Summary second week: Benefits and added values of KM

The topic of this 2nd week was: "Benefits and added values of Knowledge Management (KM)", following two main questions:

• What are the benefits and added values of KM in its three dimensions (at personal, organizational and network level)?
• Which benefits do you consider most helpful for each of these three dimensions, and why?

We received a total of 28 contributions coming from 16 different participants. The fact that benefits are obvious, as mentioned by one of the participants, could be the reason for receiving fewer comments.

It proved difficult to summarize contributions and place them in Weggeman’s Knowledge Value Chain (KVC), because that model helps to set up and manage a KM plan, whereas benefits and added values are the output of a well working KVC.

Therefore, we used the three levels of KM (personal, organization and network) as the red thread for this week’s summary.

In addition, you will find general remarks at the beginning and lessons learnt at the end of this summary.

General remarks:

One of the obvious benefits here is the fact that knowledge is used better and spread further: KM bridges generations, as it preserves and transmits knowledge from older generations to new generations;

Most participants indeed explicitly mentioned benefits associated with sharing knowledge (multiplication effect). KM helps to avoid reinventing the wheel.

Besides knowledge sharing, quite a few contributions pointed at the benefit of developing new knowledge or in other words inventing a new and different type of wheel;

In line with developing knowledge, KM brings innovative, out-of-the-box and creative culture and skills; that and the flexibility that KM provides are seen as essential benefits, because they provide quicker and better decision-making in an increasingly uncertain environment;

Other areas of KM, such as analyzing the knowledge gap, applying knowledge required and evaluating new knowledge were not discussed much but were implied in the contributions;

Underlying the discussion were KM-enabling factors such as a knowledge sharing culture, participatory approaches, low hierarchy, transparency, changes in the power structure etc.

These enabling factors that are necessary for KM are appreciated by KM practitioners: KM puts emphasis on people, regardless of their background and status, and as opposed to only systems and structures. KM recognizes the value of communication, human interactions and empathy among equals (distributed power).

At the organization and network level, effective KM can generate income, save money, raise media attention, help raise funds etc.

At personal level:

• KM allows me to learn more about my field of expertise and about other fields of expertise;
• In turn, learning more allows me to:
  - Feel more confident professionally;
  - Understand others better;
  - Change my local culture (practices, habits, customs);
  - Try out new ideas, start new endeavours.
• KM validates my simple communication, discussion and storytelling skills as effective knowledge sharing tools;

Benefits are sometimes the same at organization and network levels and sometimes they apply only for either of them, as summarized below:

Benefits common to organization and network levels:

• KM provides more clarity as to vision, mission, objectives and procedures;
• KM involves many actors but it improves interpersonal interactions, internal and external communication and it increases consensus, unity and homogeneity;
• Within KM, knowledge sharing makes for:
  - easier problem solving,
  - better and more accepted solutions (stimulated commitment);
• KM stimulates proactiveness and innovative capability by sharing more, questioning existing knowledge and environment, preparing people to change;
• As a result, KM increases efficiency (optimization of resources) it helps develop better product/service delivery, novel solutions etc.;
• In turn, KM brings a competitive edge, it strengthens the image and adds to the effectiveness/impact of an organization;

Specific to the organization level:

• KM increases the knowledge base and memory of an organization, it bridges knowledge gaps / reduces fragmentation of knowledge and prevents from reinventing the wheel;
• KM likely reduces doubt, frustration, competition and tension among colleagues;
• KM provides more continuity in the organization / less dependance on ‘experts’.

Specific to the network level:

• KM in a network gives access to a wider and deeper expertise, it bridges knowledge gaps / reduces fragmentation of knowledge and prevents from reinventing the wheel;
• KM provides better linkages with other like-minded organizations, more effective networking/coordination of network and realisation of synergies;
• KM allows knowledge sharing in a borderfree environment. It reduces the barriers of hierarchy, formality, legal structures etc.;
• KM unifies the network voice around a particular issue and so increases its attention in the media and its impact;

Lessons learnt

Enabling factors (culture of trust, cooperation, sharing, participatory management) are critical to achieve benefits and added values.

By putting emphasis on people, KM brings benefits because it taps into the knowledge and skills of people. It allows people to work as they interact outside of work and it provides therefore the culture of trust, sharing and empathy that is necessary for KM to thrive.

This chicken-and-egg situation calls for ‘learning by doing’ in a participatory way.

Once in contact, members of an organization or organizations of a same network can identify their expertise and knowledge gaps so that each unit can then give and take knowledge and improve the overall knowledge base.

Sharing knowledge should allow personal use, interpretation, work on existing knowledge (to trigger ownership process and to create new knowledge).

Because KM puts emphasis on people, monitoring indicators are often related to people as well; examples mentioned include: capacity indicators, changes in attitude, behavioural outcomes.

However they are not exclusively related to people, as other examples testify: levels of advocacy work, secured knowledge assets via patents, money saved through more efficient work processes

Other aspects of KM such as identifying knowledge gaps and assessing knowledge could be examined in more detail when it comes to success stories and scaling up KM;

In sharing our good analysis of constraints and our awareness of benefits and added values of KM, we have to strengthen KM capacities of ourselves, our organisations and our networks.

Ewen Le Borgne, moderator week 2