In the past we’ve had several conversations about knowledge and how to manage the knowledge you have within your ogranization. We’ve talked about auditing information, storing information, and even making sure it gets back out to those who need it.

Today I want to talk about what I consider the four fundamental priniciples of knowledge management. They include capturing knowledge, validating knowledge, accessing knowledge, and then scaling that knowledge down. What do I mean?

The idea of capturing knowledge is pretty simple - in theory, anyway. Capturing knowledge is the process by which you determine what knowledge is available and then bring it together into some form of documentation. Knowledge that isn’t documented can’t be shared or used.

After you capture knowledge you have to validate it. Validating knowledge is about ensuring that the information you have is accurate and relevant. It won’t do you any good to have incorrect facts in your database and it’s just as bad to have completely outdated information as well.

After you capture and validate the knowledge within your organisation you have to create a way that makes it easy for everyone to access the pieces they need at any given time. They shouldn’t have to sort through an entire database. It needst to be indexed so that it can be easily found and used.

Scaling information is the process of making the information you have into something usable regardless of the geographic location of your business. If you are part of an international business, for example, your employees in New York City and Tokyo may need to access the same database. An employee in NYC can’t use one method of capturing, validating, and accessing if an employee in Tokyo is doing something different. If that happens, you’ll end up with a database of jumbled information.

How do your knowledge databases look right now. Could they use some improvement?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Now that we’re a bit more familiar with the knowledge management cycle and some of its key factors I’d like to take a few minutes today to discuss the importance of conducting a knowledge audit. A knowledge audit is the process through which you take an inventory of the actual knowledge stored within your organisation and how it is used.

The knowledge audit is incredibly important for a number of reasons. It allows you to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses associated with your organisation’s overall level of progress and method of storage. The following are six signifcant outcomes an audit will provide:

• First, you’ll be able to identify areas in which you either have too much or not enough information;
• You’ll be able to identify how good your organisation is at keeping up with current events and then updating its resources with the most up to date knowledge;
• Your audit will tell you how often your employees or team members are making use of information that is outdated;
• An audit will usually help you to identify areas in which people are holding on to valuable information that should otherwise be archived and shared with the rest of the organisation;
• Your audit process will help you to identify places where people are reinventing the wheel, or duplicating each other’s work, because they don’t all have access to the same knowledge; and
• You will be able to identify resources you may not have known you had available to you, including old pros and those who are experts in certain areas.

The conduction of a knowledge audit is essential to the success of your business. It is imperative that you keep your resources as up to date as possible so that your potential customers see you as a valuable source of information - and want to do business with you instead of your competition!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

The fact that you and your organisation have knowledge to share or use in your day to day operations is one thing. Having a firm grasp on when and how to store that knowledge is another concept altogether. As a manager, it will be your responsibility to determine what knowledge is stored, what is destroyed, and how best to keep it safe.

There are four main factors to consider when it comes to managing knowledge. They include:

• Culture
• Old Pros
• Archives
• Processes

By culture we mean the culture of your organisation. Are the people who currently work for you willing to make use of the new knowledge you are sharing with them? Will it be incorporated into your day to day operations or are you trying to incorporate the information too early or too late?

The concept of the old pro refers to your organisation’s seasoned veterans. The people who have worked for you the longest may not be the most up to date when it comes to technology but they are an invaluable source of knowledge and usually know their business better than anyone else. As a manager you must know when and how to take advantage of the knowledge these people have to share.

You should be storing explicit pieces of information, things that you will need in the future, in some sort of archive. The archive can be paper or scanned into some sort of database system. You’ll be glad you have an archive the next time your team is completing a project and needs to rehash some old information.

Finally, you will be responsible for setting up a process by which knowlege is captured and stored in that archive system. The nature of your organisation and its people will have a strong influence on the method you choose to use but no matter what you do it is important to ensure that the information is properly categorized so that it can be easily accessed later on.

Consider these four factors as you prepare the knowledge management plan for your team or organisation. The better organised your efforts the more valuable your collection of information will be as you work towards progressing your business goals.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

O’Dell and Grayson describe knowledge management as follows:

“A conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve organisational performance.”

I believe that we often take knowledge management for granted. We know what we know and, in many cases, aren’t really acutely aware of exactly how much knowledge we do have. It’s up to you as a manager to familiarise yourself with the knowledge management cycle so that you always know where the right knowledge can be obtained in order to deal with any given situation.

The knowledge management cycle consists of four main features:

• The creation of knowledge - through acquisition or research;
• The adoption of knowledge - knowing the knowledge exists and determining what to do with it;
• The distribution of knowledge - sharing the knowledge you’ve obtained with the appropriate parties; and
• The review and revision of knowledge - reviewing your knowledge base regularly to weed out information that is no longer relevant while adding new information.

You’re in charge of the knowledge management cycle. It’s your responsibility to make sure that everyone on your team has access to the knowledge or information he or she needs to succeed.

Today I’d like you to take a step back and think about the vast amounts of knowledge you have available to you. What members of your team have specific knowledge-based assets? What members need help gaining access to additional tools? Is there anything you can do to enhance their work experiences and, in turn, the overall performance of your team?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Your success as a manager will depend in part on your mindset concerning knowledge and the way it is handled.

When happens when you obtain new knowledge? Do you keep it to yourself or share it with others?

There are four things - we’ll call them fundamentals - you need to remember about knowledge, whether it’s intellectual or in some other tangible form:

• Knowledge is never scarce. Knowledge is abundant. In many cases it is just waiting to be discovered.
• The best thing you can do with knowledge is share it. Hoarding knowledge is useless.
• People are the most valuable resource you can have on your side. They’re the ones that hold all the knowledge you’ll ever need.
• Knowledge is gained through experience and learning.

Knowledge is intangible. The words out of your mothers mouth as you were growing up were words of knowledge. The articles in the newspaper today were a result of someone’s knowledge and hard work. The memo that landed on your desk this morning contained a sampling of someone’s knowledge.

You’re now in charge of making sure that the knowledge you have and come in contact with is shared with the people who need it most. Do you have a plan for making sure that happens effectively? Think about it.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”