Knowledge Management What is it? Who does it? How is it done?

1. Knowledge Management What is it? Who does it? How is it done?

2. “. . . knowledge management involves connecting people with people, as well as people with information. It is a management philosophy, which combines good practice in purposeful Information management with a culture of organisational Learning, in order to improve business performance.” Sheila Corrall. “Knowledge Mangement: Are We in the Knowledge Management Business?” Knowledge Management, #18.

3. “Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual framework, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of the knowers.” Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What they Know. Harvard Business Press, 1998.

4. “It may be concluded then, that information and knowledge are not synonymous, though they may be so used in everyday conversation. Knowledge is essentially personal, and understanding and relation to values are inherent parts. It is formed and increased by thought, by acquiring information and by applying judgment to assess the quality, use and consequences of that new information in the light of one’s existing knowledge.” Michael W. Hill. The Impact of Information on Society, Bowker Saur, 1999. P29.

5. Knowledge relies on thinking Knowledge is synthesis of new information the result of acquisition, evaluation and and integration of that information with knowledge existing in our heads. Knowledge is dynamic. It is constantly being changed, enhanced and refined by new information and experience.

6. “We can’t manage anyone’s ability or willingness to know. And until we come up with a technology that will extract, analyze and synthesize information and then recommend to a business manager what to do, we’re not quite managing knowledge – we’re still trying to manage information, hoping that it will enhance someone’s knowledge and ability to make the right decisions at the right time.” Helen Pukszta. Forget Knowledge management: Back to Information,Computerworld, 33,May 3, 1999, p. 32

7. Can knowledge be managed? Probably, not. Stephen Abram observed, “The plain fact is that knowledge, Per se, cannot be managed. In fact capturing knowledge in Any form other than into a human being’s brain, reduces it To mere information, or worse, data. Only the knowledge Environment can be managed.” Can knowledge be shared? YES Stephen Abram. “Post information age positioning for Special Libraries: Is Knowledge Management the Answer?” Knowledge and Special Libraries. Edited by James Matarazzo and Susan D. Connellly, 1999 Butterworth-Heinemann.

8. “. . . The history, the myths, the shared values, and the Unreflective presupposition that define a strong corporate Culture can blind business leaders to events that do not fit Into their collective mental framework.” Ideal – value for customers provided with efficiency and profit Philip Evans and Thomas S. Wurster. Blown to Bits: How The New Economics of Information Transforms Strategy, Boston, Harvard Business School Press, 2000. P. 4.

9. KEY FACTORS Competencies Comprehension Change Culture Communication Content Context Collaboration

10. Competencies - IT Trained to solve technical problems or to find technical solutions to problems. Creation, support, maintenance and enhancement of technical Infrastructure (computing, network, etc. Success is measured in technological terms.

11. Competencies – IT Logistics and infrastracture Computers Networks Security Transmission, receipt, storage Software provision System Design Tight labor market – go to the competition

12. Competencies – Librarians Find, retrieve, analyze and communicate information Knowledge of sources Knowledge of user context Detectives Trainers Expert searchers Assessment of information

13. Competencies – Librarians Management of information, bringing to the desk top User interfaces Serving customers and adding value Measure success in terms of value creation and contribution to organizational goals and objectives.

14. Comprehension Understand and appreciate the contribution of each group to the solution of problems and the creation of value. Understand how each group contributes Understand how each group operates.

15. Change Roles are changing Uncertainty Many variables Knowns – demographics, technology, range of likely futures Publishing – electronic, STM and Business Surprises

16. Corporate culture CIO role is changing More collaboration and more teams Young people breaking down hierarchy Young people breaking the rules Transitions Transformation

17. Communication Talk, Talk, Talk Share knowledge and information Share know how Create teams Work together to solve common problems

18. Content and Context Delivery of content – anywhere, any time Context of groups and individuals Mass Customization “Just for you” IT provides the technology to enable information and Knowledge sharing

19. Collaboration Learning together Sharing goals Sharing risks Mutual needs Create new value Challenge – old organizational models encourage information Hoarding Knowledge and information needed for business decisions And planning

20. Collaboration Focus on shared goals and successful outcomes BE flexible, agile and innovative Focus on results, not activities Focus on value for clients and customers.