Dave Snowden's 3 Rules of knowledge management have expanded to 7 Principles, now that he is focusing on law firm knowledge management. (Perhaps there is just something about lawyers that invites the creation of more rules). Here are the 7 Principles: 1. Knowledge can only be volunteered, it cannot be conscripted. 2. We only know... Continue Reading →
War Between Social Media and KM?
Connie Crosby pointed me to Ralph Poole's post, Social Media vs. Knowledge Management. In it he discusses Venkatesh Rao's assertion in the Enterprise 2.0 blog that there exists a generational war between the proponents of knowledge management and the proponents of social media. In Ralph's experience, this rings true:I have seen it in the way... Continue Reading →
Culture and Technology
Knowledge management without cultural awareness rarely is successful. You can be on the verge of deploying the best technology tools in the world, but if those tools aren't in synch with your organizational culture, you might as well distribute quill pens and parchment. Carl Frappaolo (VP Market Intelligence a AIIM International) and Dan Keldsen (Director,... Continue Reading →
The Art of Creating Possibilities
The whole point of KM is Innovation. We aren't putting people in conversation with each other, soliciting their stories or helping them exchange their learning just because it makes for a nicer workplace. We're also doing this because it's precisely that cross-pollination of ideas and experience that helps birth new ideas and new ways of... Continue Reading →
Why Bother with Web 2.0?
As discussed in my post, Overcoming Hurdles to Web 2.0, the rate at which law firms have adopted web 2.0 has not been impressive. There seems to be a great deal of organizational resistance to giving up the "command and control" approach to knowledge management and moving to a more dynamic, grassroots approach. And, because... Continue Reading →
Knowledge Management Blogs
Who needs caffeine on a Saturday morning if you can have a Knowledge Jolt instead? I was about to put the kettle on this morning and stopped to check my Google Reader. That's where I found Jack Vinson's post, A Study of KM bloggers, in which he reports on a recent "explorative study" by Pumacy... Continue Reading →
Thought Experiment #1: The KM R&D Budget
Thought experiments are a useful tool for trying things out for size, before you actually commit money and resources. Of course, they aren't always as highly predictive as a well-designed pilot, but they can be very valuable -- in the right hands. If you don't believe me, ask Walter Isaacson who made the following observation... Continue Reading →
Constructive Destruction
A commentator on the economy described our current travails as "constructive destruction." Clearly this optimist believes that good will come out of our economic troubles. In some ways, this is not dissimilar to the fertilizing benefits of a forest fire. Short term pain for long term gain.Since law firms are so dependent on market forces,... Continue Reading →
Law Firm KM Reality Check
It's hard not to feel a little hung over after a weekend binge that included Hurricane Ike, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merrill Lynch and the potential restructuring of AIG. As we return to our offices this morning and our safe debates about taxonomy and technology, web 1.0 vs web 2.0, mandatory... Continue Reading →
When KM is Supported by the Top Brass
Most knowledge management treatises and guides will tell you that it is hard to carry out an enterprise wide knowledge management program without the full support of senior management. Unfortunately, within a lot of enterprises the members of senior management are sometimes those least likely to understand or use a KM system. Therefore, their support... Continue Reading →
Above and Beyond KM 