KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR MAIN ROADS WA

OuR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT VISION:

To be recognised as a world class road authority, working innovatively with industry, our partners and the community, to share and build cutting edge knowledge and expertise.

AchIEVING ThE VISION

When we achieve our knowledge management vision, knowledge management will be embedded within our work practices and recognised by all as crucial to the success and longevity of Main Roads.

Our strategy for achieving this vision is to:

Encourage and support innovation, creativity and diversity. Knowledge from other sources will be melded into our knowledge base as we continue to develop and evolve.

Establish strong collaborative and supportive relationships and networks where knowledge and lessons learned are freely shared, and all contributions are heard, recognised and valued.

Embrace and build on the ‘know how’ (wisdom, insight and learning accumulated over the years) of experienced employees, and the fresh perspectives of our new graduates.

Leverage off new technologies to build a sustainable and accessible knowledge base that can be shared and built upon by all Main Roads employees across the State.

Design work and roles to facilitate knowledge management and the sharing, building and creating of knowledge.

Achieving the vision will mean that Main Roads has the foundations for a strong and sustainable future as a result of the knowledge management initiatives that have been effectively implemented across the business.

TuRNING ThIS VISION INTO A REALITY

With a history of more than 80 years and around 1,000 employees, the knowledge, skills and expertise within Main Roads are assets that can be harnessed to create a foundation for the future success of the organisation.

The development of a corporate approach to knowledge management is a specific initiative in the Main Roads 2k12 Strategic Plan in the “Creating Our Workforce of the Future” area of focus. This knowledge management strategy also complements the work that will be undertaken via the four other strategic areas of focus – Inspiring Leadership, Enhancing Relationships, Providing the Right Roads for WA and Making Roads Work for the Community.

This strategy also builds on the knowledge management foundation that already exists at Main Roads as a result of a range of successful initiatives that have been implemented to date, such as:

The increased focus on community consultation and knowledge sharing with other road agencies which has broadened the range of opinions and knowledge available to shape Main Roads’ decision making.

The Innovation Strategy and values based management which have contributed to the development of new ideas and innovative ways of thinking.

Regular knowledge sharing forums such as technical X-changes and project de-briefings to capitalise on lessons learned.

A phased retirement program which captures the valuable knowledge and experience of our people before they retire.

This strategy contains a range of new knowledge management initiatives around the three key areas of people, engagement and methodology. It will maximise the organisation’s explicit knowledge, which is written, stored and accessible, as well as the tacit knowledge (know how) which is based on our learning, experience and wisdom/insight.

Through a continual cycle of knowledge management we can work more collaboratively together to share our knowledge and lessons learned and refine and improve the way we do business.

mana

geme

nTWH

aT IS

KnOWl

edg

Refining and

improvingThE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT cYcLE

learning from

others

Sharing lessons learned

WhAT IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT?The Australian Standard on Knowledge Management (5037-2005) defines knowledge management as:

“a trans-disciplinary approach to improving organisational outcomes and learning, through maximising the use of knowledge. It involves the design, implementation and review of social and technological activities and processes to improve the creating, sharing, and applying or using of knowledge.

Knowledge management is concerned with innovation and sharing behaviours, managing complexity and ambiguity through knowledge networks and connections, exploring smart processes, and deploying people-centric technologies.”

The traditional view of knowledge management refers to the achievement of a combination of goals and actions around three key areas of focus:

People

Process

Technology

However, to make this strategy more contemporary and relevant to the Main Roads context, the three areas of focus have been customised to be:

PEOPLE

ENGAGEMENT

METhODOLOGY

STR

ATEGIC

BEnEfITS

WhAT BENEFITS WILL ThIS STRATEGY DELIVER?Strengthening our approach to knowledge management will have many benefits for the future of Main Roads, some of which include:

Creating a positive workplace culture which values the knowledge and experience of employees and rewards them for sharing this with others.

Increasing opportunities for innovation, creating a free flow of ideas and working collaboratively to build on, develop and create new knowledge.

Retention of employees who will feel more valued and appreciated for their wealth of knowledge and expertise, and employees who will have better access to knowledge and the opportunity to learn from the “experts”.

Retention of corporate, technical and professional knowledge through improved and targeted knowledge sharing practices.

Better informed and more responsive decision making.

PuTTING IT INTO PRAcTIcE: OuR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT GuIDING PRINcIPLES Underpinning this strategy are a number of guiding principles:

Sharing and identifying critical knowledge and making it available to everyone who needs it.

Building and creating new knowledge.

Storing and capturing knowledge effectively.

Rewarding and recognising those who show initiative in sharing knowledge and provide an incentive for others to make it part of their work practice.

Empowering employees with the appropriate knowledge and skills to enable them to perform their jobs effectively.

Teamwork, to facilitate knowledge sharing and prevent knowledge being isolated with individuals, branches or Directorates.

Commitment, to ensure the momentum for knowledge management is sustained and becomes part of the organisational culture.

Creating better relationships within and between branches and regions, with internal and external customers and to knowledge sources.

Innovation, striving to be creative and think outside the box when implementing knowledge management initiatives.

Flexibility, introducing the right knowledge management initiative to fit the context, people and knowledge available.

Learning by doing, so that wherever possible, employees obtain hands-on technical experience and can learn from direct involvement in engineering projects.

OPPORTUNIT

IES

wIll haPPEN

OuR OPPORTuNITIES – hOW WE WILL MAKE IT hAPPENOuR FRAMEWORK Our knowledge management framework incorporates a combination of goals and actions around ‘people, engagement and methodology.’

Linking these components together is the need for strong leadership support to ensure that knowledge management initiatives receive the resources and commitment needed for successful implementation. It is important not to focus solely on any one component at the expense of others. A holistic approach is required to ensure knowledge management becomes embedded in the culture of the organisation.

A range of knowledge management initiatives have been identified under each of these three components to improve Main Roads knowledge management practices. Some examples are in the following model:

PEOPLE- Supportive leadership - Knowledge Champions- Knowledge management

Coordinators- Technical knowledge mentors

PEOPLE: Strong leadership/corporate culture which supports, promotes, encourages, values, recognises and rewards knowledge management initiatives.

Knowledge Champions to provide strategic direction and to drive, guide and encourage knowledge management initiatives which address the needs of their Directorate. Knowledge Management Coordinators in critical high risk functions to facilitate the sharing and passing-on of expertise. Technical knowledge Mentors who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise with employees who want to learn. Recognising and valuing individual expertise and encouraging knowledge sharing.

ENGAGEMENT: Centres of Expertise established in critical areas to develop and promote best practices and to be a ‘centre of expertise.’ Communities of Practice (campfire knowledge sharing discussions) established around particular projects and specific issues to discuss, share and learn from each other to build expertise and develop best practice outcomes.

Capturing and sharing lessons learned from each project to share and build up corporate technical knowledge so these lessons can be applied to other projects. Documenting knowledge in manuals, reports and databases as a process of storing knowledge that can be easily retrieved and accessed by others.

A pilot mentoring program in the Mid West which will include coaching and mentoring training for selected experienced staff so they can transfer their knowledge to new staff in an effective and supportive way. METhODOLOGY: Internal Intranet sites used as a repository of, and providing links to, Branch, Directorate and Corporate knowledge documents, reports, policies, manuals, guidelines, electronic databases, reference material and other information for employees.

Online discussion boards to be created to provide for collaborative on-line discussion and the sharing and building of knowledge around specific subjects or topics. Electronic records systems which contain readily accessible shared information, which will regularly be updated and maintained.

- Centres of expertise- Communities of Practice– Campf ire knowledge sharing- Sharing ‘lessons learned’- documenting knowledge- mentoring program

ENGAGEMENT

LEADERShIP

- Intranet knowledge repository- Online discussion board- electronic records system

METhODOLOGY

KnOWledge

managemenT

TOWARDS 2012 – OPPORTuNITIES FROM 2K12Knowledge Management is an enabling strategy that applies to and underpins all of the Strategic Areas of Focus in the Main Roads 2k12 Strategic Plan. Examples include:

Providing the Right Roads for Western australia & making Roads Work for the CommunityTo continue to identify and address the needs of the community and to maintain the delivery of world class road access, Main Roads needs to ensure that important knowledge and experience in this area is captured, shared and readily accessible. Improved knowledge management will assist Main Roads in meeting its obligations to serve the community.

Creating the Workforce of the FutureStrategic workforce planning and knowledge sharing are important mechanisms to take advantage of a mature, ageing workforce and prevent the potential loss of vital Main Roads knowledge, experience and expertise.

A robust knowledge management culture will help to secure Main Roads’ intellectual assets and, as such, will support future recruitment and workforce planning and development initiatives. This will help to create a sustainable workforce for the future.

leadershipKnowledge management directly relates to ‘Inspiring Leadership’ in three ways.

Firstly, leadership support is essential for good knowledge management practices. Strong leadership is required to support, promote, encourage, recognise and reward knowledge management initiatives.

Secondly, we can all demonstrate leadership behaviours by participating in the building of knowledge and other knowledge management initiatives on a regular basis, and by incorporating these into our daily work. Simply, we all possess valuable knowledge that, if shared, will positively impact on Main Roads long term viability and prosperity.

Thirdly, organisational knowledge is an invaluable resource that can be used to guide, develop and inform current and future leaders across Main Roads.

enhancing our RelationshipsGreater use of knowledge sharing forums such as cross-Directorate teams, briefing sessions and mentoring relationships will increase the opportunity for Main Roads people to work together and learn from each other, thereby enhancing relationships and further eliminating Directorate ‘silos’.

More efficient knowledge capture and storage in relation to external customers and stakeholders will enable us to build better relationships with these groups via deeper understanding of their needs and how we can best provide our services to them.

NEW chALLENGES! NEW POSSIBILITIES! hOW WILL WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ThEM? a range of initiatives will be rolled out across main Roads over the coming years. Some of these are summarised in the attached action Plan.The Action Plan is not an exhaustive overview of the knowledge management projects that will take place. Directorates are encouraged to develop their own action plans. The knowledge management culture at Main Roads will also be enhanced and supported by related projects that have been included in other corporate documents, such as:

2k12 Inspiring leadership

2k12 Relationships Strategy

Corporate Business Plan

hOW WILL WE MEASuRE OuR SuccESS?There are a variety of ways that we will be able to gauge if this strategy is a success. A capability index measures the success of the ‘Creating Our Workforce of the Future’ 2k12 Strategic Area of focus, and knowledge management has been captured within this.

Monthly reports on the status of this strategy will be provided to the Corporate Development Committee. There will also be quarterly reports on Directorate level knowledge management initiatives to Corporate Executive.

We will also utilise audits and employee surveys such as Hewitt Employer of Choice and the Employee Opinion Poll to determine the strength of our knowledge management culture.

WhAT cAN YOu DO IN YOuR WORK AREA TO IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT?PERSONAL NOTES:

For further

information

on this st

rategy plea

se

contact th

e knowledge

Co-Ordinator in

Organisation

al

Development o

n

9323 4603.