KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY

ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA

19 – 21 MAY 2016

Welcome & Introducing participants

Brief objectives: • Providing an understanding of the most important principles

of KM & engendering support for & practices of KM to • Empower YOU as Knowledge Champions, thought leaders &

change agents to build an organisational culture & practices conducive to KM to

• Ensure even better service delivery to the citizens of Namibia

Session 1: Setting the scene DAY

ONE

Topics & Expected Outcomes

Topics covered Knowledge Management (KM) &

Namibian Municipalities

Principles & foundations of KM

The learning organisation & KM

Basic KM practices & techniques

Dynamics of knowledge sharing & collaboration

Knowledge networks; CoP‟s, SNA

Role of knowledge workers & champions

KM enablers & Barriers

KM Auditing & Implementation

ICT applications

Change Management & KM

3

Outcomes - At the end of our session participants should be able to:

Discern the relevance of KM for Namibian municipalities & understand how KM can assist you to achieve strategic outcomes

Facilitate knowledge sharing & learning amongst all stakeholders in Namibian municipalities

Promote collaboration amongst the City‟s departments & municipal entities

Minimise knowledge loss due to retirement, departure & migration of employees to other sectors

Enhance productivity, service delivery, knowledge exchange & knowledge leveraging in Namibian municipalities

Day 1 Programme 4

Time Topic 08:30 –

09:00 Introduction; Strategic relevance & value of KM for eThekwini

09:00 –

11:00 Module1: Principles, foundations & basic concepts of KM; knowledge café

11:00 –

12:00

Module 2: Leveraging innovation & knowledge - creating a learning

organisation; KM & Leadership; knowledge café

12:00 –

12:30

Module 3: Creating a KM culture to enhance eThekwini‟s efficiency &

effectiveness; fishbowl discussion forum

13:15 –

16:30

Module 4: KM processes, tools & techniques - application to eThekwini;

group exercise

Tea/coffee breaks: 10:15 – 10:30; 14:30 – 14:45; Lunch: 12:30 -13:15

KM & the Public Sector

“The 21st Century African public service has to be a

learning organisation, a learning organisation in which

people at all levels, individually and collectively, are

continually increasing their capacity to produce results

they really care about, where the organisation

encourages new ways of thinking, where the

collective vision of creating the best is liberated, and

where everybody continuously learns how to learn

together. …”(Fraser-Moleketi, 2007)

5

Challenges & pressures facing the public

sector in Southern Africa (Adapted from April and Izadi,

2004:1) 6

Challenges & pressures

Matching services with

society's needs Improving public sector's

image

Less costly public sector

Global pace of change

Need for more active innovation

Leverage people

capability & competence

Increase effectiveness & efficiency

Knowledge growth, enhanced

innovation, capacity building,

knowledge creation, etc.

Creating a more collaborative, networked &

learning working

environment

We suggest that these challenges can be

alleviated if the public sector utilizes appropriate

KM tools & practices which would lead to

Better access to & utilisation of all

forms of knowledge:

Tacit & Explicit

Internal & external

7

Group Exercise

8

How would you define KNOWLEDGE

MANAGEMENT?

Why is it STRATEGICALLY RELEVANT for us to focus

on KM in Namibia?

Strategic relevance of KM for

Namibian municipalities 9

Knowledge Management (KM): a method of identifying, creating, preserving, sharing and using knowledge. It is based on the notion that we are living in an age whereby knowledge is a key strategic tool in any organisational context.

Based on this notion, there is an opportunity for Namibian municipalities to adopt a knowledge based approach to service delivery that thrives on knowledge workers & their competencies.

Through the implementation of KM initiatives & practices, the municipality can be in a position to deliver services, function effectively and operate in an environment characterized by transparency and accountability (Gaffoor and Cloete, 2010)

Session 2 DAY

ONE

PRINCIPLES, FOUNDATIONS AND BASIC

CONCEPTS OF KNOWLEDGE

MANAGEMENT (KM)

The Knowledge Based Economy

The challenge for management in the 20th century was to leverage physical assets. The management challenge for the 21st century will be to leverage the value of knowledge workers …

… Knowledge has become the key economic resource and the dominant - and perhaps the only source of comparative advantage (Peter Drucker)

However, human beings have developed and applied knowledge since time immemorial

11

Key factors that have been the driving force

behind the knowledge-based economy 12

Realisation that knowledge, rather than labour & capital, has become the

pivotal economic commodity – implication: the knowledge component

of all industries is increasing & value is added by substituting

physical resources for intangibles – “the production of ideas & not goods

is now the source of economic growth” ( Davenport & Prusak)

Information & communication technologies (ICT) enable industries to

globalize & operate worldwide - a wide range of industries have

emerged based primarily on the production of information &

knowledge. ICTs facilitate innovation

Globalization – this has meant that the competitive advantage between

nations depends on their ability to develop their knowledge industries &

knowledge workers - key industries in this new economy are

knowledge-intensive & heavily dependent on knowledge workers

What are the IMPLICATIONS of a the

knowledge-based economy?

“Knowledge workers” are the dominant work force in a global knowledge

economy & society

Job content of knowledge workers: application of acquired knowledge &

skills to develop & manage knowledge based products & services -

requires continuous learning & adaptation from knowledge workers &

organisations

Challenges of globalisation & the knowledge based society & economy:

implications for the success of individuals, organisations & countries in

the 21st century

Understanding the complex workforce that includes veterans, baby

boomers, generations X, Y and now Z (born from 1930-45 to „46-64‟, to

„65-76‟, to„77-91‟& 1991 onwards) is the further key to a successful

organisation

13

Is a municipal gardener a

knowledge worker?

KM as an Enabler in the Knowledge-

based Economy 14

KM allows us “to manage knowledge effectively to make people – and the whole

enterprise - act intelligently to sustain its long-term viability by developing, building, and

deploying highly competitive knowledge assets (KA‟s) ...” Wiig

Knowledge & information -

critical success factors - equal

to the traditional factors of production

Huge growth

in KM

initiatives

KM maximises

returns

“Knowledge Management” ?

The words knowledge & management represent two very broad

concepts when separated – even an oxymoron!. However, as a

concept it provides a management framework that strives to

organize information (explicit knowledge) & tacit knowledge (i.e.

know what, know why, know how, know when, etc.) in order to

enable people - individually & collectively - in organisations to be

more productive & innovative to achieve the objectives/deliverables

of the organisation.

The objective of knowledge management is to induce organisational

change, and to promote increased productivity and goal related

outcomes

Basic concepts of KM: Let‟s Start with

what is Knowledge? 16

Many debates on the concept of “knowledge” from Plato's

formulation of knowledge as "justified true belief“

To the Oxford English Dictionary‟s varied definitions:

Expertise & skills acquired by a person through experience /

education; theoretical or practical understanding of a subject;

what is “known”, e.g. facts and information generally

accepted as the truth …

Presently no single agreed definition of knowledge –

depends on your context

Relationship between Knowledge,

Information, Documents & Records 17

Helpful to understand the following distinction

„Knowledge‟ consists of know-how, know what, know why – it provides the “capacity to act” & is based on experience & learning. We generally distinguish between explicit & tacit knowledge

„Information‟ consists of data which has been contextualised & captured in a medium e.g. paper, electronic etc. – it transfers meaning / understanding to a recipient who has the context (knowledge) to make sense of the message

A „document‟ is a structured unit of recorded information, published or unpublished, in hard copy or electronic format

A „record‟ is “information created, received & maintained as evidence by an organisation or person in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business” (ISO 15489-1:2001) . Hence, all records are “documents”, but not all documents are “records”

Knowledge is

not information,

but what is it?

Human, judgmental

Contextual, tacit

Transfer needs learning

Codifiable, explicit

Easily transferable

Data

Information

Knowledge

Intuition

Traditional Concepts of Information & Knowledge Explained

by means of the Information-Knowledge Hierarchy (DIKW)

Source: (Skyrme,

1999)

Compelling but simplistic! Why?

Symbolic

representation of

observable

/measurable

events / entities

Information - Knowledge Cycle

Value Adding

EVENTS DATA INFORMATION KNOWLEDGE

Collect

Codify

Record

Process

Structure

Present

Interpret

Validate

Apply

Source: Earl, 1996

Characteristics of Knowledge 20

“Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experiences, values, contextual information, expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating & incorporating new experiences & information. It originates & is applied in the minds of knowers” (Davenport)

According to Karl Erik Sveiby knowledge has four characteristics

It is tacit, action-oriented, supported by rules, changes constantly & it is individual

He therefore defines knowledge as "the capacity to act”

An individual's competence can be regarded as consisting of five mutually dependent elements: explicit knowledge, skill, experience, value judgment & social networks

In organisations it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and norms

Explicit / Tacit Knowledge Distinction

Explicit knowledge can be articulated (externalised) & captured in

any medium e.g. print, video, databases, etc. Can be saved or

destroyed, classified, retrieved, re-used, augmented & shared with

others who understand the code e.g. reports, financial statements.

Generally called information

Tacit knowledge is personal & held by a person as convictions,

ideas, experience and skills. Influenced by values. Considered to be

“sticky” – difficult to explicate and share

Sharing cannot be decreed, only volunteered Sharing depends on

shared values, language & vocabulary.. People value their

knowledge as intellectual capital (IC)

21

Working with tacit knowledge 22

“Widespread agreement that much of the highest-value knowledge

within organizations is uncodified” (Horvath)

In organizations this hidden or Tacit knowledge takes

one of two forms:

Knowledge embodied in people and social networks

Knowledge embedded in process and products that people

create in organisations

The Knowledge & Information

Continuum

23

Tacit

DATABASE

Explicit

Structured data Unstructured information Personal knowledge

•Numbers and symbols

•Internally generated

through transactions

•Easily codified and

transferred

•Captured in databases and

processed and represented

in equations, formula, rules

and graphs and work flows

•Text and multi-media

•Generated externally and

internally

• Exist as documents, reports,

manuals, designs, electronic

files e.g. e-mail, intranets,

websites, Blogs and Wikis

• Embedded in policies and

procedures, and business

processes

•Contextual, coloured by

values, attitudes, perceptions

and experience

•Difficult to articulate,

capture, share and manage.

•Requires a shared code. Cost

of codification high

•Exist as mental models,

know-how, expertise, skills

and judgment

What is Knowledge Management

(KM)? 24

Management approach that focuses on deliberate nurturing, enrichment & exploitation of all knowledge & information resources & assets of an organisation

Creates processes to capture, organise, disseminate, use & manage both tacit knowledge (embedded in individual experience) & explicit knowledge or information (articulated in formal systems)

“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 organizational performance” DPSA

KM should measurably support the realisation of organisational objectives

How different from Information & Records

Management?

All processes whereby an

organisation consciously &

comprehensively gathers, captures,

organises, shares, analyses &

evaluates unstructured information

resources available to it,

regardless of the format or

medium in which the information

is presented, e.g. paper document,

electronic file, database, email

Records management is responsible

for the efficient and systematic

control of the creation, receipt,

maintenance, use and disposal of

records, including the capturing and

maintaining of evidence

(information) about business

activities in the form of records

Purpose: achieve efficient,

transparent and accountable

governance

25

Information Management Records Management

Benefits of KM 26

Increased level of collaboration internally and externally

Increase in innovation and creativity due to access to new and improved knowledge

Fostering an environment of continuous learning

Retention of the organisation‟s institutional memory

More effective use of knowledge resources

Improved performance through increased efficiency productivity, quality, and innovation

Improvement in quality of decision making at all levels

Reduced time spent on searching and retrieving organisational knowledge assets

Reducing the costs of mistakes and discourage the SILO mentality

Contribution to the overall improvement of productivity & service delivery

Our Thinking about Knowledge

Management is Changing

Three shifts from thinking …

experts are the only source of knowledge to thinking that everyone engaged in tasks has valuable knowledge, e.g. Buffalo City gardeners & British hotel chain

of knowledge as residing with individuals to thinking of knowledge as embedded in groups and/or communities

of knowledge as a stable commodity to knowledge as dynamic and ever changing – implication: formal knowledge stewarding”/management

Future Directions in KM

Move from hierarchies to networks

Shift from silos & knowledge hoarding to openness & knowledge sharing

“Social media revamps KM” - Debra Logan

27

Group Work: 15 minutes 28

Discuss the following

Identify what you think are the most crucial issues /

problems currently facing your own organisation and

indicate how you think KM could assist to solve the

problems

Each group to report back on their discussion

Session 3 DAY

TWO

LEVERAGING INNOVATION &

KNOWLEDGE – CREATING A

LEARNING ORGANISATION

Learning organisation, Organisational

Learning & Organisational Culture 30

"A Learning Organisation is one in which people at all levels, individuals and collectively, are continually increasing their capacity to produce results they really care about“ (Richard Karash.,2002)

Organisational learning

Develop and embed new knowledge

Develop and maintain the corporate “memory” – this is critical

Organisational culture

Pattern of shared basic assumptions – crucial for organisational learning

However Can Organisations Learn? 31

Organisations, like individuals, can learn - Many of the fundamental phenomena of individual learning apply to organisations

There some distinctive characteristics with reference to what is learned, how it is learned, how the learning is embedded, and the adjustments required to enhance learning. These derive from the fact that any organization by definition is a collective, with individuals & larger units in different roles that involve different perspectives & values, passing information through their own filters, & with various information channels connecting them

Organisational learning

the process that enables an organisation to adapt to change and

move forward by acquiring new knowledge, skills, or

behaviours, & thereby transform itself. Two types of

transformation can be distinguished:

Outer transformation, which involves organisational shifts in policies,

strategies, processes, practice, and systems; &

Profound transformation, which involves organisational change that

combines inner shifts in people‟s values, aspirations & behaviour (April

& Izadi, 2004)

32

The Learning Organisation 33

“Organisations where people continually expand their capacity

to create the results they truly desire, where new & expansive

patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is

set free, & where people are continually learning to see the

whole together” (Senge 1990: 3)

“The learning organisation is a vision of what might be

possible. It is not brought about simply by training individuals;

it can only happen as a result of learning at the whole

organization level. A learning organisation is an organization

that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously

transforms itself” (Pedler et. al. 1991: 1)

Features of Learning Organisations 34

Characteristics of learning organisations:

Has a shared vision for the organisation

Provides continuous learning opportunities & uses learning to reach its goals - more „informal‟ and involve far less „teaching‟ than in the case of individual learning

Encourages & rewards learning & innovation – it typically has an organic decentralised organisational structure

Links individual performance with organisational performance

Learns from the past & anticipates possible futures

Learns from best practices

Features of Learning Organisations cont.

35

Fosters inquiry and people who take risks - encourages flexibility & receptiveness to new ideas wherever & from whomever

Engages with problem solving, experimentation & knowledge transfer within the organisation

Has an effective & knowing workforce that is encouraged to share / exchange information so that knowledge flows & infuses the organisation - encourage flexibility & receptiveness to new ideas – wherever and from whoever

Aware of its environment & interacts with the environment

Learns about its clients, & potential clients, its staff at all levels, its environment & the communities it serves

Characteristics of a Learning Culture

Open to narrative, anecdotes and story-telling – this allows the

synthesis of ideas and the building of a organisation-wide culture of

knowledge, preferably documented

Developing the learning culture of an organisation is a collective act

that requires enlightened leadership :

We are all contributors BUT it is leaders who facilitate

Leaders manage the channels through which knowledge flows, linking

people - they do not block knowledge flows by means of overly

bureaucratic procedures

Leaders identify mentors for new staff and for staff given new

responsibilities

Organisational culture & KM 37

eThekwini‟s Proposed KM Strategy defines organisational culture as the values, beliefs & behaviour in an organization

Each municipality is unique & has its own organizational culture. Core values of a municipality therefore determine

the expected behaviour & norms of its employees and

how they relate to each other

These factors are crucial for a KM process

Organisational culture also translates to tacit knowledge. A KM related organizational culture is defined by the willingness of employees to share knowledge and provide an input into the organization.

Organisational culture & KM 38

Gaffoor & Cloete (2010) state that an organizational culture that fosters knowledge sharing and enhancement, displays the following characteristics:

a transparent organization

empowered employees

a dynamic learning environment

a quest for development and innovation

extensive communication and interaction across individuals and departments

reflection, learning and experimentation

is objective and performance driven

extensive knowledge sharing

An effective KM programme must therefore be supported by an organizational culture

Strategic Advantage of the Learning

Organisation 39

Strategic advantage of the learning organization exists in how it processes & deals with experiences

Staff learn from their experiences rather than being bound by their past experiences

The measure of success is not what is known (that is the product of learning), bur rather by how it has been learned -- the process of learning

Management practices encourages, recognizes, and rewards openness, systemic thinking, creativity, a sense of efficacy, & empathy

(Malhotra, Yogesh. 1996)

Creating a Learning Organisation

Basic task: recognising the role of managers & leaders This means fostering learning

rather than devising plans, & encouraging managers to develop & consider implications of possible scenarios

This encourages an attitude that is prepared for change & can respond creatively to uncertainty

Synergizing the roles of organisational culture, leadership, innovation & the creation of intellectual capital in public sector organisations

Are Namibian

municipalities

learning

organisations or does

it repeat its mistakes?

40

Organisational memory (also known as

“institutional or “corporate” memory)

is the accumulated body of information and knowledge created during the organisation‟s existence

It consists of 4 parts viz. (i) the filing systems and databases of the organisation, (ii) the memories of individual staff members,(iii) the documented business processes of the organisation, and (iv) intellectual property in the form of licences, patents and documented reference material

To be useful the organisational memory must be accessible.

Organisational memory is created when tacit knowledge residing in the head of staff members is made explicit and hence turned into recordable information

41

In summary: Organisational Learning, Learning

Organisation, & Organisational Memory

42

Organisational Learning Cognitive & learning processes & activities

which are:

•Greater than the sum of individual

learning

•Include single & double loop or meta

learning resulting from organisational

activities

•Experiential (informal) learning e.g. CoPs

Learning

Organisation Characterised by:

•Environmental monitoring

mechanisms

•Organic decentralised

structures

•Permeated by learning cultures

Source: Beeby & Booth

(2000:75-88)

Organisational memory is created when tacit knowledge is

turned into explicit knowledge and therefore again becomes information

that should be utilised during the acquisition phase.

Session 4 DAY

TWO

KM PROCESSES, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

– APPLICATION TO NAMIBIAN

MUNICIPALITIES

Introduction to KM Processes & Practices

44

Organisational knowledge & innovation have to be “stewarded” by means of a variety of processes & procedures

knowledge & innovation are not stable commodities, but dynamic & ever changing, i.e. complex

everyone engaged in tasks in an organisation has valuable knowledge & innovative ideas to contribute

the knowledge & innovation value chain relates to the processes through which knowledge workers build their organisations’ competitive advantage & improve productivity & business / organisational processes

these processes increasingly take place in formal and informal groups, co-located and/or dispersed, face-to-face and/or virtual

Collection / capturing vs. Connecting

45

An organisation‟s ability to effectively engage with & leverage knowledge will largely depend on whether it can

encourage knowledge sharing &

whether it can transform tacit, complex knowledge into explicit, recordable knowledge (information) that can effectively be used by all

Three Pillars of KM

KM is often categorised as embodying the following components:

the people in an organisation & its organisational culture

appropriate KM processes to facilitate

knowledge & information collaboration, sharing, capturing

creating information & knowledge repositories & using them

a common & reliable information & communication

technology (ICT) infrastructure to facilitate these processes

All three components work synergistically together to ensure that

an organisation's intellectual capital is leveraged & no single

element should be emphasized to the detriment of the other

See next slide

46

47

The Three Pillars of KM – work synergistically

together

People & Organisational

Culture

KM is about people, their motivation,

willingness, & ability to share, use &

generate knowledge - public sector

organizations particularly need to change attitudes &

behaviours to reduce barriers & develop a knowledge sharing

culture

KM Processes

KM processes relate to finding, acquiring,

organizing, sharing & using knowledge & also

to the organizational infrastructure to enable

these processes. The latter includes the

organisational structure, resource

allocation, management and staff

roles and responsibilities

Information & Communication

Technology

The ICT infrastructure is an enabler in KM. It

facilitates the collection, capturing, storing & sharing of

knowledge & information. It must meet the needs of the

people & KM processes of the organisation

5

Key processes in the knowledge

value chain relate to 48

Knowledge Conceptualisation: all processes that relate to knowledge creation, identification, acquisition, development & representation - leads to innovation

Knowledge capturing & codification: conversion of tacit knowledge into accessible & applicable formats (explicit knowledge, IC)

Knowledge acquisition / discovery: includes enhancement, integration & storage

Knowledge utilisation: use & application of acquired/generated knowledge & its integration into the organisation‟s products & services – also leads to innovation

Knowledge distribution, dissemination & sharing: Movement of both tacit & explicit knowledge from point of generation to where it is applied – learning takes place, also innovation

Knowledge monitoring & review: Evaluation & monitoring of KM Innovation practices - effect on organisation‟s achievements

49

1.Knowledge &

Information

creation /

generation &

innovation

2.Knowledge &

Information

discovery,

acquisition &

enhancement

3.Knowledge &

Information

sharing,

distribution, &

learning

4.Knowledge &

Information use &

application

Focus on creating

environment that

encourages generating

new skills, new

services, better ideas,

better ways of doing

things etc.

Aim to produce

capabilities not yet

present

Focus on

tracking &

discovering tacit &

explicit

knowledge

Challenge: create

processes/system

to ensure effective

interaction between

knowledge sources

(human &

recorded) & those

who need

knowledge

It is not sufficient to

acquire, organise, &

develop information &

knowledge if it is not

made usable & more

important if not USED

Therefore, ensure that

pockets of knowledge,

experiences, skills, know-

how, etc. are turned into

knowledge & information

that entire organisation

can use

5. Organising & managing knowledge: conversion, codification, review &

monitoring 9

1. Knowledge & Information

creation / generation & innovation 50

Achieved by implementing creativity techniques &

environments conducive to knowledge generation &

innovation, e.g. organising or establishing

• knowledge & mind mapping sessions; think tanks,

„brown bag sessions‟; a knowledge commons; learning

networks, etc.

Objective is to engage in the cross-pollination of ideas &

produce new capabilities, new ideas & encourage

innovation

2. Knowledge & Information discovery,

acquisition & enhancement

51

Tracking, capturing & acquiring tacit & explicit knowledge

i. Internally ii. Externally

• Tracking expertise & harvesting /

capturing tacit knowledge

• Creating & using an expertise

database (Yellow pages )

• Searching databases of all

information / knowledge assets

• Data & text mining

• Knowledge centres monitor &

acquire external knowledge

/information

• Interact with external knowledge

generators (e.g. Universities)

• Think-tanks & external networks

• Expert seminars – external

presenters

• Recruit experts/consultants

• Environmental scanning

11

3. Knowledge & Information

Sharing , Distribution & Learning 52

Examples of Knowledge sharing, distribution & learning practices

Explicit Tacit

• Document management; Individual

search & retrieval, Portals

• Decision diaries; Cross functional

teams; etc.

• Social Media (e.g. blogging), Intranets,

Groupware, E-mail, Knowledge

mapping

• Expert systems, Interactive computer-

based training

• Knowledge harvesting, Mentoring &

Coaching, After Action Reviews,

Sharing best practice

• Apprenticeship & In-service training

• Dialogue, Storytelling

• Knowledge networking; Communities

of Practice; Centres of excellence

4. Knowledge & Information

use & application 53

It is not sufficient to acquire, organise, & develop

knowledge if it is not made usable & more NB if not

USED

Important to ensure that pockets of knowledge,

experiences, skills, know-how, etc. are turned into

knowledge & information that the entire organisation

can use

4. Knowledge & Information

use & application 54

Group question:

Why is information & knowledge not

used more actively?

Important to overcome such barriers – encourage extensive use of

valuable information, skills & knowledge – both from within and

outside your organisation

5.a. Organising & Managing

Knowledge & Information 55

“Although recognition of knowledge has increased, so has the need to treat it systematically ...” (Davenport & Grover, 2001:12)

Convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge (information)

K&I auditing; expertise profiling; knowledge mapping

Organize K&I effectively: needed information/knowledge easily retrieved & used

Create databases, portals, taxonomies, etc.

Both intellectual processing & the application of appropriate ICT‟s are important

Essential to monitor the effectiveness & efficiencies of all KM processes & practices

Check if organisation is deriving value from its KM-related practices

Establish efficient Knowledge Centres to ensure effective organisation

& evaluation of KM processes

5. b. Knowledge review, & monitoring

KM challenge: to effectively manage & monitor

organisational knowledge

essential to monitor the effectiveness & efficiencies of

all KM processes & practices

Measure Intellectual Capital (IC)

Check if organisation is deriving value from its

knowledge-related practices

56

Exercise: Monitoring KM Practices

Indicate for your Organisation which of the following applies with regard to the

5 KM process phases listed below:

57

http://knowlead.co.za

A My Organisation has not yet done much about putting these processes in place

B My Organisation has started putting the processes in place

C My Organisation has fully embedded these practices in our daily work processes

5 Phases of the KM Process Framework A B C

1. Knowledge creation / generation & innovation- develop new knowledge

2. Knowledge sharing, distribution, & learning

3. Knowledge acquisition, discovery & enhancement; Tracking tacit & explicit

knowledge; Acquiring external knowledge (tacit & explicit )

4. Knowledge use & application

5. Organising & managing Knowledge : conversion, codification, review &

monitoring

Selection of KM Tools & Techniques 58

Knowledge harvesting Benchmarking Brainstorming Storytelling After-Action-Reviews (AAR) Debriefing Coaching & Mentoring Peer Assist Exit Interviews (Knowledge-focused) Study Tours Twinning Knowledge Networking & Communities - Learning networks Communities of Practice

Knowledge harvesting

KM technique used to extract, capture, & record tacit knowledge / know-how of experts & top performers

This know-how can then be made available to others, e.g. through training programmes, manuals, best practices & KM repositories

Purpose of knowledge harvesting is thus?

Making know-how of experts & top performers widely available

Making better & wider use of your employees valuable knowledge

Finding out „what your organisation knows‟

Vital knowledge is not lost to the organisation when people leave

The learning curve of new people joining the organisation is shortened

The knowledge assets of the organisation can be increased

Productivity and efficiency can be improved, as people can use existing expertise

59

How to Harvest Knowledge?

Focus on most NB knowledge for success & wins

Who will use the knowledge? Identify the experts ; i.e. who has the know-how/expertise you

need

Identify best persons to do „harvesting‟ , NB skill

Gather the tacit knowledge, e.g. interview experts face-to-face - ask what they do to solve problems & what specific know-how they use

Capturing the responses? Use a tape recorder or 2nd person to transcribe, or both - Delphi technique / Video techniques?

Package, Organise, & Share knowledge harvested

Use: apply, evaluate & adapt

60

Questions that can be used for

Knowledge Harvesting

Describe a time when…?; What‟s the first thing you do?

How do you know to do that?; How do you know when to do it?; What do

you do next? Why? ; What usually happens? What happens if something else

is done?

What would happen if…?; Who else is involved?; What are some common

mistakes or misconceptions?; What is the most important thing to remember

when you‟re doing this?

Describe how you currently help others learn how to do this?; What are the

main obstacles that prevent them from achieving the same results as you?

What are examples of support materials, documents, procedures, manuals,

research evidence, checklists that are relevant?

What would make this process easier to understand?; What would make this

process easier to achieve?

61

Other aspects to consider re

Knowledge Harvesting

Whether you have a culture of knowledge sharing or

hoarding will affect success of process

Must have resources to effectively organise & disseminate

harvested knowledge

Not all tacit knowledge can be made explicit –use other KM

tools?

Would it be more effective to connect people? (COP‟s,

storytelling, white pages/expertise directories, etc.)

U a variety of KM techniques

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Benchmarking 63

Benchmarking is the process of improving performance by

continuously identifying, understanding and adapting

outstanding practices and processes found outside an

organisation (company, public organisation, institute, etc.).

Benchmarking of business is usually done with top

performing companies in other industry sectors. This is

feasible as many business processes are essentially the

same from sector to sector.

Brainstorming 64

Idea generating method widely used by teams to identify problems, alternative solutions, or opportunities for improvement

Originated in 1941: Alex. F. Osborne while searching for creative ideas thought of using an unstructured group process of interactive “brainstorming” – this generated more & better ideas than individuals could produce working independently

Brainstorming now a commonly used word & the generic term for creative thinking & idea generation (also knowledge generation)

Often done naturally & doesn‟t necessarily require planning

In KM we often use the method to generate new ideas, alternative solutions, etc. - the more you generate, the better chance you have of uncovering the best solution

Storytelling /Narrative /Anecdotes

Combines explicit with tacit, information with emotion & brings together many facets of knowledge

Helps to express & understand context-rich aspects of deep knowledge

Harvard Business School – case studies; also Snowden & Cynefin

Multi-media applications – adds more non-text clues

Stories thus very important to leverage knowledge

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“Stories tap into all that is richest about knowledge, so when dealing with knowledge you are well served tapping into the richness of stories. And if nothing else, they are certainly more interesting than reading the manual” (Rudy Ruggles)

After-Action-Reviews (AAR) 67

Originally developed & extensively used by US Army, but equally

valuable in all organisations

AAR‟s facilitate learning & subsequent embedding of new learning

into organisational knowledge by means of an extensive knowledge

reviewing process

Involves discussion of projects / activities so that individuals

involved can learn what happened, why it happened, what went

well, what needs improvement & what lessons can be learned from

the experience

This learning captured in repositories & quickly disseminated to

relevant employees in the organisation using various

communication media: print, videos, CD‟s, Internet (e-mail), etc

After-Action-Reviews (AAR)

Main points to consider 68

All important projects must be reviewed – build time for AAR into project schedules

Review projects as soon as possible

Appoint facilitators to focus discussion

All members of project team must participate

Ensure that team members are free to express themselves without fear of retribution

Use standard procedure & questions, e.g.

What were objectives? What did we accomplish? What did we not accomplish? How do we sustain & develop what we did right? How do we improve on what we did wrong?

Record lessons learned – provide access tools

Disseminate lessons learned to all relevant parties as quickly as possible

What are the benefits of AARs? 70

Capture tacit knowledge & make it explicit during life of a project. Learning captured before team disbands, people forget what happened & move on to something else

Conduct after each event within a project or major activity - a live learning process - lessons learned can be immediately applied

Provide insights into what contributes to the strengths & weaknesses of project / activity - performance of each individual involved, project leader, team & various processes involved

Useful to develop employees - constructive, directly actionable feedback in a non-threatening way because not linked to employee assessment

Similarly, they give people an opportunity to share their views and ideas and to be heard

Debriefing

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• Debriefing similar to AARs

• Also originally used by military to question persons who return from a

mission / exercise - establish what had occurred & then develop new

strategies as a result of previous experience

• Now, it refers to purposeful reflection, which assists persons to

develop and transform experience into learning

• The what, why, how & when of things that happened is explored

orally & then transcribed for capturing in a repository for later use

• It prevents loss of valuable lessons learnt & other tacit knowledge

• Useful tool for inducting new employees & for succession planning

• Make explicit any tacit learning to transfer to a wider audience &

organisation‟s knowledge base

Coaching & Mentoring 72

Coaching and mentoring - distinct but also related methods of retaining & developing talent

Coaching: Focuses mostly on performance & can be relatively short-term (sometimes as little as a few hours, occasionally a few months) & carried out between line manager & staff members

Mentoring: Much more holistic than coaching: places more emphasis on career development usually involves a longer-term relationship and is often conducted outside the reporting line

Mentors and coaches require a number of common skills, e.g. ability to:

ask good, insight-provoking questions & communicate clearly

allow employees time to think & articulate own thoughts - hold back on giving advice

help the employee decide what they want to do & to plan how to do it

Peer Assist

A peer assist is a facilitated work-session, held face to face or

virtually, where peers or individuals from different teams &

organizations share their experiences & knowledge with a team (or an

individual) that has requested help to solve a problem / challenge

Knowledge in the form of good practices, lessons learned, & insights

are typically shared by the people who experienced them

Does three things: Targets a specific technical, mission, or business

challenge; Acquires assistance & insight from people outside the team

& identifies possible approaches & new lines of inquiry; Promotes

sharing of learning & develops strong, & often new, connections

among staff, partners, suppliers, & customer

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Exit Interviews (Knowledge-focused)

Not a new phenomena - usually HR function conducted with employees when they leave organisations

More recently widely adopted & adapted in KM - capturing knowledge from employees leaving the organisations – applies particularly to those who have unique skills

Benefits of exit interviews : vital knowledge not lost to the organisation when people leave; the learning curve of new people joining the organisation is shortened; relatively quick & inexpensively ; leaver has more positive view of the organisation

The UK Post Office uses exit interviews as one part of a series of „cradle-to-grave‟ interviews to

collect knowledge, using a method called 3E: Entry, Expert & Exit. Entry interviews allow

you to gather knowledge when employees first join when they have „new eyes‟ & a fresh perspective, & also to ask them what they would like to know to help them „get up to speed‟. Expert interviews are conducted as they develop skills & become experts in a particular role or field (SDC KM Toolkit, 2009)

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Knowledge Fairs /

Market 75

What is a Knowledge Fair / Market?

Different groups within an organisation showcase their KM efforts in a public forum

Increases the visibility of KM projects, & generates greater enthusiasm

They can be run as a competition - this motivates the different teams to be creative, & encourages spending extra effort preparing for the fair

Create a pleasant informally structured learning event

Guiding principle: everyone has something to learn and something to share – nobody is seen to be an expert – emphasis on informal interaction

Study Tours 76

Participants connect with experts outside their own working environment, gather new knowledge & creative ideas by means of site visits & planned interaction

Benefits & Objectives:

Benchmarking, learn about best practices & knowledge exchange

Awareness, training, research & support in the field by observing

Creating strategic partnerships with local and international centres of excellence

Learning from experienced organizations & practitioners in the field

Participate in „Think-tank‟ discussions with experts outside the organisation, region, country, etc.

Facilitate thinking „outside the box‟

Network formally & informally on the tour

Twinning 77

What does twinning mean in KM? Establishing a link between two persons either in the same or

different organisations to foster exchanging of knowledge, learning from each other & discussing similar problems

Objectives of a twinning agreement? Promote capacity building where two parties share experience,

expertise and learn from one another

Learning & knowledge exchange - involves peer to peer exchanges between professionals who have to solve similar problems in their working life

Occurs between „twins‟ in two different organisations, or between two persons in the same organisation

Roles often divided between an expert twin & beneficiary twin

Group Exercise

Divide into your groups & discuss the problems of

turning tacit into explicit knowledge & of sharing

knowledge

Identify the THREE most pressing challenges & benefits

of tapping into tacit knowledge

Discuss the most NB practices that in your view that

can be Briefly report back

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