Doom and gloom, or time to prosper?

Fulbright & Jaworski's Toby Brown discusses the possibilities that should be exploited by knowledge management during difficult times.

How can knowledge management (KM) professionals demonstrate the business value of their work during the current economic conditions?
“In an environment where costs are being scrutinised ample opportunity exists to discuss the benefits of KM and demonstrate its value to leadership. We know that lawyers and firms that embrace KM will be those that best serve clients’ needs, so we should be taking this opportunity to demonstrate its benefits. At Fulbright, a number of our client teams have recently come forward with a well-defined need for tracking client-contact activity across our offices. Our client-relationship management system is well positioned to meet that need. And since client teams are focused on building stronger relationships with clients – which is key to the growth of our business – this effort is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate KM’s value to the firm.”

What are the benefits of having a fully resourced KM team?
“What we hear time and again from clients is: understand our business. The KM team can help our lawyers to achieve this and enhance our business development efforts, thus creating efficiencies and lowering costs over time. Our KM team already responds with knowledge and services focused on understanding a client’s business, which includes information about financials, relationships and competitive intelligence, among other things. Addressing the need to better understand our clients’ priorities shifts the perception of KM towards benefit and away from cost.”

So there is a strong business case for know-how teams to actually take advantage of the downturn?
“Current economics are an opportunity to create a sense of urgency with our lawyers about KM’s critical role in the firm’s success. I am constantly watching for opportunities to bring practice-centric KM training to groups based on their needs. Associates in one of our practice groups recently expressed a requirement to find firm know-how relative to their practice. The result: in two weeks we will conduct a specialised training programme for them over a lunch hour, to help improve how they use our KM research tools.”

How can know-how be used to attract more fee-earning work?
“Successful businesses focus on client service above revenue, which is central to Fulbright’s approach. As an international firm with 16 offices, Fulbright is in position to anticipate and deliver on a client’s needs, be it in New York, Los Angeles, London or Dubai. KM systems that share knowledge in real-time across the globe enable that level of service and, in turn, help drive revenue.”

What is the biggest challenge you are facing?
“I saw a great KM presentation recently by Dan Ranta, director of knowledge sharing at ConocoPhillips. Dan’s last slide was an image of the ‘Pacman’ of culture devouring the ‘dot’ of strategy. That simple image sums it up well. Finding a way to use the culture of our firm to drive KM is my biggest challenge. I focus a lot of my time on listening. In practice group meetings and other settings, lawyers will tell you what their culture is, although not usually so directly. By listening carefully, I can get a better picture of how best to work with their way of practising and not against it.”

How would you advise KM teams to ‘work smarter’?
“Since I’ve already mentioned the importance of listening, I will supplement that with another topic: technology. Too often KM becomes a conversation about technology. Although it is the critical infrastructure that enables good KM, if you want to converse with lawyers about value, talk about value instead of technology. This focuses the dialogue on the benefits to the lawyers and not on the cost of any technology involved. Solve the problem, instead of offering technology.”

Speaking of which, how can firms get the most out of their existing systems?
“I recall a statistic about how most people only use about 10 per cent of any system’s capabilities. That’s been my experience, at least, and it makes sense to get the most out of what you already have, particularly right now. Even if you can only address 80 per cent of a list of requests, you have shown value and not made any new purchase requests. The limitations of an existing system may even prove a benefit; focusing a project on what is possible today versus what may be possible in 12 to 18 months Then, when budgets are back to normal, leadership’s perception of your budget requests may be more favourable!

Toby Brown is client relations manager at Fulbright & Jaworski, and responsible for the firm’s KM strategy. He can be contacted at tjbrown@fulbright.com