Editor's letter

Leaders in knowledge-based enterprises

I’m liking this gig as managing editor of Inside Knowledge more and more as it motivates me to seek out some of the world’s most significant knowledge leaders, and at the same time opens doors I might not otherwise have entered.
The time I’ve spent with Rory Chase, the founder of Teleos and mastermind behind the Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) awards, is just one example within the pages of this edition of IK magazine.
Rory is ‘The Knowledge’ profile (page 14) and his journey produces a wealth of experience and knowledge now shared with the subscribers of IK. The profile is all about Rory, of course, but in the process we discover some important information about the nature of knowledge management via the MAKE awards.
The awards have produced some interesting data about trends in knowledge management that are worth some thought.

Asian knowledge-driven organisations are now competing on an equal footing with their European and North American counterparts. South American organisations are also beginning to implement knowledge-driven strategies;
The capability to innovate and manage enterprise intellectual capital is seen as the competitive advantage across a wide range of business sectors;
A growing number of organisations are taking on global characteristics – especially consulting and professional-services firms, financial services, energy and media companies. These ‘global’ organisations tend to operate as independent companies within a federal structure and without the traditional corporate head office;
Organisations are still struggling to effectively manage their enterprise intellectual capital and to transform enterprise knowledge into shareholder/stakeholder wealth.

A total of 131 organisations have been named Global MAKE Finalists since the MAKE research program began in 1998. Of this group only 50 organisations have been recognised as Global MAKE Winners. They are concentrated in 18 business sectors, including computing, electronics, professional services, financial services, oil and gas exploration, chemicals, construction and the public sector. Nearly half of the Global MAKE Winners (48 per cent) come from the highly competitive, knowledge-driven ‘Big Four’ – the computers and IT solutions, electronics and electrical equipment, professional services/consulting and oil and gas sectors. Although financial services, internet-related businesses, networking equipment, pharmaceuticals and the retail sectors are increasingly represented in the Global MAKE Winner’s circle, the ‘Big Four’ continue to lead the way.
This is a good picture of the ‘knowledge market’, one that is equally valuable to both marketers and champions in the knowledge field.

Jerry Ash, Editor

Features

eProcurement: Delivering visibility, control and innovation This article is for subscribers only
Basware's general manager, Europe and the Americas, looks at the growing trend towards eProcurement, and how public sector bodies have led the way in moving online to make corporate spending go further.

EI cover feature: Electronic discovery This article is for subscribers only
Recognised nationally in the US as a frequent speaker and author on electronic discovery, a partner at K&L Gates in Seattle, Washington, joins a colleague in sharing lessons learnt from the introduction and practice of e-discovery in pursuit of evidence in electronic form.

Knowledgeworks: KM for the Knowledge Economy This article is for subscribers only
Big business can provide good models for the knowledge economy but there are differences that hamper the transfer.

Masterclass: Part two This article is for subscribers only
For beginners: developing a knowledge management strategy. A knowledge manager uses first-hand experience to help first-time knowledge leaders establish a KM programme.

Case study: The Kaieteur Institute for Knowledge Management This article is for subscribers only
The author compares what a conventional KM approach might have been to that of a multi-billion dollar result, achieved through an innovation approach to knowledge development.

Cover feature: A journey, a new life, a new purpose, a new way of doing business This article is for subscribers only
Here is a first-person account of the founding and flourishing of an acclaimed worldwide business network now celebrating more than 10 years of service to its community.

The knowledge: Rory Chase This article is for subscribers only
Many practitioners, especially the pioneers who have been led to KM through a career of unexpected twists and turns, possess the kind of broad eclectic backgrounds that best serve the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge work.
The career of Rory Chase, managing director of Teleos and the brain behind the highly sought after global and regional MAKE Awards, contains a series of detours and lessons learnt that proves the point.

Regulars

Last word: SharePoint 2007 - Off the shelf and stand-alone? Free
There’s little doubt, judging from attendance and activity at this year’s AIIM Roadshow, that the arrival of Microsoft’s SharePoint 2007 has created a huge surge of interest in managing content – both as records and for project collaboration.
In addition to the Microsoft keynote, the SharePoint Solutions Theatre was full throughout the day as vendors presented their product integrations with SharePoint, as the capture engine, the archive store, the workflow engine or the portal connection.

Opinion: Incoming knowledge? Got a clue? Free
The managing director of The Center for Generational Studies accepts the importance of transferring knowledge from departing to incoming employees, but is troubled by too little focus on changing management strategies.

Book review: Net Work: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Networks at Work and in the World Free
As a member of Patti Anklam’s 2003 Gennova Emergent Learning Network from which Net Work emerged, this is undoubtedly a positively biased review. Hearing the author explain ?energy? in networks in organisations at a 2003 Advanced Thinkers Summit both introduced me to Patti Anklam’s Net Work wisdom and prompted my pursuit of the ideas.

Opinion: Thanking your persuasion Free
As many times as I wish everyone were like me, I stop and remind myself if this were the case, it would be a very boring world. Yes, I really dislike the person on the bus playing music on his mobile without headphones. No, I don’t want to take a minute to chat to the people with the clipboards on the street. I have to admit it really bugs me when I get offered about 20 free newspapers each day on my way to and from work. And how could anyone possibly like TV programmes about cars?

The Gurteen perspective: World 2.0 Free
I recently spent January in South East Asia; giving talks and running knowledge cafés in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. As always, I learnt as much as I taught.

Thought leader: The prevention (or detection and suppression) of error Free
The way I see it, knowledge production and utilisation are key competencies of humans, both as individuals and as influenced by interaction with others, e.g., in communities. Production and utilisation both demand astute management, not only of information resources, but also of the number, proximity and styles – and therefore the behaviours – of the people involved.