Results tagged “social networking” from KM Edge: Where the best in Knowledge Management come together

What is it we want out of knowledge management implementations?

• We want organic growth of information, but we also want an "official version."
• We want to promote innovation and open usage, but we cannot risk exposing proprietary intellectual property.
• We want fast, intranet-based tools, but we don't want to spend money.
• We want everything in beta, but the tools still need to be stable.
• We want free-flowing information, but without negatively impacting legal, e-discovery, or litigation.
• We want integration with large legacy systems, but we also want low implementation costs.
• We want grassroots adoption, but with executive sponsorship.
• We want to increase KM effectiveness, but with little or no additional funding.

Ok, I'm sure you get the point.  I think we've all faced these tradeoffs--and many more--when undertaking KM implementations. We've preached for many years, "Integrate everything and get it out at the right time to the right users." But solving this dilemma has been elusive at best.

We've probably all heard this comment before: "It's not rocket science!" But, what if it were rocket science? What if the knowledge you needed was essential to sending a person to the moon or keeping a satellite orbiting the earth? Well, NASA deals with this and other kinds of specialized knowledge every minute of every day. In 2008, in response to a need to improve knowledge sharing across all aspects the organization's workforce (e.g., NASA employees and contractors) and geographically (NASA has 11 centers across the United States), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory conducted a small pilot (NASAsphere) involving enterprise social networking software to create an online social network for its dispersed knowledge workers. The purpose was to understand how NASA knowledge workers would use and apply online social networking in the NASA environment.

McKinsey & Co. has just released its second annual survey on Web 2.0 usage and satisfaction, "Building the Web 2.0 Enterprise: McKinsey Global Survey Results." The two big stories from this global survey of almost 2000 executives are the expanded use of Web 2.0 tools (wikis, blogs, social networking) for knowledge sharing and collaboration, and the bipolar acceptance and satisfaction with these tools.

Organizations report using these tools to manage knowledge (83 percent), foster collaboration across the company (78 percent), enhance company culture (74 percent), train (71 percent), and develop products and services (67 percent). No surprises there. But I am pleasantly surprised--and maybe a little skeptical--about the reported internal penetration. According to the survey, about one in four employees in these companies now use Web 2.0 tools, with a higher level of usage in companies that integrate the tools into workflows, launch Web 2.0 along with other initiatives, and get senior managers to act as role models. 

Today this might seem like a natural fit, but when APQC conducted its first study on expert locator systems in 2003, the intent behind such systems was more limited in scope and purpose: to link people to information about other people, to identify people with expertise and link them to those with questions or problems, and to locate potential staff for projects requiring specific expertise. And social networking was a small blip on the technology radar, not the explosive presence it is today.

Our new KM Edge groups on LinkedIn and Facebook are designed to help you connect with one another and share knowledge and expertise. We already have more than150 members in our LinkedIn group, so joining will put you instantly in touch with a large pool of professionals who share your passion for KM. Our Facebook group is smaller, but becoming a fan will let you access KM Edge updates directly from your Facebook account.

If you already have a profile on one of these sites, joining is easy--just click the links above. We look forward to seeing you soon on your favorite social networking site!