Focusing on Cultural Aspects of Knowledge Management

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Focusing on Cultural Aspects of Knowledge
Management

• Tracey Dalitz

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Knowledge Management A set of cultural analysis
tools

• Many KM projects fail because they fail to take
  into account the culture and the people
• KM functions within the physical environment

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Cultural Analysis

• Ethnographic Analysis (Participant Observation) -
  describing a culture using rich descriptions in
  order to establish patterns of behaviour
• Take note of emotions, reactions, place, who the
  people, interactions, what they are doing

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Cultural Analysis

• How to do it
• Note cultural environment
• make objective notes describing the major places,
  actors (people), activities, and objects
• Recurring situations
• Supplement with formal and informal interviews

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Influence Mapping

• Influence maps identify the sources that one
  finds are influential (both within the
  hierarchical structure and external to it) and
  who impacts decisions.

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Information Mapping

• Information maps shows the relationship between
  people and where they get their information from.

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Information and Influence Mapping

• How to do it
• Observations, surveys, interviews
• Map interactions visually using nodes and arrows
• Test your assumptions
• Remember - Maps are human creations aimed to
  guide users through a complex and changing
  environment - they change

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Information and Influence Mapping
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Social Network Analysis

• Visual map of the social network showing informal
  connections between people.
• Uses ethnography interviews to identify the
  hidden structure of the organisation.
• Often the social network is different from the
  formal information / influence maps.

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Social Network Analysis
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Taxonomies

• Taxonomies used to name and classify objects
• Used to identify types of relationships between
  people and things or cultural domains.
• Use of classification schemes can assist with
  classification and codification of knowledge and
  information in KM environment.

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Physical Space Design

• The physical space of an environment can affect
  the knowledge flows.
• Physical Space Design visually maps relationships
  between people, facilities and the technology
  (including phones, computers, email, databases,
  faxes etc) used to support the knowledge
  environment.
• Addresses issues relating to knowledge flows in
  workspaces.

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Physical Space Design

• How to do it
• Interviews, observation
• Create a graphic representation of the space a
  floor plan is excellent.
• Indicate people, equipment, facilities and
  physical barriers
• Create a map of the interactions between people
  and objects through a process of observation and
  by conducting analysis

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Considerations

• Ethically - you are doing this anyway
• Test assumptions
• Redo regularly
• Be prepared - people may not want to know
• Tools dont sit in isolation

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Conclusion

• KM success depends largely on fitting knowledge
  management initiatives to the culture and
  environment.
• People are the most important assets in an
  organisation and understanding the way those
  people interact with the organisational social
  situation and culture can increase the chances of
  success.