Storytelling: Fuel your imagination

This magazine should be hitting desks just as KM Europe 2001 gets underway in The Hague, the Netherlands. Last November, the event attracted a total of 2,845 visitors, and this year the number of people attending the combined conference and exhibition looks likely to be even higher, with pre-registrations alone already up by almost a third. A larger venue has also been chosen to accommodate the extra exhibiting companies this year.

KM Europe 2001 has a lot to live up to. KM Europe 2000 featured more than 80 separate presentations, including the keynotes of Larry Prusak, Stephen Denning, Marcus Speh Birkenkrahe, Leif Edvinsson, Ove Rustung Hjelmervik and Ron Young. Ron will once again be making an appearance this year, this time as chairman, but the keynote line-up has totally changed, with Dave Snowden, Bob Buckman, Debra Amidon, Andrew Boyd, Jim Bair and Hubert Saint-Onge continuing the high standard set by last year’s conference.

Despite the difficulties most companies are facing in the current economic climate, it is perhaps surprising that the exhibition side of the event has not suffered. While a handful of IT firms have indeed been forced to pull out, the vast majority are understandably keener than ever to continue business as usual. Logically the cost of not being at such a major event is likely to be far higher than most firms are willing to accept.

Which is good news for you, the practitioner. And as well as a chance to listen to the world’s foremost KM experts totally free of charge, KM Europe 2001 should present you with the perfect opportunity to meet your peers and fellow knowledge management practitioners. For those of you who are unable to make it, look out for a full report in the next issue of Knowledge Management, out at the beginning of January. Until then, I wish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year.

Features

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

A sense of community: The role of CoPs in knowledge management Free
Communities of practice allow people with common concerns and aspirations to come together and exchange questions and ideas, often bridging organisational and geographical divides. Simon Lelic talks to representatives from AskMe, IBM, McDermott Consulting, Mitretek, Plural, Room, Skandia and Xansa, and asks how the power of communities should be harnessed to help realise an organisation’s broader knowledge management ambitions.

Are you sitting comfortably? Using the power of storytelling to build communities Free
Storytelling has existed for centuries as a way of sharing knowledge and developing a sense of community. Here, Seth Weaver Kahan details his own story in an attempt to demonstrate the power of the technique, and to explore the greater contribution knowledge management might make beyond the world of business.

Back to school: Establishing a 21st century corporate learning model Free
As the only major oil and gas corporation to launch an open university, Shell is paving the way for its competitors to follow. Pascal Kruysifix explains the impetus behind the project and describes the pitfalls and successes Shell has experienced in bring the Shell Open University to fruition.

Best practice replication: The evolution of KM at Ford Motor Company Free
In 1995, Ford initiated a scheme to make it easier for its dispersedfactories and divisions to communicate and replicate best practices. Stan Kwiecien, in collaboration with Bob Kramek, Steve Aiello, Manjula Moola and Sanjay Swarup, explains how the project unfolded to eventually present Ford with a ‘best in class’ knowledge management system.

Book review Free
Victor Newman reviews How Organizations Learn – An Integrated Strategy for Building Learning Capability by Anthony J. DiBella & Edwin C. Nevis

Country focus: Italy Free
This month Simon Lelic talks to Michele Coletti and discusses the impact knowledge management has had in Italy

Flying high with communities: Driving collaboration in dispersed CoPs Free
Earlier this year, Integra sought to give its knowledge management programme a lift by launching the Wings initiative. Liz Quimby explains the motivation behind the project, and discusses the role of communities in Integra’s drive to establish a knowledge sharing culture. (WEB ONLY ARTICLE)

It’s not rocket science: Why knowledge management is so much harder Free
Initiatives that rely to any extent on technology usually raise a host of unexpected difficulties. Pat Shafer presents a study of the cultural, behavioural and political complexities of knowledge management, drawing on empiricism, case studies and lessons learned from benchmarking and client engagements.

Seven steps to knowledge enablement: Raising and sustaining the practice of knowledge management Free
In August 2000, Unisys launched a formal programme with the aim of implementing knowledge management in a systematic manner across the organisation. Lee Beyer and Susan McCabe explore the strategy and seven key tactics the company is using to successfully raise and sustain the practice of KM.