I have a question for the Prof?

In class you mentioned how most tech processes that are created solve only the easy tasks for business managers.... My question to you is, if they resolve the easy tasks, business managers should have more time now to worry about KM issues.  What are your thoughts?

[Alejandro Cabrera's Radio Weblog]

The line of thought Alejandro brings up is the notion that KM might be thought of as a residual problem. In other words, KM is what is left after you've tackled all the other problems that were easier to address.

First, that wasn't meant to imply that the other tasks were easy; just that they were more tractable that KM. This line of thinking grows out of my growing suspicion whenever I hear someone say "all you have to do is..." generally followed by some naive expectation that the latest promised silver bullet is going to actually work this time.

That probably sounds more cynical than it should. It comes from too many years in the IT industry I suppose. Programmers and systems designers are notoriously confident in what the technology makes possible. However, the path from here to the visualized promised land is inevitably long and rocky.

If you assume that managers are at least intendedly rational (thank you Herb Simon), then they generally tackle problems in the order of least effort/most return. That suggests that as you solve problems, your reward is harder problems left to solve. And that KM is reaching management agendas now because we've gotten most of the easier (on a relative basis) problems under control and the effort/return equation for KM is beginning to look more attractive.  But the effort is likely to be substanial. Moreover, as a relatively new problem in the hopper, organizations need to be devoting thought and sufficient time now to defining and structuring the problem.  Despite the hopes of vendors, implementation and subsequent organizational change will take time.

5:26:37 PM •  • comment