Any lesson learning system requires a method for escalating lessons. However escalated lessons may need to break through “knowledge bubbles”. How do we reconcile these two issues? Rainbow bubble by Lena on Flickr As we have often argued on this blog, the purpose of lesson learning is to drive change
Nowadays I talk about the four legs of the Knowledge Management table being Roles, Processes, Technologies and Governance. But why do we need the extra leg? What is the purpose of KM governance? I have seen many examples of organisations with what look like very good Knowledge Management systems which
As part of our three global surveys of Knowledge Management professionals in 2014, 2017 and 2020, we asked the participants to select from a list the Knowledge Management governance elements that had in place in their organisation. The results are shown here. Most of the survey respondents reported at least one element
Knowledge Management often involves balancing two forces – Connect and Collect, for example, or value to the individual and value to the firm. If you are not careful, this balance can turn into pendulum swings from one factor to the other. Here is a story of this happening. Typical cycles
Every community of practice should have a charter, but what does a good charter look like? Image from wikimedia commons One of the main success factors for a community of practice is a charter. A charter is a definitional/governance document, created by the community members, which describes what the community
The problem with Dualism in KM is that it leads to pendulum swings in terms of focus. Here is how to avoid this. Image form wikimedia commons There can be quite a lot of Dualism in KM – seeing KM in terms of two mutually exclusive opposites which require a
If you outsource knowledge work, make sure the contract requires the contractor to have KM in place. Contractors review plans, by US Army Corps of Engineers, on Flickr A few years ago I was running a multi-day lessons capture event with a company that had recently commissioned construction of a
Knowledge Management is fully embedded when refusing to do it is not an option. Let me give you an analogy, from the world of Safety. A couple of years ago I was conducting knowledge management exercises at a gas plant in the Niger Delta. In places like this, safety is
Even in the most progressive organisations, sometimes the boss needs to drive a “culture of asking.” Here is how Elon Musk did it. Image from wikimedia commons Musk’s email is quoted here, and seems to have been sent in response to a dissatisfaction with default communication and knowledge sharing habits