denotes premium content | Sep 7 2008 Inside Knowledge Magazine /Knowledge Management Magazine Archive
Volume 4 Issue 10
Features
The management of truth: The next step for KM?
Like knowledge management, the management of truth seems to be an oxymoron. But according to Martin Ward, truth management is essential to human life, and an all-pervasive activity related to, and as important as, the management of knowledge.
Knowledge asset management: Strategy, processes and systems for leveraging corporate knowledge
Traditional approaches to knowledge management have centred around two distinct perspectives: that of knowledge as a product and knowledge as a process. Ron Young and Gregoris N. Mentzas believe that for a KM initiative to be truly effective, a fusion of the two approaches should be adopted. To this end, they describe the Knowledger project, one of the world’s first truly holistic and integrated knowledge management solutions.
Knowledge creation: The power of tacit knowledge
A critical component of any KM initiative is the actual creation of knowledge, a process that can be achieved through the synthesis of tacit and explicit knowledge. So say Ikujiro Nonaka, Keigo Sasaki and Mohi Ahmed, who describe the experiences of Nippon Roche in implementing the SST project, an attempt to capture and transfer the tacit knowledge of the company's best performing medical representatives. How the case relates to the theory of knowledge creation is also briefly discussed.
Learning before doing: BP's peer assist process
In this first of a three-part series, Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell from BP draw on their experience – and their recently published book, Learning to Fly – to describe the first of three practical tools for learning, before, during and after any business activity. This month’s article explains the ‘peer assist’ process, the main tool used by BP to facilitate ‘learning before doing’.
Narrative patterns: The perils and possibilities of using story in organisations
Storytelling can be a simple and effective way of conveying complex ideas, and of understanding the intricacies of culture and learning within communities, but the technique also presents a unique set of dangers. Dave Snowden offers an overview of the narrative techniques being researched and developed within the Institute of Knowledge Management, and reflects on the perils and possibilities of using storytelling within a corporate setting.
Wittgenstein’s ladder: Or, the coming irrelevance of knowledge managers
The rules of the game are changing, and organisations operating in today’s economic environment need a broader set of competencies than contemporary knowledge managers can bring. So argues Patrick Lambe, who believes knowledge management should be regarded as a means to an end, rather than a goal in itself.
Your Say: Past, present and future
While there is still a long way to go, knowledge management has come a long way in a short time. Simon Lelic talks to representatives from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, CIBIT, Future Edge, IBM, ICL, Pfizer and Unisys, and discusses the history of KM, with a view to developing a better understanding of the future of the discipline.
Regulars
Book review: Learning to Fly
Patti Anklam reviews Learning to Fly by Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell
