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Sloan Management Review, Summer 2004 KM Articles

Sloan Management Review, Summer 2004 KM Articles. KM Process, Experience, and Experiments Global Knowledge Innovation KM Technologies in E-Businesses. Why Don’t We Know More about Knowledge. Outline. Introduction Focus on Process ( Michael Hammer )

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Sloan Management Review, Summer 2004 KM Articles

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  1. Sloan Management Review, Summer 2004 KM Articles KM Process, Experience, and Experiments Global Knowledge Innovation KM Technologies in E-Businesses

  2. Why Don’t We Know More about Knowledge

  3. Outline • Introduction • Focus on Process (Michael Hammer) • Seek Out “Deep Smarts” (Dorothy Leonard) • Learn from Experiments (Thomas Davenport)

  4. Introduction • For 15 years, to increase workers' productivity, companies have invested large sums in databases, content repositories, mobile technologies ... • However, some helped, much a waste of resources. • the knowledge-worker era: companies still have much to learn about what makes such workers tick. • Views from three leading management thinkers

  5. Focus on the Process • The dichotomy between manual and knowledge workers: not meaningful. • "How do we increase knowledge-worker productivity?“: the wrong question. • Focus on process instead of isolated individuals. • The key: eliminate non-value-adding work • Redesign • Remove the misconception: process specifies the steps and requirements, but also keep the freedom for how you do it.

  6. Seek Out “Deep Smarts” • Dilemma: technology improves access and transmission, but creates no shortcuts to most valuable knowledge • Manager mistakes: overlook “deep smarts”, protect “shallow smarts” • Deep smart (like a satellite): can grasp overall situation and zoom in critical details and potential problems • How to capture and transfer the wisdom of deep smarts? – guided learning by experience.

  7. Learn From Experiments • Established consensus about knowledge work • Definition of knowledge worker • Knowledge workers need to be segmented • Autonomy of knowledge work • Knowledge work is work practice • What we know and do not know • Learn by experiment • Apply experiment design principles in organizations

  8. Discussions • “IT-for-KM investment, some helped, much a waste” Do you agree? Can you do without? • Productivity vs. process? How to improve process? BPR all over again? • Learn from experience or experiments? What’s the difference? • How to apply experiment design principles in organizations? From small to large? Slow to fast?

  9. Is Your Innovation Process Global

  10. Introduction • Few companies have global innovation processes • Global innovation process (metanational innovation): sourcing and integrating knowledge from dispersed geographic locations • For companies, more innovations of higher value and lower cost

  11. The Strategic Advantages • Motorola vs. Nokia • Being Co. vs. Airbus • CA vs. SAP AG • McDonald vs. Starbucks • Intel • metanational innovation: a decisive source of competitive advantage • Not only new product and services, but also valuable business models, strategies and capabilities

  12. Harnessing the Potential of Diversity • Companies can improve flow of innovation by assembling the best combinations of technical know-how and market expertise • The probability of successful innovation constrained by the weakest source of knowledge • Therefore, accessing sufficient diversity of knowledge is the key challenge

  13. Relationships between Geography and Knowledge • The relationship is important but not immediately evident (e.g. Finland, Germany, Japan) • Innovation process globalization is an important way for accessing the great diversity of knowledge • For example, pharmaceutical industry

  14. Benefits • A greater number of innovations of higher value • Cost reduction • How to reap the benefits?

  15. Tapping Into the Benefits • Prospecting: find the relevant pockets of knowledge from around the world • Know where, how and what (e.g. Shiseido Co. Ltd. from Japan) • Keep an open mind • Assessing: decide on the optimal "footprint" for a particular innovation • Similar as in trade-off in global supply chain • Keys: necessity, company strategy, history …

  16. Tapping Into the Benefits (Cont’d) • Mobilizing: use cost-effective mechanisms to move distant knowledge without degrading it • Two types of knowledge: technological and market • Mobile strategies • Classify by type (simple versus complex) and nature (technical versus market)

  17. Mobilizing Knowledge

  18. A New Imperative • New organizational forms such as virtual teams • Metanational innovator view diversity as opportunity, not problem

  19. Discussions • How to develop Global Innovation Chain, akin to Global Supply Chain? Technologies, culture, and process? • As a knowledge worker, how to leverage the global innovation opportunity? Oversea assignment? Local learning? International experience? Language and cultural challenge and opportunity?

  20. Learning From the Internet Giants

  21. Introduction • The problem: lost productivity as employees fail to find knowledge and waste time on searching or recreate knowledge • Challenge: help employees find what they want and need • Opportunities: Google, eBay and Amazon provide experiences that can be learned

  22. Frustrated Employees • Three common frustrations • Finding: multiple repositories, time consuming • Browsing: incomparable formats • Qualifying knowledge: redundant and outdated content • To overcome the problems: three actions • One stop access to content • Dynamic classification approach and consistent content formats • Entice employees to easily find the knowledge

  23. One-Stop Access to Content • Google: simple one-stop search functionality & existing experiences on using Google • An integrated repository and one single portal • Content meta-data and tags help search too

  24. Dynamic Classification, Consistent Formats • Good taxonomy and classification are important • Ebay • Dynamic navigational taxonomy • Classification system based on what customers want to buy and sell • Standard and consistent formats • Organizations: identify common format as first step

  25. Comparative Techniques • Amazon • Proper tools (e.g. multiple search criteria and product snapshot) • A lot of useful information (e.g. customer review) • Companies • Should provide tools & categorizations to help employees determine the relevance and quality of the knowledge • E.g. Relevance rating, quality rating, display of first few sentences, snapshot, links

  26. In Summary

  27. Discussions • Do Amazon, Google, and EBay succeed because of IT or fancy search techniques? • Business models and first-mover effect • What are other new technology opportunities and how to apply them in other killer-apps?

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