This presentation details best practices, approaches, and examples for designing and establishing a Knowledge Management (KM) Leadership Organization.

1. KM LEADERSHIP
A Guide to Developing a KM Team
February 5, 2020

2. DEVELOPING A KM LEADERSHIP TEAM
KM Leadership Teams all differ depending on the size, maturity, and
complexity of the organization, but there are a common elements similar to
all KM Leadership Teams.
1
2
3
Team members often incorporate KM-related responsibilities into their
current roles, as opposed to KM being their only responsibility.
Roles, responsibilities, and time dedicated to KM activities will change over
time depending on the KM-related initiatives that are prioritized.
A KM Leadership Team is dedicated to designing, developing, executing, and maintaining
KM programs, tools, and guidelines for their team, department, or organization.

3. KM RESPONSIBILITY – TOPICS
KM Topics
Content Taxonomy Search
Social /
Collaboration
Knowledge
Transfer
Core Supplementary
• Records Management
• Change Management
Assign responsibility for
designing, implementing and
maintaining KM initiatives by
topic.

4. KM RESPONSIBILITIES – TECHNOLOGIES
KMTechnology
Content
Management
Taxonomy
Management
Auto-categorization
Document
Management
Records
Management
Learning
Management System
Search
Assign technical and business
owners to each technology
within your KM Platform.

5. KM RESPONSIBILITIES – FUNCTIONS
Organizational
Functions
Education
Communications
/ Marketing
Enforcement /
Governance
Oversight /
Guidance Technology
Ensure there is KM Leadership
at the enterprise and sector
level.

6. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES - LEVELING
§ Align responsibilities at the
appropriate level (Topics,
Functions, Technologies).
§ Recognize complexity.
§ Balance organizational
alignment versus individual
empowerment.
Enterprise
Departments
Teams
Individuals

7. ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
Conduct an organizational
analysis to define current and
target KM organizational
structure and culture.

8. KM Manager
[Insert Name]
Collaboration Lead
[Insert Name]
Content &
Taxonomy Lead
[Insert Name]
Tech Lead
[Insert Name]
Records
Management
[Insert Name]
Collaboration Co-Lead
[Insert Name]
Search & Tech. Co-Lead
[Insert Name]
Content & Taxonomy
Co-Lead
[Insert Name]
Records Management
Co-Lead
[Insert Name]
• Design
collaboration
activities
• Implement
collaboration
activities
• Monitor
collaboration
activities
• Develop plans
for taxonomy
design and
content strategy
• Conduct
taxonomy
analysis,
assessment,
design, and
validation
• Execute content
strategy,
including content
clean-up
• Maintain
taxonomy and
content over
time
• Elicit and
capture
requirements
• Design
prototypes or
proofs of
concept
• Select and
customize tools
• Roll out MVP
• Maintain tools
over time
• Develop records
management
framework
• Execute records
management
framework
• Evaluate and
adjust
• Maintain records
management
framework over
time
• Provides
guidance and
support across
all KM initiatives
• Removes
roadblocks
hindering the KM
Leadership
team’s success
KM Leadership Team

9. DIFFERENT MODELS TO CONSIDER
Core Team
Members
Rotating
Team
Members
Business
Contributors
Executive
Council
KM Leadership
KM System Owners
Business Representatives

10. LEAD OVERVIEW
This table outlines the responsibilities, qualifications and required time for all Leads, regardless of
their topical area.
Responsibilities
• Serve as the single point of contact for activities related to a KM initiative
• Work closely with the Co-Lead to coordinate project activities
• Accept deliverables, iterate, and maintain of the set of capabilities, standards, and/or work
products produced by their committee
• Engage in weekly stand-ups and monthly check-ins with other topical leads and the KM
Manager.
• Make initiative-related decisions (after consulting with the KM Manager and team, members as
needed)
• Ensure that efforts and end products align with the KM vision
• Provide stakeholders and team members with ongoing communications regarding initiative-
related updates
Qualifications
• Ability to coordinate and lead a team (recognizing and responding to needs, delegating
responsibilities)
• Excellent organization and facilitation skills
• Familiarity with and/or desire to learn KM Subjects, as well as the ability to explain their value
• Willingness to grow into and serve as an expert
Required Time
• One 1-hour meeting per week with KM Champion and other initiative leads
• 2 – 4 hours per week during design and implementation phase
• 1 – 2 hours per week during maintenance phase
First Last
All KM Leads
have common
responsibilities.

11. First Last
[ Insert Topical Area ] Co-Lead
Responsibilities Qualifications
Potential Growth
Required Time
• Take ownership of addressing and
completing day-to-day tasks related to
their initiative
• Coordinate and effectively
communicate to the Lead as well as
the other Service Desk team members
• Ensure all work is completed in an
efficient manner
• Assist the Lead with scheduling
interviews, focus groups and/or
workshops
• Ability to work on a team
• Excellent organization and
facilitation skills
• Familiarity with and/or desire to
learn KM Subjects, as well as the
ability to explain their value
• Willingness to grow into and serve
as an expert
• One 1-hour meeting per week
• 3 – 5 hours per week during design and implementation phase
• 1 – 2 hours per week during maintenance phase
• Mastery of KM-related topic, such as taxonomy, enterprise search, or community of practice
leadership
• Leadership Experience
Each Lead
should be
assigned a Co-
Lead for
continuity and
succession
planning.

12. First Last
Responsibilities Qualifications
Objective
Potential Growth
Content & Taxonomy Lead
Implement a content and taxonomy strategy that is improves the findability of information
• Guide the Project Team in conducting a content inventory
and assessment of content quality to inform further clean-up
and migration efforts
• Support the design of processes to improve the quality of k
content
• Guide content type definition and templating activities
• Develop, item and manager Content Governance standards
and best practices
• Connect Project Team with sources of content and
information (people, processes, systems)
• Approve / iterate versions of the taxonomy design and
governance plan
• Implement and maintain Taxonomy Governance plans.
• Review analytics (passive and active) and guide
conversations around the suggested changes
• Collaborate with Search Lead to develop a search strategy
• Experience with information architecture
and content strategy design
• Experience serving as an administrator
for a semantic tool (I.e. SharePoint, Wiki,
CMS)
• Experience with leading a content
governance board
• Experience with information architecture
and taxonomy design
• Experience serving as an administrator
for a semantic tool (I.e. PoolParty)
• Experience with leading a taxonomy
governance board
Serve as an enterprise-wide lead in establishing and maintaining content and taxonomy best practices.
Content
Taxonomy
Content
Taxonomy

13. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES – BOUNDARIES
Do we have
the
resourcing?
Do we have
the
authority?
Assign
Develop
Hire
Ask / Request
Do
Take / Claim

14. KM INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT

15. NEXT STEPS TO CONSIDER
Areas of responsibilities
depend on the prioritized
initiatives:
• Core
• Supplementary
Determine which KM
organizational model fits
your organization:
• Tight vs. Loose
governance
• Centralized vs.
Decentralized
• Servant vs.
Authoritarian
Select people based on:
• Their interest in
serving in the role
• Current expertise
and capabilities
Design and implement a
capabilities assessment
to inform your
development activities.
Learn your KM Team’s
preferences for learning
and developing in order
to improve their ability to
serve in their roles.
CONDUCT AN
ORGANIZATIONAL
ANALYSIS
PRIORITIZE KM
INITIATIVES
ASK FOR
VOLUNTEERS /
ASSIGN ROLES
ASSESS KM
LEADERSHIP TEAM
MEMBER
EXPERTISE,
EXPERIENCE, AND
CAPABILITIES
DEVELOP, TRAIN,
AND COACH TEAM
MEMBERS