KM

KM (or Knowledge Management) is quite a hot topic nowadays.  There seem to be two factions, 1 believes that KM in it's existing form is a dying discipine, the other refuses to believe that.  These discussions get quite emotional, which I guess is a good thing as it shows the passion for the subject on both sides of the spectrum.

Personally I believe that most decision makers have developed a level of cynicism toward traditional KM, mostly I believe because of the seemingly pervasive (though unfortunate) association of KM with IT and the limited view that many practitioners have had of how KM should be implemented.  Best practices like Communities of Practice were largely followed blindly, without adapting them to local contexts, often leading to failed initiatives and wasted money.  ...

Dave Snowden is in the country early in August and will be giving a public talk for the Pretoria chapter of the KM Practitioner Forum at the CSIR on the 19th.  I've attached the invite for your convenience

The topic is "How to make KM strategic to your organisation".  Dave's talks are always challenging and entertaining.

Seats are limited and registrations are coming in quickly, so make sure you register soon to ensure your spot.  I hope to see you there!

CIO magazine reported on a research piece done by The Burton Group on why large organisations find it difficult to adopt social networking internally when their employees use it so easily outside of work.

Some of the key issues identified are the same ones that have hamstrung many KM initiatives.

Here's an excerpt from the article, I especially like the quote in bold towards the end of the final bullet point ...

I've been pondering the concept of Knowledge Management (KM).  Experts in the field such as Dave Snowden have long been debating whether or not KM has outlived it's purpose.  Many people wonder if it ever had a real value proposition, as there are many large organisations who spent millions on KM, but received very little of the value they anticipated.  In part this is due to the unfortunate confusion of Knowledge Management with Information Management as well as the over-focus on IT and normative approaches such as Communities of Practice (COP) which have proven to be unsustainable in the long-term.