Federal Knowledge Management Initiative Roadmap

Federal Knowledge Management Initiative Federal KM Working Group Neil Olonoff

Is “American know-how” disappearing from the Federal Government?
We all know America is smart. Our government possesses a vast reservoir of information.
But recent catastrophic “knowledge failures” prove we need to get better at sharing these huge knowledge assets.

Costs of Failure to Share Knowledge
Dangerous Knowledge Gaps
Historically, failure to share knowledge has resulted in disasters.
Which could have been averted with a “word to the wise?”
The sinking of the Titanic?
9/11 attacks?
Space Shuttle Challenger crash?

Hurricane Katrina
The Federal response to Hurricane Katrina was marked by now infamous failures to communicate

The Space Shuttle Challenger
NASA engineers already knew the dangers of freezing the O-ring that failed, leading to the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

This is nothing new or particularly American …
The location of the iceberg that sank the Titanic was spiked in the ship’s telegraph office.

Even the 9/11 attacks …
The FBI was already investigating foreign students learning to fly, but not land, large jet planes

An Epidemic of Avoidable Error
All these notorious disasters could have been averted with a “word to the wise.”
Of course, it also happens quietly millions of times every day ..

We have the antidote
Knowledge management
A ten year old discipline that consists of ..
a set of management practices, plus …
culture change to instill attitudes of cooperation and collaboration

Federal KM Initiative Roadmap
The Knowledge Imperative
Why Knowledge Management is critically important for Federal government, right now
The Way Forward
The Federal KM Initiative Action Plan sets out actions to instill knowledge sharing in government

Why is Knowledge Important?
Silly question!
It’s an enabler and multiplier
But it doesn’t “flow through the pipes” very well. It’s “sticky.”
Sticky? Why?
Organizational “stovepipes”
Human nature.

Benefits of Sharing Knowledge
Synergy and efficiency
Quality & Value Enhancement
Innovation
Morale

Government’s Critical KM Needs
A central resource center for Knowledge Management
Foster consistent knowledge sharing practices
Build a knowledge sharing culture
Solutions to meet the challenge of the Age Wave Retirement Crisis

Federal KM Initiative Action Plan
Goals:
Establish a Federal KM Center
Create a Federal CKO Position
Enact Policies, Standards & Practices
Web Presence & KM Awareness Campaign
Train Federal Workers in KM Skills
Build a knowledge sharing culture
Age Wave Retirement & Recruiting Programs
Web 2.0 and social computing
Recruit Generation Y employees

Establish a Federal Knowledge Management Center
Central resource for Federal KM
Provide impetus and consultation for the tasks in the Action Plan

Establish a Federal CKO Position
Within the proposed Federal CTO office
Coordinate with colleagues at each federal agency
Demonstrate the benefits of sharing and collaborating across agencies

KM Governance: Policies, Standards and Practices
KM Governance
Policies
Standards
Practices
Specifying the decisions that need to be made, and those who should make them, to maximize the benefits and efficiency of knowledge management activities.

Web Presence and Content Distribution
To support all the activities of the Federal KM Center
Awareness medium
Content Distribution point
Demonstration site for blogs, wikis, and social network tools

Build Awareness of KM Resources
Differentiating KM from IM & IT
Awareness Communications Campaign

Train Federal Workers in KM Skills
Anyone can learn knowledge work competencies.
Plus, there’s a valuable bonus:
Knowledge work competencies bring deeper understanding and appreciation of the value of knowledge sharing.
This, in turn, supports culture change.
Work with OPM to recognize the discipline, establish appropriate Position Descriptions, competency maps, and professional advancement

Build a Knowledge Sharing Culture in the Federal Government
Leadership Support
Explicit Knowledge Sharing & Collaboration Policies
Proactive Support and Consultation
KM Competency Training
Build Awareness of KM Resources

Meet the Challenge of the Retirement “Age Wave”
Vast numbers of Federal workers from the “Baby Boom” generation will soon retire.
Knowledge Retention programs are aimed at offsetting this “brain drain”
Web 2.0 programs support the recruiting of Generation Y employees

Establish Web 2.0 and Social Computing Policies
Under the auspices of the Federal CKO
Coordinate with cyber security specialists to mitigate security concerns
Demonstrate the need to establish Web 2.0 and social computing technologies
Establish “rules of behavior” for federal employees, including participating in virtual worlds
Bring Facebook-like environments to the federal intranets

Attract and Recruit Generation Y
In coordination with OPM, create campaigns to attract “Gen Y”
Then, support the proliferation of social computing by providing them Web 2.0 tools
Allow them the freedom to operate and thrive within federal bureaucracy

Summing Up
We discussed reasons why KM is critically important for the Federal government.
Bottom-Line Imperative
Quality & Value Enhancement
Innovation
Morale

Action Highlights
The action plan contains specific recommendations, including:
Create a Federal Knowledge Management Center
Develop and implement Policy, Standards and Practices
Build Awareness for KM
Support Knowledge Work Competencies

Can We Afford This?
We began by discussing the “cost of not sharing knowledge.” In an office the cost can be computed in labor hours or dollars. In a war or emergency, the cost may be paid in human lives.
There is a cost to this effort, as well. But considering the stakes, our question is not “Can we afford to do this?” It is, rather, “Can we afford not to?”

Get Involved!
Join the Federal KM Working Group . No dues are involved. To join the listserv , send a blank e-mail to [email_address]
Read the Roadmap on our Wiki page
http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/wiki/Federal%20Knowledge%20Management%20Working%20Group%20(KMWG).wiki/home/home.html
Sign the Petition by emailing the presenter, Neil Olonoff [email_address]

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Federal Knowledge Management Initiative Roadmap

by downtown76 on Feb 02, 2009

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Federal Knowledge Management Initiative Roadmap — Presentation Transcript