2010 NovemberDate Archive

Harvesting Knowledge

By: Jennifer Crippen 3 Comments
12 Nov

There are many similarities of how we practice Knowledge Management and how we tend to our gardens. Saving the environment using sustainable practices is now becoming more popular. As families start to plant home gardens, you can see how these practices are similar to Knowledge Management in the Support and Self Service industry.

Planting the crops can be compared to creating Knowledge. There are conditions to consider in the planning stage because it is relational to what is happening in that moment… what season it is, what to harvest, what type of soil or sunlight is needed. This is similar to how we decide when and how to create Knowledge for our self-service sites… Who is the target audience, what type of Knowledge structure should be used, does it fill a gap and is the end result one or many satisfied users?

Once the garden is planted, there is a requirement to nurture and care for it to help it become a valuable commodity. This includes watering, weeding and managing overgrowth’s in order to allow the plants to flourish with fruit. The same focus occurs with caring for Knowledge. It needs to be reviewed, updated and improved in order to build its value and prepare it for mass consumption.

The most satisfying part is the Harvest. The harvest marks the end of the growing season and stimulates the sharing process… you prepare, cook, season and share the crops from the garden. This relates to the publishing and sharing portion of the Knowledge Management process. Knowledge is created, nurtured and harvested for consumption and reuse.

In either example, the processes are not always easy. The world today is moving more and more towards a focus on sustainable process and practices –with overwhelming acceptance. Maybe we can learn from one practice to help us do a better job at the other? No matter if you are sharing the crops from your garden or sharing your Knowledge, the end result is fulfillment and satisfaction.

Reaching Out To Managers

By: David Kay 1 Comment
3 Nov
Millau Bridge

Photo credit: Millau Bridge, tibchris. Creative commons, some rights reserved.

As knowledge people, we spend lots of time on PowerPoint decks for executives explaining the benefits and ROI of our work.  We generally spend some time thinking about how we’re going to get staff aligned, too.  We do communications plans, talk about what’s-in-it-for-me, and build recognition programs.

What we don’t do, nearly enough, is focus on the managers.

I feel for the managers we work with.  Here they are, doing their best to satisfy more and more customers, with increasingly complex problems, and little extra funding.  Again and again, they’re told their team needs to participate in new initiatives…any one of which would be great, but taken as a whole, it’s just overwhelming.  And few look as overwhelming as knowledge.

As knowledge professionals, we know that knowledge really isn’t a new initiative.  It’s a new way of doing business, and it’s going to really help support managers.  They’ll have more efficient staff, because they’ll all rely on the organization’s collective wisdom.  They’ll have happier customers, receiving shorter resolutions and talking with more knowledgeable people.  The team will be happier, with better work-life balance, opportunities to do new things, and fewer redundant cases.   Self-service works, too:  As one engineer told me, “I love helping people when I sleep!”

So we know it’s all good news for managers.  But don’t expect to show them your PowerPoints and have them applaud.  They’re stretched to the breaking point, and all they’ll hear, at first, is that we’re asking for more.

Slow down and take the time to have the conversations.