knowledge management in sport organisations autumn 2012

Knowledge Management (KM)Analysis of KM in large multi-sport events

Tatiana White

Knowledge Management Unit Head

for Kazan Universiade 2013

Autumn 2012

Agenda• KM definition and background• KM in an organisation (1) Elements and (2) Challenges• Recording knowledge transformation to information for

successful event operations• KM in Olympic History (1) and (2) External Knowledge Transfer

Debriefing – November 2012• London 2012 Observer Programme• One size does not fit all. Local host city approaches• Unique factors for Kazan 2013: The XXVII Summer Universiade • On from Kazan 2013 to Gwangju 2015• Example measures of sport (Olympic) event success• Knowledge Management to Change Management• Valuing staff – (1) and (2) ‘National human resources reserve’• Conclusion/Thanks/Sources and acknowledgements

2E-mail: [email protected]

KM definition and background

• Knowledge Management (KM) is a process of creating, storing, sharing and re-using organisational knowledge (know-how) to enable an organisation to achieve its goals and objectives*¹.

• My earlier work in 2004 covered KM in the academic library sector at Oxford University.

• This presentation aims to report my observations on KM usage in a sport project-driven organisation: The 2013 Kazan Universiade.


KM in an organisation (1) - Elements

• “KM is not just about partially implementing “bits and pieces”, it is a complex process, covering all areas of the organisation to achieve the main aim of benefiting it. One cannot claim that KM has been implemented in an organisation, where only a few KM elements have been established”*².

• KM practices embedded in HR, IT and Project office areas could bring real benefit to a whole organisation.

• Collecting and storing ‘best practices’, photos, manuals, documents, as well as requesting and monitoring recorded data, whilst ensuring its integrity, are only small elements of the KM process.

• Document repositories and information management ordinarily facilitate KM processes.


• KM consultants need to identify the organisation's technological, functional and business strengths– This helps to establish data systems that leverage and

capitalize on the knowledge of team members, and finds ways to use that knowledge to maximize opportunities and improve business processes.

How can this be achieved ?

• Examples: IT provides a knowledge system platform (such as intranet, portal). HR supports with training, staff knowledge sharing incentives and an overall sharing culture, encouraged by the organisation’s leaders– Combined with these factors, strategic teams and the

organisation’s directors can work wonders with KM in delivering, in the most efficient way, even their most ambitious aims. 5

KM in an organisation (2) - Challenges

E-mail: [email protected]

Recording knowledge transformation to information forsuccessful event operations

• The application of KM in sporting events, such as The Olympics, and The Universiade (Youth Olympic Games) is project driven. Such projects need to have written policies and procedures. Kazan 2013 has 11 divisions containing between them 50 sub-divisions.

• Knowledge is fluid. “Knowledge is a dynamic and active resource, residing in peoples’ heads (Polanyi, 1962)*³. How can knowledge be made useful for the organisation and applied in a ‘real-time’ situation? Can KM assist with this?

• Staff of all 50 sub-divisions gathered all details on the various steps, descriptions of functional activities and areas of cross-functional interaction a while before event testing in August 2012. All areas, processes, risks, as well as plans ‘A’, plans ‘B’ have been documented. The knowledge has been recorded and transformed into information for use during Games “test” and “live” runs.


KM in Olympic History (1)

• According to the English dictionary: Knowledge is awareness or familiarity gained by "experience" (Collins Concise Dictionary,1995). So if The Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM) at The International Olympic Committee (IOC) passes on previous experience and knowledge gained, to assess future new trends and consumption modes (new methods and technology), thus it shows the world a successful model of human knowledge transfer in action.

• This KM initiative allows future host countries to benefit from best practices learned.

• Many on-line discussions, however, outlined that it would be beneficial to learn strategic elements such as the importance of integrated working and development of stakeholder relationships.


KM in Olympic History (2) External Knowledge Transfer Debriefing – November 2012• Representatives from the IOC and the London 2012 Organising

Committee shared their best practices and experiences from their Summer Games with over 500 participants from Rio 2016™, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and 2020 candidate cities: Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid

• “London organised a fantastic Olympic Games and this debriefing was instrumental in uncovering the processes and the planning that made this successful edition of the Games possible. The baton has been handed to us and we will now apply the lessons learned during the past four days and add our contribution to the Olympic Movement, so that in four year’s time we can pass the baton to the next hosts having advanced the Games even further.” said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of Rio 2016™*⁴


London 2012 – Observer Programme

• The London 2012 Observer programme was attended by over 530 observers in 50 visits and 5 roundtables over 21 days. The visits studied the topics such as athlete experience, ceremonies, village operations, sport, and technology. Access was given to reports, manuals and best practices arranged for participants.

• The IOC’s Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM) programme ensures that future host cities have access to the latest knowledge that has been gained from the hard work and experience of previous Games hosts. It also provides an understanding of the specific context of the host city experiences from previous Games.

• KM activities work well between like-minded groups of people and those wanting to capture external knowledge.


One size does not fit all.Local host city approaches

• Knowing a host country’s strengths and capitalising on them is important for future Universiades in Korea and China and Olympics in Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.

• Answering the question: “What knowledge is most crucial for an organisational success?” remains the most difficult in KM process.

• Even if we ask consultants and hire the most knowledgeable specialists on how to make the Games a success, one still has to understand that what worked well in one location, may not suit local culture, people, infrastructure and uniqueness elsewhere.

• Building success on a nation’s talents, ideas and brainpower becomes a source of collective enthusiasm and national pride.


Unique factors for Kazan 2013-The XXVII Summer Universiade

• Upon an exemplary completion of the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen 2011, how can each subsequent national executive sporting committee advance the Games movement yet further?

• Some 20,000 volunteers from all over the world will take part in the 2013 Universiade in Kazan. The volunteer selection programme 'Make U Real' was launched in September 2011.

• The 'Kazan 2013' volunteers will undergo a competitive selection process and attend distance-learning programmes.

• The mission of the Kazan 2013 Universiade is to organize and demonstrate the world’s best ever Universiade.

• Kazan 2013 has the full support of central government and enjoys close cooperation with both The Russian National and University Sports Federations. Kazan city’s mayoral office has a vested interest in the success of the project

• In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia. 11

E-mail: [email protected]

On from Kazan 2013 to Gwangju 2015

• What is excellent and workable for Russia/Tatarstan may not apply to Korea’s sports and cultural traditions.

• The next Universiade will take place 3-14 July 2015 in Gwangju.From a KM perspective the questions below can test the extent to which the goals of the Olympic Movements in advancing The Games further have been met:

– What can be passed on from Kazan 2013?– How can Kazan 2013 contribute to the success of Gwangju

Universiade 2015 in attaining the 'EPIC' values of 'Eco-friendliness, Peace, IT and Culture‘?

– How can Kazan 2013 assist in enhancing economic efficiency with eco-friendly and sustainable methods when building/refurbishing its new and existing venues?


Example measures of sport (Olympic) event success

• Medal numbers. Visual spectacle. Jobs created. Tourist spend. Visitor satisfaction. On time and on budget delivery. Better facilities. Regeneration and investment. Ongoing legacy of youth participation. Volunteers’ experience. Overall global media exposure.

• Question for any Olympic Games’ organisers – How and to what extent has this sport event enhanced the International Olympic Movement ?

• Other key question: Did the event bring more peace and development (sport, business, culture) and how have Olympic values been communicated and demonstrated before, during and after the event ?


Knowledge Management to ChangeManagement

• “Knowledge management is rooted in the need for change – true KM requires a shift in culture and a fundamental re-organisation of the way an enterprise operates. …the bulk of KM initiatives that fail do so because they neglect to take the change-management aspects of the discipline into account”*⁵.

• Pre-event testing in August 2012 revealed Kazan 2013 staff willingness and readiness to share knowledge in order to successfully achieve the organisation’s mission. However, many admitted that while they would be happy to share their specific knowledge on processes with others, they did not know how they could do it in practice. Promoting change management activities (staff rotation) in leading staff gradually to the end of project might be key to ‘a win-win’ situation.


Valuing staff – (1)

• The quality of delivery in Games events and reduction of possible risks is also about assuring that the mission on that quality delivery is shared by everybody in the organisation. The aim of a staff rotation programme is to provide learning experiences, which facilitate transfer and utilisation of knowledge, as well as changes in thinking and perspective. Change Management practices in job rotation formats would motivate staff and provide them with important, transferrable skills in flexible learning in a working environment

• Humans create intellectual capital, delivering business success through combined team efforts. With KM collaborative tools, almost anything is possible in this area.


Valuing staff – (2)‘National human resources reserve’

• The Kazan 2013 Universiade team is in the final stages of preparation (just under 300 days before the event) for the ‘best ever games in the history’. Why not give staff a chance to try out different operational tasks, through staff rotation programmes, crossing catering services, transportation/logistics, communications, marketing, social/cultural programs, medical service, media, security, volunteer recruitment and training?

• Aim: To enhance staff’s competitiveness and to see how well an organisation’s goals have been understood and followed using simple tools such as written policies and procedures.

• Staff rotation programmes. If we think of written procedures of functions as ‘know-how’ manuals, with job-rotation programmes (running for 1 to 2 weeks), these would provide staff with the depth and strength of knowledge in the organisation.


Conclusion

• KM can fulfil its role in the external knowledge transfer arena. OGKM activities confirm that best practices are well communicated, distributed and received. “Lesson learnt” is in action. OGKM could also look into deployment of bright leaders in sport management, hence transferring unique knowledge across the planet, on a global scale.• There is a gap in managing knowledge internally in organisations,

taking strategic approaches and appreciating the human factor.• Knowing a host country’s strengths and capitalising on them is

important for future Olympic Games events.• Where the human factor is appreciated (through incentives – local

government acknowledgement and rewards) staff assigned to sport projects could move on to innovative business ventures.

• Staff are at the heart of everything for people to move mountains. Talent is not born but nurtured through hard work, knowledge and ambition to accomplish goals together with top management. 17E-mail: [email protected]

Thank you for your attention!


Sources/Acknowledgements (1)

• *¹, *² Article on “Knowledge Management in an academic library” November 2004 (p. 2 from on-line source: http://ora.ox.ac.uk/resolve/info:fedora/uuid:62836c4d-10c1-4636-b97c-07a88890fa8a/JOURNAL)

• *³ Polanyi M (1962): “Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy”, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

• *⁴ http://www.rio2016.com.br/en/news/news/successful-ioc-debriefing-of-london-2012-comes-to-a-close)

• *⁵http://www.ikmagazine.com/xq/asp/sid.0/volume.6/issue.8/qx/displayissue.htm)

• Swimmer photo: www. telegraph.co.uk (London 2012 Olympics: Phelps sets mind's eye on starring role in final)


http://www.rio2016.com.br/en/news/news/successful-ioc-debriefing-of-london-2012-comes-to-a-close




http://www.ikmagazine.com/xq/asp/sid.0/volume.6/issue.8/qx/displayissue.htm




Sources/Acknowledgements (2)

“International Olympic Committee’s Games Sustainability Reports, FISU and other web resources:

• http://www.olympic.org/news/ogkm-learning-from-experience/170562

• http://www.fisu.net/en/Summer-Universiades-3490.html• http://

en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2012-07-23/2190776.html


http://www.olympic.org/news/ogkm-learning-from-experience/170562



http://www.fisu.net/en/Summer-Universiades-3490.html

http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2012-07-23/2190776.html



knowledge management in sport organisations autumn 2012

Business