Mike put together one of the best readers on KM and strategy some years ago partly sponsored by the IKM. I'm looking forward to his updated thinking. He is referencing the received wisdom of the early days of KM that managing KM would improve strategy and arguing that all his work later shows that this has not happened. A recent exercise (survey technique) showed that there is no correlation between KM and financial performance, but they did find a relationship between KM practices and better performance of strategy, which in turn imp[acts on financial performance. In order to make it happen (he argues) you have to find very specific leverage points. This is emergent wisdom: I think this means he thinks it is the right thing starts with the strategy
OK with have an Iceberg on the screen now, the surface visibility is products and services, knowledge is the stuff under the water. Arguing from product/marketing positions to knowledge positions in which I compete on what I know. Nice phrase, how about first learner advantage not first mover advantage. I like that. He has done some post IKM work with Buckman Labs (Bob is one of the true greats of KM) where Bob argues (and has proved in practice) that if you have knowledge and learning superiority you can maintain competitive.
We are now getting into the What you should do part of this presentation. Basic proposation: Knowledge strategy is not KM but creates a strategic argument for KM. This means looking at three things: what we must know, what we know and what our competitors know. From this we look to the internal and external strategic knowledge gaps and how are these aligned with out knowledge and learning management initiatives. OK this is all good stuff, a bit motherhood and apple pie but no bad thing, sometimes people (especially KM people) get swept up in enthusiasm for the subject and forget it has to have a purpose.
Interesting two by two (but it flashed by too quickly to record) about different types of KM work showing that most KM is not strategic, but functional. I buy that its been one of the problems and its getting worse with the strong IT links.
Another great Motherhood and apple pie statement: if you want to innovate you have to know some different things. I would add or know what you know in different ways, but this is critical. Another great idea, differentiate your markets based on what you can learn from them, not what you can earn from them. If you can learn faster than the competitors then you own that market.
Now some real meat. If you outsource, then the less you know and the more you rely on the outsourcing companies, who are doing the learning for you and may not be aware of that learning or may want to charge you for it. Fully agree with that, outsourcing has gone too far, too focused on commoditisation of knowledge. I always argued that one of the worst phrases you can hear is strategic focus; it damages diversity in practice, as it is always taken to excess. Basic argument here is to argue that learning and KM are strategic and you may be listened too.
Concluding know with some recent research on Does knowledge make a competitive difference. Doing field research (sic) in the wheat industry (groans all round). Good research subject as everything (including who you sell to) is in common, the only difference is knowledge. Will be interested to see what comes out of this.
We are now into questions - key from Joe on the short termism which leads to outsourcing as a fast fix on cash flow and a route to the Executive Villa (I like that). This is one of the big issues in the US and UK (as well as elsewhere) the short termism. You go to Singapore you will see multi-year investments ...
Comments (13)
dave -- when you get a moment, how are you doing the real time blogging? i have an image of you in a conference room typing while the presentation is going on (including finding links) and then posting as soon as it is over. any more to the logistics of live blogging than that?
Posted by christopher bellavita | October 1, 2007 9:09 PM
Posted on October 1, 2007 21:09
Immediately after my question to you about live blogging, i came across a "Tips for conference bloggers" link on the Ted blog (http://blog.ted.com/2007/10/how_to_blog_a_c.php)
Posted by christopher bellavita | October 1, 2007 9:15 PM
Posted on October 1, 2007 21:15
"Basic proposation: Knowledge strategy is not KM but creates a strategic argument for KM. This means looking at three things: what we must know, what we know and what our competitors know. From this we look to the internal and external strategic knowledge gaps and how are these aligned with out knowledge and learning management initiatives."
Dave, this sounds like the old 'as is/to be/gap analysis' approach. How does this fit with the organisation evolving to a future that was unknowable at the start? Apologies if I paraphrase you incorrectly.
Posted by Toby | October 2, 2007 2:13 AM
Posted on October 2, 2007 02:13
Christopher - you image is sort of correct. I took notes and made comments on each talk as it happened, then posted at the end of the session without revision. The tips web site is a good one by the way -.
Toby - I agree with you, I am summarising Mike's comments. I think it the approach would help executives think about the process of a knowledge based business (and I liked that aspect of Mike's lecture). But yes this is systems based strategy not complexity
Posted by Dave Snowden | October 2, 2007 12:05 PM
Posted on October 2, 2007 12:05
Dave:
I saw you typing during the presentations. Now I get it! You may need to digest and revise, but a great mode of communication.
Regarding 'system based' vs complexity, as you know I have been writing about how organizations deal with indeterminacy for a number of years, and fully subcribe to your view. (Yours was a great presentation, btw). But there is only so much one can say in one presentation, unless you are the keynote speaker :). But I agree that it sounded a lot more tidy than it really is, and how one puts this into action requires dealing with the mess. A lot of this has to do with what we think of as the "strategy formulation" process, and that process should look a lot more like what you were talking about than the classic strategic gaps analysis. I wrote something about strategy as conversation a few years back, and that gets closer to what you are talking about. But that's another 45 minute presentation.
Posted by Mike Zack | October 2, 2007 4:23 PM
Posted on October 2, 2007 16:23
So in order to discuss the rationale for KM to my CFO, I need to be able to explain second-order effects within (a) complex system(s)? I think part of my head just exploded.
This does help me, greatly, and captures the reason my CFO and I have been talking past each other for most of this Summer. I'll be talking with him again today, and your timing of this post is exquisite. Thank you!
And yes, I will capture the results of that conversation to share with those around the commons.
Posted by JB | October 2, 2007 4:51 PM
Posted on October 2, 2007 16:51
Dave, your summaries are great. Now I am torn (having attended the meeting and assembled several pages of handwritten notes); do I adopt your take on the presentations or my own? Guess this requires some strategic normalization of data>information>knowledge. The day was highly energized not just by all the speakers but also the questions and comments from the audience. Thank you for putting a strong bit of punctuation on so much of what we try to resolve in our 24+ Boston KM Forum meetings each year. The commentary and presentations will feed our topic list for many years to come.
Posted by Lynda Moulton | October 2, 2007 9:01 PM
Posted on October 2, 2007 21:01
Dave,
I wonder if you saw this recent post from Tony Karrer (http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2007/09/km-20-enterprise-20-elearning-20-worlds.html) who mulls over the connections between Learning2.0, KM2.0 and Enterprise2.0 and points out that DevLearn 2007 & KM World 2007 are both in San Jose, Nov. 6-8. Even both in the downtown area, before offering an open invitation to KM bloggers who are attending to join the DevLearners for Beer and Bloggers on Nov. 7. I wish I could be there - as far as I am concerned, KM and Learning are two sides of the same coin and I try to attend as many KM events as I do Learning events - but I would only end up sitting somewhere between the two conferences unable to decide which one to attend! I hope you get/take the chance to meet up with Tony Karrer and some of the other excellent Learning bloggers attending DevLearn (http://www.elearningguild.com/content.cfm?selection=doc.395&templateid=4). You might even agree to post a notice on Cognitive Edge, linking to Tony's post?
Posted by Martin Mackain-Bremner | October 14, 2007 8:25 AM
Posted on October 14, 2007 08:25
I saw it Martin and posted a note to the effect that I was open to the ida
I think something is being set up
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Posted on October 14, 2007 09:47
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