Knowledge Management is a term laden with baggage. For some people, KM synonymous with expensive IT systems and tools. For others it conjures memories of failed initiatives from a time past. But for most people, KM is a concept that they really don’t get. Not that they need to “get it.” The term itself was […]
Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management, Highways, Byways and Cars
Chris Collison (which I keep wanting to read as collision for reasons that will soon become apparent) is a KM consultant and author who will be speaking to 600 law librarians on the subject of mapping the KM landscape. It’s a fertile and provocative analogy, and was the focus of today’s KMers.org tweet chat. Collison […]
Social Media and Knowledge Management
Social media is often cast as being at odds with enterprise initiatives such as knowledge management. There is a sense that as people embrace and use social media tools like Twitter, Yammer, LinkedIn and Quora, the enterprise loses control over their knowledge. While this is certainly true, it’s also nothing new. There have always been and […]
Face-to-Face Still Matters
Earlier today we wrapped up three consecutive days of video teleconferences to train five new knowledge managers. The trainees were located in Greenville, Calgary and Houston, while the other trainers and I were primarly located in Southern California. In better economic times, our trainees would have travelled to Southern California for the week, spending some serious […]
Knowledge Management is Not a Software Solution
At Fluor, one of our favorite sayings about knowledge management is that “KM is not about the tool!” We aren’t Luddites by any means. Ineffective tools can inhibit the success of KM, just as woodworker would struggle with a dull blade. Conversing with our colleagues at other companies, participating in best practice studies with APQC, […]
APQC 2011 Knowledge Management Conference
Knowledge Management (KM) is a phrase that confounds many. Many companies and organizations that attempt to “manage their knowledge” fail miserably. The problem, it seems, is not so much with the concept as it is the terminology. Simply put, knowledge management is a systematic approach to helping people share knowledge with each other. My friends […]
Successful KM Storytelling
Before we developed written languages, storytelling allowed us to pass down our history and knowledge from one generation to the next. Even today, storytelling remains a powerful medium. A well-told story with a meaningful message is easier to remember, internalize and share. Earlier today I chatted with fellow knowledge management (KM) colleagues at KMers.org on […]