In celebration of our 300th edition of the 2know newsletter, we are pleased to share the knowledge management best practices contributed by the KM community:
KM Programs: Strategy and Governance
Remember the Why: The purpose of knowledge management within organizations is to improve business outcomes by maximizing the value of the organization's knowledge assets. Eli Miron Ph.D.- Ben Gurion University- Israel.
KM Importance: Ben Franklin said, “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”. Dave Harry, The Process Whisperer- Tennessee, USA.
Twelve Steps to Knowledge Management Success:
Learn about the field
Identify 3 objectives
Get leaders to commit
Answer 9 questions on people/processes/tools
Articulate your vision
Define the strategy
Define compelling use cases
Define program governance
Specify modes of knowledge flow
Select KM components
Implement, improve and iterate
Share, seek feedback, pay it forward.
Stan Garfield- Lucidea, Michigan, United States
Leveraging Fresh Perspectives: Consider bringing in someone very young but who is well-versed in both technical aspects and has a good understanding of content, methodology, and so on. Allow them to evaluate things and share their opinions. In today's fast-paced world, where technology evolves rapidly, and learning opportunities are everywhere, I receive many ideas from young people—both on platforms and in new ways of thinking. Lior Isler- Mazmichim, Israel.
Effort and Support: James Clear, one of the notable entrepreneurs said "for anyone to achieve anything in life, you need 2 things. Effort & Support."
"Effort" is the actual process of knowledge management. It is also about the series of actions taken to formulate KM, develop process documents, define roles and responsibilities and all actions to make a successful initiative by the KM team.
"Support" is the guidance and back-up we must get from various stakeholders for any initiative. So, the success of a KM initiative is also determined by the kind of support given by the stakeholders.
Not all stakeholders have same interest as there are different types of stakeholders for any initiative. We must have varied yet carefully devised actions to manage these stakeholders. An effective management of stakeholders will ensure a smooth coordination and an efficient completion of KM initiatives. Karthikeyan Palanisamy Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM) | Certified KCS Professional | Certified Technical Writer , ASML, Netherlands 'Stakeholder Management' - Keys to KM Success
Follow the wisdom of the crowd that you manage knowledge for: Recently I had an idea to build a “First 100 days digital space” for new joiners in my organisation. Before developing this, I was sure 100 days was the ideal amount of time. But to test my assumption, I held a design thinking workshop where I asked recent joiners to create a DILO (Day in the life of story) about a typical day in their first 100 days and then what a typical DILO might be like in the future if this collaborative knowledge sharing new joiner space existed. The new joiners were enthusiastic about the idea but the biggest insight we uncovered was that new joiners didn’t want a “First 100 days space”, they wanted a “First Year Space”!! There’s quite a difference there, right? So top tip, if you want to set your KM activities and initiatives up for success make sure you seek and incorporate the wisdom of the crowd before putting too much time and effort into executing your ideas. Mairead McKeown, Board Bia- Ireland, and Rooven Pakkiri- KMI, UK.
Effective KM initiatives: For KM to be effective look for the ‘challenge that keeps the management awake at night’ and then focus KM efforts/ strategy on solving it. It could even be complex Business issues like improving margins or Cash flows - KM must work on it. Rudolf Dsouza, InKnoWin Consulting- India.
Keeping it Simple: If you want to encourage your staff to understand what Knowledge Management is, then explain/ define it in the context of their day to day work, because KM is multidisciplinary. Take away the abstract definitions, and make it something that they are already doing, but can be done better. Sylvia Matovu- The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) Uganda.
KM Recognition: Recognition is the best form of Reward (in the context of KM). Rudolf Dsouza, InKnoWin Consulting- India.
Sponsorship: Before making any changes in knowledge and information management processes, identify a senior employee, or at least an influencer in the organization, who believes in the process and supports you. The backing of such managers will facilitate the promotion of the initiative, and their support will help open doors even in departments that are not directly related to them. When such managers relate to the task as their "personal mission" they will be fully committed to the project and surely work with you toward success. Liron Dorfman- ROM Global, Israel.
KM Vision and Strategy: Align key stakeholders of the KM program with a visioning exercise where they converge on what is the long term impact they would like to see from KM. This helps in formulating the year-on-year strategy, key measures and most importantly their buy-in. Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Applying Design Thinking: Design Thinking in KM involves understanding the needs and behaviors of knowledge users through empathy and iterative prototyping. By focusing on user-centered solutions, organizations can create KM systems and processes that are intuitive, engaging, and tailored to the specific challenges and workflows of their teams, ultimately leading to more effective knowledge sharing and innovation. I've developed, with some researchers and coworkers, tools like canvas to map knowledge and foster data use in decision-making. Larriza Thurler- RNP, Brasil.
Governance: Establish multiple levels of governance of the KM program - key stakeholders at the top, middle level stakeholders, knowledge champions at team level. Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
People: Identify Knowledge Champions/Ambassadors in each team to carry forward the KM initiatives within the team. They are more effective if selected based on their inherent knowledge behaviours and not on hierarchy. Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Enablers: I believe that PEOPLE have the answers, but may not have the motivation or vehicle to express/ share their knowledge. Provide them the right channel / platform/ forum that is appropriate to bring out the answers / knowledge. It required humility to realise that Knowledge could reside anywhere - at the top no doubt, but at the bottom as well. Rudolf Dsouza, InKnoWin Consulting- India.
Key Success Factors in KM Programs: Implementing a KM Program in Framatome, key success factors were:
Obtaining sponsorship at the top level
Performing a preliminary study on the key pain points regarding knowledge sharing and capitalization
Setting up a team of two to start with: one specialist in KM and one recognized manager deeply familiar with the company culture
Presenting the KM plan to the top 100 managers for comments and approval
Grabbing initial attention of employees with a successful technology-centric KM project: the search engine
Setting up a KM community spanning across the organization
Gradually building up a central KM team
The most critical point was - and still is - the metrics: trying to move away from the concept of RoI and into RoE (Return on Engagement). Martin Roulleaux Dugage- Mopsos Consulting, France.
Prioritize User Value: When implementing KM practices and solutions, ask yourself these key questions:
Who are my users, and what are their specific needs and pain points?
How does this solution or KM practice add value for them?
Is it genuinely necessary for the users, or just a good KM practice?
Understanding your users is vital for fostering collaboration and cooperation by emphasizing the value they will gain from these tools and best practices. Remain open-minded and adaptable & be prepared to eliminate or reduce any practices or tools that don’t genuinely benefit the user. May Rubinstein- Siemens, Israel.
Bring Fun & Knowledge Management Together: KM Best Practices and Solutions can sometimes be seen as dull or tedious. Inject some fun by introducing gamification to your activities and celebrating knowledge management in your organization, from a company-wide quest to create the perfect glossary, or short podcasts and interactive sessions to explore topics, to unique badges & company wide recognition to top contributors. Celebrate both small and large knowledge management projects with the whole organization to promote Knowledge Management culture in the organization. May Rubinstein- Siemens, Israel.
Stay Close to Your Users: Integrate best practices and solutions within the users’ existing, familiar environments and systems. Ensure information and knowledge are easily accessible by leveraging the platforms they already use. People are often overwhelmed by too many systems and information, so aim to reduce this burden by making the most of the tools, systems, and platforms already in place, even if they aren’t the perfect solution. May Rubinstein- Siemens, Israel.
User Centric: Focus on User centric knowledge for work application and usability. Lydia Goh- Woh Hup, Singapore.
Annual Review: Benchmarking to KM Maturity Level (Level 1 Initial (Ad-Hoc) to Level 5 - Optimised (Strategic) - Annual review and evaluation of KM practices to pace the company with continual incremental improvement Steps towards Level 5 Maturity of Optimised (Strategic) whereby KM is integrated into every aspect of decision-making and work processes. Lydia Goh- Woh Hup, Singapore.
Managing an Organization's Attention Economy through KM: Effective knowledge management should carefully balance the organization's internal attention economy. Employees often face information overload and change fatigue, so minimizing noise and distractions is critical. At the same time, it's essential to encourage cross-silo communication and foster the innovation that arises from exploration and serendipity. Achieving this balance requires clear communication of organizational priorities as well as intentional digital workplace design. Laura Pike Seeley- HKS, Texas, USA.
Measuring success: When we carry out a knowledge management project, it gets good reviews, it exposes new people to it, and it creates a positive resonance in the organization that brings us new requests for KM activities. Therefore, a good measure of a knowledge management project's success is having a project that follows it. Sagit Salmon-ROM Global, Israel.
Beneficial KM practices for the construction and engineering industry: 5 KM tools and techniques that have all been highly beneficial to that I have been involved with:
Onboarding: Benefits- Facilitating Knowledge Transfer; Building a Knowledge-Sharing Culture; Capturing New Insights; Understanding strengths & weaknesses; Understanding communication styles; Understanding learning styles; Standardizing knowledge dissemination; Enhancing Knowledge Retention; Sharing Best Practices/Norms/SOPs; Embedding KM Practices.
Storytelling: Benefits- Capturing Tacit Knowledge; Facilitating Knowledge Transfer; Enhancing Knowledge Retention; Building a Knowledge-Sharing Culture; Contextualizing Information; Encouraging Engagement and Participation; Supporting Change Management; Embedding Organizational Values and Norms; Facilitating Learning and Development; Sharing Best Practices/Norms/SOPs; Promoting Innovation and Creativity.
Video/remote mentoring: Benefits- Facilitating Knowledge Transfer; Enhancing Knowledge Retention; Capturing Tacit Knowledge; Sharing Best Practices/Norms/SOPs; Building a Knowledge-Sharing Culture; Personalized Learning Experience; Enabling Real-Time Interaction; Overcoming Geographical Barriers.
Role Specific Training: Facilitating Knowledge Transfer; Enhancing Knowledge Retention; Sharing Best Practices/Norms/SOPs; Building a Knowledge-Sharing Culture; Personalized Learning Experience.
Knowledge Repository: Facilitating Knowledge Transfer; Sharing Best Practices/Norms/SOPs; Personalized Learning Experience.
Justin Cotter- Ireland.
Process: Embed KM processes in other organizational processes (such as Quality Assurance, HR, Operations etc.) to make it a part of day-to-day work. Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Culture Building: Find a reason to communicate across the organization frequently - this ensures there's an adequate KM mindshare. Have gamified events that encourage participation in KM activities in a fun way. Recognize key contributors and users of knowledge in appropriate forums/newsletters. Highlight impact of KM in a granular way through newsletters etc. Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Branding and Communication: As KM is fighting for mindshare and timeshare across multiple initiatives in an organization, it is important to pitch various initiatives so that they are compelling for the end users. Branding these initiatives and having constant reinforcement of key messages in innovative ways helps in establishing their importance in the minds of end users. Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Provide training and development: Continuous learning: Offer regular training sessions and workshops on knowledge management practices and tools. Make sure all employees understand the importance of knowledge management and how to contribute effectively.
Mentoring programs: Pair less experienced employees with seasoned professionals to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills. This not only helps with knowledge retention but also supports employee development. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group, Cote d'Ivoire.
KM Metrics: Carefully construct KM metrics that can be measured month-on-month without much overhead. Establish a baseline in the beginning and then take actions based on the trends. Publish an executive KM Dashboard that is in line with the expectations of key stakeholders - one can gamify this dashboard across different business units/departments for a healthy competition! Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Monitor and measure the effectiveness of knowledge management: Metrics and KPIs: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of your knowledge management initiatives. This could include the number of contributions to the knowledge repository, the frequency of access to shared knowledge, or the impact of knowledge sharing on project outcomes.
Feedback loops: Regularly seek employee feedback on the effectiveness of existing knowledge management practices and tools. Use this feedback to make continuous improvements. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group, Cote d'Ivoire.
Gamification: Gamified KM system by awarding points and badges to employees who actively contribute valuable knowledge. These rewards are tied to performance reviews, motivating employees to engage more deeply with KM practices. Rusnita Saleh, common sense eLearning & training consultants- Indonesia.
Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
Sharing: Knowledge sharing is not just about sharing knowledge but about sharing knowledge on time. Mābēl Shū, West Africa Civil Society Institute – Ghana.
People Finding Map:In project based organisations, use time sheet data as a KM people finder tool; your finance system who knows who worked on what, their team, whether they are still in the company, and probably the client and sector of the project. This data set is ripe for augmentation with other sources too! Rory Huston, Buro Happold- UK.
Communities of Practice: Establish Communities of Practice (CoPs) within your organization to foster knowledge sharing and collaboration. Maya Shaked- Siemens, Israel.
Fostering Connections Between People: Establishing communities of practice and facilitating networking opportunities are essential to building a culture of knowledge sharing. Encouraging collaboration through both formal and informal channels helps employees to connect, exchange insights, and collectively solve problems, thus enhancing the overall knowledge base of the organization. Larriza Thurler- RNP, Brasil.
Create Knowledge Communities: Create knowledge communities to unite individuals with shared interests and expertise. These platforms will be able to facilitate the exchange of ideas, foster collaboration, and support collective learning and problem-solving. Develop mechanisms to encourage active participation and knowledge sharing within these communities to harness collective intelligence and drive innovation and continuous improvement. Ravalika Medipally, UnfoldLabs- India.
Success leaves crumbs: In order to reach the tacit knowledge of experts, invest in establishing rapport during the interaction and adapt your communication style to the way the expert prefers to present things. Only then can you structure the knowledge in a way that will be understandable to others. Additionally, it is important to tailor the method for externalizing the knowledge and not stick to a rigid protocol. Some will need an audience, some will prefer to demonstrate, some will only need 'a roadmap' to develop the content themselves, and some will share their experience with you as they solve problems. Dan Asher Ph.D.- The tacit dimension consulting, Israel.
Establish a culture of knowledge sharing: Encourage open communication: promote a culture where knowledge sharing is valued and recognized. This can be achieved by creating platforms where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas, experiences and lessons learned. Recognition and incentives: Recognize and reward individuals or teams who contribute valuable knowledge to the organization. This can be through awards, public recognition, or even career advancement opportunities. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group, Cote d'Ivoire.
Storytelling providing context: To keep the momentum going in workshops and facilitation, I use the art of storytelling to engage participants and revitalize and trigger tacit knowledge sharing. As a best practice, it provides context which is often crucial for understanding and applying tacit knowledge and can help redirect the focus back to achieving the core purpose of the engagement. Lynne Schneider- Entovation International, Virginia, USA.
Communication Specialists: KM Teams must include communications specialists. Rudolf Dsouza, InKnoWin Consulting- India.
Conversation Covenant: Creating a psychologically safer space for difficult conversations. In challenging conversations, differing viewpoints can lead to tension and misunderstandings. A conversation covenant offers a structured approach to ensure respectful, constructive dialogue. By establishing agreed-upon guidelines, it helps create a safe environment for discussing even the most difficult topics. David Gurteen- Gurteen Knowledge, UK. Conversation Covenant- Creating a psychologically safer space for difficult conversations
Connection Before Content: Without relatedness, no work can occur. Too often in organizational life, we ask things of people or try to work with them before we have established a relationship. This is a big mistake. David Gurteen- Gurteen Knowledge, UK. Connection Before Content- Without relatedness, no work can occur
Encourage cross-functional collaboration: Create cross-departmental teams: Form cross-functional teams to work on projects that require diverse knowledge and skills. This promotes collaboration and knowledge exchange between departments.
Communities of Practice: Establish communities of practice (CoPs) where employees with similar interests or expertise can come together to share ideas, solve problems and innovate. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group, Cote d'Ivoire.
The Power of Huddles: How brief team gatherings can align, motivate, and connect. In fast-paced work environments, team alignment and communication can be challenging. Miscommunication and lack of cohesion can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Huddles provide a quick, effective way for teams to connect, share updates, and stay focused on common goals. David Gurteen- Gurteen Knowledge, UK. The Power of Huddles
Knowledge Sharing: Create ample opportunities for people to share their knowledge nuggets/best practices in front of peers - peer recognition is what they most look out for! Ved Prakash- Trianz, India.
Knowledge Retention
Knowledge Continuity Plan: Implement a strategic knowledge continuity plan to preserve & seamlessly transfer critical knowledge during transitions such as employee turnover or organizational changes. Systematically capture, store, and share essential knowledge to keep it accessible & usable despite personnel changes. This will include documenting processes, best practices, and insights from experienced employees. Asokan Ashok - California, USA.
Facilitate knowledge retention: Exit Interviews: When employees leave the organization, conduct exit interviews to capture any valuable knowledge they may have. This knowledge must be documented and added to the repository.
Knowledge transfer plans: For critical roles, develop knowledge transfer plans that outline how key knowledge will be passed on to others before an employee leaves or changes roles. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group, Cote d'Ivoire.
Minimize Risks: Prioritize Knowledge Retention activities to minimize knowledge-based business risks before suggesting other KM activities, even if these hold business opportunities. Moria Levy, Ph.D.- ROM Global, Israel.
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned as the Route to Excellence: One of the significant factors driving excellence, besides genetics, hard work, and luck, is continual improvement. Lessons Learned is the main route to continual improvement. To excel, invest in learning lessons; again and again. Moria Levy, Ph.D.- ROM Global, Israel.
Collate Lessons Learnt: Just sharing a 1-2-3 steps, which gives me an easy/lazy way to collate lessons learnt:
Go back to our 'to do' list (think of an XLS sheet) of past week/weeks/month (Not further than that)
Identify days when we learnt something (BIG, Medium, small) & how we did it (from planned activity/contextual discovery/while solving problems)
Sieve for those LEARNINGs which are BIGGEST, Bigger Assets (which have potential to keep on giving us better edge).
Abhijit Sarkar- Kolkata, Thailand.
Knowledge, Documentation and Accessibility
Divine Epignosis: Leveraging Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding for "Basking in the Epignosis": This powerful concept alludes to leveraging "God's Knowledge" and the "Knowledge of God" for being the best universal self that you can possibly be in fulfilling one's purpose and destiny across the spectrum of subconciousness, consciousness and superconciousness in traversing life's infinite journey.In other words resonate with the natural frequencies of the universe as cells of the infinite consciousness.This concept cajoles us to interpret the philosophical and divine understanding of "As it was in the begining, so shall it be in the end.World without end.Amen". Glenroy London- Global Success Dynamics Limited, Trinidad and Tobago.
Cross Language Knowledge Search: The world is getting smaller, and language barriers need to be broken. Implement cross-language knowledge search to empower users to find information in their preferred language (e.g., English) even if the knowledge articles are in another language (e.g., Japanese). Utilize advanced translation algorithms to bridge these language barriers and provide accurate, relevant search results across multiple languages. Preethy Raghu, KaptureKM.AI - India.
Content Accuracy Importance: Content Accuracy and updated at all times with quarterly review by SMEs. Lydia Goh- Woh Hup, Singapore.
Bite Sized Knowledge: Develop innovative knowledge solutions that deliver information in bite-sized, easily digestible chunks tailored to user preferences. This approach will ensure users receive concise, relevant knowledge that fits their specific needs & consumption habits. Delivering knowledge in brief, focused segments, users can quickly understand & apply information without feeling overwhelmed. Abhijit Thakare, Kapture KM.AI- India.
Metadata: When contributing content or documents, make it a habit to add relevant, unique keywords as metadata. A well-designed metadata system enables you to create saved search links that provide quick, easy access to the desired information.
These searchable links are valuable for quickly retrieving content, and they are also easy to share with colleagues and other professionals who may need access to the same resources.
Always have a clear metadata strategy in place when contributing new content or documents. Thoughtful use of keywords and metadata will optimize the discoverability and usability of your organization's knowledge assets. Angshumala Sarmah, Deloitte- Australia.
Knowledge flows: Knowledge is like water. It unlocks value when it flows. It’s ‘damned’ when it’s ‘dam(ed). Rudolf Dsouza, InKnoWin Consulting- India.
Document and standardize processes: Process Documentation: Ensure that all critical processes are well documented and stored in the knowledge repository. This includes step-by-step guides, best practices, and lessons learned from past projects.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Develop SOPs for common tasks and processes to ensure consistency and efficiency across the organization. These should be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group ,Cote d'Ivoire.
Coding Parameters: Although this experience comes from Lessons Learned, it applies generally to any situation where you are coding or tagging knowledge. "Select the most appropriate term" with a single selection makes it easy for analysis (especially for IT folk) but can give a skewed answer. "Select All that apply" gives a much richer and more accurate tagging. Two examples:
We asked a number of experienced personnel to code a parameter using the first approach (Complete Divergence of answers) and then the second approach Complete Convergence on 3 of the answers)
When looking at "Principal Cause" in a Fire Authority, "Firefighter Fatigue" would never be selected with the first approach; but in real life using the second approach, the organization discovered a major ongoing problem.
Ian Fry- Knoco Australia Pty, Australia.
KM Platforms and AI
Delicate yet persistent Pushing Forward: Understand that people, even KMers, fear AI. Consider it, but don’t stop pushing forward. AI in general, and GEN AI specifically, will revolutionize KM and Knowledge Work. It is a too significant opportunity that cannot be missed. Moria Levy, Ph.D. ROM Global, Israel.
Platform that can perform Advanced Search & Retrieval: Invest in advanced AI/ML technologies with innovative search and retrieval algorithms to quickly locate and access relevant information across the organization. This enhances accuracy and efficiency in search results, boosting productivity and knowledge utilization. Embracing these technologies now will position your organization for future advancements, ensuring you stay ahead in the competitive landscape. Shyam Gopalyam, KaptureKM.AI,-India
Automatic Knowledge Creation: Develop innovative and automated methods to synthesize information from various organizational sources, generating new knowledge articles. Expand this capability to support multi-language content generation, enabling automatic translation and customization for different languages and regions. Incorporate user feedback and ensure automated content considers context & user needs for ongoing enhancement. Uday Kumar Javangula, KaptureKM.AI- India.
Automatic Knowledge Rating with AI/ML: Develop a knowledge platform that uses AI & machine learning to automatically evaluate, rate relevance & quality of articles. This will also ensure users to receive most pertinent information based on intelligent assessment & feedback. This also helps improve the knowledge base by learning from user interactions and dynamically adjusting ratings to reflect current trends and preferences. Balaji Ramachandran, SoftClouds- California, USA.
System Collaboration- A New Paradigm in Knowledge Management: While human collaboration has long been recognized as a cornerstone of effective knowledge management (KM), it's time to elevate system collaboration as a best practice. Many organizations face challenges with knowledge centralization, where accessing the necessary information is difficult. Often, valuable organizational knowledge is trapped in isolated systems that don't interact with others due to concerns like security and knowledge sensitivity. However, by leveraging AI and automation, systems can collaborate effectively while maintaining proper validation of knowledge sensitivity and security. This approach can unlock the full potential of an organization's knowledge, streamline processes, and significantly enhance business ROI. Sachin Kumar Sharma- Icertis, India.
AI for Repetitive Tasks: Utilize AI to create the obvious repeatable tasks. For example Tagging, Search, Document Summarizations for One Pagers, Emails for Capturing Data and Sending Reminders. Creating Personalised AI, overcoming PII challenges might take time, but the others mentioned above are easily achievable with miminum to no additional investments. Sreeparna Bose- AMA, Illinois, United States.
Implement a robust knowledge management system (KMS) : Centralized Knowledge Repository: Develop a centralized repository where all critical information, documents, and resources are stored and easily accessible. Make sure it’s user-friendly and searchable, allowing employees to quickly find the information they need. Content curation: Regularly update the repository to include the latest information and remove outdated content. Designate content curators or knowledge champions to oversee this process. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group , Cote d'Ivoire.
Choice of tools: Use tools that are user-friendly, commonly used across your organization, and low-cost. This ensures that knowledge sharing is accessible to everyone, minimizing barriers and encouraging widespread participation without straining the budget. Maya Shaked- Siemens, Israel.
Technology tuned: Stay updated on technological innovations, such as AI tools like Copilot, that can enhance knowledge management. These tools can automate repetitive tasks, provide advanced search capabilities, and facilitate better knowledge sharing, making your KM processes more efficient and effective. Maya Shaked- Siemens, Israel.
Leverage technology for collaboration and knowledge sharing: Use collaboration tools: Implement tools like Microsoft SharePoint, Confluence, or other collaboration platforms that facilitate easy sharing and updating of knowledge. These tools must support document collaboration, discussion forums and project management.
Automate knowledge capture: Use tools that automatically capture and categorize knowledge from daily operations, meetings, and projects. This ensures that essential knowledge is not lost and is available for future reference. Ulrich Beliby- African Development Bank Group , Cote d'Ivoire.
Advanced Search: learn to utilize advanced search capabilities on various everyday digital platforms: email, WhatsApp, desktops, mobile apps, chrome extentions etc. There are lots of knowledge stored in the most basic digital spaces in every organization, that can elevate the process of collecting useful knowledge. Keren Aingorn- Municipality of Nesher, Israel.
Leveraging AI in KM: I've been utilizing Conversational Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity to categorize content, generate concise summaries, synthesize information from multiple sources, create images, provide valuable insights, etc. In essence, these tools enhance human intelligence and boost productivity. The GPT functionality in ChatGPT, which allows for customized versions of the model and the option to use private documents or search the web, has proven particularly effective for streamlining routine tasks, managing personal knowledge, and guiding reflections. Larriza Thurler- RNP, Brasil.
GEN AI Leveraging Knowledge Work: Leveraging on current technology of Gen AI to make content search and recommendation more intuitive and work context based. Lydia Goh- Woh Hup, Singapore.
Strategy Integrity: One should plan from where they have been or are, to establish the path forward. The origin of strategy is a plan of action. Subsequently, there is a synergistic relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and building a plan of action that dynamically aligns knowledge to success. The first step to moving forward in this digital age is to enhance the integrity of the strategy to realize value. Dr. Annie Green- George Mason University, Virginia, USA.
Capabilities and Capacities
Capacities: subject is developing capacity as a best practice : In today's dynamic and rapidly evolving environment, fostering capacity, rather than only developing specific capabilities, has become increasingly essential. This distinction lies at the heart of our ability to adapt, thrive, and innovate in the face of pervasive uncertainty, complexity, and accelerated change. Capacity refers to the broad potential or inherent ability of individuals or organizations to learn, adapt, and grow over time. It encompasses the fundamental ways of thinking, being, and acting that allow one to effectively engage with dynamic and complex environments. Capacities are less about specific skills or tasks and more about overarching qualities and dispositions that support continuous learning, resilience, and innovation. Primary qualities of capacities include:
Adaptability. The ability to adjust strategies and actions in response to changing conditions.
Potential for Growth. The intrinsic capability to develop new skills and competencies over time.
General Applicability. Capacities are not limited to specific contexts but are applicable across various scenarios and challenges.
Alex Bennet, Ph.D.- MQI, Virginia, USA. Knowledge Capacities
Capabilities: Capability refers to the specific skills, competencies, and knowledge that enable individuals or organizations to perform particular tasks or functions effectively within a given context. Capabilities are bounded, specific, and therefore more narrowly defined such that they directly relate to achieving concrete outcomes or objectives. Primary qualities of capabilities include:
Skill Proficiency. The possession of specialized skills needed to perform certain tasks.
Task-Specific. Capabilities are typically tied to specific functions or roles.
Immediate Application.
They are used to address current, well-defined challenges and objectives. Both capacities and capabilities are knowledge, that is, the capacity (potential and actual—now and in the future) to effective action. However, by understanding and fostering capacities, individuals and organizations can better prepare for an unpredictable future, whereas capabilities are essential for excelling in specific, well-defined areas of work in the present.
Alex Bennet, Ph.D.- MQI, Virginia, USA.
Strategy- building capacities and capabilities: Both capacities and capabilites are crucial, yet we recognize that in today's CUCA (increasing Complexity, Uncertainty, Change, and Anxiety) world, the broad and adaptive nature of capacities provides a more robust foundation for continuous evolution and success:
Scope: Capacities- Broad, encompassing, and oriented toward long-term adaptability and growth; Capabilities- Narrow, focused, and directed toward immediate application and specific tasks.
Flexibility: Capacities- Flexible and adaptable, allowing for navigation through uncertainty and complexity; Capabilities- More rigid, suited to defined roles and contexts.
Development: Capacities- Developed through ongoing experiences, reflections, and holistic growth; Capabilites- Developed through target training and skill acquisition.
Impact: Capacities- Influences overall adaptability and innovation, preparing individuals and organizations for unforeseen challenges and opportunities in an unknown future; Capabilites- Directly impacts efficiency and effectiveness in specific, known areas of work.
Alex Bennet, Ph.D.- MQI, Virginia, USA.
KM Capabilities: The most important thing for me is to ensure that the organization develops capabilities in knowledge management, making it part of its culture and seeing it as a strategic issue
For that reason, at the beginning, the most important is to define the issue of organizational knowledge as strategic.The first thing I do is work with the people in the organization to define its strategic direction for knowledge management, including what knowledge is, how it will be managed within the organization, why it is strategically important, where the organization wants to go or what it wants to achieve, and how to accomplish it. Therefore, I define the mission, vision, and strategic objectives of knowledge management, all linked to the organization’s overall strategic goals. Mónica Henao Cálad, PhD.- Conexarte, Colombia.
Karthikeyan Palanisamy- ASML, Netherlands
Behavioural DNA: (Organizational Zoo based – 2007 & reissued 2021 version), Behavioural Adaptability, Reverse Bloom Learning Framework, Applied Social Learning Ecosystems, MindFLEX, Collaborative Conversation Spirals (all from Becoming Adaptable2024), and CoCreated Projects Worth Doing (published in open source in 2021). Some of the concepts from KNOWledge SUCCESSion (2017) are quite well known now, I think (like the Strategic Knowledge Cycle, Creative Friction and the 4A’s framework), and remain useful.
These are all concepts that I have applied MANY times to facilitate the cocreation of new knowledge, generation of opportunities and in problem solving. Arthur Shelley- Australia.
Integrating Tacit Knowledge Management into Corporate Mentoring adds value:
This business case outlines the integration of the Tacit Knowledge Management into Corporate Mentoring program within a credit card overdue collection company in Shanghai, which has seen a deal volume of approximately US$15 billion annually. Launched as a pilot program in 2022, the initiative has shown promising results in enhancing performance and knowledge transfer. The primary objectives include systematically extracting tacit knowledge from top performers, improving collection efficiency, and standardizing best practices to sustain high performance across all teams.
The program structure features a steering committee led by the CEO, a selection of top and average performers for targeted mentoring, and a comprehensive training plan for both mentors and mentees. Over a 12-month period, the program's effectiveness will be evaluated through key performance indicators. Initial results indicate a significant increase in daily average collections from US$3.5K to US$7.9K, underlining the program's potential for organization-wide scalability and sustainability. The financial implications suggest that the expected rise in collection efficiency will justify the investment, while strategies are in place to mitigate risks such as resistance to change. Overall, this initiative promises substantial improvements in operational performance and a culture of continuous learning. Fisher Yu- GO-TKM, China.