Editor's letter

It wasn’t so long ago that knowledge management (KM) was dismissed as a mere fad that would fade just as soon as everyone saw through the mist of jargon and fine words.

Nothing could be further from the truth today, however, with national and regional governments looking to marry KM ideals and strategies with modern technology to create innovation zones or ‘knowledge cities’. In these futuristic spaces, likeminded people will gather together, attracted by the atmosphere – universities, science parks, coffee shops and open spaces, not to mention the latest in communications technologies, healthcare and even environmentally friendly living spaces.

In many respects, it sounds like Milton Keynes, the bland town in the English Midlands reviled as one of the least inspiring places in England. It also raises the question of whether such zones can be engineered by governments. After all, national and regional government does not have the best of track records when it comes to social engineering, however well-intentioned their efforts.

And that is the same, regardless of whether you are looking at the grim social housing projects of New York or Chicago, the equally grim council housing estates of south London or the ghettos of suburban Paris, the scene of riots late last year.

Whether researchers into innovation zones, such as Entovation CEO Debra Amidon, can genuinely distil the essence of a successful knowledge city may well dictate the success or failure of the idea around the world – and they are still a long way from being able to produce a simple check-list.

Jerry’s case reports

I know that many of you have missed Jerry Ash’s in-depth case reports – no one writes a case report with the depth of knowledge and authority that Jerry puts into his work. Well, from next month there will be regular case reports from Jerry, case reports that could be drawn from any industry, anywhere around the world. Next month, Jerry will be examining……. , so please make sure your subscription is up-to-date to ensure that you don’t miss it.

Case reports and case studies, of course, are the essence of Inside Knowledge, providing an opportunity to learn from fellow practitioners in the field that cannot be found anywhere else. The prime source of those case studies, naturally, is you, IK readers. If you have completed, or are conducting, a particularly interesting project at the moment, why not contact us about turning it into an IK case study?

It will not only provide fellow readers with an interesting insight into the state of KM in your organisation, but will add to IK’s growing library of case studies – the biggest of any KM magazine or web site – which can be found at www.ikmagazine.com.

Features

Feature: Organisation forgetting Free
Organisational ‘unlearning’ – or forgetting – can be beneficial in certain circumstances, says Mikko Arevuo.

Feature: Knowledge cities Free
More and more countries are establishing 'innovation zones' or 'knowledge cities' to encourage knowledge sharing and wealth creation. The question is, will they work?

Case study: BBC Free
The BBC is one of the pioneers of so-called social-computing technology – and was among the first to implement corporate-wide wikis.

Case study: Orange Free
When Orange put learning at the heart of its call centre strategy, customer satisfaction rocketed. Deborah Lawley, a knowledge management strategist for Orange, explains how.

Regulars

Trend tracker: Lotusphere 2006 Free
January is not exactly the ‘hottest’ month of the year for conferences, but IBM’s Lotusphere conference was well worth attending this year, not just for the significant range of interesting announcements and software demonstrations, but to take in the ‘buzz’.

Thought leader: Mary Lee Kennedy Free
One of the most significant challenges for companies creating new products – or revising those already in the marketplace – is to understand the features, functions, content and language that will be most appealing to potential customers.

The Knowledge: Simon Levene Free
Knowledge management needs its evangelists, says Simon Levene, global head of knowledge management within PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Performance Improvement practice. And, as Sandra Higgison finds out, he practices what he preaches.

Opinion: Oliver Schwabe Free
Oliver Schwabe signs off in the final part of his regular column, examining the many positive KM achievements over the past year.

Masterclass: Intranet overhaul Free
Building an intranet that takes account of cultural considerations is essential if an organisation is to maximise its value, says Tom Brannan and Richard Miller of Vigorat.

KnowledgeWorks: The Dark Side Free
Courageous risk takers stay true to their passion in facing seemingly formidable barriers.

KM toolkit: Knowledge capture Free
Knowledge capture is an area that has traditionally been poorly served by supporting software tools. That, however, is changing.

Book review: Collaborative Advantage Free
Mikko Arevuo reviews Collaborative Advantage: How Organizations Win by Working Together, by Elizabeth Lank