Organizations of all sizes and types are facing a duel threat and opportunity. At the very moment when global markets are becoming available, these organizations are losing valuable people resources due to "boomer" retirements and downsizing strategies. As the technologies arrive to facilitate knowledge sharing across organizational and people boundaries, the desire for job security is causing many employees to hold tightly to "their" business knowledge as a form of job security. When organizational knowledge erodes, organizations lose proven capabilities and eventually customers. This challenge may be one of the most significant facing organizations over the next two decades.

Written by an expert with more than 30 years of hands-on work as a consultant and educator, Managing Organizational Knowledge: 3rd Generation Knowledge Management and Beyond provides a clear, repeatable strategy for capturing organizational knowledge. It does so by first exploring the fundamental concepts that have emerged from the new discipline of Knowledge Management (KM) over the past ten years. It then provides several breakthroughs including:

A fresh, practical definition of KM

A definition of organizational knowledge based on data, information, and decision making

A proven strategy and templates for creating an inventory of significant organizational knowledge

A new, integrated KIPPAR Model that defines how to create a sustainable KM environment

A strategy where naturally occurring projects are routinely mined for contributions to an organization’s pool of intellectual assets

A series of implementation strategies for launching a KM initiative

So what makes this book different? What makes it worth reading? It provides a new perspective on KM, addressing the discipline from the perspective of a major organization; much of the previous writings in this area confuse individual knowledge with organizational knowledge. The author, Chuck Tryon, has been a consultant for major corporations since the early 1980s and has created tangible, innovative processes to help capture vital organizational knowledge, which has given him insight into the significant management challenges facing 21st century organizations—how to capture, transfer, and share meaningful knowledge that is vital to their survival. Communicating fresh concepts in this emerging field, the book distills this knowledge and helps you see where KM can take you in the future.

Table of Contents

Knowledge as an Asset—Really?

The New Realities of Knowledge Management

The Growing Knowledge Gap

Knowledge Opportunities

Return on Investment

A Call to Action

KM Beliefs

Knowledge Sharing and Reuse

Learning Organization

Best Practices

Communities of Practice

Conclusion

KM Processes

Knowledge Discovery

Knowledge Capture

Knowledge Organization

Knowledge Use

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge Retention

Conclusion

Defining Organizational Knowledge

Knowledge Categories

Explicit, Tacit, and Implicit Knowledge

Knowledge Characteristics

Why Bother?

Conclusion

Recognizing Organizational Knowledge

Data

Information

Decision Making

Conclusion

The Knowledge Retention Policy—Level One

General Management Statement

Knowledge Asset Inventory

Knowledge Areas

Knowledge Topics

Knowledge Expert

Organizational Importance

Transfer Status

Knowledge Transfer Mechanisms

KTP Activities

Conclusion

The Knowledge Retention Policy—Level Two

Documentation

Training

Apprenticeships

Mentoring/Coaching

Cross-Training

Communications

Conclusion

A Model for Managing Organizational Knowledge

KIPPAR Model

The Knowledge Inventory

The Artifacts Pillar

The Processes Pillar

The Projects Pillar

Repository Products

KM Or ECM

Conclusion

Implementation Strategies

KM Initiation Activities

KM Operational Activities

Conclusion

Knowledge Management Solutions

Functionality

Usability

Personalized Knowledge Apps

Organizational Portals

Project Portals

Conclusion

Appendix A: KM Vision Statement

Appendix B: KRP—General Management Statement

Appendix C: KRP—Intellectual Assets Inventory

Appendix D: KRP—Knowledge Transfer Details

Index

Organizations of every type struggle to remain relevant in their marketplace. They continuously strive to introduce new products and services at a rate that satisfies their customers. In their search for fresh ideas, organizations often overlook the most significant source of new thought their employees. Today s employees are knowledgeable and able to see opportunities or solutions to problems. This book describes a process for turning "great ideas" into actionable proposals. It presents a simple, but powerful set of questions that has proven to deliver a never-ending stream of inspiration to an organization. Although formal processes for project initiation, execution, and completion may be firmly embedded in an organization s project life cycle, little is said about project origins. In Project Identification, the author provides a formal process that encourages and enables all of your employees, from the corporate suite to the college hire, to participate in the innovation process. The book presents a mechanism for identifying and capturing great ideas and inspired thought as new project proposals. It provides you with a repeatable process to organize, evaluate, and then select candidate projects for initiation. In the first part of the book, the author describes the complete project life cycle and explains how the Project Identification process complements the formal Project Management methodology. The book then presents a series of questions that guide the decision-making process for identifying new projects. For each question, the author includes an example from a real proposal that demonstrates how to craft useful content. The book concludes by explaining how to capture and manage each of the formal proposals and make sure they are properly considered. It details the transition of a candidate project to a live effort, ready for project initiation. This book can help streamline how your organization conceptualizes and approves

Organizations of every type struggle to remain relevant in their marketplace. They continuously strive to introduce new products and services at a rate that satisfies their customers. In their search for fresh ideas, organizations often overlook the most significant source of new thought - their employees. Today's employees are knowledgeable and able to see opportunities or solutions to problems. This book describes a process for turning "great ideas" into actionable proposals. It presents a simple, but powerful set of questions that has proven to deliver a never-ending stream of inspiration to an organization. Although formal processes for project initiation, execution, and completion may be firmly embedded in an organization's project life cycle, little is said about project origins. In Project Identification, the author provides a formal process that encourages and enables all of your employees, from the corporate suite to the college hire, to participate in the innovation process. The book presents a mechanism for identifying and capturing great ideas and inspired thought as new project proposals. It provides you with a repeatable process to organize, evaluate, and then select candidate projects for initiation. In the first part of the book, the author describes the complete project life cycle and explains how the Project Identification process complements the formal Project Management methodology. The book then presents a series of questions that guide the decision-making process for identifying new projects. For each question, the author includes an example from a real proposal that demonstrates how to craft useful content. The book concludes by explaining how to capture and manage each of the formal proposals and make sure they are properly considered. It details the transition of a candidate project to a live effort, ready for project initiation. This book can help streamline how your organization conceptualizes and approves projects. It will help you deliver a continuous source of fresh ideas for solving your most challenging business problems.

Organizations of all sizes and types are facing a duel threat and opportunity. At the very moment when global markets are becoming available, these organizations are losing valuable people resources due to "boomer" retirements and downsizing strategies. As the technologies arrive to facilitate knowledge sharing across organizational and people boundaries, the desire for job security is causing many employees to hold tightly to "their" business knowledge as a form of job security. When organizational knowledge erodes, organizations lose proven capabilities and eventually customers. This challenge may be one of the most significant facing organizations over the next two decades. Written by an expert with more than 30 years of hands-on work as a consultant and educator, Managing Organizational Knowledge: 3rd Generation Knowledge Management and Beyond provides a clear, repeatable strategy for capturing organizational knowledge. It does so by first exploring the fundamental concepts that have emerged from the new discipline of Knowledge Management (KM) over the past ten years. It then provides several breakthroughs including: A fresh, practical definition of KM A definition of organizational knowledge based on data, information, and decision making A proven strategy and templates for creating an inventory of significant organizational knowledge A new, integrated KIPPAR Model that defines how to create a sustainable KM environment A strategy where naturally occurring projects are routinely mined for contributions to an organization's pool of intellectual assets A series of implementation strategies for launching a KM initiative So what makes this book different? What makes it worth reading? It provides a new perspective on KM, addressing the discipline from the perspective of a major organization; much of the previous writings in this