Is it not a paradox? Knowledge Management is a widely
accepted management concept that also renders high consulting fees in the
companies aiming to implement it. Yet, we still find endless discussions about
how to define the asset that is being managed, i.e., ‘knowledge’. So far, very
few, if any, have actually been able to provide a sensible definition of the
concept ‘knowledge’ that makes it manageable. My personal opinion is that when,
if ever, we reach a point where anyone can claim actual success in managing
someone else’s knowledge, we are all in very big trouble, as this more or less
equals mental manipulation.
Rather, what we are talking about is the management of
enabling processes and tools for the business utilization of knowledge
(whatever we mean by that?). My favorite quote, capturing most of this paradox,
comes from Larry Prusac, at that time at IBM consulting:
“I call my field
knowledge management but you cannot manage knowledge, nobody can. What you do,
what a company does, is managing the environment that optimizes knowledge.”
To me, "knowledge" is something that is very
personal and simply refers to each individual’s own ability to put new
information in a perspective based on formal education and experiences,
including values and personality. If my "definition" is correct, Knowledge
Management quickly boils down
to two core activities:
- An
active HR strategy that aims to inspire and enable employees and partners
to increase their personal knowledge domains, and
- An
active business strategy that focuses on making information and colleagues accessible
for the employees, depending on their business needs and roles in the company's
decision process.
Now, those of you that followed my old blog (dead and buried
for some time now) will recognize that this piece of text above is very similar
to a piece I wrote some years ago, with one significant difference; the
addition of “and colleagues“
in the second bullet above. Is this what we mean by corporations “going social”
? Is “social enterprise” just an addition to the existing infrastructures to
enable me to find and communicate with colleagues but in a new and more
efficient environment?
Finally a question for us definition geeks; are enterprise
social tools and models a part of Knowledge Management or is it the other way
around, or are they not related at all? J
You can read a more elaborated text of my definition
thoughts on http://gabriel.anderbjork.se/docs/KM%20back%20to%20its%20roots%20-%20rev%20A.pdf
