KnowConnect PLLC 2009

Knowledge Management:Addressing Business Imperatives

Vincent I. Polley

Sound Familiar? Why do we keep having to re-learn this? How do I know where to find this knowledge? Someone mentioned that to me the other day; now

who was it? Someone must have done this before – but who? When she left, she took all that knowledge with her. It was pure luck that I met him – he had just the

answer I was looking for. That went very well – how do we repeat that

success? We made this mistake in our other office, too.

If only…

If only we all knew what we each know.

If only we could find it when we need it.

If only we could learn who knows what.

If only we never forgot.

Knowledge Management

What is “knowledge”?

What is knowledge management?

Why do KM? Why now?

Examples: Schlumberger/BP and The World Bank

How to plan and implement a successful KM system

Information Knowledge Cases, Statutes, Treatises,

Law Reviews Work product: forms,

samples, checklists and precedents; files

Corporate records (Articles, Minutes, etc.)

Phone lists, calendars Law firm lists Presentations Legal websites Client information Policies Judges

What is useful, what is not? What was the context?

Where is it? Quality of materials Advice you have given Who has done it before? Who knows who? Who is the expert? Who is

good, who is not? Presentation notes Missteps you have made Missteps others have made What has worked and what

has not? And, why?

Knowledge Management Definition

Systematic approaches to help information and knowledge emerge and flow to the right people at the right time in the right context in the right amount at the right cost

… so they can act more efficiently and effectively.

The United States Army

A vision of how it works

Prof. John HendersonBoston University

1998

“What does the Army know about hurricane clean-up?”

Organizational KM Drivers Cost Pressures

Efficiency and Consistency

Compliance Initiatives

Flexibility and Responsiveness

Training and Learning

Recruiting and Retaining

People

Knowledge

Workplace and Professional Satisfaction

Examples Training new employees (e.g., making them more effective, faster) Control or reduction of external spending Use/re-use of work-product (whether internally developed, or by

external service providers)—efficiency, consistency Reallocation of lower-value work to junior staff, freeing senior

professionals Being able more effectively to compete with other employers for

quality professionals Anticipating an “age bubble” of senior, experienced employees who

will be retiring Closing/opening offices; moving staff closer to clients Adding new department services; supporting new business services Facilitating more dynamic work-allocation among existing

professionals Improving morale; reducing attrition; promoting career development

KnowConnect PLLC 2008

Alignment Discussion What is driving the need for better knowledge sharing? What’s keeping the CEO awake at night? What’s keeping the business managers awake at night?

Reducing cost Increasing efficiency Improving products & services Making better, faster decisions Professional and career development Time to competence Post-acquisition integration Innovation Productivity Information overload What else?

...and is there a KM component in possible solutions? What are the critical processes that suffer

most from information and knowledge gaps?

Main Factors in KM Delivery

People (culture)

TechnologyProcess

Cannot communicate (quickly or broadly enough)

Nobody is doing it

Do not know how to start

KM

Degree of Difficulty

Technology

Process

People(culture)

People (culture)

Process

TechnologyStore and distribute knowledge assets, email threads, etc. Connect people.

Simple, natural processes - e.g., Peer Assists, AARs, Retrospects, Knowledge Exchanges, Interviews.

Setting examples for others; consistent communication plan; Incentives and direction to share. E.g., bonuses, visible recognition.

Main Factors in KM Delivery

KM Elements Developing and using knowledge assets Organizing and presenting knowledge assets to

users efficiently Systematically hosting tacit knowledge (who and

what you know) Building and fostering communities of practice

around operationally-important themes and areas of responsibility

Enabling collaboration (within communities of practice and larger communities)

Capturing and validating incidental knowledge produced as a by-product of community collaboration

Nurturing a cooperative culture

The Knowledge Iceberg

Explicit knowledge written, codified,

stored

Conscious tacit things you know

you know, things you tell others

Unconscious tacit Deep knowledge

things you don’t know you know, instincts. Gold dust!

Similar Initiatives

Total Quality Management/Six Sigma

Health, Safety, Environment

These succeeded when they were embedded in the organization’s culture.

They became recognized contributors to the bottom line.

Is KM Technology?

No – technology only helps facilitate KM

Classic KM techniques (Peer Assists, Connecting People,

AARs, Retrospects, and creation of Knowledge Assets) do not require technology at all

Technology can provide a force-multiplier … “the tipping point”

Technology … typically not more than 30% of KM costs

Communities and

Networks

Peer Assist RetrospectAAR

Knowledge Assets

KM in the Workflow

Teams andDepartments

Goals Results

Learnduring

Learnafter

Learnbefore

Leveraging

Knowledge

Schlumberger’s Legal KM Effort

Technology

Communities of Practice

Prior Projects Lessons Learned

Alignment with business (and operations management)

Make sure people’s names are attached to the knowledge (e.g., in Knowledge Assets)

Burn some bridges! Communities work best when managed

least

More Focus On: Training Basic KM techniques (AARs, Peer

Assists, Retrospects) embed these in the process

Reinforcing lessons and examples; raise trust & confidence levels

Define KM “roles” Culture barriers vs. enablers

Degree of Difficulty

Technology

Process

People(culture)

Culture: Shifting from Barriers to Enablers

Knowledge is power

Building empires

Individual work bias

Local focus

Not invented here

Outside knowledge

Penalizing errors

Not paid to share

No time to share

Power = KnowledgeShared

Building new relationships

Team/collaborative bias

Network focus

No single-source solutions

Seeking learning from others

Learn from missteps

Reward sharing

Sharing is part of the job

Getting the Balance Right

People (culture)

TechnologyProcess

“Managing knowledge is 20% about technical solutions, and 80% about people management and cultural issues.”

-Stephen Denning(World Bank)

How to do KM Efficiently and SuccessfullyBe Systematic: Assess Select Define Execute (and Train) Operate

Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control

Planning

Execute

Learn

Input Plan

Planning

Input Plan

ExecuteLearnExecute

Learn

Input Plan

Assessment Process

Baseline (for improvement measure) Benchmark (for comparisons) Strengths Weaknesses

question10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Learning before

Learning during

Learning after

CoPs Knowledge assets

Business alignment

Knowledge roles

People Process Technology Environment

Assessment Example

9

Time

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

S

co

reBenchmarking & Predictions

Relative Difficulty

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

0 2 4 6 8 10

Rel

ati

ve I

mp

act

BOSTON SQUARE - Specific Initiatives

Focus on those withhigh impact, that are

easier to do

Provide a clear, articulated message from the GC and senior staff – one that the entire ExComm can all agree upon and support – on what information can and should be shared electronically, within policy and legal requirements.

Highimpact

Lowerimpact

Relatively easy Relatively hard

21

11

3

15

6

12

42

26

31

25

20

41

37

38

22

17

5

Use a gated process to create a KM plan

Training on Word and email client, e.g., threaded discussion folders

Create demonstration KAs (e.g., stock acquisition protocol and learnings)

Complete an online yellow

pages

Highimpact

Lowerimpact

Relatively easy Relatively hard

21

11

3

15

6

12

42

26

31

25

20

41

37

38

22

17

5

Hold a CoP kick-off event, training for two or three CoPs

Hold Strategic Workshop, draft a KM plan, select pilot/demo projects, transfer skills

Invite greater participation in process design and involvement by other peer entities

For More Information on KM

Polley, "Share the Wealth: What Knowledge Management Could Mean to your Legal Department"

ABA Business Law TodayNov/Dec 2003

http://www.abanet.org/buslaw/blt/2003-11-12/polley.shtml

and

www.knowconnect.com

Questions & Discussion

More questions? Contact me.