Put it to the board

The Knowledge Management editorial board has been an integral part of the magazine since we launched in 1996. Our members have consistently represented the cream of the industry’s thought leaders, practitioners and pioneers. As well as contributing regular comment pieces and case studies to the magazine, board members are an invaluable source of information to the Knowledge Management team, providing insights into the next ‘hot topic’ and making connections with knowledge specialists.

As we pursue our mission to provide readers with shrewd observations into the latest KM developments, we feel that the current seven faces that have adorned the left-hand panel of our contents page for so long should have a louder voice in the magazine. We are therefore introducing a new feature that will do just that. ‘Put it to the Board’ provides a sounding board to each of our experts to step up and share their thoughts on an issue that is topical and of particular interest to them. Readers are also encouraged to send us questions or topics that you would like to see covered here. Could there be a better opportunity to pick the brains of the leaders in this field and get tailored advice to your most pressing problems? E-mail me your queries or send suggestions to shiggison@ark-group.com.

You will have also noticed that we welcome three new, although very familiar, faces to the editorial panel this month. Karl-Erik Sveiby is often described as one of the founding fathers of knowledge management. He is best known for the creation of accounting practices to measure intangible assets that, in turn, inspired the ’swedish movement’ in knowledge management. Today, he is founder of Sveiby Knowledge Associates, he holds the chair in knowledge management at the Swedish Business School, Hanken, in Helsinki, and is honorary professor at Macquarie Graduate School of Business in Sydney and Griffith University in Brisbane.

Dorothy Leonard joins the board from the prestigious Harvard faculty where she has been William J. Abernathy Professor of Business Administration since 1983, having taught at the Sloan School of Management at MIT. Her major research interests and expertise are in organisational innovation, technology strategy and commercialisation. Leonard is currently finishing a book, entitled Deep Smarts, which focuses on the building and transfer of practice-based knowledge.

Verna Allee is a recognised thought leader in value networks, knowledge management, intangibles and new business models. She is president and founder of Verna Allee Associates and senior associate at KonvergeandKnow. Allee has developed tools and methods for understanding complex systems and value creation, and recently published her latest book, The Future of Knowledge.

I’m looking forward to this column as it promises to deliver the latest in knowledge-related thinking with more than a touch of controversy.

Sandra Higgison
Editor