Knowledge Management is a popular buzzword nowadays. If you’re beginning a KM initiative, here are some questions you should ask yourself about the office environment before you begin.
- Is useable information systematically inventoried, catalogued and stored with the appropriate technology?
- Is knowledge easily accessed and disseminated by everyone in the organization?
- Is research and development at all levels encouraged?
- Are new ideas actively developed and marketed to provide new sources of revenue?
- Is training provided in IT systems, which enable people to acquire, inventory and disseminate the information they need?
- Do the formal and informal reward processes reward knowledge sharing?
- Are senior managers good role models for knowledge management and sharing?
- Does the physical office/work setting facilitate shared learning and knowledge?
- Are negative politics and institutional silos effectively challenged?
- Is there a clear shared vision, and are values clearly stated, about the effective creation and sharing of knowledge?
SOURCE: Trans4mation Training Ltd., March 4, 1999.