Carla O'Dell at APQC has given us a superb crash course on what in her experience works (and doesn't work) in the world of knowledge management. Her KM Overview should be required reading for all knowledge managers. The key seven lessons she covers are:1. Secure Senior Management Support for KM by building a strong business... Continue Reading →
Gratitude on Tax Day
April 15 is the day we count our blessings and then give a cut to Uncle Sam. While the offering to Uncle Sam may be grudging, it is with absolute sincerity that I'd like to thank the folks who have helped launch my new blog.First and foremost, Joy London, whose recommendation in excited utterances led... Continue Reading →
KM Tools and Culture
In his Notes on Productivity blog, Eric Mack makes the following observation about technology and culture:In the mid 1990s many of us thought of and promoted products (e.g. Lotus Notes) as Knowledge Management (KM) "solutions", rather than "tools".For organizations that did not develop an underlying methodology or knowledge sharing culture, they blamed the "solutions" [read:... Continue Reading →
Top 10 Knowledge Management Myths
In a terrific webinar hosted on Friday by Educause (the higher education IT association), Jean E. Engle, Chief Knowledge Officer at NASA/Johnson Space Center, provided a great overview of her organization and its KM focus. Among the highlights was the list she and her colleague, Dr. Ed Rogers, have created of the Top 10 Knowledge... Continue Reading →
Active vs. Passive Knowledge Sharing
Let me begin by thanking Doug Cornelius of KM Space, whose comments on my previous knowledge sharing post got me thinking further about the current state of knowledge sharing among lawyers. Doug thought I was underestimating the level of sharing that currently exists in law firms, and pointed to the document management system (DMS) as... Continue Reading →
Culture Matters
A persistent theme of this blog is that when it comes to doing knowledge management right, culture matters. In fact, there are days when I'd argue that having the right organizational culture in place is as important (if not more important) than having the best technology. You can buy great tech tools, but if you... Continue Reading →
Knowledge Sharing: Better Late Than Never
It looks like the Knowledge Sharing party has been in full swing for a while now. My last post reflected a growing conviction that I've had for some time: that facilitating knowledge sharing is a much more productive focus for an organization than attempting to manage knowledge. Well it turns out that I'm not the... Continue Reading →
Knowledge Sharing Is Better Than Knowledge Management
For some time, I've been frustrated by the seeming futility of trying to "manage" knowledge. In pursuit of well-managed knowledge many of us have created elaborate systems and databases that require some or all of the following supporting factors: cooperative users, sophisticated search engines, smart profiling tools, and incredibly competent KM professionals who actually understand... Continue Reading →
How Collaborative is Your Organization?
Shawn Callahan at Anecdote has posted a thought-provoking quick quiz to help you determine how collaborative your organization really is. Once you tally your results, you'll find out whether you work in "collaboration nirvana" or "collaboration hell."For those who would like to move out of collaboration hell and closer to collaboration nirvana, take a cold,... Continue Reading →
Death by E-Mail
Returning from a few days out of the office, I was reminded again of how oppressive a jammed Outlook Inbox can be. Even though I diligently checked and responded to e-mail messages during my absence, I still faced a daunting pile of messages and related items that required follow-up. The resulting sensation was a little... Continue Reading →
Above and Beyond KM 