Knowledge Management Systems

1
Knowledge Management Systems

• Week 3 Schedule
• Syllabus Updates
• Web Site
• Discussion Weeks Assigned
• System Analysis
• Topic Selection
• Readings Discussion
• System Install and Configure (1)

2
Working Knowledge

• Knowledge Transfer
• Knowledge Roles and Skills
• Technologies for KM
• KM Projects in Practice
• Pragmatics of KM

3
Knowledge Transfer

• Knowledge Gets Transferred
• Naturally
• Unpredictably
• Organizational Size vs. Finding Knowledge
• Methods for Transfer
• Organized
• Meetings, Workshops, Training
• Liaisons and Leaders
• Structure of the Organization
• Unorganized
• Neighbors, Elevators, Lunchrooms
• Water Coolers, Managers

4
New Technologies and KM

• Organizational Change
• Cultural Changes
• Flattened Hierarchies
• Individual Responsibilities
• Distance Work
• Telecommuting
• Remote Meetings
• Technology-Driven Capture
• Communication (email)
• Data-Driven Work Creates Detailed Records
• Data Mining (ad hoc and batched)
• More Potential Tacit Knowledge, More Technology
  Use

5
Culture of Knowledge Transfer

• Trust Relationships
• Different Cultures Create Common Ground
• Time and Real Estate Schedule Both
• Status of Knowledge Owners Sharing Incentives
• Absorbing Knowledge Education
• Knowledge Sources Ideas, not Source Important
• Intolerance of Mistakes Reward Creative Errors
• P 97

6
Knowledge Transfer Causes Effects

• Crisis Failure
• Shared Language (or lack thereof)
• Mismatch of Cultures
• Gaps in Expertise
• Solutions for Success through KM
• Training and Exposure to Culture(s)
• Encouraged Common Ground
• Gatekeepers Bridging Gaps

7
Knowledge Transfer Attributes

• Status of the Knower
• Completed, Absorbed Transfer
• Measured
• Acted Upon
• Velocity (if any)
• Viscosity (quality)
• Transfer Medium
• Source and Integration
• New or Best Doesnt Always Transfer

8
CMS and KM

• New Technology and Documents
• New Technology and Conversations
• Discussions and Documents
• Access
• Transfer
• Interpretation
• Integration
• How is Knowledge Transfer Different in this Class
  from Others Youve Had?

9
Knowledge Roles and Skills

• Additional or Refocused Roles for KM
• Integrated into an Organization
• Not Separate
• Not a Wholly New Culture
• Consultants?
• Everyone doing KM including Transfer
• KM Specialists
• Organizational (Networks)
• Technical (Systems)
• Both
• Librarians, Editors, Writers, IT Staff, Managers

10
Knowledge Projects

• Manage Specific Forms of Knowledge
• Improve Practices Related to Knowledge
• Objectives
• Teams
• Expectations
• Budgets and Schedules
• Identification and Resolution
• Our KM Project?

11
Chief Knowledge Officer

• Executive Position Indicates Importance of Focus
• Trendy?
• Evangelize KM Practices Roles
• Make KMS Decisions
• Manage KMS Implementations
• Measure Knowledge
• Show KM Successes
• Coordinate with Other Groups and Executives
• Experience in One or Many of These

12
Technologies for KM

• Technology or Culture?
• Protocols
• Paradigms
• Systems that make leaps in
• Analysis
• Communication
• Coordination
• ???
• Repositories of Knowledge
• Capture
• Organization
• Access

13
Barriers to KM Technology

• Implementation Isnt Success
• Training with KMS is Essential
• Adaptation of Roles to Support and Promote KMS
• Measuring and Coordinating a Moving Target
• Early (even small) Problems Affect KMS Use
• ???

14
KM Projects in Practice

• Approaches to KM Projects
• Market-based
• Centrally Supported (and funded)
• Stealth
• Types of KM Projects
• Repository Building
• External (Competitive Intelligence, News)
• Structured Internal (Research, Reports, Methods)
• Informal Internal (Discussions, Messages)
• Culture Changing
• Process Improvement
• Transforming Creating KM Roles

15
Successful KM Projects

• Expert Network
• Internal Document Repositories
• New Knowledge Creation Methods
• Lessons Learned Knowledge Bases
• Improve IT to Promote KM
• Change Evaluation and Compensation to Influence
  Behavior

16
Measuring KM Success

• Growth in Staffing and Budgets over time
• Growth in Volume and Content of KM Systems
• Extended Projects, New Spinoff Projects
• KM Accepted as Normal and Routine
• Measurable Return on KM Investment
• For Our Class?

17
Successful KM Strategies

• Knowledge-Oriented Culture
• Technical Infrastructure
• Organizational Infrastructure
• Executive Management Support
• Process Adaptability and Focus
• Clarity of Project (Communication)
• Motivation for Success
• Structure for Knowledge to Coalesce
• Multiple Channels for Knowledge Transfer
• P 153

18
KM Pragmatics (common sense)

• Start with High-Value Knowledge
• Small, Focused Pilot, but Extendable
• Multiple Methods (Tech, Culture)
• Tackle Difficulties Early
• Get Organizational Support Early
• Work with Whats in Place
• Technology
• Organization
• Dont Advertise Until Youre Ready
• Find the Right Team (Self-Selecting)
• Organization as a System, a Network

19
Integrating Knowledge on the Web

• Ubiquitous medium for distributing computation,
  information and KM.
• Intuitive Interfaces for Linking Knowledge
  Elements in a Repository
• Open standards
• Adaptable (upgrade paths)
• Usable (already used)
• Extendable (with other systems)

20
Frameworks for KM

• Creating and Managing
• Tacit
• Communication Capture
• Organization
• Explicit
• Measurable Processes (Projects, Warehouses)
• Transformed Data
• Artifactual
• Enterprise
• Infrastructure
• Content (formats)

21
Organizational Processes Support

• Doc Mgmt
• Workflow
• Conferencing
• VoIP
• Digital/Visual Thinking Tools
• Data Warehouses/Repositories
• Groupware
• Intranets
• Table 1, p 33

22
KMS Objectives

• Find Knowledge
• Create New Knowledge
• Package and Assemble Knowledge
• Apply Knowledge
• Reuse and Revalidate Knowledge
• Table 2, p 33

23
Table 1
24
Table 2
25
Enterprise KM Components
26
KMS Issues

• Middleware
• Information Processing
• Knowledge Distillation
• Legacy Integrations
• Leveraging Existing Information
• Conversion Wrappers (KQML)
• Message Brokers
• Middleware of Middleware?
• Central Integration Point
• ETL process not always replicatable
• HTML, SQL, XML, RDF

27
KMS Attributes

• Platform Independence and Portability
• Robust (System) Access
• Integration with Legacy and Existing Systems
• Security
• Scalability
• Distributed Connectivity, Flexibility and
  Customizability
• Ubiquitous, Consistent, Intuitive Client
  Interface
• System Interfaces? (Users as Knowledge Managers)
• Cultural Fit (Present and/or Future)
• ???