Beyond knowledge management to better management
In a world run by bean counters, knowledge managers sometimes fear that they will get short shrift if they cannot marshal the data necessary to impress the folks in green eyeshades. The problem is, of course, that it can be challenging to find compelling metrics to support the case for KM. In the context of... Continue Reading →
Forty years ago today, my parents packed up their children and every material possession they had to move to the other side of the world. In retrospect, I can only marvel at the bravery involved in taking that step. With that move they had to start all over again -- in a culture and climate... Continue Reading →
Does your firm invest in knowledge? Does it have an effective knowledge development strategy? Or is it simply paying lip service to the notion of being in "the knowledge business"? Even if you believe that your firm has a strong commitment to investing in its knowledge, I'd invite you to keep reading. Yesterday I had... Continue Reading →
Some advice to the lovelorn I read many years ago suggested that the best way for a young woman to reel in a young man was to ask him lots of questions about his favorite topic -- himself. From the vantage point of the 21st century, there are any number of objections one might raise... Continue Reading →
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkd5dJIVjgM Hello everybody! Look at yourself. Now back to me. Now back at yourself. Now back to me. Sadly... you are not a Monster. [A MONSTER????!!!] Those are the words of Sesame Street's engaging blue monster, Grover, spoken in a clever twist on the now-famous Old Spice Man television commercial. (See below) These videos show... Continue Reading →
We marked a major milestone in the life of our family by having dinner at an extraordinary restaurant this evening. The restaurant was Blue Hill at Stone Barns. This restaurant is exceptional in many ways: it's located in Pocantico Hills, in the beautifully renovated old barns of the Rockefeller estate outside New York City; it... Continue Reading →
My friends were so worried about me that they rushed over to check that I hadn't lost my marbles. In fairness, their response could be considered reasonable given that I had just declared to a group of law firm knowledge management specialists that much of what we collectively were doing at that time shouldn't be... Continue Reading →
Lawyers in most firms are given a lot of freedom to decide how to manage their own knowledge. In fact, it's a rare law firm that can demand that its lawyers handle their knowledge in a particular way. For many, the battle began and ended with the document management system. At this point, most firms... Continue Reading →
Critics says that the inability of knowledge management proponents to settle on a universally accepted definition of KM is a sign of failure. Others say that the lack of definition and resulting ambiguity present marvelous opportunities. If you are like me (i.e., firmly settled in the second camp), then it is doubly important not to... Continue Reading →
Lawyers pride themselves on being logical. Our work lives are focused on problem solving and we relish the intellectual challenge of finding innovative solutions to the issues that vex our clients. It's therefore not surprising that in designing law firm knowledge management systems we tend to focus first on a rational design and sensible implementation. ... Continue Reading →
Above and Beyond KM 