One of the great wonders of the human mind is its ability to draw on other people's experience and knowledge, fuse them together and then produce something new and distinctive. Let's show you an example of this process.
Below are three very different views from individuals in the Observatory's Web & Data Team. They show that even within the same organisation there is a lot of variation in the way people see knowledge management (KM) and what they think is important in it. Read them and see what you think.
"A phrase that I like to use to describe how KM is often portrayed is 'fluffy'. But while it's a useful way to show my dislike for some of the nonsense that's talked about KM, it's not correct. To me KM is about doing real things in ways that can be clearly described for reasons that make sense. I would also say that much of KM is not new. The only thing that really is new is the IT technology that allows us to do things that were not practical until now.
To me the concept of KM is quite simple. It's:
- How do you get people to find out and use knowledge that is already available?
- How do you get people to work together in ways that create new knowledge effectively?
- How do you get people to record and pass on the knowledge they have to others?
If you do this you are practising knowledge management, and if you do this with executive support and a budget then you have a knowledge management program."
Stewart Meikle
Web & Data Manager
"Personally, knowledge management is about taking advantage of existing knowledge to tackle common workplace activities. I tend to skip the theory and search out the practical tools and techniques that will help get things done more effectively. Both organisation and employee can benefit.
Knowledge management isn't about technology but I find that technology just makes working life easier. If you are open-minded and prepared to give new things a try, the benefits can be surprising and swift.
Getting away from bloated 'all-in-one' desktop systems in favour of web-based applications dedicated to a single task – many of which are free or very low cost – has been a real productivity booster. Some of my favourite tools are:
The real crux of knowledge management is down to culture. You can achieve a lot through adapting individual working methods yet, ultimately, support from senior management and a positive attitude to change are the real drivers for knowledge management success."
Gavin Wray
Web and Data Officer
"At the Observatory, we’re trying to link people to the information that they need and provide tools on our website to enable that to be achieved.
Through our Directory of Specialists and Organisations database, we provide a “Yellow Pages” of contacts within the West Midlands allowing people to connect with experts in their field. Through the Regional Data and Intelligence Network (RDIN), we have developed communities of practice where people from across the region share their experiences and collaborate with one another.
And through our resource catalogue, we promote shared access to data and intelligence with people from a range of organisations across the region submit their own research reports, analysis, datasets and statistics to form an extensive collection of intelligence on the West Midlands."
Steven Dovey
Information Analyst
Think about the process you have just been through. As you read each of the comments you added them to your pool of personal knowledge and experiences. When you got to the end you will have increased, or modified, even if only a little, your understanding of what KM is, and you may now be able to go on and use this new or changed knowledge to do something better than before.
To us knowledge management is about making this process happen as richly and as efficiently as possible.