Managing the learning curve

BANGALORE: An interesting talk on the importance of managing intellectual capital came from Douglas Weidner, chairman of KM Institute, on the last day of C-Change Forum 2005. He drew from his vast repertory of experiences to provide a holistic view of what knowledge is today and where knowledge management is headed.

In the modern era, knowledge has come to be treated as a product, he said. “The socially interesting activity of value creation becomes not application of knowledge but production of knowledge. Knowledge is valued less for absolute certainty (as in the Greek era) than usefulness. Certainty is unobtainable in new knowledge domains - consensus, opinions and learned best practices in complex processes are a rule today,” he said. Important truths are generally relied upon in a stated context. But contexts have variety and principles are not precise like the Phythagorean theorem, he added.

Knowledge has many attributes — states, stocks, flows, usability, modes, types, clarity, relevance and importance. “Further we each have our own perceptions and perspectives when contemplating or analysing knowledge. But most knowledge is tactic, in people's heads,” he said.

So, can knowledge be managed? It can be done through what Weidner calls knowledge processes — acquire, produce and integrate knowledge. The outcome would be organisational learning. “For strategic planning, for example, we need to go in for market research, acquire knowledge, validate and collaborate to produce K. The next step would be to publish strategic plan and transfer the K before integrating it,” he said.

Weidner advises patience as far as the KM area goes. “We must review where KM is going before we discuss the KM imperative — why we must do KM?” he opined. The need to connect and collect is stressed. Connect would mean following 'Communities of Practice' model where knowledge is shared amongst trusted individuals. “KM must harvest the community of Practice models to provide the best knowledge to the right person at the right time. The process-based knowledge has to be collected; same is the case for work break down structure — the who, what and when for each activity,” he said.

The knowledge imperative, he concluded, derives from a firm conviction by the top management about, and a commitment to the necessity to move forward and create a learning organization to manage knowledge now.