...The "right" information is the knowledge that is linked to strategy.  The strategy identifies the knowledge, and the knowledge links to the strategy. Great - now HOW does this happen?  Technology, group meetings, video conferencing, ... Easy answer.  The real "how" question goes to "hot button" topic that Courtney and Jeb have brought up...When "knowledge is power", incentives to share must be greater than incentives to not share. Opposite the "knowledge is power" challenge, this week I had a conversation with a tradesperson that lead to the "knowledge is common sense" challenge. As we discussed construction methods to decrease safety incidents, expedite production rates, and increase quality, I asked if there would be value in capturing past experiences, i.e., lessons learned, so that others could use it when pre-planning work. This experienced tradesperson said, no - this is just common sense.  When "knowledge is common sense", incentives to share must outweigh the effort of sharing. 

So the path is strategy to knowledge to incentives...upper management typically sets these parameters.  What should the middle manager do?  How might a middle manager influence change throughout the organizational process to drive a knowledge management program's success? Can this be done without upper management's explicit support? 

[Cathy O. Frampton]

Caathy raises a number of interesting questions in her complete post. One issue I wanted to highlight is this problem that one person's common sense is another's expert insight. There's a lot to untangle here among power, incentives, and what constitutes useful knowledge.

One useful starting point is right at home. Before worrying about what to do about everyone else's knowledge problems, it's humbling to spend a few minutes reflecting on those problems close at hand.  The "knowledge is common sense" response isn't unusual, but I find it's more often than not a clue about where the real expertise can be found. We are generally most expert at the stuff we feel is "common sense" and most natural to us. One good thing a middle manager can do in this setting is hold a mirror up to that common sense and help its possessor appreciate how uncommon that expertise might be.

10:08:44 AM •  • comment