This document discusses developing knowledge management strategies at three levels - corporate, business unit, and team. It emphasizes aligning KM strategies horizontally and vertically with business strategies. The document provides tips for getting started, such as using analysis tools to understand how KM can further business strategies. It also notes potential danger points like strategies becoming obsolete or not being used. Finally, it addresses developing implicit and departmental KM strategies when no overarching strategy exists.

1. KM Strategies
Knowledge Network West
Hélène Russell
©TheKnowledgeBusiness

2. What is a strategy?
• No accepted definition
• Journey (Johnson & Scholes)
•USP (Michael Porter)
•How are we going to win?
•How does your firm define it?

3. Why bother?
• Efficiency
• Profitability
• Clarity

4. Three levels
Corporate strategy
Business unit strategy
Team strategy
•Different focus
•Different tools & skills
•Align horizontally & vertically

5. Danger points
• Death by committee
• Obsolescence (esp now)
• Non-use

6. Getting started
• Start with business strategy
How does KM further that strategy?
•Choose analysis tools that work for you
• PEST(LE), SWOT
• Porter’s 5 forces
• Porter’s generic strategies
• Scenario analysis

7. Implicit strategies
No written strategy?
• Comparisons
• profitability, client type, marketplace
• risk & compliance, work/life balance
• Cultural assessment (Edgar Schein)

8. Make it useful
• Have a summary or roadmap
• Refer to it
• Diarise to revisit it

9. Departmental KM Strategy
• Treat as a whole-firm strategy
• Begin with departmental strategy, but
question it
• Gaps and excesses
• Outline plan for the year

10. Discussions
• Do you have a firm-wide KM strategy?
• Do you have departmental KM strategies?
•What aspects will it help/hinder?
•War stories – how have they worked in
practice?
• Top tips for
•Getting info where there is no written business
strategy
•Getting things signed off