Knowledge management: do we know that we know?

Knowledge is power.

But information?

Can there be anything more dis-empowering than the torrent of e-mails, memos, newsletters, magazines, flyers, brochures, white papers, what-have-yous that cascade across our desks and desktops each week? It's hard to keep one's head above this unstoppable flow of information, much less make sense of it all.

Philosophers and academics - the people who ask "how do we know that we know what we know?" and "how does what we know shape our practical, daily activities?" point to a day just beyond the horizon when some combination of end-user interfaces, database technology, artificial intelligence, and human ingenuity will allow us to transform raw information into knowledge - and even into wisdom - almost at the touch of a button.

But businesses can't afford to wait until that distant day. Recognizing the increasing value of information and knowledge to business success, many organizations have launched knowledge-management initiatives to leverage their competitive advantages. Business communicators should be part of those initiatives.

BUZZ PHRASE

The term "knowledge management" may be new, but the effort isn't. Successful organizations have always made strategic use of the information at their disposal. At Hewlett-Packard, an innovative knowledge management initiative called Trainers Trading Post collects, catalogs, and makes available the best practices of Hewlett-Packard's internal trainers and educators. Bruce Karney, who heads this effort, is fond of pointing out that the layers of commentary and interpretation that make up the Talmud are one of the best and earliest examples of knowledge management.

Although many communicators remain largely unaware of it, knowledge management has become the buzz phrase in a growing number of business organizations. The term is used rather windily to describe a host of quite different practices and activities, ranging from simple document management to business intelligence gathering to complex efforts to create "learning organizations." In some companies, knowledge management is led by the Information Technologies (IT) unit; in others the impetus comes from specific business units such as sales and marketing. So far, very few of these initiatives make hard distinctions between information and knowledge, though most acknowledge that machine-processed information is very different from human-created knowledge.

Recent dramatic changes in the nature of work and advances in computer and telecommunications technologies are now propelling knowledge management as an essential business strategy, Over the past 20 years, as the Information Age has evolved, organizations have become increasingly aware that information and knowledge are vital corporate assets. But these assets are usually embodied in a company's employees, often in ways that have never been documented or assessed. Concern about what happens to these assets when employees retire or change jobs has led to a number of knowledge management initiatives focused on identifying and evaluating business processes and best practices.

Such efforts have wide-ranging benefits. "They keep people from reinventing the wheel," says Pat Shafer, a knowledge management expert and the senior vice president of E-business, at Bell and Partners, a communication consulting firm in South Norwalk, Conn. "How many times has the same presentation or proposal been recreated by the sales force? Identifying what works best requires effort and discipline, but you can then replicate these practices throughout the organization. The better you do that, the more competitive you are."

Related initiatives simply try to foster knowledge-sharing by providing a means of identifying who knows what in an organization. For example, another knowledge management project at Hewlett-Packard, which is famous for its decentralized organizational structure, attempts to link HP's 120,000 employees on the basis of what they know. Called Connex, the system provides a searchable directory of HP experts and expertise that is available to all via a web browser. "It enables HP employees to share expertise easily and efficiently," says Tony Carrozza, who created Connex in HP Labs Research Library. "Connex facilitates collaboration and establishes links among internal HP experts. It's a way to promote the cultivation and dissemination of ideas in their embryonic form and to help create synergy."

These recent initiatives are made possible by new communication technologies and computer applications such as browsers, Lotus Notes, intranets and the Internet. Michael Rudnick, principal of Cognitive Communications in New York City, believes the development of corporate intranets and the creation of knowledge management strategies are interwoven. "The stronger the knowledge management strategy, the stronger the intranet, and vice versa. If the company doesn't believe in sharing information, if the company doesn't believe in best practices, in opening things up and reducing redundant work, then their intranet will be far less effective than it could be. And those characteristics are also characteristics of a knowledge management strategy."

Rudnick is quick to point out that the whole knowledge management movement is in its infancy and will grow as our understanding and technological capabilities grow. "We're just scratching the surface," Rudnick says. "In 20 years, we're going to look back on this period and laugh, because everything is just getting off the ground."

WHAT'S IN IT FOR COMMUNICATORS

Why should business communicators care about knowledge management? For a number of reasons.

The nature of our work is changing.

While even the most technologically savvy organizations will always need carefully crafted messages and skillful practitioners to convey those messages, the Internet, e-mail, and intranets are spurring profound changes in organizational communication. As Rudnick notes, the standard business communication model of one-to-many is being supplanted by a many-to-many model. At the very least, this means that the successful business communicator needs to have greater facility with new technologies and a better grasp of business strategy. Knowledge management requires similar capabilities. Participating in knowledge management initiatives will enable communicators to develop and extend these new competencies.

Communicators already know something fundamental about knowledge management.

"True knowledge management is taking all that information out there and structuring it in ways that work to the advantage of both the individual and the organization," says Shafer. In addition to crafting messages, we communicators provide structure and context for an audience, and that is the fundamental act in knowledge-making. Or as Rudnick says, "Departments like IT or finance have their own agendas. But a communicator's agenda is to be the glue. That's a huge advantage if you're putting together a knowledge management program, because the first thing you want to look at is who is involved and what their needs are. It's all about your audience. Not about you. That's a pretty powerful perspective to bring to knowledge management."

Knowledge management is just plain interesting.

This new discipline attempts to address fascinating and complex technological and organizational issues that have large implications for a business's bottom line. Knowledge management is so new that its meaning and the army of tools and techniques it encompasses are often in dispute. By getting involved in these initiatives now, communicators can help shape the discipline in ways that are useful to an increasing number of people and organizations.

Getting Involved?

Getting involved may not be so easy. "I don't think that general management or the CEO auto defaults to the communicator to step into this role," Rudnick says. Shafer agrees and adds, "But a communicator, if he or she is so emboldened, can claim the territory, because no one is doing it well."

THREE SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO START CLAIMING THE TERRITORY:

FIRST, understand the practices and managerial language of your own organization.

Knowledge management is part of broader organizational goals and strategies. Sharer believes "you need to understand value-based management and all the other strategic initiatives knowledge management is meant to support. You need to understand the language of the CFO and CEO. You need to be a business partner."

SECOND, find and support the knowledge management initiatives currently under way in your organization.

Even at Hewlett-Packard, where knowledge-sharing is valued and encouraged Karney and Carrozza use traditional communication vehicles to create interest and sustain participation in their knowledge management initiatives. Good knowledge management systems that provide high-quality information in a rich context require work and commitment on the part of many people. You can help build that commitment using the current tools of our trade. If your organization does not have formal knowledge management initiatives, chances are it is still attempting to manage its knowledge assets. Help shape those efforts by making them conscious and explicit.

THIRD, keep up with changes in the field.

Although knowledge management is a relatively new and vaguely defined field, it is the subject of a growing body of literature. Not surprisingly, much of it is available on the web. Three web sites with good articles and links for beginning your exploration are: The Knowledge Management Home Page at the University of Texas at Austin (www.bus.utexas.edu/kman/), "@brint.com's" Virtual Library on Knowledge Management (www.brint.com/km/), and Knowledge Inc.'s web site (www.knowledgeinc.com).

Alden Mudge is director of operations and communication, California Council for the Humanities, San Francisco.