1st Edition

Managing Organizational Knowledge 3rd Generation Knowledge Management and Beyond

By Charles A. Tryon, Jr. Copyright 2012
    148 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    148 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Organizations of all sizes and types are facing a duel threat and opportunity. At the very moment when global markets are becoming available, these organizations are losing valuable people resources due to "boomer" retirements and downsizing strategies. As the technologies arrive to facilitate knowledge sharing across organizational and people boundaries, the desire for job security is causing many employees to hold tightly to "their" business knowledge as a form of job security. When organizational knowledge erodes, organizations lose proven capabilities and eventually customers. This challenge may be one of the most significant facing organizations over the next two decades.

    Written by an expert with more than 30 years of hands-on work as a consultant and educator, Managing Organizational Knowledge: 3rd Generation Knowledge Management and Beyond provides a clear, repeatable strategy for capturing organizational knowledge. It does so by first exploring the fundamental concepts that have emerged from the new discipline of Knowledge Management (KM) over the past ten years. It then provides several breakthroughs including:

    • A fresh, practical definition of KM
    • A definition of organizational knowledge based on data, information, and decision making
    • A proven strategy and templates for creating an inventory of significant organizational knowledge
    • A new, integrated KIPPAR Model that defines how to create a sustainable KM environment
    • A strategy where naturally occurring projects are routinely mined for contributions to an organization’s pool of intellectual assets
    • A series of implementation strategies for launching a KM initiative

    So what makes this book different? What makes it worth reading? It provides a new perspective on KM, addressing the discipline from the perspective of a major organization; much of the previous writings in this area confuse individual knowledge with organizational knowledge. The author, Chuck Tryon, has been a consultant for major corporations since the early 1980s and has created tangible, innovative processes to help capture vital organizational knowledge, which has given him insight into the significant management challenges facing 21st century organizations—how to capture, transfer, and share meaningful knowledge that is vital to their survival. Communicating fresh concepts in this emerging field, the book distills this knowledge and helps you see where KM can take you in the future.

    Knowledge as an Asset—Really?

    The New Realities of Knowledge Management
    The Growing Knowledge Gap
    Knowledge Opportunities
    Return on Investment
    A Call to Action

    KM Beliefs
    Knowledge Sharing and Reuse
    Learning Organization
    Best Practices
    Communities of Practice
    Conclusion

    KM Processes
    Knowledge Discovery
    Knowledge Capture
    Knowledge Organization
    Knowledge Use
    Knowledge Transfer
    Knowledge Retention
    Conclusion

    Defining Organizational Knowledge
    Knowledge Categories
    Explicit, Tacit, and Implicit Knowledge
    Knowledge Characteristics
    Why Bother?
    Conclusion

    Recognizing Organizational Knowledge

    Data
    Information
    Decision Making
    Conclusion

    The Knowledge Retention Policy—Level One

    General Management Statement
    Knowledge Asset Inventory
    Knowledge Areas
    Knowledge Topics
    Knowledge Expert
    Organizational Importance
    Transfer Status
    Knowledge Transfer Mechanisms
    KTP Activities
    Conclusion

    The Knowledge Retention Policy—Level Two

    Documentation
    Training
    Apprenticeships
    Mentoring/Coaching
    Cross-Training
    Communications
    Conclusion

    A Model for Managing Organizational Knowledge

    KIPPAR Model
    The Knowledge Inventory
    The Artifacts Pillar
    The Processes Pillar
    The Projects Pillar
    Repository Products
    KM Or ECM
    Conclusion

    Implementation Strategies

    KM Initiation Activities
    KM Operational Activities
    Conclusion

    Knowledge Management Solutions
    Functionality
    Usability
    Personalized Knowledge Apps
    Organizational Portals
    Project Portals

    Conclusion
    Appendix A: KM Vision Statement
    Appendix B: KRP—General Management Statement
    Appendix C: KRP—Intellectual Assets Inventory
    Appendix D: KRP—Knowledge Transfer Details
    Index

    Biography

    Chuck Tryon is an educator, practitioner, consultant and author. Since the early 1980s, Chuck has created dozens of papers and workshops on Knowledge Management, Project Management and Business Process Engineering. Thousands of professionals from many of the largest organizations in the United States, Canada and Western Europe have attended his workshops. Chuck is frequently invited as a featured speaker for conferences and professional society meetings. Chuck holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in Knowledge Management. His research includes identifying ways to improve knowledge worker productivity and designing numerous advanced project-centric strategies. He is also the co-founder of the Knowledge and Project Management Symposium. He has been employed as a Knowledge Manager and Project Manager in the petroleum and healthcare industries. Chuck and Tresa live in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. They have two daughters and three marvelous grandchildren. Chuck's hobbies include golf, photography and SCUBA diving. Additional information is available at www.tryonassoc.com

    "Chuck Tryon has brought a fresh perspective to the field of knowledge management that makes KM grass-roots practical for organizations and the way they operate. Business transformations at any scale are unitized in the form of time-based projects. Inserting KM thinking, behaviors and technology tools in at project level will drive the classic beneficial outcomes from KM programs including organizational learning, collaboration, and innovation capacity."  
    —Phil Barnett, Knowledge & Intellectual Asset Management Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP


    "At last! A Knowledge Management book that lives up to its title. If you have been wondering what KM is, why your organization will benefit, and how to implement it, this is the book. Absolutely the best book on the subject I have read in my career."
    —Joseph Colannino, M.S.K.M., Chief Technology Officer, ClearSign Combustion Corporation