It's a small world: The effects of globalisation on KM

To coincide with Global KM eXchange, the first in a programme of three major conferences researched by Knowledge Management to take place this year (KM Asia 2002 kicks off in Singapore next month and KM Europe 2002 comes to London for the first time in November), this issue focuses on the effects of globalisation on KM.

There can be no doubt that, in practical terms, the world is getting smaller, and whether the process of globalisation is seen as a source of opportunity or as a destructive force that needs to be checked, it is clear that businesses are facing an array of new challenges. These in turn have only emphasised the importance of implementing an effective knowledge strategy; as Marcus Speh Birkenkrahe points out in the Your Say feature (beginning on page eight) history has shown that success on a global scale depends on this.

On a purely functional level, knowledge management is key to coping with many of the problems operating internationally can bring. Customers, employees and partners around the world all work according to different cultural values, in different languages and time zones. As Chris Carlton from Network Appliance explains on page 17, KM can be invaluable in helping your organisation ensure these factors do not lead to a potentially disastrous degree of fragmentation.

From a broader strategic perspective, KM can also help counter many of the negative effects of globalisation, a concept explored in greater depth in this month’s Your Say. On a similar theme and beginning on page 11, Debra Amidon describes how the globalisation of knowledge strategy
has allowed Entovation, a truly international knowledge community, to work towards the formation of a new economic world order, based on international co-operation rather than competition – a worthwhile goal indeed.

Finally, on a separate note, a warm welcome to all subscribers of Scenario & Strategy Planning, the sister publication of Knowledge Management that will now be integrated with this magazine. I hope you continue to enjoy the same high quality case studies and features, and should you have any comments about how we can improve the magazine further, please feel free to drop me a line.

Features

Adding value to e-commerce initiatives through KM Free
The effects of globalisation have precipitated a huge increase in the importance of e-commerce to organisations operating in every sector. In the first section of a two-part article, Paul Louis Iske and Tony de Bree describe the role of knowledge as a key differentiator in e-business strategy, and present a framework that supports the development and leveraging of individual and organisational capabilities for dynamic and sustained competitive advantage.

Creating personalised, meaningful and valuable intranet content Free
Intranets have the ability to bring people together by providing them with a place to share ideas and build a sense of community. Emma Oliver discusses the importance of personalised, meaningful content in this process, and offers her advice on how to create a site that really meets the needs of its users. [Web only article]

Inside knowledge Free
This month’s editorial comment. By Simon Lelic.

Intranet development in private banking Free
When MeesPierson created a global intranet, Icebreaker, its main objectives were to improve knowledge sharing, create a central information resource and lower cultural barriers. The application now serves the company’s 12 locations around the world, but Luis Santine does not believe the system has fully achieved all of its goals. Here he discusses the obstacles the company has still to overcome, chief among which are content management and employee engagement.

It’s a small world: The effects of globalisation on knowledge management Free
The process of globalisation has gathered force in recent years, to the point now where the context in which businesses operate has changed irredeemably. Simon Lelic talks to representatives from Brint, CSC, Fujitsu Services, Macroinnovation Associates and the University of Auckland, and asks how globalisation has impacted upon knowledge management strategy and what organisations can do to ensure they are best placed to take advantage of the opportunities they now face.

KM on a global scale Free
Network Appliance employs almost 2,500 workers in over 50 locations around the world. The problems associated with engendering a shared sense of culture and exchanging knowledge across such a broad geographical area prompted the company to develop a technical infrastructure to support the collaborative activities of its workers. Chris Carlton describes the company’s experience so far in creating its enterprise content delivery network.

The globalisation of knowledge strategy Free
Individuals, organisations and even entire countries are recognising the central importance of knowledge and intellectual capital, to the point now where knowledge strategy has become the focal point of a truly international agenda. Debra M. Amidon describes the evolution of Entovation, a network that has grown in response to these developments, and looks towards the future development of an innovation super-highway.

Towards a common approach to KM in Europe – Part I Free
Driven by a desire to instil greater transparency and co-operation in the field, the European Knowledge Management Forum is working towards the development of a set of open standards for knowledge management. In the first of a two-part article exploring the forum’s work towards this end, Frithjof Weber, Michael Wunram, Jeroen Kemp, Marc Pudlatz and Bernd Bredehorst outline the industrial and academic needs that are driving the standardisation process, and assess how far preious industry initiatives have come.

Regulars

Country focus: the Netherlands Free
Simon Lelic talks to Willem Boersma and Paul Louis Iske about the development of KM in the Netherlands.

Book review: KM - A State Of The Art Guide Free
Madanmohan Rao reviews Knowledge Management: A State Of The Art Guide

Five minutes with… The Ministry of Defence Free
Jacquie Bran, project manager for the Knowledge Management events team, spent five minutes talking to Keith Potter, assistant director, research (technology) at the Ministry of Defence. The MoD began developing its taxonomy in 1995, and here Potter shares some of the lessons the organisation has learnt through building and implementing the system.

The knowledge: Dan Holtshouse Free
Simon Lelic talks to Dan Holtshouse, director of corporate strategy at Xerox Knowledge Initiatives and one of six keynote speakers at KM Europe 2002.