The 7-Point Checklist for a Highly Effective KM Program

For many human resources (HR) departments throughout the country, knowledge management (KM) is a daunting, yet highly necessary task. With the world of work changing as fast as the technology that drives it, HR has to change its workforce staffing strategies if the company is to remain competitive.

As a member of the first group of foreign companies entering mainland China, Hewlett-Packard (HP), a fortune 11 company with businesses in 170 countries, 150, 000 employees, and $86 Billion in revenue, has been a trend setter for its management practices. HP took the lead in establishing an effective KM program with the belief that in a knowledge era the focus of management has to shift from finance, operation and labor to knowledge workers. For example, in a KM-friendly environment people's norms have to change from "knowledge is power" into "sharing knowledge is power." AS such, the HP-China model of KM management provides this 7-point approach for an effective KM program.

1. Document Crucial Knowledge: Classify the various types of knowledge critical to the organization, e.g., knowledge for organizational development, all the way to communications skills required in order to be an effective leader. Standardize these files so employees can master the working processes of the company.

2. Design "All-New" Training Programs: Which help employees understand and accept standardizations within the organization. Here, employees learn the internal workings of a system where behavior and even thinking styles are channeled to create an effective workforce. These standards then integrated into the company's appraisal system.

3. Form an Internal Book and Trade Publication-Reading Association: Form different company book-reading groups. These groups can be formed in every department or division. Here, participants recommend to each other books, trade publications, and current reading material relevant to their occupation. Set-up a time where the reading groups can discuss, exchange opinions, and make recommendations to improving operations and strategies within the company. Document this new knowledge and make it available to the teams.

4. Create Your Own Learning Institution: Develop an internal learning and training center-- and require managers and long tenured employees to give lectures regularly. The objective is to provide a platform for them to share what they know. Another strategy is to have employees propose topics of common interest and then have managers and long tenured employees conduct short one-to-two hour seminars where questions can be answered. Encourage a robust professional exchange between departments and divisions and provide cross training classes--so all employees get the big picture. Encourage and reward innovative ideas and know-how.

5. Develop a Robust Mentoring Program: The objective is to bring together inexperienced employees with seasoned and experience veterans (much like the military does in a military boot-camp). It is crucial that you have a matching program and have tie-in by tracking how serious your mentors perform this task through performance evaluations and real incentive programs. Keep in mind that the knowledge your veterans pass on to your novice workers is invaluable, so don't be afraid to reward them for sharing that knowledge with your next generation of workers. This is a great lead-in to the next strategy.

6. Create a Strong and Vigorous Rewards Program: Your reward system should reward people for what they share rather than what they know. Your rewards program must provide incentives for employees to want to share their knowledge and you must consistently promote knowledge sharing among employees, managers, and even departments and divisions. One strategy is to require managers to demonstrate their competencies by conducting internal seminars and lectures before they are recognized and promoted. And again, make knowledge sharing a vital part of their performance evaluation. Provide extra incentives to those who share their knowledge and make a very big deal of employees who become knowledge sharing heroes and knowledge sharing leaders.

7. Introduce an IT System: Because an IT system itself cannot create knowledge, experts advise organizations not to invest heavily in developing an expensive IT system- at least in the beginning. The strategy at the very beginning is to emphasize the importance of changing people's perspective and habits in order to cultivate a KM-friendly environment within the organization. A knowledge sharing environment should come before concrete measures of KM--therefore, follow steps one through six first. When the speed and volume of knowledge accumulation calls for aids from technology, an IT system should then be introduced to simp1ify the arduous work of knowledge documentation, classification and exploration.

Remember, information along is of little value. To be truly useful, the information must have context, applied through individuals who bring their tacit knowledge, skills, and unique experiences to a situation to better understand and affect a desired outcome.

Enabler or Inhibitor

In a knowledge sharing (KS) study conducted in Russia and China markets, experts found that knowledge sharing (as related to group membership) is embedded in cultural understanding and institutional determinants. Its conclusion; these cultural and institutional factors can be key drivers or inhibitors of knowledge sharing. Certainly, organizations want to create an environment that is a healthy enabler of sharing one's knowledge.

Summary

For many human resources (HR) departments throughout the country, knowledge management (KM) is a daunting task. The 7-point KM checklist noted above, developed by HP (a trend setter known for its management practices)--will assist your management team and make this task a lot easier, not to mention a lot less expensive.

Copyright 2008 Cubie Davis King. All rights reserved.

References:

Hickok, J. (2005). Knowledge sharing, communities of practice, and learning assets

integration: DAU's major initiatives. Defense AR Journal, (5)3.

Lin, L., & Kwok, L. (2006). Challenges to km at Hewlett Packard China. Knowledge
Management Review, 19(1), 20.

Lockwood, N.R. (2006). Leadership development: Optimizing human capital for

business success. HRM Magazine, 51(12), A1.

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Organizational Behavior
Organizational Behavior
Organizational Behavior