A wealth of knowledge: Realising the value of KM in the public sector

Organisations in the public sector have a difficult job. Recent high-profile cases in the UK show how desperate the situation can sometimes become, although almost every publicly-funded enterprise across the globe faces a range of challenges organisations in the private sector should be thankful they will never have to deal with.

So often hampered by outmoded working practices, inadequate funding and a reluctance or inability to learn from the successes and failures of other organisations, public sector bodies are nevertheless expected to deliver the same high level of service their customers are used to receiving from companies operating in an environment in which competition drives the need to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. It is therefore not surprising that the majority of public sector organisations are still perceived as being second-rate in comparison to leading commercial businesses.

There is no doubt that a wealth of talent and an untapped treasure of experience and knowledge exist in the public sector. Yet it is crucial that every organisation recognises the value of the intellectual capital at its disposal if it is to truly fulfil its potential (a theme discussed by Leif Edvinsson in his article beginning on page 27), and this is particularly important to those public sector bodies that have thus far been guilty of neglecting what is in effect their greatest asset.

Thankfully things are beginning to change, as the articles in this month’s issue demonstrate. The response – from exhibitors and delegates – to Ark Group’s ‘Knowledge management for the public sector’ event, which takes place in London just as this edition should be hitting desks, is also testament to the level of interest the issue of knowledge management is now generating among public sector bodies.

On a separate note, may I reassure those of you who have contacted me recently expressing some concern that Knowledge Management has not folded! As I understand it, a similarly titled magazine was recently forced to close, and this has, understandably, caused a great deal of confusion. I can assure you, however, that our publication – the original journal for the KM community – continues to go from strength to strength, as I am sure you will agree after reading this month’s issue.

As ever, if you have any comments or questions about the magazine, please feel free to contact me at slelic@ark-group.com.

Features

A wealth of knowledge: Realising the value of KM in the public sector Free
Publicly-owned enterprises have traditionally lagged behind the commercial sector when it comes to keeping up with the latest developments in management thinking, and the field of knowledge management offers few exceptions. Simon Lelic talks to representatives from Inxight Software, Netegrity, the Society for Public Information Networks, TFPL and Triastar, and assesses the impact of knowledge management in the public sector.

Bureaucratic amnesia: Consultants and the privatisation of publicly-funded expertise Free
Public sector organisations are regularly criticised for their inefficient use of taxpayers’ money, but the vast amounts of public money spent on consultancy fees are often overlooked. Paul Dodds assesses the state of affairs that so often leads to the loss of publicly-funded expertise and calls for a more responsible approach among public agencies towards knowledge management.

Information on the move: Providing employees with mobile content Free
Information portals are centralising, streamlining and structuring corporate information for forward-thinking companies. The next step is to extend this exchange of information and communication to incorporate the growing number of employees who now work from home. Christoph Michel discusses the opportunities soon to be available to teleworkers. [WEB ARTICLE]

Inside knowledge Free
This month’s editorial comment. By Simon Lelic.

Knowing me - knowing you? An organic solution to dealing with organisational change Free
Knowledge management has evolved as a crucial mechanism in helping the UK’s National Health Service cope with the constant level of change the organisation, as Europe’s largest employer, is faced with. Józefa Fawcett describes how a country-wide project using an organic KM infrastructure is leading the way towards improved communication, understanding, and service provision and care for patients.

The ESD t%lkit: A potlatch approach to knowledge sharing Free
Faced with the target of delivering all of their services online by 2005, local councils in the UK very quickly came to realise the enormity of the task ahead of them. Tim Anderson describes how the ESD t%lkit, a system based on ‘potlatch’ economics, provided local government organisations with a means to pool their efforts and benefit from the experiences of their peers.

The knowledge capital of nations: Knowledge as the new source of wealth Free
Knowledge has become the key source of wealth at an organisational and indeed a national level, and enterprises are in danger of undermining their future success by focusing exclusively on financial assets in their accounting procedures. Leif Edvinsson describes the global transition towards an economy based on intellectual capital assets, and calls for organisations to recognise the importance of adopting an IC-based approach.

Regulars

Book review: Re-inventing the IT Department Free
Peter Chapple reviews Re-inventing the IT Department by Terry White.

Five minutes with... Morven Miller Free
Jacquie Bran, project manager for the Knowledge Management events team, talks to Morven Miller, research assistant with Wisecare (Workflow Information Systems for European Nursing Care), an EC-funded initiative (1997-1999) that aimed to identify the contribution of nursing to patient outcomes through the integration of IT in clinical practice.