Knowledge Management

Introduction

“I wish we knew what we know at HP.”

This quote is attributed to Lew Platt, former chairman of Hewlett Packard, and was the inspiration for a popular book on knowledge management published in 1998.

It has turned into a common lament throughout business, and even applies to individuals. How do we manage our own knowledge?

Knowledge repositories

In the book Working Knowledge Davenport and Prusak outline a pragmatic approach to improving retention and circulation of knowledge within a business.

One such method is having shared knowledge repositories within a business. This might seem fancy - but it can be as simple as a shelf of books, or a wiki.

IDEO tech box

However, there are other more interesting ways to share knowledge. Take the following example from IDEO, the design and innovation consultancy. They have a tech box which is a library of interesting bits and pieces contributed by IDEO staff. The items within the tech box could be interesting for all sorts of reasons - the material, manufacturing technique, or even just the feel of the object.

This is a great way of sharing tacit knowledge within the organisation.

Presentations

Another example is having mini Pecha Kucha events between staff where they share new ideas in informal presentations lasting just a few seconds per slide.

Conclusions

But whatever knowledge you have to share, designating a place to share knowledge is a strong first step in promoting the sharing of knowledge between individuals, which in many organisations today is the main way in which innovation happens