What can a Wall Street law firm learn from Bolivian farmers practicing semi-subsistence farming methods? A lot with respect to using knowledge management to foster innovation and make lasting changes.In the case of these farmers, innovation was enhanced greatly when (i) knowledge management was the joint effort of multiple actors, including development agencies that provide... Continue Reading →
Snow Day
Large snowflakes are falling steadily outside my window, temporarily veiling the urban landscape. We heard breathless warnings this morning on the radio and TV of impending commuting disasters. We've been asked to stay home, but if we must travel, please use public transportation. New York City was winding up for one of those rare (but... Continue Reading →
Change or Die!
What if you were told that you must either "Change or Die"? Would you change?Now that you've had a minute to think about that and have probably answered the question with a resounding "Yes" (or "yeah, duh" depending on your age), think again. According to Alan Deutschman, you're delusional.In his recent book Change or Die,... Continue Reading →
Chocolates and Roses
Chocolates and roses are traditional Valentine's Day gifts. And they are given for what purpose? The cynic might say behavior modification. Unfortunately, while chocolates and roses may facilitate a pleasant evening, they rarely bring about lasting changes in behavior. Something else is required. Knowledge management by its very nature leads to behavioral changes. Good knowledge... Continue Reading →
Less is More
Less is more. This rule may be the key to the successful implementation of new KM applications.At LegalTech last week I heard something that initially seemed slightly counterintuitive, but on further reflection made perfect sense. Meredith Williams, Director of Knowledge Management at Baker Donelson, spoke about her preferred way of integrating new functionality into her... Continue Reading →
Cool Toys — Incomplete Solutions
The vendors at LegalTech 2008 had lots of cool tech toys to sell that purported to solve a host of problems, but knowledge management practitioners speaking at the KM Track sessions told tales of incomplete solutions and dissatisfied users. Why the gap?There's probably not just one comprehensive answer to that question, but several partial answers.... Continue Reading →
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Knowledge Management Elevator Speech
What is it we knowledge managers do for a living? What's your "elevator speech"? This was the question that caused a normally talkative group of large law firm knowledge managers to suddenly get very quiet today.Once the discussion resumed, several themes emerged: - nearly every KM professional in the room had a different title -... Continue Reading →
Doing the Right Thing: KM and Best Practices
Best Practices should be right up there with motherhood and apple pie. So why did a gathering of large law firm knowledge managers conclude that law firms were lagging behind other businesses in implementing best practices?About one year ago, I participated in a lively panel discussion about best practices in law firms. My colleagues on... Continue Reading →
Forget “User-Friendly”
How many times has a software vendor promised you that an application is "user-friendly"? And how many times have you been disappointed when you've discovered after launch that the application causes either user indifference or downright hostility?So what's the problem with "user-friendly"? This standard is too low. It means that the software vendor thinks you'll... Continue Reading →
Above and Beyond KM 