The previous post described two questions often asked about knowledge services: “How do I describe knowledge services?” and “How does knowledge services work?”
In responding to the second question, we try to give the person asking the question an opportunity to apply knowledge services in a real-life situation. In my opinion the process is relatively simple, and I provide this outline when I talk about how knowledge services works:
- A knowledge-sharing problem or a proposed knowledge-sharing innovation is identified. Here’s what you do:
a. Define the problem or articulate the proposed innovation
b. Describe the background — how did the subject come up?
c. Focus on the “why?” — Why solve the problem or undertake the innovation? What will be the benefit?
- Conduct a knowledge audit/evaluation/assessment. Among the points to be addressed:
a. Whose work is affected by the problem or would be affected by the proposed innovation? How?
b. Identify knowledge-sharing gaps.
c. Identify related procedures that are working well — can these be replicated to solve the problem or to implement the innovation?
d. Use the audit findings to establish recommendations.
- Develop a knowledge services strategy. Use these steps as your strategy development road map:
a. Establish how each knowledge services element (information management, KM, and strategic learning) contributes to the solution or supports the proposed innovation.
b. Determine how each knowledge services element affects the removal (or lessens the impact) of identified barriers or impediments?
c. Will change is required? If so, will change management be accepted and the change implemented?
d. Likewise, determine if the solution to the problem or the implementation of the innovation requires training/strategic learning; if so, how will the training/strategic learning process be managed?
e. Create a feedback loop by assigning metrics to enable the organization to measure the efficacy of the implemented knowledge services solution or the proposed innovation.
- Devise an implementation plan for your knowledge services strategy; your responses to these questions provide your deliverable:
a. What recommended actions will be proposed?
b. What is a reasonable timeline for completing these actions?
c. What resources will be required (staff time, new staff, financial resources, etc.)?
d. Who owns the strategy? Who has implementation responsibility and oversight?
Guy St. Clair teaches at Columbia University in the City of New York. His subject is knowledge services, an approach to managing intellectual capital that merges information management (including technology management), knowledge management, and strategic learning. He is the author of Knowledge Services: A Strategic Framework for the 21st Century Organization (Munich: De Gruyter, 2016).
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