Removing Barriers to Knowledge Flow

Making a Difference : Removing Barriers to Knowledge Flow through Organisations Presented for SIKM Leaders Forum March 16, 2010 Arthur Shelley MAD Knowledge Leadership Series Part 4 Principal, Intelligent Answers Author: The Organizational Zoo & Being a Successful Knowledge Leader

Learning Outcomes
Successful initiatives create a flow of knowledge across the organisation that link goals to desired outcomes
Leveraging knowledge for value is primarily a people focused process enabled by conversations that matter & other tools
requires leaders to create an environment in which their teams are motivated to discover share, challenge, create and apply knowledge when they interact to generate mutual benefit and competitive advantage.
Discover how to optimise knowledge to remove barriers and stimulate a rich investment opportunity
highlights opportunities for practitioners and leaders to improve performance and minimise future risks

Learning Outputs
“ Conversations that Matter” a structure to help you to understand how the knowledge strategy is critical for engaging people and securing leadership support
to generate value from leverage and use of knowledge assets.
A framework tool you can use to embed knowledge principles into strategic planning processes
to enable knowledge practitioners to make a difference to the performance of the organisation.
A method to prioritise knowledge assets and align initiatives with the overall business goals
To secure appropriate allocation of resources.

Getting Started with Knowledge

All investments need a competitive return (even if intangible).
Value is not automatically generated, it requires leadership to activate planning and management to optimise the benefits (tangible and intangible).
A knowledge strategy provides a means of delivering benefits aligned with business goals
A well constructed strategy is an ideal instrument for communicating plans and outcomes to engage and maintain stakeholder support.
Why embed Knowledge into Strategy? “ Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Building K-Capability takes Time Source: Shelley (2009) Time (2-5 years, leadership dependent)

Foundations for Outcome Success Source: Shelley (2009)

Building a Knowledge Strategy Exercise 1. Knowledge Vision What outcomes and benefits do we want to achieve? 2. Knowledge Audit Where are we now? People, Processes, Capabilities, Tools, Competitive advantage, Knowledge 3. Knowledge Gaps Analysis What is missing between vision and current? 4. Planning SWOT PESTLE Prioritise Alignment Resources Roadmap Dependencies Engage Embed Ownership Communicate, engage, build foundations, deliver short term benefits Phase 2 capabilities, secondary benefits Implement phase three projects Advanced knowledge capabilities & systems 5. Build an iterative strategy aligned with business needs to build future foundations & capabilities and flexible to cope with changing directions. 7. Roadmap (general) 6. Plan (details)

Have strategy, therefore success?
Wishful thinking! - Optimism is good, but can be blinding.
A strategy needs to be skilfully applied to generate success (performance and continuous improvement)
People engagement levels determine success or failure (support, ownership, persistence and passion)
Leaders motivate people to follow, not try to force them to change (vision, communications and values)
A good strategy is an evolving approach
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin

Knowledge Framework ? BUSINESS GOALS SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE Knowledge Strategy answers: How knowledge fills the gaps.

Knowledge Framework

Start with the Need (Desired Outcome) Extract from: Shelley, 2009 Being a Successful Knowledge Leader

Knowledge Elements in Framework Market Research Knowledge Audit Knowledge Strategy Capability Framework Resources plan Project Plan Project Review Portal, Search, CMS Wiki & Blog K Transfer Matrix Communications Plan Website, S’holder news Media release Conversations that Matter Reflective Thinking Knowledge Profiles Sense-making, Narrative Stakeholder Matrix Communities of Practice Collaboration spaces Conversations that Matter Anecdote circles Peer Assist, Perf. Objectives AAR & Lessons Learnt Success Stories, Mentoring Rewards and recognition

Understand Knowledge Behaviour Networks Shelley (2009)

Behavioural diversity and Matching

Which animal am I?
Wrong question!
How many can you be?
Need to be the right character in context to get the desired outcomes!
Free on-line profile:
www.organizationalzoo.com

Challenging some Myth-conceptions
You can’t have stress-free constructive conversations about behaviour
(my) Reality: behavioural discussions can be fun and are essential for performance, trust and knowledge transfer
Work is serious, fun is for outside work
(my) Reality: People who enjoy work are more productive, more likely to collaborate and enhance performance
Exchange of personal information is politically incorrect and to be discouraged
(my) Reality: It is important to create an environment of mutual respect where people positively interact
Knowledge programs fail because of lack of resources
(my) Reality: Behaviour has a greater impact

Commitment versus Contribution Nothing improves before YOU LEAD by doing something that matters Yesterday November Team meeting Time: D/M/Y Next week By When? ‘ cause I’m good! Improve alignment with business goals Improve Productivity Increase awareness WHY? What benefit? Focus on Small SMART Objectives and early wins for credibility Peers and boss Share concepts of this conference Save the planet Create a risk register for the business change initiatives Facilitate potential improvements dialogue Do What? By myself Margaret (for the CHRO) Fred With Whom?

Contact Arthur Shelley [email_address] FREE behavioural profile www.organizationalzoo.com Consulting and mentoring www.intelligentanswers.com.au Ph +61 413 047 408 Tweeting as Metaphorage Presentation based on these two books For Free coaching join the Organizational Zoo Ambassadors Network

Recommended Reading 1
Anonymous. (2005) Knowledge Management- a guide. Australian Standard AS5037-2005
Buckman, R.H. (2004) Technology is the easy part: It’s culture changes that’s hard. Chapter 2 in: Building a knowledge-driven organisation. pp. 16-29. McGraw Hill.
Collison, C. and Parcell, G. (2004) What is knowledge management? Chapter 2 in: Learning to Fly. Practical knowledge management from leading and learning organisations. pp. 15-29. Capstone Books.
Dalkir, K. (2005) KM strategy and metrics. Chapter 9 in: Knowledge management in theory and practice. Burlington: Elsevier. pp. 247-282.
Debrowski, S. (2006) An introduction to strategic knowledge management. Ch 2 in: Knowledge Management. pp. 30-56. John Wiley and Sons Australia.

Recommended Reading 2
McGee, J. and Thomas, H. (2007) Knowledge as a lens on the jigsaw puzzle of strategy. Reflections and conjectures on the contribution of a knowledge-based view to analytic models of strategic management. Management Decision. Vol. 45 No. 3, pp. 539-563.
Shelley, A. (2007) The Organizational Zoo. A survival guide to workplace behavior . Aslan Publishing.
Shelley, A. (2009) Being a successful knowledge leader. What knowledge practitioners need to know to make a difference. ARK Publishing.
Snowden, D. J. and Boone, M.E. (2007). A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making. Harvard Business Review. November, 69-76.
Tirwana, A. (2002) The 10 step KM roadmap. Ch 4 in: The knowledge management toolkit. Orchestrating IT, Strategy and knowledge platforms. pp. 67-74. Prentice Hall PTR.

Removing Barriers to Knowledge Flow

by Arthur Shelley

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