Madan Rao's presentation at KM Middle East 2014, Dubai, UAE, 12 March 2014

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Change Management for Knowledge Cultures:
Strategies for Effective Communication
Dr Madan Rao
Editor, ““The Knowledge Management Chronicles””
http://twitter.com/MadanRao madan@techsparks.com
KM: Drivers and Outcomes
● Drivers
– Internal
■ Challenges: knowledge retention
■ Opportunities: improving productivity
– External
■ Challenges: competition, environmental pressure
■ Opportunities: innovation, globalisation
● Outcomes
– Productivity, Innovation, Risk management
The “8 Cs” of Success in the
Knowledge Era
● Connectivity
● Content
● Community
● Culture
● Capacity
● Cooperation
● Commerce
● Capital

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Making it work: KM communication
● Setting the vision, mission
● Defining the “KM brand”
● Channels, styles
● Engagement: participation, gamification, inspiration
● Culture transformation: internal and external
conversation
● The long term: measure, re-calibrate, expand
KM: What’s in a Name?
● Cable & Wireless: Phoenix
● Ernst & Young: EY/KnowledgeWeb
● KPMG: Kworld
● World Bank: YourNet, PeoplePages
● DaimlerChrysler: TechClubs
● Ericsson Research Canada: XPERTiSE tool
● Vendors: MindJet’s Mindmanager, Invention Machine’s
TechOptimizer
Cultural components
● Vision, mission
● Values, beliefs, assumptions
● Artifacts: dress code, office décor, posters, T-
shirts, ambience, language, jargon, stories/
legends
● Behaviour: meetings, workflow, queries
● Examples: The HP Way, The Asian Way, The
DotCom Way
Types of Cultures
● National, regional, ethnic
● Individualistic, family-oriented, community-
oriented, networked, mercenary, fragmented
● Start-up, SME, national conglomerate, MNC
● Private sector, government, NGO, academic
● Online, offline culture
● Subcultures: sales, R&D, media
Case Study: Workshop:
Identify 5 characteristics of your group culture
● Caring
● Willingness to achieve
● Many cultures, get along fine (50!)
● Lots of talk, no walk
● Work hard, play hard
● Too much politics
● Sense of purpose
● We do race ahead – which can be a bit of a challenge
some times
● Tech-savvy? – not state of the art, but enough
● Staff are proud to work here
● Can progress well within the company
KM Branding: Infosys
● Use contemporary themes for campaigns
● Make heroes of Infoscions
● Brand is more than the poster and banner: the
perception of every KM group member by users,
their physical appearance, mannerisms
● KM Brand personality – Reliable, Responsive,
Sensitive, Dignified, Learned

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What we did so far… KM @ Perot Systems
● Participatory branding: choice of portal name (K-
Edge)
● Internal corporate communication: branding,
design
● Newsletters, knowledge nuggets, competitions
● Awards
KM @ EurekaForbes

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ABB
● Vision: “Everybody is a knowbody - knowbodies
share knowledge with everybody”
● Value statement: “We learn from each other by
sharing our knowledge and experience”
● Management on all levels must “walk the talk”
Buckman Labs
“KM happens one person at a time, one
conversation at a time.”
Robert Buckman
Ministry of Finance (MoF)
● 2007: Appointment of Directorate Knowledge Activists
● Focus on email as a communication and documentation
tool
● Vendor: Third Sight
● 2008: finalised taxonomy
● 2010: Launch of MOFi, the MOF Intranet Portal
● Next steps: suggestions/innovations, social media
MoF ad: Can you find the 0 amongst the Qs?
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQOQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Singapore Police Force (SPF)
● Learning organisation: cited by Peter Senge in 2006
● The Five Disciplines: personal mastery, mental models,
shared vision, team learning, systems thinking
● CKO = Deputy Commissioner of Police
● Leadership Moments, KM Day, Learning Festivals
● KM Skit, KM Storytelling Competition
● Project Management blogs, KM Communications Team
● Centres of Excellence, Best-practice visits
● Academic partnership: Republic Polytechnic
Supreme Court
● CEO = CKO; KM Champions in functional
groups; KM Activists
● KM Justice Portal, Wiki
● “Creanovator” room for Innovation Activists
● One of world’s first Supreme Courts to
participate in a KM competition!

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The Conversation Manifesto
1. Knowing how to ask questions
2. Willingness to ask for information, help
3. Willingness to give, accept knowledge
4. Expectations of sharing knowledge
5. Promptness in sharing knowledge; deadlines
The Conversation Manifesto
6. Giving feedback on received knowledge
7. Handling conflicting knowledge responses
8. Acknowledging, rewarding, acting on knowledge
contributions
9. Existence of knowledge cultures at all levels of
the organisation
10. Extension of knowledge behaviours outside the
organisation
Metrics
● Technology/activity metrics
● Process metrics
● Knowledge metrics
● People metrics
● Organisational metrics
KM: Inspiring Quotes
● "A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely
more than much knowledge that is idle.“ - Kahlil
Gibran
● "The great end of knowledge is not knowledge
but action." - Thomas Huxley
● “It isn't what you know that counts, it's what you
think of in time.” - Benjamin Franklin
● “Knowledge is not like gold. It’s more like milk --
it has an expiry date.” - Carol Kinsey Goman
Indian Proverbs
● Studying is sweat, but knowledge is sweet.
● Iron and knowledge will get spoiled if they are
not used.
● One's knowledge is only a handful of sand, there
is still an ocean of knowledge to learn.
● Experience is as important for knowledge as
education.
● A second of help is better than hours of advice.
Arab Proverbs and KM!
● A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.
● Doubt is the key to all knowledge.
● Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.
● A mother is a school.
● One day your life will pass in front of your eyes, so
make it worthy to look at.

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madan@techsparks.com
http://twitter.com/MadanRao
Now that you have mastered KM,
how best will you communicate the KM message
to the rest of your organisation?