What is knowledge management?
- Have you ever achieved something that is really important to you because of a lucky find of information or a chance meeting - maybe just in the nick of time?
- Have you ever had an idea come from ‘left field’ that really was the ‘ticket’ ?
- Have you ever had the feeling that you just KNOW someone has done this before, but you don’t know who, or how to find them?
If you answer ‘Yes’ to any of these, then you already understand the value of knowledge, and the frustrations that can come from inability to access knowledge.
Knowledge Management is about systematically making use of the knowledge in the organization, and applying it to YOUR business problem; tapping into ‘What your organization knows’ to help you deliver your business results.
It consists of never making the same mistake once (let alone twice), and making every decision in the light of the full knowledge base of the organization.
The management of knowledge needs to be part of your normal business practices, just like the management of finance and the management of safety.