Knowledge Management: Leveraging Your Organization’s Information
By Adam Wilburn
Web Development
Universal Advisor, 2004 Issue No. 1

Staff, employees, associates, cast members — whatever you choose to call them, your company can’t run without them. It’s the people of an organization that make sure things are done right, that your customers are satisfied and, ultimately, that have the biggest impact on your success. These people generate extraordinary amounts of information every year and lock amazing amounts of information away in their heads. Losing a key person or two can have a significant impact on a company, as you aren’t just losing the person — you’re also losing their experience and knowledge. Some companies address this problem by working to capture (and leverage) as much information as possible. This concept is known as Knowledge Management (KM).

What Is KM?

In simple terms, KM is an attempt to leverage corporate information (physical or electronic) and individual knowledge (experience); however, it’s incredibly complex and encompasses several disciplines. KM is becoming increasingly prevalent in business today, largely due to advances in technology that are allowing the concept of a knowledge repository to become more of a reality.

However, technology is not the only necessary component for a successful KM program. All of this information, or knowledge, is generated and maintained by people. Just as it’s impossible to have a successful business without the corresponding talent, technology would be irrelevant without the corresponding talent to guide and inform it.

Technological Advances

Previously, KM systems required people to “feed” the system, and there was a conscious effort on behalf of the people within an organization to generate or contribute information. Massive amounts of information are generated on a daily basis; the problem has been deciphering, collecting, and summarizing it all. KM systems traditionally relied on people to contribute information and categorize it.

Today, technology has advanced, and approaches to KM have evolved to produce some impressive products that are not only more affordable than ever but also less noticeable (if at all) to the workers within an organization. These systems tend to focus on organizational information versus individual knowledge, but they’re a step in the right direction.

KM in Action

Some organizations have implemented a search solution that attempts to match search terms with not only the cataloged information that traditionally comes up in a search but also with people who’ve been flagged in the system as knowledgeable regarding the search topic.

Another technology example extends everyday tools, such as word processing and e-mail, and makes working in and with KM systems as simple as working with your local hard drive. It’s more comprehensive, encompassing several KM areas of interest, but the big value is removing the barriers people encounter when interacting with KM systems. Removing the barriers makes it easier to contribute more structured, better information and, ultimately, to obtain relevant information from the KM repository.

Take the First Step

This is just the tip of the KM iceberg. There’s a lot that can be done with people, processes, and technology, but you don’t have to do it all at once. The biggest mistake would be doing nothing at all, as by embracing KM, you’re protecting something that’s invaluable — the knowledge of the people that drive your organization.