How can we channel the knowledge management process to achieve organizational goals?
- Dr. Moria Levy
- Jun 30, 2003
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 12
How can we channel the knowledge management process to achieve organizational goals? How can we ensure that we don't deviate from the planned path and end up managing knowledge for the sake of knowledge sharing as a goal in itself, unrelated to the original objectives? It's easy to get distracted in the process. Despite our declaration that we manage knowledge for the organization and its purposes, we find ourselves, after months, managing knowledge that's not very important, not very relevant, and the worthiness of the investment is unclear.
To ensure that knowledge is channeled for the right purposes, it's recommended to ask the right questions in advance:
Why are we interested in managing knowledge?
Which organizational goals do we intend to advance through knowledge management?
How will the knowledge management process help achieve these goals?
The answers to these questions should accompany and guide us throughout the entire knowledge management process, from the strategy formulation stage to the measurement and control stage:
Strategy Formulation - We must maintain a balance between knowledge management as a means to achieve existing organizational goals and leveraging knowledge for future growth.
Pitfall Warning! It's essential to ensure that knowledge management is not used as a means for knowledge sharing; knowledge sharing will help the process, but it does not constitute a goal in itself.
Building the Work Plan - First, we must identify the core areas in the organization; second, we must prioritize all areas according to their importance for achieving organizational goals.
Pitfall Warning! It's important not to choose activities just because there are partners who want to advance the topic.
Selecting Specific Topics - When choosing specific topics for an activity, the selection must be made according to need and existing knowledge gaps. It's essential to evaluate the cost-benefit of advancing specific topics about business objectives.
Pitfall Warning!: Focus on topics according to need and not according to the existing solution portfolio.
Needs Analysis - The analysis will be performed based on work processes in which knowledge management will be integrated. The process will identify ILP (Information Leverage Points).
Pitfall Warning! It's important in needs analysis not to rely solely on managers' opinions, but on the knowledge needs of end users.
Establishing the Content Core - The content core will be built according to the specific topics characterized, using knowledge management technologies appropriate for each topic.
Pitfall Warning! The content core must be established in a way that's compatible with the knowledge provider's perspective, rather than the knowledge consumer's perspective.
Measurement and Control Processes - Important! Important! Important! In this final stage, we can check ourselves: Did we indeed persist in walking the path we defined and not deviate from it? Did the knowledge management process indeed contribute to the organization in advancing its goals?
To perform the control, we can combine usage metrics (the extent of use of knowledge management solutions and the new knowledge stored in them) and output metrics (for example, how many times we helped replicate successes, and how many recurring mistakes we managed to prevent). Qualitative metrics may help us in this process.
Let's summarize what we said with a few rules of thumb:
Do not define distinct goals for the knowledge management process; its primary goal is to help advance organizational objectives.
Don't make the mistake of acting from "what exists" but from "what is desired" - meaning, don't choose a topic because we have identified partners who want to advance it, don't act from existing knowledge management solutions, but always from and according to need.
Always before our eyes will stand the question of how the knowledge management process will help achieve organizational goals, and it will be woven into each stage of the process.
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