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Know your place: Roles and responsibilities in KM
Who is responsible for ensuring that KM is deeply embedded in the life and work of an organization? Who checks that KM processes are applied, that the appropriate KM technology is used and that knowledge is shared?
In the latest issue of KM Review, Nick Milton argues that this is usually a team effort – but, without clear roles and responsibilities, KM initiatives may never successfully take root.
Here are his suggestions for putting in place a KM framework in which everyone understands the role they have to play in getting the most from corporate knowledge.
- Never forget that "people power" is critical to KM
People, processes and technology all contribute to the success of KM projects – and it’s the people element that ensures their long-term success, but only if roles and accountabilities are clearly assigned. If you can get this right, says Milton, then processes will be applied, technology will be used, knowledge will be shared and reused and the business will ultimately benefit.
- Cast your net widely for a KM implementation team
During the implementation stage, KM projects require a sponsor, a project manager, steering team leaders and project team leaders drawn from many different areas of the business. This cross-function cooperation is essential in order to ensure not only that budgets are set and communicated and that key objectives are reached, but also that the KM framework under development is fully compatible with existing business structures. For example, you might have the head of IT, the head of HR, and the head of operations on the project steering team.
- Ensure widespread support for the newly established KM framework
In order to flourish, KM procedures must be supported and (where necessary) enforced across business delivery lines and support functions. These roles ensure that the business units and support functions comply with the organization’s KM expectations; that learning communities are built and maintained; and that the knowledge base is built and maintained in all key knowledge areas. Much of this work can be carried out by appointed community coordinators and subject matter experts.
- Establish a central KM team
To draw an analogy with health and safety management, you can embed safety roles in the business, but there will almost certainly be a small safety team in the corporate center to maintain the company safety management framework. So it is with KM: a small set of KM roles in the corporate center is vital to maintaining the KM framework. This team will perform three key tasks: providing tools, training and resources to the business as a whole; monitoring and measuring the application of KM across the business; and intervening where necessary to improve the KM framework.
- Support continuous improvement
KM is a very powerful way of supporting continuous improvement in business performance, provided it's deeply embedded into the way the business operates. Milton’s experiences of companies that have been successful over the long term with KM reinforces the fact that the process of embedding KM requires clear roles and accountabilities to make it work. Maybe a new awareness campaign is needed; maybe new technology is required; maybe the processes need to be tweaked and improved. By acting to fix problems and unblock the flow of knowledge, the central team can keep the framework operating smoothly.
Best regards,
Alex Manchester
Editor
alex.manchester@melcrum.com
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