When two worlds collide

By Graeme Burton

Welcome to the March 2007 issue of Inside Knowledge – now bigger and better. This month, we welcome readers of IK’s sister magazine, Enterprise Information, which is being merged with IK to provide a magazine devoted solely to knowledge and information management.

The idea is to cover both converging disciplines distinctly – to avoid falling into the trap of writing solely in terms of vendor packages rather than what both publications have always done, which is to write in terms of what practitioners and end-users are really doing.

We hope you will appreciate this difference but, as always, will need your help to keep us centred on your needs and your concerns. We are always open to suggestions, opinions, criticisms or whatever you wish to write – it all helps to keep us focused on covering the case studies, workshops and masterclasses that you want to read about every month.

And if you have accomplished something truly special at your organisation in the fields of either knowledge management (KM) or information management, then we want to hear from you.

This issue, we feature three case studies instead of the usual two, covering measuring the success of KM initiatives at Unisys, e-learning at BAE Systems and managing information in peacekeeping operations, as well as features on the secrets of intranet management, the changing face of KM and social-media optimisation.

We hope you enjoy the issue and please do e-mail me personally with your correspondence, gburton@ark-group.com.

Features

Case study: Unisys This article is for subscribers only
Alex Goodall outlines how Unisys applies a balanced scorecard to knowledge-management projects to help determine their value and deliver on the company’s overall KM vision.

Enterprise information: The secrets of intranet success This article is for subscribers only
What tools and methods are award-winning intranet sites using to stay one step ahead in the usability stakes? By Jessica Twentyman

Workshop: Social networking software This article is for subscribers only
Has the boss started blogging? Is the organisation expected to use the CEO’s blog (and podcasts, perhaps) to publicise the company? What’s required is social-media optimisation.

Case report: Theory of KM evolution This article is for subscribers only
The knowledge-driven enterprise of the future needs knowledge management – and KM is evolving for the better as a result. By Jerry Ash

Masterclass: KM culture This article is for subscribers only
Implementing knowledge management is easy compared to the task of making it stick. Nick Milton explores some of the techniques for ensuring a permanent change in culture. By Nick Milton

Case study: BAE Systems This article is for subscribers only
Investing in people development, collaboration and organisational learning online via its Virtual University has generated substantial return on investment for BAE Systems.

Case study: United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations This article is for subscribers only
Managing information in any organisation is a challenge, but how about one with a ‘board of directors’ drawn from 192 nations, involved in sensitive peace-keeping operations around the world? By Danny Myint

Regulars

First word: The weakest link? This article is for subscribers only
Worried about information security? The weakest link could be in your IT department, according to the latest research. By Calum Macleod

Knowledgeworks: Unisys’ SiLK stirs This article is for subscribers only
Can KM and Six Sigma really sit comfortably side by side? Not everyone is convinced. By Jerry Ash

Opinion: Engagementisation or personalisement? This article is for subscribers only
There has never been a shortage of new technologies and trends to follow on the web. From the early days of Amazon’s personalisation engine, to new search algorithms, podcasts and social networking. They seem to come thick and fast. But have you noticed how they never seem to get a chance to completely bear fruit before the ‘next big thing’ lands?

The Gurteen perspective: KM mission Free
I was recently asked to comment on a vision statement that an organisation was proposing for a knowledge management (KM) initiative. This brought my thoughts – and apprehensions – about vision and mission statements flooding back. And so I thought I’d try to capture the essence of my thoughts about them here.

The knowledge: Simon Mills This article is for subscribers only
Bringing knowledge and information management to two distinct organisations, Simon Mills shares his lessons from his work with a fast-moving telecoms giant and a 300-year-old financial institution.

Thought leader: Why penguins have no commanding officer… Free
Many people have been enchanted by the film The March of the Penguins, especially when they realise that the penguins have no single leader. But if they have no leader then how do they know where to go?