Editor's letter

KM Migration: follow the bouncing ball.

So much to talk about. So little space. There are two major subjects in this edition of Inside Knowledge that require an editor’s comments.
I drew straws and BPM came up first. To find out whatever happened to BPR I went to Tom Davenport and he suggested I contact three other leaders in the business process movement. Then he would add his contribution.
The fascinating thing about whatever happened to BPR is that it became BPM and its leaders face almost the exact same roadblocks KM has experienced. Also, in significant ways BPM mirrors some of the bigger strategies of KM.
Even more significant, the two-part series (I’ve read it all) reveals that KM and BPM ultimately aim for the same goal – to consolidate and meld (or replace) fragmentary ‘fads’ and break away from the influence of Taylorism in an entirely new social, political and economic environment.
One has to wonder if all the ideas would get better traction if the leading gurus in all the professions at work, worked collaboratively. More on that in the November issue.
The second subject begins a theme Inside Knowledge will follow for as long as it matters: ‘KM 2.0’. In this issue we tell the remarkable story of forward-thinking Special Libraries Association (SLA) in the US, which has been incorporating KM subjects in its learning events since 1998, formalising the
They were actually on the same track as the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), an international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. IFLA was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1927 and now has 1,700 members in 150 countries. It is now headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
A roundtable discussion in 1999 – which included three representatives from SLA – led to the first IFLA KM Section conference programme in 2005. Eventually the two groups agreed to work collaboratively and knowledge sharing began to flow across the two memberships. And so, they are not only emphasising knowledge management, but practising it.
I’ve also been interested in the practice of KM in human resources and asked one of my volunteer stringers in Chicago to cover the annual meeting of the international Society of Human Resources (SHRM) convention where the agenda was liberally salted with KM-like topics. She did and the results can be found in the Knowledgeworks column of this edition.
Meanwhile, I obtained a press pass to the annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in Orlando, Florida, US. The printed programme for the event contained numerous sessions explicitly dealing with KM.
And so, among the points of this issue is that KM is spreading and matching knowledge-driven initiatives in untold parts of the business process. Let’s follow the bouncing ball.

Jerry Ash, Editor

Features

Last word: IOA: information, organisation and access This article is for subscribers only
Regardless of the technology you choose, IOA begins with a clear understanding of the user’s needs and how he or she will interact with the data.

Ei feature: Four of BPM’s top leaders answer ‘Whatever happened to BPR?’ This article is for subscribers only
My primary hope for process management is that it will become embedded in the everyday and long-term behaviours of organisations around the world. It needs to stop being viewed as a fad (actually, a series of fads), and begin to be viewed as an essential aspect of organisational structure and management. If it’s a fad, organisations won’t use process management to constantly and consistently improve how they do their work on behalf of customers. – Tom Davenport

Ei cover story: New knowledge management approach uses ‘artificial intelligence’ This article is for subscribers only
Expertise location no longer depends on people to update their databases. The AI approach leaves the job to technology.

Masterclass: Part I: The design and management of knowledge work in perspective This article is for subscribers only
It took 30 years for Taylorism to finally become the standard for business management. How long will it take to replace Taylorism in the Knowledge Age?

Selling KM: Lessons learnt from experience and research This article is for subscribers only
There is plenty of knowledge about the art of selling, but how do you use it to get buy-in for knowledge management? This story provides the basics. The sidebars apply them to KM.

IK cover story: Info pros leverage their network to become KM pros This article is for subscribers only
As KM migrates from the wonks to the workers, the Special Libraries Association (SLA) leads the way among professional associations shouldering the implementation strategies.

Regulars

Knowledgeworks: Migration – KM to HR Free
“Our lives must be much more and deeper than what we see on the surface. When surface appearances become all we see, then they will become all we know.” – Sidney Poitier, Keynote speaker, Society for Human Resources Management Conference, June 2008, Chicago, Illinois, US

The knowledge: Avigdor Sharon Free
Knowledge sharing for Avigdor Sharon began in 1984 during a team project to write with the medications compendium for the Israel Pharmaceutical Association. Now he's the new owner of the Association of Knowledgework.

The Gurteen Perspective: Get connected – expand yourself! Free
In the past we worked alone. We were not connected. We had no real idea what others were doing – who they were; where they were; what drove them; their thoughts, ideas and aspirations.

Opinion: So why do you resist those online surveys? Free
It isn’t about how the question is asked, but where. And the time isn’t right when you have your hands full.

Book review: Squawk! How To Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results Free
A seagull manager learns the three virtues of superior management: the right expectations, communication that clicks and hands-on performance. You might call it the KM formula.

Thought leader: Knowledge information and process Free
Is there any alternative to knowledge as we understand it? Something that boasts dynamic and changing fundamental patterns, or shifts those patterns in some new way? Over the past few years we’ve come to appreciate the simple beauty of acknowledging knowledge as the capacity (potential or actual) to take effective action in varied and uncertain situations.