What Managers Get Wrong About KM
Every professional I talk to is fed up with the same thing. They can’t find information they need, and they are sick of searching for it.
Once I explain that I’m a knowledge management (or KM) specialist, and that KM makes data, information, and expertise easier to capture, find, and share, the hungry look on their search-weary faces says it all. They need knowledge management.
But implementing it feels like a distant dream—like paying off a mortgage or taking a luxury vacation. They hope it’ll be something they do some day. Right now, there’s no time or budget.
That’s when I hit them with the truth.
Implementing effective knowledge management won’t slow you down, and it won’t drain your budget.
It’s one of the few times I enjoy telling people how wrong they are.
Knowledge management means ensuring the best knowledge in your organization is readily accessible, where and when it’s needed. It sounds ambitious for any size organization, and it’s difficult to envision how it works. After all, knowledge lives inside our minds. It’s the human capacity to take effective action in varied and uncertain situations - not something you can store in a database or ask AI to generate for you.
Knowledge is your greatest asset. Organizations rely on it to make decisions and get work done. It should be easy to leverage. So how do you make the best knowledge accessible with limited time and money?
The answer is simple, and it’s great news. Your organization already has what it needs to implement quality knowledge management. KM works best when embedded into established team workflows using proven team tools. Otherwise, productivity gets disrupted and adoption rates suffer. So there’s no need to drain your budget on new platforms or waste time learning unfamiliar tools to implement KM.
In fact, research has shown that spending more money on KM does not lead to better program results. In 2022, benchmarking research conducted by APQC showed the total cost of a KM program had no effect on the rate of participation in that program, or the program’s likelihood of achieving its stated goals. So, what did have an effect?
According to the research, the KM programs that performed best all had one thing in common – a defined strategy.
Developing a knowledge management strategy is a critical first step in your organization’s KM journey. It outlines the approach you will take to help employees access and share knowledge. It incorporates your organization’s unique resources, needs, and strategic priorities.
And there’s more good news. With a well-defined and agreed upon strategy in place, research shows that leaders are more likely to see your KM program as effective and it’s likely to have higher participation rates among employees. In short, your KM strategy sets you up for success all around.
Let’s Get Started!
Check out these tips on how to craft a winning knowledge management strategy.
Step 1: Assess the Current State
Before drafting your strategy, determine what opportunities and resources exist in your organization.
What specific issues do you face? - Find out what data, information, and expertise are difficult to locate or capture in your organization.
What tools and resources are available that can facilitate knowledge sharing? - Knowledge Made Ready partners with clients to build intuitive KM solutions using standard SharePoint and Google Workspace tools among many others. They are the ideal place to start.
Step 2: Create the Strategy
As you write your strategy, make sure you address the following points:
End Results - Provide explicit statements on what KM will accomplish and what success will look like. What issues will you address with KM? How will you know you’ve achieved the end results you’ve targeted?
Strategic Objective Support - Include action plans that align with your organization’s broader objectives. Where can KM “move the needle” in your organization?
Tools, Processes, and Methods - What processes and methods will you enact to help achieve your end results? What tools and resources will you leverage?
Step 3: Strategy Implementation
Once your strategy is approved, you’re ready to implement. Start small by selecting one identified need and creating a simple, targeted KM solution to address it and then build on it. A few examples include:
Collect and organize information on a key business topic and make it available through an internally-facing website.
Start a topic-based online discussion forum where people can ask questions or share success stories in an easy-to-use format that is searchable.
Knowledge Made Ready designs scalable solutions that integrate with future enhancements and additional resources, making your simple solution easy to grow.
Still Have Questions?
Knowledge Made Ready will partner with you to develop SharePoint or Google based Knowledge Centers, resource libraries, community forums, and knowledge collection tools to meet your KM needs.
Contact us if you have questions about defining a knowledge management strategy or about getting started with knowledge management in your organization.
