Creating a robust framework for new knowledge creation

Some organizations become so focused on analyzing the past and documenting every possible learning or best practice, that they neglect to foster creative design energies and focus on the future. But a supply side of knowledge that's limited to a backward-looking view cannot deliver the full benefits of KM.

In the latest issue of KM Review, Raj Datta of Mindtree Consulting argues that, to keep pace with global market dynamics, an explicit focus on creating the supply of new knowledge has to be encouraged.

“New knowledge creation is about the future. It's about possibilities and alternatives. It's about doing things differently and unleashing creative energies. It's about innovating,” he writes.  

Here are his suggestions for putting in place a framework for new knowledge creation that aims to enhance the supply side of knowledge and to encourage quality and volume in submitted ideas.

1. Focus on ideation

Ideation is the first step in the whole process of innovation, says Datta. A good way to judge whether a company is serious about innovation is to see what happens to ideas in that company. Some indicative questions are: Who is responsible for generating ideas? Once generated, how are ideas transformed to inventions? If these questions have been explicitly considered, then chances are that the first step towards a generative view of KM strategy has been taken. This shows that the company values knowledge creation.

2. Look beyond the usual places for new ideas

If the R&D department is viewed as the place where ideation happens and inventions take place, then we are again limiting the potential of tapping into the collective creative energies of the organization. R&D personnel are not the only ones with ideas and creative minds, and open processes should exist to tap into the collective capabilities of employees.

3. Be practical and collaborative

As well as creative minds that generate ideas, says Datta, “we also need minds that know how to transform wild ideas into feasible implementation projects and we need minds that are able to understand market potential and how to tap into it.” In short, ideas should be transformed to inventions and then inventions to innovations, tapping into the collective insights and capabilities of complementary minds. Base skills, competences and strengths may differ across employees, and by themselves have limited use, but the power of tapping into their collaborative capability is tremendous, he says.

4. Foster an environment where creativity thrives

Typically, organizations don’t invest enough effort in understanding or influencing the working of the mind. Individuals need to be empowered with thinking tools and techniques that enhance the fertility and productivity of their minds. These techniques are wide ranging, because individuals are unique and, at any point in time, may need different techniques to be more productive. Some of these techniques include visual thinking, storytelling, systems thinking, brainstorming, problem formulation, perception mapping, lateral thinking and so on.

5. Harness the power of technology

“Today, with the popularity of Web 2.0 technology spreading, it’s not very difficult to facilitate new knowledge creation through an intranet site,” says Datta. MindTree, for example, has built a system called Neuron for handling the lifecycle of an idea, from inception to deployment. This allows anyone to submit ideas, and once submitted, they are visible to everyone in MindTree (unless they are marked as patentable) who can collectively give their views on the idea and also assign them ratings.

Until next month,
Jessica

Email activism, laziness, informal networks, and a whole load more
Alex Manchester, The Melcrum Blog, May 5 2008

Ex-editor of KM Review, Alex Manchester recalls a podcast discussion between himself, Matt Moore, knowledge manager at ASIC, Patrick Lambe at Green Chameleon and IBM social media evangelist Luis Suarez, on all the above.

Read more  

Revitalizing the task of searching for know-how
Anne Halpern, KM Review, May/June, 2008

Lawyers at leading law firm Norton Rose expect to be able to get hold of information as and when they need it. Here, Ann Halpern explains how the firm replaced a struggling know-how repository with a whole new system that encompasses the latest in cutting-edge search technology.

Read now  

Global Intranet Benchmarking Survey
Terri McKinnon, Melcrum's Communicators' Network, May 1, 2008

Terri McKinnon from Intranet Dashboard in Australia asks if you'd like to participate in a global intranet usage and trends survey, which will look at key benchmark information. Results will be shared.

Join the discussion  

Communication needs to move away from the "news paradigm"
Charlie Nordblom, The Melcrum Podcast, May 7, 2008

Charlie Bordblom, vice president strategic internal communications at Volvo, says communicators need to stick with corporate messages and follow them through, rather than put them out as "news", and watch them die out within a few days.

Listen now  

Thomson Reuters gets tough on personal blogging
The Internal Comms Hub, May 1, 2008

International media and news agency, Thomson Reuters, has published new guidelines for employees engaged in blogging and writing on the web.

Read more

The Source for Communicators is a free resource for corporate communicators from Melcrum Publishing.
Melcrum Publishing Ltd, The Glassmills, 322b King Street, London, W6 0AX, UK
Melcrum Publishing, 449 N. Clark, Suite 305, Chicago, IL 60654, USA
Melcrum Publishing, Level 12, 95 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia

Copyright Melcrum Publishing Limited 2008.