Elevator Questions

1. "I see from your transcripts that you took a course in KM. What is KM?"

· To define knowledge management, it is first important to define the difference between knowledge and information. Knowledge is a subset of information and can be described information that has been applied and processed. Knowing how to use information is knowledge. So KM is the process of managing this knowledge so that it can be stored and re-used by an individual or organization.
· There are many definitions for KM and most involve a process of acquiring, structuring, storing, and publishing knowledge. Knowledge management can involve systems, technology, and processes. Personal and organizational problems can stem from a lack of KM and KM can in turn solve those problems.

2. "Tell me how you would apply KM in my organization."
· KM can be applied in many different ways in an organization, but it really depends on the organizational needs and issues. I would start by asking you what are your problems, and then I could recommend how KM systems may be able to fix them. KM is not a set of specific technologies and one size does not fit all.
· For example, if your problem was a lack of trained personnel, I would ask why that is and first try to get to the root cause. Then I could recommend a process or a technology that could help.
· Every company uses KM to some degree. Having written procedures or a intranet portal can be a form of KM. More robust technologies are available to help manage the knowledge within an organization, but again, they should relate to the organizational need.

3. "What KM technologies would you recommend here?"

· As stated in the last question, there are many technologies available and a solution should be tailored based on the organization and the need. There is no one technology that can solve all your problems. I would be more than happy to try to help you evaluate the issues and choose the best for your company. The main reason for knowledge management is to address issues with capturing knowledge. Technologies do not have to be sophisticated, but the change must be accepted by your company.
· Many KM technologies like email, portals, search engines, and document storage are widely used, but may need to be revamped in order to capture and disseminate the knowledge of employees.

4. "KM sounds great, but how do I justify KM here?"

· To justify KM, you simply need to ask yourself what is your biggest asset. Likely in the service industry, 99 percent of people would say that it is their resources. So if your resources or intellectual capital is the most important thing to your company, I would ask how you are managing, storing, internally-sharing, and retrieving your largest asset? This is how KM can be justified. It is about retaining corporate knowledge and making the best use of what your people know so that it can be reused by others in your company.
· KM may be incorporated in existing technologies like email or document storage and justifying the cost is like any other projects. The benefits must be quantified and measured. A KM strategy and plan is the first step in justifying the need to formal KM systems.

5. "KM sounds great, but what KM metrics do you recommend?"

· KM metrics are used to quantify the value and effectiveness of KM initiatives. The KM strategy that I discussed earlier should dictate what metrics are important. If your company has problems with training new employees, then metrics around the time and effort taken to train employees would be important. Metrics must be continually evaluated and used for improvement. They are the means to know if KM is working and must be aligned with the organizational objectives. Every organization will have different metrics and the correct ones for your company must help it improve and evaluate the KM initiates.

6. "Tell me the main barriers to adopting KM I can anticipate. How would you overcomethem?"

· Managing the change of any systems is a major barrier. Most people do not like change and will resist. People need to see what is in it for them. Change management must work hand-in-hand when any new systems are introduced.
· Additionally, a lack of communication and incentives to use KM and it’s technologies often makes people resist KM. Again, the need for KM must be communicated and business processes must integrate the technologies. Incentive can be given to employees for contributing to the effort.
· Many forms of knowledge is very difficult to capture. Tacit knowledge by definition is not easily articulated. Teaching people how they learn and how to teach can help to overcome this obstacle. When training a new employee, the new employee may be able to articulate knowledge learned more easily than the teacher.
· Certain people do not want to be known as an expert or want to share knowledge if they are an expert. People don’t want to be pigeon-holed into doing the same job over and over. In technology, changes are continuous an overachievers want to learn something new and not work on the same thing repeatedly. Additionally, many people are afraid to share what they know for the think that they will not longer be needed if others can access their knowledge. The organization must reward individuals for contributions and find new ways for people to advance.