THE SEVEN MYTHS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

If you look at how companies approach knowledge management, you can see thatthe problem is in the execution. Companies commonly make catastrophicmistakes by falling for one of these seven myths:

知识管理是关于知识的
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE.

"Knowledge" is one of those words that sound great. Who isn't for more and betterknowledge? It's almost patriotic. But the real question is: knowledgeto what end? Companies that deploy knowledge-management systems hoping theywill eventually stumble across a purpose for their knowledge-and thereare many such companies-may be in for a long wait. The systems must startand end as all business initiatives should, with a focus on deliveringtop-line growth, improving operations, and increasingprofit margins.

知识管理是关于技术的
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY.

Many companies become so focused on building the knowledge-management systemthat deploying the technology is all they do. And they fail. One largefirm I know built the Rolls Royce of knowledge platforms, a truetechnological tour de force. But everyone was so busyoverengineering the system that they gave too littleconsideration to how it would operate, to what problem the systemwas supposed to address, and to how it would integrate with theoverarching technology strategy. In the end, the system could not keep up withthe rapidly changing business, there was little flexibility to adapt toindividual users, and every upgrade beCAMe a Herculean task.

系统应该是全能的能治愈癌症解决全球饥荒
THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE SO ALL-ENCOMPASSING THAT IT CAN CURE CANCER AND END WORLD HUNGER.

In fact, if you set enormous expectations, you're almost guaranteed to fail to liveup to them and may be dismissed as a failure. Instead, realize that youdon't have to solve every information problem in yourbusiness on the first day. You should start small, so youcan demonstrate successes and develop evangelists for yourefforts. A telecom company I was involved with took theright approach. Pursuing a huge contract at a large bankingcustomer, the telecom company leveraged knowledge-managementtools to integrate the efforts of a global sales team. Theteam was never caught off guard through the long, arduous sales cycle andhad the agility to win the deal. Based on the visibility of thatsuccess, and on the lessons learned during that initialforay into knowledge management, this telecom company hasbeen able to extend the capability to all of its most significantsales activities. One caveat: You need to think big even asyou start small. That's because you need to make sure thatthe knowledge-management architecture that you begin withwill still work as you expand to include other parts of your business.

知识管理的目标是建立一个文档库
THE GOAL IS TO CREATE A DOCUMENT REPOSITORY.

Certainly, document management can be a priority if employees often have trouble findingcritical information or carry out redundant efforts to develop the same information.However, you must focus as much on the value and reliability of theinformation as on how the information is stored. Theresearch department of a global firm I know found this out the hard way.It put all its white papers and research reports online but found that few peopleused them. Then the firm built a way for people to query each other-peopleno longer just looked up information but could find the scientists who generatedthe information and ask a precise question. Employees were delighted.They made better decisions, and in less time.

你能买到一个现成的系统
YOU CAN BUY A READY-MADE SYSTEM.

Wishful thinking. Knowledge management systems are as individualized as thebusinesses that use them. While there are plenty of good toolsavailable commercially, the real issue is how those areall tied together companywide and how they are integratedinto your growth, operations, and technology strategies.If your knowledge management program asks employees to use foursearch engines, three document-management systems, and six types of collaborationtools, on multiple types of computer systems, you're dead. Individualparts of your business might argue that they should be able to tackleknowledge management on their own, but you're almost always betteroff being consistent throughout your business.

知识管理就是控制知识
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE CONTROL.

Companies worry excessively that people will put content in the wrong place orthat they can't be trusted with so much information. They add layer upon layerof approvals for contributing information or accessing it-and SAP the potentialof their systems. One executive recently told me that hiscompany had instituted an elaborate system for tracking therelationships it has with customers-then made sure that allits salesmen had access to very little of that information, for fearthat they might defect to a competitor and take informationwith them. In the end, knowledge management isn't aboutmaintaining a pristine database. It's about fostering anenvironment in which people can ask questions like, "Doesanybody know...?" Or, "Who can help me...?" This means anopen system that encourages building relationships through communitiesand creating opportunities for personal interaction, across cubiclesand across oceans.

做好之后他们就会用的
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL USE IT.

When done right, knowledge management transforms an organization. That isn't an easytask. Before you deploy your system, you need to consider the concernspeople will have about a new way of doing things. You have to considerthe attributes of your culture that encourage knowledge sharing and thosethat encourage hoarding. Most importantly, you have to face up to the factthat senior executives must provide strong leadership.

Believing any one of these myths is fatal. Merely avoiding them will give companiesa much better chance of getting the right information to the right people at the right time.

文作者: Marc J. Rosenberg

Tags: KM