Inside knowledge

November seems to be a month of networking across the globe, with KM Europe 2003 and KM Asia 2003 taking place in quick succession. Both events offer unprecedented opportunities to meet with peers, quiz solution providers, ask advice on your most pressing knowledge-related concerns and be privy to the industry’s latest thinking.

KM Asia 2003 takes place between 4-6 November in Singapore. Keynote speakers include management thought leader, Tom Davenport, and editor of Harvard Business Review, Tom Stewart, while other speakers and workshops will also focus on the event’s theme: developing the collaborative enterprise.

If you’re reading this in Amsterdam, it’s likely that you’re already at KM Europe 2003. Indeed, for some, this may be your fourth visit to our annual show. At the back of this month’s Knowledge Management you’ll find your copy of the show catalogue (or did you find Knowledge Management at the back of your show catalogue…?). This year’s event features outstanding keynote speakers and conference presentations, interactive workshops and masterclasses, and a packed exhibition hall.

Considering recent mergers, acquisitions and partnerships in the technology world, ‘consolidation’ best describes the industry at present. KM Europe 2003 offers you the chance to meet some of the stars of the phenomenon to find out how recent announcements involving Documentum (acquired by EMC) and Open Text (purchased Ixos), for example, will affect their solutions and the market as a whole.

Returning to the magazine, we take pleasure in welcoming three new members to the Knowledge Management editorial board. Verna Allee, Dorothy Leonard and Karl-Erik Sveiby will be adding their KM thoughts and expertise to those of our veteran editorial-board members. We are introducing a new feature to the publication that could give you direct access to our experts. Turn to page 7 to find out more.

November is also the time when our minds start turning towards 2004. The clocks have gone back, Christmas is reclaiming our retail lives (and it’s only October as I write) while those of us entering winter will be looking out for the first snowfall – if it hasn’t already landed. At the magazine, it means planning next year’s editorial calendar. There are several ideas on the drawing board, but as always we want to gauge your thoughts first. If there’s an area you’re addressing and you would like to see how other companies tackled the situation, simply get in touch in the usual way. To whet your appetites, topics under discussion include: personal knowledge management for improving worker productivity; value creation through innovation; CoPs and new forms of collaboration; and function-specific knowledge management.

If you would rather discuss potential ideas in person, I will be at KM Europe 2003 for the full three days. I hope to meet many of you there.

Sandra Higgison
Editor

Features

Case study: Charity begins with KM Free
Knowledge management is no longer simply a tool for large, multi-national corporations. Non-governmental organisations are making use of KM practices to ensure knowledge is shared among employees, partners and funders. Jessica Symons describes the KM strategies at a UK charity that have been developed successfully without the luxury of a dedicated budget.

Case study: 139 years of managing knowledge Free
As one of the world’s leading classification societies, DNV Maritime has been harvesting the experiences of its ship surveyors to develop its own standards for ship classification for 139 years. Lâle Çıtıpıtıoğlu Eidal and Flemming Hjorth provide insights into DNV Maritime’s traditional and more recent knowledge-management initiatives, and how they support its business objectives.

Intellectual-capital statements in Denmark Free
The construction of an intellectual-capital statement, which defines how knowledge resources are configured and developed, goes hand in hand with the development of a knowledge-management strategy. Per Nikolaj Bukh, Mette Rosenkrands Johansen and Jan Mouritsen demonstrate how Danish firms are using intellectual-capital statements as a management and communication tool oriented towards employees, customers, partners and investors.

Case study: Aon thinks globally, acts locally Free
As a global leader in three distinct business segments – insurance brokerage, consulting and insurance underwriting – Aon has a worldwide network of 600 offices in 125 countries. Appointed as project leader to develop a global taxonomy for the company, Annie Wang explains how she has created a common corporate language that enables employees to share business information around the world.

Case study: Innovation processes in healthcare Free
While developing a new approach to innovation projects in the Dutch healthcare sector, Eric Kalter, Lars Naber and Paul Iske identified three key aspects to their approach. Innovation should be seen as a fair process; it should be owned by all stakeholders and be knowledge enabled. Here they describe how the project has developed into a network-driven, knowledge-conscious approach to innovation.

Case study: Working with knowledge Free
As a professional-services firm, Cowi has initiatives in place to ensure knowledge is created and shared from one project to another. Niels-Jørgen Aagaard has been heavily involved in the company’s knowledge work. Here he explains how knowledge has been structured through taxonomies and business processes, and how intranets and professional networks have been established to exchange knowledge.

Case study: Engaging in the KM battle at the MoD Free
All organisations possess knowledge, and in the business of defence this knowledge must be managed and applied when protecting a nation’s people, fighting wars and developing doctrine. John McNaughton recognises that the identification and capture of this knowledge is both complex and difficult. Here he outlines the key knowledge-related issues faced by the Ministry of Defence and explains the development of its pan-defence KM initiative.

Regulars

Book review: Living Networks by Ross Dawson Free
Patti Anklam reviews Living Networks: Leading Your Company, Customers and Partners in the Hyper-connected Economy by Ross Dawson.

Five minutes with… Fortis Free
Jacquie Bran, project manager with the Knowledge Management events spent five minutes talking to Joris De Boulle, director of organisational learning at Fortis Human Resources. De Boulle discusses how knowledge management has been addressed throughout the Fortis group

Country focus: Colombia Free
Sandra Higgison talks to Luis Ovidio Galvis about the evolution of knowledge management in Colombia.

Your say: KM in Europe Free
Although to varying degrees, European governments, companies and institutions have placed great value in knowledge management and the principles behind a knowledge-based economy. Sandra Higgison finds out how the discipline is developing within EU-member states and those that are soon to join.

The knowledge: Victor Newman Free
Despite being an author, practitioner and expert on knowledge management, Victor Newman dislikes the term and the monotony he believes surrounds the practice. He talks to Sandra Higgison about his career and major influences, and his mission to make knowledge-related activities more entertaining.

Put it to the board - introducing a new regular feature Free
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.