A study of senior Knowledge and Information Management professionals within the professional services sector by TFPL Recruitment and Sue Hill Recruitment highlighted the adoption of AI and digitisation in the sector, in addition to the continued importance of skills development, talent attraction and retention. Lee and Neil will look at how Knowledge and Information Management teams are transforming in what is arguably the most exciting time in the profession’s history.

1. Professional Services Survey

2. SURVEY OVERVIEW
• Survey of sentiment of senior KIM professionals (end
2017)
• Respondent profile
Heads/Directors of Information Services/ Knowledge
Management
Typical respondent has 2-5 staff and £1m-£5m budget
All professional services

4. SUMMARY
• KIM as a profession
• Valued company resource
• Budgets
• Digitisation and AI are challenges but also opportunities
• Those with more resources are being proactive. Smaller firms waiting for
best practice and proven solutions to emerge
• 2:1
• TOP CHALLENGES:
– Talent attraction and retention
– Skills development

5. CORE SERVICES

6. Attitudes to Knowledge and Information Management in Professional Services Firms
• The majority of departments report at a senior level within the firm either directly to
the Managing Partner or the board, with the remainder reporting to a non-board level
Director or Partner.
• Knowledge and Information Management teams within Professional Services firms have
the ear of the most important people within these firms.
• There was an even split between firms where Knowledge and Information is seen as an
essential core business service and where it is seen as a necessary but expensive
business cost.

7. Either way, KIM teams are
perceived as being important
An indication that KIM teams are valued and are seen as
important is the fact that over half of the responses indicated
they had received an increase of budget, and a further 40%
anticipating a continuing increase over the next 12 months.
This did not necessarily correlate with an increase in
headcount, which would indicate the increased budget was
used to increase resources.

8. Knowledge and Information Management services really are
stepping up to the challenges posed by increased digitisation and
the rise of Artificial Intelligence.
Unsurprisingly, given the potential threat AI and the digitisation of
the profession poses to professional services, many firms are
proving to be well ahead of the curve in terms of developing their
own solutions.
As you would expect, it tends to be the larger firms with their
greater resources who are taking the lead, whilst other, generally
smaller firms are taking a more cautious approach until proven
technology and solutions emerge.

9. AI in professional services firms is focused on automating the
previously manual, and therefore time consuming, processes of
document review, content extraction and search activities.
Automation is reducing activities which may take multiple hours of
staff time to a matter of minutes, or even seconds.
This results in a significant reduction in costs, leading to more
productive allocation of staff hours.
There is a potential downside to this, with a possible reduction in
staffing requirements for firms in other areas of their business,
which is a threat currently being addressed across professional
services.
This is one of the challenges the KIM sector faces.

10. What are the key challenges
facing your department?

11. PROFILE A
• Grounding in traditional skills and L&I qual.
• Strong communication skills
• Confidence to work directly and partner with people
• Enthusiasm and passion for the profession
• Desire and flexibility to learn new skills
• Desire to work pro-actively & build relationships

12. What are the key priorities for your
department over the next 12 months?

13. 21 years ago, TFPL produced a report for a global law
firm advising on how it should implement a KM
strategy.
One of the core components of the report was around
skills development, not just within the department but
also crucially firm wide.
Because skills are never static and continually evolve –
the ongoing high level of focus on skills development is
pleasing to see.
However….

14. “People don’t buy what
you do, they buy why you
do it”
- Simon Sinek

16. Most people
communicate from the
outside in.
Inspired communicators
communicate from the
inside out.

17. When we communicate from the
outside in, people can
understand vast amounts of
data, facts and figures, it just
doesn’t influence behaviour.
When we communicate from the
inside out, we are talking to the
part of the brain that controls
behaviour.

18. Specialist consultants in Knowledge
& Information Management
TFPL Recruitment
Private sector specialist
020 7378 7068
Lee.Seymour@tfpl.com
Neil.Currams@tfpl.com
Sue Hill Recruitment
Public sector specialists
020 7378 7068
Liz.Penemo@Suehill.com
Daniel.Rose@Suehill.com
Shelley.king@Suehill.com

19. Images:
Results are in: https://www.tulsanewcomersclub.com/resources/Pictures/survey%20results.jpg
You are valued: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/20d9c6_b96e002a506848dab8ba468377015db1~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_498,h_664,al_c,q_90/file.jpg
AI: http://www.worldforum.ai/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/World-AI-Forum-Symbol.png
Harry Kane
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjtx6aIjfnbAhUBnBQKHSFIBLUQjRx6BAgBEA
U&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ibtimes.co.uk%2Fharry-kane-scores-debut-goal-england-ease-victory-over-lithuania-
1493924&psig=AOvVaw0rt3CkZtchQm9jiMTb87kp&ust=1530369567512003
Ronaldo
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjW_7HEi4DcAhVCQBQKHdbiATYQjRx6BAgB
EAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skysports.com%2Ffootball%2Fnews%2F13954%2F10817089%2Fcristiano-ronaldo-into-all-time-top-10-international-
goalscorers&psig=AOvVaw0i0yGskDg1txIjd5Qk4YD-&ust=1530609344383085