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Your task: Implement KM in an organization

By Art Schlussel posted 06-16-2010 19:50

  

 

What you do:
  1. Write a Strategic Plan
  2. Write a CONOPS Plan
  3. Write a STRATCOM Plan
  4. Write a CM Plan
  5. Implement the plans
  6. Do KM
If only it was just that simple. KM isn't a project or a program that can be managed on MS Project. KM isn't a product or a solution. What KM is, is an organizational behavior and attitude change focused on the responsibility to share and collaborate for the purpose of having a smarter, more effective, and more innovative workforce. The foundational strategy is to begin a dialog about the benefits both personal and organizational of sharing vs. hoarding, of effective collaboration vs. going it alone, of sharing lessons learned vs. reinventing the wheel, of seeking proven methodologies elsewhere vs. a  "not invented here" mindset, of connecting those who know with those who need to know, and of working smarter vs. working harder. Only after the organization can see the value and want the results can a KM attitude begin to take hold. Remember, KM is about people. People share and collaborate or they don't. People use the technology tools or they don't. People see value, the WIIFM and for the organization, or they don't. You cannot prescribe KM, nor can you demand it through policy. Operating in a KM culture can produce significant results, but it is not the only way for an organization to operate. For KM to be organizationally effective (mature) it must be practiced throughout the enterprise. Policy can support the KM culture, but policy cannot change a culture into a KM culture.

So what should a KM leader do when being asked to implement KM? Use this phased approach:
  1. Plan with the end in mind,
    1. Learn what the leadership and the workers think the organization will look like after KM is implemented.
    2. Understand how the organization will be different under the KM paradigm.
    3. Describe how daily life will be for people in different roles.
    4. Describe how the organization will know when it achieves KM maturity.
  2. With the end clearly articulated begin to dialog about this new paradigm to begin the change management process.
    1. Talk with leadership about how the organization will benefit in their terms.
    2. Talk with the workers on how their life will improve.
    3. Tell a story and set the vision for the impacts and benefits of a KM paradigm.
  3. Find out where KM is currently working in the organization.
    1. Find those doing KM and recruit them to help in the larger organizational change.
    2. Document all KM related activities and make it public to show KM is already being done and having impact.
    3. Include these finding in the dialog, and have those performing KM tell their story throughout the organization.
  4. Build a community of KM leaders, professionals and champions.
    1. Share methodologies, approaches, techniques, and tools.
    2. Seek sponsorship and build coalitions outside the KM Community (with the business units).
    3. Use the power of the group to build momentum for change as KM impacts the organization.
  5. Include everyone in developing the KM Strategy.
    1. Now that everyone knows what KM is and how it helps the organization and themselves, you must include them in developing the strategic plan for KM inculcation.
    2. Hold focus groups, town halls, online events, surveys, feedback sessions, etc., to get as much feedback as possible to build the KM strategy.
    3. Ensure the strategy is the organization's strategy and achieves the vision articulated in phase 1.
    4. Use the KM community to consolidate, refine, and approve the strategy.
    5. Gain senior leadership support for the strategy; which should be easy as they where part of the team who developed the strategy.
  6. Develop the KM CONOPS. 
    1. Partner KM professionals and champions with "owners" to begin developing the new capabiities.
    2. The CONOPS is "how" you implement the strategy and is built around capabilities that the organization is undertaking to support the KM Strategy.
    3. Incorporate the existing KM capabilities, tools, and resources within the CONOPS.
    4. Each CONOPS capability must have an owner who is responsible for the outcomes and impacts of the KM capability and a KM leader or champion who can facilitate the implementation and operation of the capability.
  7. Develop metrics to measure the impacts and outcomes of implementing these capabilities.
    1. The owner, with the help of the KM leader/champion, begins the development, testing, change management, training, measuring, and refinement of the new operation.
    2. See the vision come to life.

Of course there are many details that need to be added to this framework. Each phase needs to be broken into numerous sub phases and tasks. How long will this take to accomplish? To that I say, to accomplish what? If the answer is to accomplish the inculcation of KM into the organization and be KM mature; I say years. There are many factors impacting this implementation. Some are:
  1. The existing culture and political landscape
  2. The size of the organization
  3. The span of the organization (local/world-wide)
  4. The will of leadership to see this happen
  5. The stability/longevity of senior leadership (leadership change can upset the whole implementation)
  6. The resourcing necessary to make the changes needed
  7. The perceived value of the early wins
  8. The authority the KM leader has to carry the implementation out

This is not an easy task. If it was everybody would be doing it. Because it is hard many times KM takes on a different approach; a focus on process improvement or technology and tools. It is the people/culture part that is the hardest. It is also the part that must be done for KM to be inculcated.
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