knowquestion :: Stephen Bounds

UPDATE Nov 2015: If you are interested in an ongoing conversation about Knowledge Management and how to apply it, please check out our newly launched online magazine RealKM!

I consider Arthur Shelley to be one of the most successful KM practitioners (as compared to consultants or theorists) in Australia. I find his stories of working for many years at Cadbury in KM and making a real and long-lasting difference to be inspirational.

Although he has recently transitioned into academia and consulting, he still holds a wealth of valuable insight into the practicalities of making KM work.

In a recent conversation on sikmleaders, Arthur Shelley gave a very insightful response to the question of "what are the top 3 KM services?". The following is a slightly edited summary (emphasis is mine):

My top three "services" of knowledge management [are to]:

1. Stimulate "Conversations that Matter" ...
Conversations that matter have a purpose and a desired outcome (in general), but the specific outcome and may not be known in advance since the nature of the ideal conversation is emergent rather than predetermined (to enable the incorporation of unpredicted opportunities).

2. Build effective decision making capabilities through generation of experiential learning opportunities ...
[Projects] change the world through the injection of new (applied) knowledge and (hopefully) [decommissioning of] old knowledge at the same time. Projects are the ultimate knowledge transfer vehicles and a very much overlooked capability development opportunity ...

3. Enhance the performance of the organisation in tangible and intangible ways whilst shifting focus on the future ...
Knowledge workers influence best when they can engage participation and get people to understand the link between what people know and do with desired future outcomes ... When we embed the principles of knowledge management [in our organisation] ... we are doing our best work ... In effect we invisibly, but effectively, enhance the value created by all those around us.

What I find most telling about Arthur's points is that he doesn't once mention the traditional playfields of KM -- codifying knowledge, collaboration and more recently, narrative.

I'm sure he would tell you that these are all important activities that have benefits as well. But he also recognises that they do not deliver results in and of themselves.

Arthur's focus is on areas that directly impact the capability of an organisation, even if the payoff is not immediate. And (I believe) not coincidentally, they also correspond to the areas highlighted in my KM Objectives Chain model:

• Holding "Conversations that Matter" very explicitly aims to promote knowledge distribution and knowledge integration. Distributed problem solving may or may not be involved depending on the type of conversation being held.
• "Experiential Opportunities through Projects" identifies the importance of focusing on opportunities for individual learning and knowledge integration (ie disposing of old knowledge) in addition to the knowledge distribution and problem solving aspects of all projects

His last point about "Focusing on the Future" and embedding KM principles into the organisation is critical for KM sustainability. Without this, as soon as the KM expert leaves, the impetus to continue with these knowledge activities can be lost.