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Knowledge Digest
a round-up of developments in the knowledge agenda
 
 



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Managing editor:
David J. Skyrme

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Each month's Knowledge Digest is published as part of I3 UPDATE / ENTOVATION International News.
Other Digests: Jan 2003 - Sept 2003


NOTES /
UPDATES

DECEMBER 2001


BP Wins 2nd European MAKE Award

The winners of the 2nd European Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) study, conducted by Teleos in association with The KNOW Network, are:

  1. British Petroleum (United Kingdom)
  2. Skandia (Sweden)
  3. Royal Dutch/Shell (Netherlands/UK)
  4. Nokia (Finland)
  5. Siemens (Germany)

An executive summary of the 2001 European MAKE report is available by contacting The KNOW Network (E-mail: info@knowledgebusiness.com), or by visiting its website:
http://www.knowledgebusiness.com


New ENTOVATION Publications

Some of the key themes covered in Debra Amidon's presentation at KM Europe 2001 (see earlier article) including the evolution of Knowledge Societies, the architecture for the knowledge value proposition and the rationale for the new Innovation SuperHighway - http://www.entovation.com/whatsnew/superhighway.htm - are to be featured in her new book of that title scheduled for 2002 release. Also announced is the new French edition of Innovation Strategy for the Knowledge Economy - http://www.entovation.com/backgrnd/art.htm - translated by ENTOVATION Fellow, Dr. Eunika Mercier Laurent.


Enron: An Innovation Too Far?

I was not alone in featuring Enron as an innovative knowledge-based company. Gary Hamel profiled Enron in a recent book and Fortune magazine article. In 'Capitalizing on Knowledge' I praised Enron's innovative environment for enabling the creation of knowledge-based products and services such as weather risk management. However, from its recent demise, it does look as though its financial innovations were an innovation to far - so complex and obscure that not even highly skilled market analysts could unravel them. Heed my warning in my earlier book - Knowledge Networking - about the need for some kind of regulation of knowledge markets. In that I talked also of the need for governance arrangements to tame 'wild agents', though at the time I was thinking of software 'intelligent ones' - not humans!


I3 UPDATE No. 56: Contents - Previous Feature


NOVEMBER 2001


WEF: Caution Amidst the Optimism

ENTOVATION Colleague Frank-Jurgen Richter Director, Asia (see recent article on his new book - Competition and Cooperation - http://www.entovation.com/whatsnew/intangibles-
competition.htm
) World Economic Forum (WEF) and Pamela Mar, Senior regional manager, WEF, published an article "Desperate need to turn words into actions." They suggest that the continent of Asia is on the edge of a precipice, and its future is at risk. Asia will either seize this opportunity to push forward with a solid core, or be swept under as the ill economic winds from the United States and Europe blow stronger. The current situation requires concerted action by government and business to secure global geopolitical trust, deal with the negative fallout from restive populations, and re-establish confidence in Asia's corporate sector. Part of their prescription: "We have to develop trust on a regional and global scale between the business world, government and the rest of society. Asia needs a marketplace where ideas can be traded and agreements reached with all players - business, government and civic organisations - present at the table." For the full article and hotlinks to other Asia stories produced by the World Economic Forum visit:
http://special.scmp.com/wef01/opinion/ZZZ6C8532TC.html


New Intellectual Capital Guidelines from Denmark

The Danish Agency for Trade and Industry has just released its new publication "A Guideline for Intellectual Capital Statements: A Key to Knowledge Management". As described previously in featured IC measurement articles, ENTOVATION colleague Mr. Lars Kolind has been leading a national initiative gaining insights from some 17 companies producing IC reports. According to Ole Stavad, Minister of Trade and Industry, this effort is part of the government's attempts "to improve the framework of conditions for business in the new (Knowledge Economy) circumstances." The intent is to have organizations working 'systematically' and 'strategically' with their knowledge resources. The Guidelines and other related materials are available at:
http://www.efs.dk/icaccounts


Significant (Free) Resource in the Expanding Global Economy

"Everything is different today, it's 100% changed...We had so many problems before, but now we are free and we are waiting for our new government." (Quote of a 35-year-old Afghan living in Kabul, commenting on the Taliban's retreat from Kabul. This is the introduction to the Global Development weekly briefing (15th Nov) provided by DevelopmentEx.com - an independent marketplace bringing efficiency and transparency to the $100+ billion global development industry. Read articles, archives and subscribe for your own copy at:
http://www.developmentex.com/industry_news/newsletter.asp


Want to Share your Knowledge?

We are currently revamping the Knowledge Connections website (http://www.skyrme.com) and will be extending our range of online publications. If you are a practitioner, research or MBA student who has developed knowledge of specific KM issues and techniques, then why not capitalize on your knowledge by writing or contributing to guides and briefings in our KM Tools, Guides and Briefings series? These publications are aimed at executives and practitioners, and must follow our quality and format guidelines. We are interested in hearing from you. We can't promise we can make you rich, but you'll get visibility and a share of revenues. We will also consider spnorship for various sections of the website. Please contact David Skyrme (david@skyrme.com) with your ideas and suggestions.


I3 UPDATE No. 55: Contents - Previous Feature


OCTOBER 2001


Global Valuation and Accounting

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter has released a monograph "Valuing and Measuring the Technological Edge" co-authored by Trevor S. Harris and Elmer H. Hub. They suggest not to throw out old theories as more buzzwords are used to explain the 'new' economy - such as core competencies, the value chain, knowledge management and intellectual property - all leading to a 'sea of intangibles' to measure. The document, available in a PDF file outline the characteristics of the FASSTEST (sm) Companies in the new economy: Flexibility, Agility, Scale, Scope, Talent, Education, Servicing Customers and Technological Edge. The scale is not an algorithm or magic key, but a listing of the attributes that create sustainable margins and operating efficiency that justify high valuations. With a contrasting analysis of Compaq and Dell, they are able to identify the specific drivers, the financial impact of the drivers, and potential measures. For a copy of the report, contact:
debra@entovation.com


New Graduate Diploma in Knowledge Management

Royal Roads University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has announced a new eight-month degree program with a 3-week residency followed by distance learning is a unique offering for mid-career professionals. Courses include: Knowledge strategies for the Global Business Environment, Knowledge Management Culture and Leadership, Information Technology for Knowledge Management, Design and technology for Management Information Systems, Standards and Knowledge Management, Intellectual Capital and Property, Knowledge Management Research Methods. Several ENTOVATION Canadian colleagues are involved on the Advisory Board such as Hubert Saint-Onge and Nick Bontis. For further information, visit the website:
http://www.royalroads.ca


Global Learn Day V - Real-Time International Learning

We all remember the 24-hour round the world experience provided last year by John Hibbs, the Benjamin Franklin Institute for which the ENTOVATION Stories were profiled - http://www.entovation.com/whatsnew/learn-day-entovation.htm. Be sure to visit the archives - http://www.bfranklin.edu/ - and in particular the 'virtual dinner party' hosted by Xenia Stanford, editor of KnowMap, and recent addition to our Global Knowledge Leadership Map - http://www.knowmap.com/unlocked/stanford_virtual_dinner.html. This year the event on October 6-7 took on a more penetrating mission sharing many experiences and observations in the aftermath of 11 September. All participating realized the value of collaborative learning that transcends the boundaries of functions, sectors, industries and nations.


Struggling With Strategy

For the next two weeks, the Association of KnowledgeWork (AOK) is featuring a discussion on "Struggling with Strategy" led by David Skyrme. One in the AOK STAR SERIES of guest moderated discussions, this topic focuses on the day-to-day work of helping KM enthusiasts make the business case for KM and then develop a relevant action plan. For further information and to sign up to AOK's various email distribution lists for knowledge professionals, visit:
http://www.kwork.org/index.html


I3 UPDATE No. 54: Contents - Previous Feature


SEPTEMBER 2001


Anti-Terrorism KM Task Force

Extracts from a message by Ed Swanstrom of GKEC:

At the KM Standards meeting last week in Washington, D.C., a group of participants came together in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington to ask, "We know what we can do as individuals to help, but what can we do as KM professionals?".

The fight against terrorism is necessary, for any of us and our loved ones can be the next target, but it will be extremely difficult and costly. Knowledge management is critical. As one television analyst put it, the fight against terrorism cannot be fought with hardware and bodies, it must be fought with minds.

KM leverages the knowledge of a collective of minds, improves the quality of information and knowledge, reduces decision-making mistakes, reduces the cycle-time for transferring knowledge from one person to another, improves pattern recognition and knowledge discovery, increases the certainty and quality of decisions, and more.

Let us work together to support the fight against terrorism and demonstrate the power of KM. Please email your support for this cause.

We will hold a discussion group at http://www.metainnovation.com.
With deep commitment,
Edward C. Swanstrom, Secretary-General
Global Knowledge Economics Council
http://www.gkec.org


Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP)

Originally developed from several dozen organizations joining together to sponsor the 1997 Global Knowledge Conference, "Knowledge for Development in the Information Age". Today, GKP is an evolving, global network of public, private and not-for-profit organizationswith the mission "Working together to help people and communities access knowledge to improve lives, reduce poverty, and empower people."

One of its disucssion lists is GKD (Global Knowledge Discussion). This is described as "the oldest and one of the most successful online discussion on knowledge for development issues". It began as a "virtual pre-conference" to collect input from all parts of the globe for the first Global Knowledge Conference held in Toronto in 1997. Since 1997, more than 3,000 discussants from around the globe continue to access the discussion as a source of sharing, learning, and innovation.
http://www.globalknowledge.org


Debra M. Amidon joins the Board of KnowMap

KnowMap (The Knowledge Management, Mapping and Auditing Magazine) of Calgary, Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Debra M. Amidon to KnowMap's Board of Directors as Global View Director effective immediately. Amidon is currently the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Entovation International, Ltd., a global innovation research and consulting network linking 80 countries throughout the world.

Amidon says "KnowMap is a company dedicated to the explicit mapping of competencies as a solid foundation for knowledge strategies. For years, ENTOVATION has been dedicated to mapping knowledge leadership around the world, including the recent addition of Xenia Stanford, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of KnowMap. Our new affiliation is natural and bodes well for future interaction with what I consider to be one of the finest communication vehicles in the field".
http://www.knowmap.com


I3 UPDATE No. 53: Contents - Previous Feature


JULY/AUGUST 2001


4th Annual MAKE Award

The winners of the 4th Annual Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) study, conducted by Teleos in association with The KNOW Network (http://www.knowledgebusiness.com), were announced on 11 June. The ten winners are:

  1. General Electric
  2. Hewlett-Packard
  3. Buckman Laboratories
  4. World Bank
  5. Microsoft
  6. BP
  7. Siemens
  8. Skandia
  9. McKinsey & Company
  10. Cisco Systems

The winners were selected from 102 nominations. GE's success included top ranking in five categories including 'Success in Establishing an Enterprise Knowledge Culture' and 'Success in Establishing a Culture of Continuous Learning'. An executive summary of the 2001 MAKE report, including comparisons with previous MAKE studies, is available by contacting Teleos at:
email: info@knowledgebusiness.com
website: http://www.knowledgebusiness.com


Facilitating Knowledge Sharing in Collaborative R&D

A booklet has been published that distils experiences of knowledge sharing in collaborative EU (European Union) projects. These projects face particular challenges since by their very nature they include organizations from several EU member states with different cultures and language, and whose participants may not have worked together before. The booklet is available by clicking the KALiF icon at
http://www.lti-portal.org


5th World Congress on Intellectual Capital

The 5th World Congress on Intellectual Capital sponsored by the Management of Innovation and New Technology Research Centre at McMaster University has announced a call for abstracts for this conference which will be held January 16-18, 2002 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Abstracts are due by 31 July and full papers by 31 Oct on topics such as intellectual capital, knowledge management, knowledge assets. Send abstracts to
worldcongress@mcmaster.ca


What a Whopper?!

A headline in Knowledge Management (UK) says "Story Telling is Worth $1.8 trillion in the US". It cites storyteller guru Stephen Denning (former KM director at The World Bank) as saying that persuasion is worth 28% of US Gross National Product and if narrative is two thirds of that, then that's how much storytelling is worth. While you may find this incredulous, it is clear from our trend analysis that storytelling IS growing in popularity as a KM tool. There are five key characteristics of good stories - endurance, salience, sense making, comfort and authenticity.
http://www.kmmag.co.uk


KM Forum Research Results

Henley Management College's KM Forum has been conducting some active research, highlights published in this month's Knowledge Management (UK) magazine. In one study, members of the forum identified 46 KM practices. They found four that distinguished organizations with excellent KM practices from those that are merely average. The four techniques are:

  • prioritization of future knowledge needs with plans in place
  • universal KM language to further communication of ideas
  • knowledge content is regularly reviewed
  • constant monitoring of user requirements to ensure technology solutions meets user needs.

http://www.kmmag.co.uk


Ethnography Mapping .. And More

The online magazine Knowledge Mapping usually has some interesting articles and the latest issue (no. 4, April 2001) is no exception. Arian Ward explores knowledge maps as outputs of an ethnographic audit. One such example is a social network map. He contributes a further two articles on ethnographic mapping. Mark W. McElroy gives his views on the commonly asked question of where KM best fits in an organization. Debra M. Amidon offers insights on Customer Innovation in two parts: The Theory and The Practice. Editor Xenia Stanford is to be congratulated on keeping up the high standard in this specialist e-zine. Subscriptions range from US$10 for access to a single issue to US$60 for 12 issues and access to two years' archives.
http://www.knowmap.com


Manufacturing Knowledge

An interesting website holding resources for global manufacturing excellence is that of SUPERFACTORY. It describes its mission as providing resources, communities, and tools to support manufacturing excellence. The website has been completely updated recently. New features and resources include a toolbox, a help desk (get answers from experts around the world), links (some 3000 of them!), a learning center (access to over 50 virtual courses), a library, commuinities and news. A manufacturing knowledge portal if ever there was.
http://www.superfactory.com


Innovation Climbs Up the Corporate Radar Chart

A 'Trendsetter Barometer' survey commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that innovation features highly among fast growth companies. The survey was conducted among over 400 companies identified as the fastest growing US companies over the last five years. Three quarters of CEOs in these companies say that innovation is a priority. Innovation is in the three big I's:

  • Internet - innovators expect revenues from this source to increase three-fold over the next 12 months
  • Investments - in IT, new product development and R&D
  • International - nearly twice as many innovators are doing business abroad.

http://www.barometersurveys.com


I3 UPDATE No. 52: Contents - Previous Feature


JUNE 2001


Learning to Fly: A KM Fieldbook

Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell have recently authored a book that describes the tools and processes that BP has been applying over the past few years. After introducing BP's framework for knowledge management, it explains the tools and learning processes in detail (with full facilitator notes), then finishes with our most recent efforts to embed KM into BP's core processes, and hence "learn to fly" in a sustainable way. It's nice to see two experienced practitioners take time out from their day job to share their practical knowledge.
Details: ISBN 184112124X. Capstone Publishing Limited. 288 pages (January 2001).


Knowledge Sharing 'WorldJam' at IBM

The International Herald Tribune reports a three day virtual knowledge sharing event - the WorldJam - that recently took place within IBM. All 320,000 employees were invited to this global brainstorming session where participants contributed ideas towards 10 broad problem areas, such as how to retain valuable employees. They used moderated chat, electronic bulletin boards and online voting. Over 6,000 proposals were generated. But was it all worthwhile? Read the article at....
http://www.iht.com/articles/21254.html


Fast Talking on Innovation

The Fast Company's Fast Talk newsletter of 4th May featured a discussion by 12 business leaders in San Francisco on the topic of innovation. They addressed such issues as What role does innovation play in companies today? What is the Role of Innovation? How should it be organized? What are the Opportunities? Many of the answers are not surprising: "it doesn't happen in ivory towers"; "its largely about making unexpected connections between things"; "it happens at the edges, between disciplines". But reading the conversations brings it home from those who are at the sharp end, and they come out with some memorable phrases like "the left-brain/right-brain tango", "never turn up at a meeting without a prototype" and the "mercenary managers", those who may never have an idea, but who take it, executes it, and creates innovation out of it. Read the whole of The Innovation Conversation starting at:
http://www.fastcompany.com/ftalk/sanfran/index.html


Digital Governance - A Project of KnowNet

There has been a tremendous increase in the activities of Digital Governance - an effort to enable emergence of E-governance models. Digital Governance is a project of the KnowNet Initiative which fosters innovative use of ICT in Development through the use of Remote Volunteers. You'll find key website updates and some of the feedforward received from over 65 countries. Please help spread the word around about this initiative.

Warm Regards,
Vikas Nath
Inlaks Fellow 2000-1, London School of Economics, UK
http://www.vikasnath.org


New Business Development Discussion Group

Walter Derzko of BrainSpace, Toronto (an ENTOVATION Colleague and a "creative lateral thinker") has created this new discussion group. It is a forum for business development professionals to share resources, URLs, white papers, conference/ workshop announcements, proceedings announcements, tips, rules of thumb, best practices, novel and classic opportunity scenarios, identify the thinking /cognitive skills that go into new business scenario development design and share the tacit/explicit knowledge that will help identify, create and evaluate new business opportunities.
http://www.egroups.com/group/NewBizDev


New ENTOVATION Primers

Now available for purchase from ENTOVATION International are two primers:

  1. 1) The Architectural Primer for Knowledge Innovation
    A 50 page overview of the Why, What and How of creating value from knowledge. Also includes the five generations of management framework and quick Litmus test. Details, online ordering ($12.50) and download at: http://www.entovation.com/architecture.htm


  2. 2) The Global Knowledge Primer.
    This 600+ page Primer gives a window into the evolution of the knowledge movement, a variety of facets of knowledge practice and an insight into the core trends and future vision of the Knowledge Economy. It comprises eight parts - each containing a glimpse into activity and aspirations. The material includes some of the most recent and timely work of those affiliated with the ENTOVATION Network. It includes hard-to-find resources and some original documents never before available online. Details, online ordering ($24.50) and download at:

http://www.entovation.com/global-knowledge-primer.htm


10Ps of Internet Marketing

New knowledge assets from David Skyrme Associates. A new Management Insight outlines the 10 factors (seven of which were covered in I3 UPDATE starting with Portal Power in No. 31) that are the underlying success factors in Internet Marketing. The 22-page Executive Guide and Briefing provides a structured section for each factor with checklists, pitfalls, URLs of examples and of additional resources. It also includes a website evaluation template.
http://www.skyrme.com/insights/29int10p.htm - Management Insight (free) http://www.skyrme.com/kshop/instantk.htm#int10ps - Details and download of Executive Briefing ($10)


I3 UPDATE No. 51: Contents - Previous Feature


APRIL 2001


ENTOVATION Knowledge Innovation Assessment Software

Through collaboration between Knowledge Harvester and Know Inc., the first release of the Knowledge Innovation Assessment is now available. The software includes an introduction to the concepts, inventory questions, definitions of terms and a case study example. This assessment methodology - http://www.entovation.com/SERVICES/tensteps.htm - systematically analyzes your organization's ability to create new ideas, and translates those ideas into viable products and services that can be expeditiously moved into the marketplace. Three packages are available - 1) Downloadable from the Internet (ุ); 2) CD-ROM (โ); 3) CD-ROM plus the book on which the software is based 'Innovation Strategy for the Knowledge Economy', Debra M. Amidon (๠). Full details from the Knowledgeshop store at: http://www.knowledgeshop.com/cgi-bin/
kshop.storefront/EN/Product/1265


Creating a Knowledge Sharing Culture

Encouraging employees to share knowledge is one of the most difficult challenges in knowledge management. A recent survey by McKinsey concludes that a 'pull' approach which engenders "a grassroots desire among employees to tap into their company's intellectual resources" is the most likely to be successful. One interesting statistic - 100 per cent of companies surveyed that were successful at knowledge sharing made use of cross-functional teams. The article 'Creating a Knowledge Culture' by Susanne Hauschild, Thomas Licht, and Wolfram Stein in The McKinsey Quarterly, 2000, No. 1 gives useful insights and examples of good practice and can be found at:
http://mckinseyquarterly.com/
article_page.asp?articlenum=992


What Do You Know?

After years of researching organizational learning and knowledge management, we've learned one thing for sure: You can't manage knowledge. These days you can't manage people either. You can lead them, coach them, mentor them, and teach them, but you can't manage them. To manage literally means to handle, and there's no time to handle everything. Another thing you can't manage is change. Businesses today need to innovate, to anticipate and adapt to change. What you can do is create the right culture, find the right people, give them the right tools and the right motivation, and get out of their way.

It's not what you know.
It's knowing when you know that you don't know.
It's knowing who knows what. It's intuition, insight, and years of making mistakes.
It's knowing when to approach a key customer and let him know you're listening.
It's knowing whether he likes golf or fishing or building houses for the poor.
It's knowing how to get the best price for a flight, a car, or a mortgage on the Internet.
It's the knowledge of the hands-knowing how to keep that old lathe running smoothly.
It's the ability to know what's wrong with something just by the smell,
whether it's a gourmet dish or a car engine.
It's knowing how to work as a team.
It's knowing how to really listen.
It's knowing when not to say anything. To let others learn for themselves.
It's knowing that you don't need to know it all to have all the answers.
It's knowing that the next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.
It's knowing that you can make mistakes and admit it.
It's knowing that innovation comes from making more mistakes faster than your competition and learning from them.

As an individual, it's knowing why you work for a living. Is it to pay the rent? Or do you have the luxury of looking for meaning? As an organization, it's knowing why your firm exists and what, if anything, you owe to society.

Contributed by Brian Hackett, from
Across The Board, The Conference Board:
http://www.conference-board.org


I3 UPDATE No. 50: Contents - Previous Feature


MARCH 2001


Tribute to Bob Muller

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Bob Muller on Friday 9th March in Oxford. Bob, a former Digital colleague and a champion of innovation and creativity, was also well known for his contributions in the field of Artificial Intelligence. For those who knew him, it was his enthusiasm for innovative projects, his ideas, his considerable influence and networking skills, and his infectious optimism that we will remember him by. One of his legacies is The Success Group (TSG), a business network that originally connected a group of people seeking collaborative ventures, many of them at a critical juncture in their career (such as following redundancy). One of his recent projects - an institute for creativity and innovation - is continuing to take shape through the involvement of a team of Bob's networkers. His contribution is best summed up by a TSG colleague who described him "as a catalyst to many creative connections".

The journal, AI & Society, to which Bob was a frequent contributor, is planning a special edition on 'Creativity and Innovation' later in the year as a tribute to Bob. Friends who wish to contribute an article should contact the editor, Professor Karamjit S Gill:
Email: k.s.gill@bton.ac.uk


Knowledge Management in Manufacturing Companies

This recently published report (ISBN 84-607-1905-7) by the Federation for Enterprise Knowledge Development in collaboration with Tecnun gives the results of research into the perception and applications of KM in leading manufacturing companies from the Basque Country and Navarra region of Spain.

The report is in Spanish, but an executive summary in English can be found at:
http://www.fend.es/kfactory.htm


Canadian Managers upbeat about Knowledge Management

An Ipsos-Reid study (sponsored by Microsoft Canada) shows that 91 per cent of Canadian business leaders believe knowledge management practices directly impact organizational effectiveness. A few of the findings: - 65 per cent of Canadian companies practicing knowledge management believe it has given their organization a competitive advantage. - 88 per cent agree knowledge management practices have succeeded in delivering customer value - 89 per cent say that the positive impact of KM practices also extends to employee satisfaction - In those cases where measurement has been possible, the average return to date is 41 per cent

The survey shows that top three knowledge management practices are the development of an Intranet, conducting events for sharing knowledge throughout an organization, and the use of software to encourage sharing and collaboration.
http://www.microsoft.ca/business


Architectural Primer for Knowledge Innovation

As a follow-up of the AOK discussion on Knowledge Architecture (see I3 UPDATE number 48) ENTOVATION International Ltd. has produced an Architectural Primer for Knowledge Innovation. This 50 page document describes the Why (knowledge value proposition), What (elements of architecture) and the How (knowledge innovation strategy) of a knowledge innovation architecture, including some useful graphics. Each chapter also contains a paragraph on frequently asked questions. For more information go to:
http://www.entovation.com/architecture.htm


Realizing the value of Internet Content

This 'white paper' in the latest issue of Knowledge Management, suggests ways in which organizations can exploit the knowledge assets on their websites, and further more gain more traffic to their own websites. Some of the approaches suggested are content exchange, syndication, repackaging and redistribution. A useful introduction to get you thinking about the opportunities.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/km/dcrm_km_article.asp?id=781


T-Shaped Managers

A recent Harvard Business Review article in by Morten T. Hansen and Bolko von Oetinger argues that companies rely too much on centralized knowledge-management systems and technologies rather than exploiting the implicit knowledge that lies across the organization. In what the authors call T-shaped management, executives share knowledge freely across their organization (the horizontal part of the T), while remaining fiercely committed to their individual business unit's performance (the vertical part). The article cites examples from The notion of T-shaped management is not new, although in its original use it referred to people who combined in-depth (vertical) knowledge with broad-based (horizontal) knowledge i.e. hybrid managers (see http://www.skyrme.com/insights/6hybrid.htm). The HBR article cites examples of their T-shaped concept in action at BP. You can read an abstract and order the article at:
http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/products/hbr/mar01/R0103G.html


The Brain

Several times in these columns we have extolled the virtues of visual mapping (e.g. see Mind Mapping and Knowledge Management in No. 25 - http://www.skyrme.com/updates/u25.htm#mapping). Even earlier we highlighted Natrificial Brain in 1998. It's come a long way since then, and now offers a wide range of mapping products under its new name The Brain. A recent addition is IntraNet Brain(tm) that displays the relationships between pages, documents and people. Look at The Brain's website which itself uses the software so that you get a feel of how it works. There's also a free trial-period download of PersonalBrain for your desktop:
http://www.thebrain.com


Compass - My Favorite

If, like me, you have a growing collection of Internet 'favorites' (bookmarks), from which it is increasingly difficult to find a particular website, then you too have probably searched in vain for a tool to help 'organize' them. I thought my requirements for such a tool were straightforward: 1. Easy import/export from favorites and bookmarks; 2. Ease of adding a new URL (without swapping windows between Explorer and the tool); 3. Ability to add comments or key words; 4. An effective search; 5. Retention of the folder hierarchy; 6. A link checker. Finding all these six features in one product proved more difficult than imagined. Over a period of one month I installed (then uninstalled) over 12 products for evaluation (from magazine CD-ROMs and download areas like Tucows - http://www.tucows.com) including PowerMarks, QuikLink, URL Manager, Net Viewer etc. Only a few stayed on my system for more than a day, most failing in several respects or being very unusable. In contrast, Compass is like a dream. You view the favorites hierarchy, add URLs simply by pushing the Insert key while browsing, searching brings up a list even while you are typing, and it has symbols to indicate how recently you used the links and flag bad links. Developed by Daniel Liu, its a good buy at ษ - and you have a 60-day trial period to see if it suits you. Download (or review features) at:
http://www.softgauge.com/compass/index.htm


I3 UPDATE No. 49: Contents - Previous Feature


FEBRUARY 2001


The Innovation SuperHighway - Debra M. Amidon

This article explores themes fundamental to the new infrastructure that is needed to create prosperity in the new knowledge economy. It proposes an architecture for the future that embrace knowledge economics, knowledge structures, knowledge workers, knowledge processes and knowledge technologies. Due consideration is given to the creation of collaborative knowledge sharing cultures. The article can be found at:
http://www.entovation.com/whatsnew/superhighway.htm.


Elearning is Not KM

This instructive article by Verna Allee gives an interesting insight into another group jumping on the KM bandwagon. Commenting that she found only two exhibitors at a large training exhibition who had read a book on KM, ENTOVATION Colleague Allee comments: "Most elearning companies really offer training management, not knowledge management."
http://www.linezine.com/2.1/features/vaenkm.htm.


Knowledge Research Institute

This organization headed by KM luminary Karl Wiig, has recently launched its new website. Of particular interest to I3 UPDATE readers will be the in-depth and insightful white papers and articles
http://www.krii.com/articles.htm.


ITtoolbox Knowledge Management

An interesting portal site developed by Information Technology Toolbox, Inc. ITtoolbox is an online collaborative network supporting information technology (IT) and business professionals. This new portal provides news, research, peer interaction and support services for Knowledge Management, "one of the hottest sectors in IT".
http://KM.ITtoolbox.com.


Call for Speakers for 5th Annual KMWorld Conference

The conference theme for 2001, Knowledge Drivers of the E-Enterprise, will again encompass programs on the theories, practices, processes, tools, and solutions for enterprise knowledge networks. The event, that takes place in Santa Clara 29 Oct - 2 Nov 2001, is looking for speakers on a wide range of topics (inputs needed by 2 March):
http://www.kmworld.com/i.cfm?SPID=kmw01


I3 UPDATE No. 48: Contents - Previous Feature


JANUARY 2001


Goodbye NUA Knowledge News. Hello Net Style.

Ireland-based Internet house NUA ceased publication of NUA Knowledge News on 12 December 2000. Its message to readers stated that it remains firmly committed to the knowledge management space. In addition to adding knowledge management coverage to its highly praised NUA Internet Surveys, it has also launched a new weekly newsletter called Net Style, written by former FORTUNE magazine executive editor, Rob Norton. Published every Wednesday Net Style gives "an insight into the broad space of web publishing". NUA sees this "as a natural progression from focusing on knowledge management in general to the specific area of managing web content". The first issues have been thought provoking and criticize many of today's widely used website practices.
http://www.nua.ie.


APQC Guidebook on Successful Knowledge Management

Keeping up its tradition of short but practical publications, APQC (American Productivity and Quality Center) have launched Stages of Implementation: A Guide for Your Journey to Knowledge Management Best Practices. The book outlines five stages - getting started; explore and experiment; pilots and KM initiatives; expand and support; and institutionalize KM. It can bought for US$19.95 ($17.95 for members) from the AQPC online store at
http://www.apqc.org


The Power of One

This is the title of a fascinating article by Steve Barth on personal knowledge management. He argues he case for individual rather than organizational knowledge initiatives. "It seems obvious, but it is not often said that knowledge management works best when knowledge workers take the initiative and responsibility for what they know, don't know and need to know. Doing so not only makes the individual more valuable to the corporation, it also enhances the value of intellectual capital for the corporation." Examples and sidebars on Skills and Tips for A Personal Information Strategy by David Skyrme.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/km/dcrm_km_article.asp?id=477


You've Got Expertise

An article by Victoria Murphy in Forbes Magazine (5 Feb). It describes how a growing number of organization are mining emails (using products such as Tacit Knowledge) to extract knowledge. It highlights some of the problems, such as when the prefix 'new' is applied to over 50 concepts ranging from new economy to New York! One interesting statistic is cited: According to Gartner the average business manager spends 90 minutes a day 'organizing' (filing, deleting etc.) their email. All I can say, is thank goodness I am not average! A fascinating article none the less. Although the article does not say it - organizations need to be aware of European privacy laws where such activities MAY require the express permission of employees before accessing such knowledge. Best check with your legal department first.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/0205/132.html


I3 UPDATE No. 47: Contents - Previous Feature


DECEMBER 2000


Knowledge Management Europe 2000

This European and international event, organized by Ark Group and the European Commission, brought together above 2000 people from 20-22 November in Brussels. The opening day's keynote presentations of Larry Prusak (IBM) and Stephen Denning (The World Bank) attracted 800 and 600 people respectively, probably a record for any knowledge presentation. ENTOVATION Colleague Eunika Mercier-Laurent has written a full report of this event (conference and exhibition).
http://www.skyrme.com/updates/u46_f3.htm.


Training Knowledge Leadership at the Banff Centre

The course 'Creating Value from Knowledge and Membership' was held at the Banff Center for Management in Alberta in November. Part of the Governance and Executive Leadership Program, this four day course introduced different aspects of knowledge strategy, introduced to storytelling as a technique, and explored three case studies using ENTOVATION's Knowledge Innovation® assessment. The course also examined the '7Cs of Knowledge Leadership' (see the summary at http://www.entovation.com/whatsnew/leadership-7cs.htm). For details of the Banff programme contact Program Manager Andre Mamprin at Banff (Email: Andre_ Mamprini@BanffCentre.ab.ca). Read Yvonne Buma's fuller report at
http://www.skyrme.com/updates/u46_f4.htm


NIMcube

An EU supported project that has developed a toolkit (NIMsoft) for balancing the re-use of existing knowledge and the use of innovative knowledge in R&D. New use and Innovation Management and Measurement Methdology for R&D.
http://www.nimcube.com.


New KMCI Courses

The Knowledge Management Consortium International (KMCI) has announced the formal debut of its educational arm, the KMCI Institute. Its 2000 courses - e.g. Concepts. Tools and methods - continue while new courses on knowledge portals and sustainable innovation are added.
http://www.kmci.org/Institute/institutecourseschedule2001.htm


Spirit of Inquiry: Beyond Information Utilization

Prompted by his observation of the diffusion of knowledge between ENTOVATION Colleagues at Global Learn Day IV (see http://www.entovation.com/whatsnew/learn-day-entovation.htm) David Hughes, President of Decision Labs Ltd, has written a short paper that asks (among other things) why decision makers do not make full use of the information that is available to them. He draws on some research in the 1960s and 1970s on cognitive information processing in the context of consumer decisions e.g. automobile purchases. He suggests that knowledge systems designers need to study individual information processing styles before designing their solutions. The full paper will be found at:
http://www.skyrme.com/guests/hughes1.doc (Word document).


Knowledge Worth $1.25 billion

Ford's knowledge management programme is often hailed as one of the best. Yet Tom Stewart in this Fortune article cites poor knowledge sharing as one of the causes of the expensive fiasco to deal with Firestone tyre problems. The knowledge was too dispersed and there we no natural communities for the social sharing of knowledge to take place. Read this insightful article at:
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/careers/edge/2000/11/27/index.html


I3 UPDATE No. 46: Contents - Previous Feature


NOVEMBER 2000


Agilience

KM staff at Siemens, including ENTOVATION Colleague Christian Kurtzke, have created a new venture to exploit the intellectual capital behind Siemen's highly acclaimed ShareNet. Siemen's retains a minority stake. Their small website announces that "The Agilience Group is an innovator in process-based knowledge networking and e-learning, leveraging ten years of field experience. With a network of international partners, Agilience develops, implements and operates customer solutions as an integrated consulting firm and application-service provider." Agilience will be at Knowledge Management Europe in Brussels next week.
http://www.agilience.com


Reinventing InnovationTM

MacroInnovationTM Associates of Windsor, Vermont, has announced it MacroInnovationTM business method that is aimed at importing the innovation process, by including ideas from all stakeholders. It has applied for a business methods patent.
http://www.macroinnovation.com.


Familiar Names Disappear

Followers of the Knowledge Management scene will have read about the knowledge networking and problem solving expertise of Teltech Resources of Minneapolis. It has recently been acquired by Sopheon, a UK software provider. Al Michuda, formerly of Teltech, has been appointed Sopheon's CEO. Powersize, who within 5 years build up an excellent business based around daily briefings, is now part of Hoovers. KM consulting pioneer Ernst & Young is becoming part of CAP-Gemini (though they retain their name for the moment). Next in line may be PwC (if HP can pull it off). BP became BP Amoco but has now reverted to BP as its brand name (though the company name is still BP Amoco) - confused? My own former employer, Digital, is now part of Compaq. Whatever these companies may call themselves now, we will remember the pioneers by the name of the company at the time of their prominence - as we do Avro, Hawker, Mercedes-Benz, Morris, Orgasmic Wines (see who has it now by clicking on http://www.orgasmicwines.com). No wonder one of the tasks of knowledge management is to maintain the company dictionary!


Latest - HP pulls out of talks with PwC

Launch of New Company - KSolutions

On 13th November, the formation of a new knowledge management company, KSolutions, Inc., was announced. Founded by Stephen Cranford, KPMG's former partner in charge of its Knowledge Management Solutions practice, it has already gained a $ million equity commitment from private equity firm Great Hill Partners. The company focuses on "appropriate combinations of technology, people and strategy instead of the widely-held belief that KM challenges are addressed exclusively by technology."
http://www.ksolutionsinc.com


Editors Note - Whose widely held belief?

I3 UPDATE No. 45: Contents - Previous Feature


OCTOBER 2000


Knowledge Markets Meta Portal

For those interested in exploring or even selling your knowledge in knowledge markets (a topic covered in several I3 UPDATEs including No. 26), you will find a list of over 50 websites listed at the Knowledge Markets Meta Portal. Prepared by ENTOVATION Colleague Bryan David of The Kaieteur Institute For Knowledge Management, the sites have been grouped into ten categories, such as answernets and knowledge exchanges.


KnowMap goes Online

A (relatively) new knowledge management, auditing and mapping magazine can be found online at http://www.knowmap.com. The bi-monthly magazine promises to provide "practical tools for today's knowledge-oriented workplace". The first edition looks interesting, but only time will tell if it can sustain this quality in the competitive KM journal market - although it addresses and important and well chosen niche.


See our list of recommended journals.

More Knowledge Associations

Following our feature article in last month's edition (Knowledge Associations: Networks or Notworks) Joel Muzard informs us of two non-English associations:
- in French: KM-GC-MONTREAL - in Spanish: Red de Capital Intelectual


New Book on Personal Knowledge

"Know Your Value? Value what you know" by Mick Cope uses a framework called the K-Profile to help an individual, team or organisation to harness and exploit their personal knowledge. The model is designed to help people understand how they acquire, store, share and market their knowledge.


You can order this book from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Knowledge Management News in Spanish

This service at http://www.10minutos.com.co is a virtual news service of national and international general news but has a specialized section for knowledge management. A service of the Columbian Knowledge Management Center.


I3 UPDATE No. 44: Contents - Previous Feature


SEPTEMBER 2000


KnowNet

An initiative to facilitate knowledge networking in developing countries for overall human development through the amalgamation of information and communications technology.
http://www.knownet.org



State of the Future at The Millennium

- A report and CD-ROM outlining the future. Six in-depth scenarios plus bibliography to 400 more. Over 1000 pages (CD) including charts and diagrams. American Council for the United Nations Univeristy.
http://acunu.org


I3 UPDATE No. 43: Contents

I3 UPDATE No. 43: Contents


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