrong, we could never get anything useful done."
When you're working the innovation side of the KM street, you have to find ways to disrupt ingrained modes of thinking and encourage the development of new ideas. That can be done in big,
enterprise ways, and we highly recommend a David Snowden article on the topic. It can also be done, or not done, within a single project team, depending on how the team responds to failure, how it deals with risk-taking by its members and whether it manages to develop a feeling of true teamwork.
This Month’s Special: Website Optimization
An entire industry has grown up around Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a string for which Google currently finds 2,960,000 pages. The point of SEO is understanding how the engines do their thing, and figuring out ways to get a given site into the top of the results. Most people find things on the web through search engines, so that's the best way to bring people to your virtual door.
But that's not what we're talking about here.
Given the availability of tools like Front Page and the low cost of server space, anyone who wants one can have a web page. As you've probably
noticed, though, a lot of the pages out there are not doing a very good job. Some are just awful. There's not much point driving people to a website if they don't know what to do when they get there. You need to
have the right look, straightforward navigation and words that lead people in.
The medium is still new, but the skills needed are not. It all comes down to words and pictures. Content is
important, but to some degree look and feel is content on the web. People won't stay to read what you have to say, if the look of page just screams "clueless."
Knowledge Street
has started some targeted marketing this month, aimed at sites that could use our help. What we're pitching is a website makeover. We can develop a new, professional look, clarify the message and fix
navigation problems. If you know a company that could use that kind of face-lift, let us know. If it leads to anything, you can claim a K Street T-shirt!
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