why it’s hard to be virtuous in km patrick lambe · © straits knowledge 2007 virtues and vices...

© Straits Knowledge 2007 Virtues and Vices in KM www.straitsknowledge.com

Why It’s Hard To Be Virtuous In KM

Patrick Lambe

© Straits Knowledge 2007 www.straitsknowledge.comVirtues and Vices in KM

Agenda

1. The Seven Deadly Sins of KM

2. The Seven Cardinal Virtues of KM

3. Why It’s Hard to Be Virtuous


LustLust - insisting on “best of breed”

solutions with all the bells andwhistles simply because someonesome day might conceive of a wayto use it : when all you reallyneed are three simple tools to doa handful of straightforward things


GluttonyGluttony : trademarking a

successful intervention in onecontext in one organisation andturning it into a worldwideconsulting crusade tied to you andyou alone

© TM # TM© ® # $$


AvariceAvarice : imagining that you can

capture all your organisation’sknowledge into a singleknowledge repository


SlothSloth : hiring consultants in the

expectation that they will figureout your problems and solve themall for you with minimal(preferably no) involvement andeffort from you or your company’smanagement team


WrathWrath : making a business of

elevating your stature and sellingyour services by knocking otherpeople down and decrying othermethods


EnvyEnvy : looking at what other

people are doing in KM andimagining that you can do KMsimply by going through imitativemotions - aka benchmarking tobest practices


PridePride : in CoPs in consulting and

in facilitation thinking you knowwhat’s best for a community andmaking unilateral decisions basedon your power status


Chastity

Chastity (opposes Lust) : taking

the time to educate yourself onthe technology environment andcurrent possibilities, learning howto specify your technology needsin a way that is closely geared toyour business needs, and buyingto suit those needs, investingprudently so that you have thecapacity to change when yourneeds change


Abstinence

Abstinence (opposes Gluttony) :

refusing to get carried away byfads, and deploying strategies,methods and tactics only to theextent that they meet your needsand deliver value


Liberality

Liberality (opposes Avarice) :

accepting that a large part of theknowledge value in anorganization is based on the freeflow of tacit knowledge which maynot be codifiable, and creatingenvironments where this canhappen without pressure, creatingthe possibilities of sharing, butthen stepping back and trustingemployees to share


Diligence

Diligence (opposes Sloth) : being

prepared to resource KM with suitably qualified staff, anddevote regular management time,attention and resources to KMefforts


Patience

Patience (opposes Wrath) :

understanding that KM is a newdiscipline, that there is no clearright and wrong in many areas ofKM practice, and that trial anderror is to be expected along theway; being prepared to listen todifferent perspectives, takefailures as a learning experience,pick yourself up and move onagain


Charity

Charity (opposes Envy) : engaging

with your peers in KM in otherorganizations and sharing openlywith them, seeking to learn fromtheir experiences byunderstanding their contexts andneeds; being open about seekingadvice without giving up theresponsibility for making your owndecisions based on yourorganisation’s unique needs


Humility

Humility (opposes Pride) :

accepting that KM is a collectiveeffort and does not solely dependon a single person’s contribution(eg yours); that it needs to besustainable beyond your tenure asknowledge manager, has an ethicof openness; that you willprobably be wrong some of thetime, and that the whole thing isnot just about you (sorry folks)


Why It’s Hard To Be Virtuous

LUSTGLUTTONY

AVARICESLOTH

WRATH ENVY PRIDE

CHASTITY ABSTINENCELIBERALITY

DILIGENCEPATIENCE

CHARITY HUMILITY


Psychotherapist

Brain SurgeonPharmacist

NurseD

epth

of

involv

em

ent

Depth of Expertise

Role of KM Consultants


Resourcing KM


So How Do We Build OrganisationalCapabilities in KM?


Any Questions?

[email protected]

why it’s hard to be virtuous in km patrick lambe · © straits knowledge 2007 virtues and vices...

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