Knowledge Management is not a new term or concept. In fact the first time I was exposed to it was in the mid 1990’s. I remember when I first heard the concepts back then, thinking this is a very interesting mindset that not only professed the importance of capturing knowledge as well as information, it was a great fit to succession planning and the what if scenarios when someone leaves a position.
The idea that what one knows we all would be able know is sound. The essence of this was later brought out in a Star Trek movie where we were introduced to the alien life force known as the Borg. The Borg being a violent culture of beings was focused on taking over the universe conquering planets and assimilating the conquered into what was called the collective. In this scenario, that which is known by one is known by all through this assimilation and kinetic connections. Of course the Borg were vanquished and the universe is safe again. But think about the premise of kinetic connection in relation to Knowledge Management and the concept that what is known by one is known by all. This is Knowledge Management at its highest level.
Regardless of how it happens, I think Carl Frappaolo positioned it well when he defined Knowledge Management as “the leveraging of collective wisdom to increase responsiveness and innovation” in his book titled Knowledge Management. The idea that organizations should capture and leverage the collective wisdom of the organization and leverage that wisdom is one that needs attention and while its presence may have waned in past years – in my opinion due to the lack of technological capability and cultural acceptance – it is time to revisit this segment and practice. Knowledge Management is not a singular technology but rather a combination of technologies and practices that enable the reality of Knowledge Management and help establish those kinetic connections needed to share and acquire valuable information across the enterprise.
In my view, Knowledge Management – like some many other ideas and concepts before it - never went away but merely went dormant for a time, as technology and culture caught up to the concept. We now have the capability through ECM and associated technologies that allow us to capture, manage deliver, and collaborate where once they were nonexistent or inadequate. We now have a cultural mindset embracing collaborative and shared work environments. The opportunity is here to do what we talked about and thought about in the 1990s. As you assess your environment and begin to address your information management practices and requirements, keep in mind that you are also moving closer to the land of Knowledge Management and the kinetic connections within your workforce that make knowledge sharing a reality.
If you are ready to move forward and are finding yourself stuck or unfocused and are not sure where to begin or what to do next, seek professional assistance and/or training to get you started. Be sure to investigate AIIM's Enterprise Content Management training program.
And be sure to read the AIIM Training Briefing on ECM (authored by yours truly). Click on the image to download and read.
What say you? Do you have a story to tell? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a topic of interest you would like discussed in this forum? Let me know.
Bob Larrivee, Director and Industry Advisor – AIIM
Email me: blarrivee@aiim.org
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www.aiim.org/training
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