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Knowledge is Still Power (Sigh)
For years and years, KM practitioners have been arguing that Knowledge Management isn't about technology, but
about culture. And it should be no surprise that most companies aren't very good at it, since their reward and motivation systems are generally driven by what people know. The unique and individual
knowledge that employees bring to the table is what got them the job in the first place, and what helps them keep it, too.
A recent study by some Canadian academics has confirmed this view, finding that people tend to hide their knowledge in three ways. They avoid or ignore requests, pretend they can't share because the information is confidential or simply deny that they have the information needed. The often significant investments in KM systems are wasted, because people aren't really motivated to use them.
The missing ingredient here is trust. People who are unsure of themselves are more prone to keep information to themselves. When in doubt, it's safer not to share anything. But this is something
corporate managers can address. One tactic is to de-emphasize the use of email and encourage more face-to-face contact. You can also reward examples of successful knowledge sharing, to show that it's
valued by the organization. Above all, keep it simple. Given enough time and the right culture, people will come around.
The Dunbar Number
We've written now and then about the myth of multi-tasking: the idea that by doing lots of things
simultaneously, you can accomplish more. Today's teenagers may think they can read, text, watch TV and listen to music all at the same time, but in our experience, this generally means doing several
things badly instead of doing one thing well. Human attention is not infinitely expandable, and as Dirty Harry said, a man's got to know his limitations.
The same is true with personal relationships. While you can theoretically have hundreds (or even thousands) of "friends" on Facebook, experts say you can't have more than 150. That's
the Dunbar Number, as described in a recent piece on NPR's All Things Considered.
Robin Dunbar is a professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Oxford, and he's found 150 to be a magic number in tribal communities in Southern Africa, among the Amish and in most
military companies. With 150 people in the mix, everyone can know everyone else, and work together to solve problems. When communities grow larger, they become less efficient.
So while technology
makes it easier to hang on to people with whom you're only peripherally involved, it can't deliver the sense of obligation and reciprocity of true friendship. Fewer is better.
Best Practices?
In the early days of Knowledge Management, those in the biz used to talk a lot about best practices. One
of the presumed benefits of KM was the idea that it could stimulate a kind of cross-pollination in methods and procedures. If the practices used by a company's top performers could be broadly propagated,
the benefits could be huge. In fact, KM pioneer Bob Buckman leveraged this kind of organizational learning to help Buckman Laboratories increase its manufacturing output, and thereby avoid the cost of building a new factory. It saved them millions.
The other
side of the coin is that best practices can institutionalize things that shouldn't be done at all. Once something's ensconced as a best practice, workers and managers may cease to think critically about
it, and in time, may not even remember why they're doing it. The common perception is that following a best practice is the most reasonable way to reduce risk and ensure a good outcome. If the context
changes, that may no longer be true. And since the last 20 years have seen virtually constant contextual shifts, any best practices should be taken with a grain of salt. (Thanks to this recent piece at the BeyeNetwork for suggesting this article.)
Collaboration Breakdown
In the current issue of Information Week, there's an interesting analysis suggesting that the lack of tool integration is a major contributor to failed collaboration initiatives. So while we wrote above that people won't share information without the right cultural, it's not only about culture. People also need tools that are easy to understand, easy to use and that are able to meet them half way. The author suggests that rather than be considered separate apps, collaborative systems should be built around email. That's still the application in which people spend most of their time.
In fact, of eleven major collaborative options that are currently in use, only four have universal acceptance: email, audio conferencing, Fax and telephone. SMS texting is on the rise, and
there's a small but dedicated community that relies on Instant Messaging. Companies should explore new new technologies, but must also make sure any new approaches fit well with what's tried and true.
That may be why surveys indicate that almost 90% of companies have some form of social networking, but only 10% think their social network platforms are a success.
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