Feeling sleepy?

We’ve all been there. A project or deadline is due to close and there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. This problem is perhaps exacerbated by the fact that for many organisations, the obvious reaction to economic pressures was to trim the staff head count.

So, I wasn’t surprised when I read about a survey from officebroker.com, which has found that one in ten respondants from the UK have slept overnight at their desks (see page 6). In fact, a former IK editor once decided that the stiff back in the morning was more attractive than the commute home, after burning the midnight oil to hit a deadline. I’ll leave you to guess who it might have been.

It’s not that overtime is unexpected. I suspect that few people can honestly say that they stick to their core, contracted hours all of the time. Surely a late night here and there, or an early start, is reasonable. Especially when you’re being paid? But for many, that’s not the case.

It would seem that with reactionary cuts, some employers have adopted the mindset that their remaining employees would prefer to work extra hours, on a regular basis, with no remuneration – rather than being out of a job!

As Jim Venables from officebroker.com puts it, “Hopefully as the economy continues its slow recovery, workers will be placed under less demanding schedules.”

It would be interesting to find out how those working in KM have been affected. Almost everyone I have spoken to over the past 18 months or so has agreed that in these austere times, KM has really found its footing. This is down to the fact that the fundamental characteristics and processes are all driven by a desire to be more streamlined and effective – rather than re-inventing the wheel.

Robin Smith applies this theory with his article on lean information and knowledge management, on page 19.

What have you been up to?
One thing I have noticed is that IK readers have been fairly quiet lately. We’re looking for some exciting case studies to include in future editions, so if you’ve completed a project that you’re proud of – or think would be useful reading for fellow subscribers – get in touch. It would be nice to catch up…

In the meantime, enjoy the magazine.

Features

Knowledge reborn This article is for subscribers only
The concepts and practices of knowledge management (KM) have been in existence much longer than the term itself. Indeed, one might argue that KM has been happening since our ancient ancestors started drawing on cave walls. The more recent history, however, has been shaded with a number of struggles. Over the past two decades in particular, KM work has acquired something of a bad reputation.

Too many tweets? Free
During the run up to Twitter’s fifth birthday in March this year, rumours circulated around the possible £6bn sale of the social media platform to suitors including Facebook and Google. Industry insiders digested the potential deal and commented on Twitter’s thus far loss-making status during Social Media Week 2011. Now more than ever perhaps, Twitter’s position in the social media hierarchy and its usefulness to businesses is being hotly debated.

Guilty conscience Free
There’s nothing worse than the apologetic ramblings of an uninspired blogger. The strained excuses that pour from a guilt-ridden mind, full of self-loathing because having identified yourself as a cyber-sage, brimming with wisdom, suddenly you’ve run out of words. The pace of the internet makes it difficult to keep up at the best of times, but when writer’s block has drained you of any worthwhile material and the world seems to be rushing ahead without your input, bloggers guilt can feel like the worst of afflictions.

Slimming down This article is for subscribers only
The new reality for all organisations, whether public or private, is that all business processes need to be optimised.
With the world economy contracting by three per cent in the next 18 months every organisation must manage information as an asset throughout its operations, developing leaner information processes to deliver better intelligence. This will underpin the retention of competitive advantage during tough times.

Knowledge works This article is for subscribers only
Reflecting these times of austerity, the overarching theme of the conference was on improving results and inspiring thought about how knowledge works. In a departure from the conference format of previous years, the programme enabled speakers to apply a broad knowledge lens to the gamut of business activities, which covered strategy and leadership, HR, IT, creativity and physical assets such as buildings and workspaces. The need for entities to grow and innovate, while operating leanly and efficiently, was acknowledged.

Regulars

In the know Free
One of the discussions that I often see come up in knowledge management (KM) circles is ‘who makes the best CKO or senior knowledge manager?’. Is it best to appoint an internal person or to hire someone from outside the organisation? Which is more important – knowledge of KM or knowledge of the business?
I lean strongly towards the business experience. Let me explain why.
KM is extremely context dependent. You cannot pick a prescriptive recipe off the shelf and follow it. You need to really understand your organisation; the business objectives, its strategy and how it really works.