Information World Review (IWR) Blog Information World Review (IWR) Blog A blog from www.iwr.co.uk

« Thomas A Stewart | Main | Web 2.0 Nic Newman of the BBC »

Knowledge management

Stewart has now moved onto knowledge management (km). He's using a case study from a copier machine company that had a knowledge competition to answer questions.

The second placed person is the most interesting, a single mum that sat next to the winner, a rebel. An example of tacit knowledge, the most difficult problem for KM is how you manage tacit knowledge, he says. The work of km has gine into explicit knowledge and not people with tacit knowledge. This has created databases and information centres that no one goes to.

Managing explicit knowledge leaves you unprepared for a world of change, as you are looking at the information of the past.

Challenge for the next five years is the latest slide, the challenges are:

1 speed - "the world never slows down, your email fills, and markets are now 24/7. As things speed up you are more likely to make a mistake". The business challenges of speed is really interesting, he says and is inferring this is a role for information professionals

2 Customer power - "every insustry I know is being taken over by its customers, how do you manage that?" "Customers know more and mopre, the price game of poker has gone away. French cement company LeFarge has a great KM enviroment using councils, but the backbone is the customer visit that involves interviews, sales people are amazed that price is never mentioned."

3 Low cost competition - the threat of low price start ups or just good enough challengers

4 decision making under uncertainty and management without supervision: management has been about controlling risk, but there are risks that you cannot control, you cannot put odds on it, he says. "Most of what we know about management doesn't help us, increasingly this is the world we live in." Tech means we are more powerful individuals at work.

He has gone back to what creates the knowledge and then you can use to support your organisation, his opening theme.

Comments

Post a comment

Bloggers-in-chief

Daniel Griffin, IWR Deputy Editor Daniel Griffin, IWR Deputy Editor
Daniel joined IWR in 2006 after a career as a publisher of guides, supplements and websites for magazine and event companies. His special interest is the evolving publishing and information industry online.

Peter Williams, IWR Editor Peter Williams, IWR Editor
Peter is in his second spell on IWR. Over the last few years he has developed interest in the fields of knowledge management and e-learning, writing and editing extensively on both topics.

Friends of IWR

LI Isues
James Mullan

Lorcan Dempsey’s weblog
Lorcan Dempsey

SocialTech
Josie Fraser

Jennie Law’s blog
Jennie Law

UK Web Focus
Brian Kelly

tfpl blog
James Lappin

e4innovation
Grainne Conole


Recent Comments

Powered by Movable Type
Useful links: About | Privacy policy | Terms & conditions | Top of the page
© Incisive Media Ltd. 2008
Incisive Media Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, is a company registered in the United Kingdom with company registration number 04038503