‘Learning is not compulsory … neither is survival’*

Introduction

Just over 18 months ago I was tasked with creating a knowledge management solution to define and maintain a series of processes, procedures and knowledge artifacts for a client.  In this blog I will outline some of the principles of knowledge management, how they influenced the activities we then undertook and how we implemented the 360° knowledge management process.  

Principles of knowledge management

Knowledge management is the process of creating, ‘sharing,’ using, and managing the knowledge and information of an organization. The key things for an organization to consider when implementing knowledge management are 

• Culture & People
• Strategy
• Processes & Technology 
• Measurement

Let’s look at each of these in more detail and how we addressed them for our client. 

Culture & People

Encouraging a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboratio is vital. On the whole the project was greeted as something that needed to be done, but no one really knew where to start.  To reiterate, there was an acknowledgement that something needed to be  done, but what that was was not known. In this case, I used Agile methodlogy to iterate and make incremental improvements that enable us suggest options and let the stakeholders determine the best way forward. 

The ideas behind KM  where completely new to the client. Encouraging employee engagement and participation in knowledge management initiatives, and providing training and support to facilitate knowledge sharing was ultimate our goal. I have seen firms exclude key knowledge workers and so I wanted to ensure that all were included in the building of the processes and platform and encouraged them to suggest improvements as we went along.  The first draft of anything is rarely any good, so I needed to encourage a culture of improvement and to ensure that all the stakeholders understood what knowledge management was really about.  To do this I introduced the SECI model .  

The SECI model of knowledge dimensions (AKA the Nonaka-Takeuchi model) for  knowledge creation that explains how tacit and explicit knowledge are converted into organizational knowledge.  The split  explicit and tacit knowledge is known as the “tacit-explicit knowledge boundary.” This refers to the point at which tacit knowledge is converted into explicit knowledge and vice versa.

Explicit knowledge can be easily articulated, codified, and transferred through formal channels such as documents, manuals, and training programs. It is objective and can be easily communicated and shared with others.

In contrast, tacit knowledge is more subjective and personal, and is often difficult to articulate or codify. It is rooted in an individual’s experience, intuition, and judgment. Tacit knowledge is often transmitted through personal interactions, observation, and practice.

The process of converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge is known as “externalization,” while the process of converting explicit knowledge into tacit knowledge is known as “internalization.” The boundary between these two types of knowledge is not always clear-cut, and often requires a process of socialization and interaction between individuals to fully transfer knowledge from one to another.  

I illustrated this model, not with the usual spiral as above, but with a far simpler idea of an iceberg.  I posed the idea that we needed to surface the tacit knowledge.  This would feed into the definition  of the strategy and enable the process workshops.  By defining and simplifying the SECI model to an iceberg it enabled me to improve buy in to the idea of workshops to define the mass of tacit knowledge hidden in the icy depths of the subject matter experts. 

I also realised that too many of these programs get off on the wrong foot because they try and develop a system that needs to be 100% accurate rather than realising that the domains they operate in are ever changing.  To address this I introduce them to the Cynefin conceptual framework developed by David Snowden and Mary Boone in 2007 to help people understand and manage complex systems and situations. The model describes five domains or contexts that represent different types of systems or environments, and provides guidance on how to approach decision-making and problem-solving in each domain.

The five domains in the Cynefin model are:

1. Clear: In this domain, the cause-and-effect relationships are clear, and there is a single obvious solution to the problem. This domain is characterized by best practices and known standards.
2. Complicated: In this domain, the cause-and-effect relationships are not immediately obvious, but can be discovered through analysis and expertise. Multiple solutions exist, and selecting the best one requires specialized knowledge and experience.
3. Complex: In this domain, the cause-and-effect relationships are not known in advance, and outcomes are unpredictable. There are multiple possible solutions, and the best course of action emerges through experimentation and continuous learning.
4. Chaotic: In this domain, there is no clear cause-and-effect relationship, and the situation is characterized by rapid and unpredictable change. In this domain, the best approach is to act quickly to stabilize the situation, and then transition into a more manageable domain.
5. Confused: This domain is a state of uncertainty, where it is unclear which domain a situation belongs to. The goal in this domain is to identify the appropriate domain and then take action accordingly.

The client works with lots different types of customers and lots of different types of programmes.  So while there is some commonality between the programmes of work, there are lots of forks in the decision tree as to the next step and/or which artefact to use.  Thus the cynefin environment was complex and we aimed to move them to a complicated one, by creating and updating the techniques, tools templates and standards used in thier programmes. 

Strategy 

Developing a clear strategy for knowledge management that aligns with the organization’s goals and objectives is key.  I ensured that a shared vision and goals was developed via one to one  interviews and workshops.  Then all stakeholders could buy into this combination of a shared vision and goal.

Thus we developed a shared vision that all stakeholders could buy into via a series of workshops with all levels. We were particularly keen to ensure that the users of the resulting knowledge management system were involved in the creation of the goals of the activities. The statement that was created was. 

“The creation of a knowledge management process that will introduce the processes & procedures to create a culture of sharing, improved productivity and usage of reusable, renewable knowledge artifacts through a shared experience across boundaries”

 What did this mean practically?  We wanted to address the following

• Identify how to break down the silos of knowledge based on previous experience. I used inclusive workshops to draw out and share knowledge across people with many different experiences within the organization.
• Organize how they stored and access the knowledge employing effective, simple to use tools that they already had the competence to use.  I developed a systematic way to do this which is covered in the next section.
• Engrain the culture of knowledge sharing, process, location, and reasons in the onboarding.  I assisted in developed a learning offer that was constantly refreshed and integral to the onboarding.
• Learn lessons to build a culture and practice of continual improvement. I developed a lessons learned process that set goals for all employees to learn and refresh the knowledge DURING each programme of work.
• Measure the result of the knowledge transfer, usage and age of the knowledge artifacts.  I developed reporting tools that showed the status of the knowledge management via Power Automate & Power BI
• Develop the governance of all the above.  I ensured the management addressed the knowledge short comings and were a part of the culture of knowledge refreshment

This would result in them building organizational memory & learning so  they would not forget how to do things and more importantly would have a practice of reviewing their ways of working to improve them.  

Processes & technology  

Establishing processes for capturing, organizing, and sharing knowledge, including documenting best practices and lessons learned needed to be as simple as possible so as not to hinder buy-in to the project. Often knowledge management projects introduce a completely new and thus unfamiliar tools that take time to learn and maintain.   I ensured that the technology used was as simple and as familiar as possible by using existing MS Office products.

I defined a flowcharting and processing standard that was incrementally  improved  during the mapping of the process.  Then the processes were mapped thus identifying  knowledge gaps.

MS Visio was used  to define  swimlane flow charts together with the simplified BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation).  The swimlane flow charts divide processes into visual lanes, each of which represented a specific role, department, or step in the process. This helped to clarify who is responsible for each task in the process, making it easier to understand and manage the workflow. We went through a series of sprints to define each level of the flow chart, creating deeper and fuller understanding of the process as we went along.

I then created a SharePoint website to display the flow charts and link to the artifacts used in each package of the process.  Again I used sprints to develop a Minimum Viable Product(MVP) of the sharepoint site & improved it incremental with feedback from the user base over time.  These artifacts were tagged in a Sharepoint library to indicate where they belonged in the process and who was the owner of the artifact. I created custom calculated columns to define the period when the artifact need to be  reviewed and a second to define  when the artifact expired. These colums were color coded to give an easy “Pull” RAG signal.  Green for ok, Amber for after review date and Red for after expiry.  

This only works if people view the Sharpoint library on a regular basis, so I created Power Automate flows to send emails and create a kanban card assigned to the artifact owner when the artifact hit each of these trigger dates.  At any one time the knowledge creators could see what need to be done by themselves.  Their co workers could also see the status of any knowledge artfiact. 

Measurement

Establishing metrics to measure the effectiveness of knowledge management efforts and continuously improving processes was defined as important for the ongoing management.  By effectively managing knowledge and information, organizations can improve decision making, enhance innovation, increase efficiency, and foster a more knowledgeable and engaged workforce. Often what happens is an inital enthusiam occurs and then over time the interest drops off.  Many measurements suffer from Goodhart’s law that is to say “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure”.   Any system can be gamed and in such cases, the persons possessing the skills to execute the tasks properly seek their own goals to the detriment of the assigned tasks.

By having reporting that measures the Objectives and Key Results of the organization,  that can’t be gamed, we can assist keep the knowledge up to date and highlighting areas of concern.

I used PowerBI to implement the reporting as this low-code development method allows the users to build applications using visual drag-and-drop tools and pre-built templates, instead of writing code from scratch. The goal of this low-code tool is to allow users to create applications faster, with less coding and fewer errors, and to make it easier for non-technical users to build applications themselves.  I held a series of meeting with the management to define what was to be developed improved in each sprint. It meant that I could hand this over to the client for them to maintain and update themselves.

Conclusions  

In conclusion, the success of this knowledge management program is intricately woven into the fabric of Culture & People, Strategy, Processes & Technology, and Measurement. 

In essence, a successful knowledge management program is a harmonious blend of Culture & People, Strategy, Processes & Technology, and Measurement. By prioritizing these four pillars, organizations can cultivate a knowledge-sharing culture, align efforts with strategic goals, establish efficient processes and leverage technology, all while continually measuring and refining their approach. This holistic approach not only fosters organizational learning but also positions the company to thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape.

* W. Edwards Deming

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