An introductory KM presentation to 300 KM champions in a disciplinary unit in Hong Kong as part of their inaugural KM seminar.

1. An introduction to
Knowledge Management
& its evolution in the last
2 decades
Eric Tsui
Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University &
KM Advisor, Police College

2. Knowledge Economy &
Knowledge Work
Knowledge, KM,
common entry points
& challenges
Tools, techniques,
skills & potential
solutions
2
3
Journey to a knowledge-enabled organisation
Presentation Agenda

3. Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Hong Kong’s competitiveness
HK’s transformation into a KBE

4. Knowledge Economy Vs Industrial
Economy

5. What’s it like working in the
Knowledge Economy?

6. Nature of Knowledge Work
• Increasingly less routine, more analytical and
need to be more collaborative
• Highly unstructured, unpredictable, disruptive
yet often come with a sense of urgency
• Requires a paradigmatic shift in thinking & in
supporting structure (from PDL to SDL)
• Not only requires data and information but also
knowledge and experience of the individual

7. Nature of Knowledge Work (cont.)
• Group/Collaborative task
execution, decision making &
problem solving are the norm
• A huge amount of data &
information to deal with
• Often more than one way to
solve a problem
• Collaboration, reflection & a
learning environment are
crucial

9. What happens every 60 seconds on the Internet?
(Source: http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/6/18/infographic-shows-what-happens-every-60-seconds-on-the-inter.html)

10. “Knowledge worker productivity is
the biggest 21st century
management challenge. In the
developed countries it is their first
survival requirement. In no other
way can the developed countries
hope to maintain themselves, let
alone to maintain their leadership
and their standards of living.” -
Peter F Drucker (1999)
Peter F. Drucker on Knowledge Worker

11. • Knowledge work is a key area of growth in
the new economy
• Between 28% to 50% of all workers are
Knowledge Workers and this number is
growing
• This is the most highly paid segment
Professor Tom Davenport on Knowledge Work &
Knowledge Workers (Source: HBR)

12. Tacit Vs Explicit Knowledge

13. • Existence, awareness & retrievable
• Ability to match, adapt & apply
• Knowledge as an codified asset, expertise &
experience, a connection, a collaborative
contribution/integration
• Network & capabilities building
• Generalised, discovered, deduced
• Co-create by humans & machines
• Learn, practice & reflect
Exhilarating the knowledge potential

14. The Knowing-Doing Gap

17. Two fundamental
approaches to KM
Codification or Product-based
• Storing and classification of explicit knowledge
• Retrieve via a search engine or navigation
• Technology a key element of this approach
• Process governance
Personalisation or People-based
• Human and social-oriented
• Focus on locating and connecting people
• Create an environment for knowledge sharing
• Culture Building
• Technology comes second

18. Knowledge as an object
My
Knowledge

19. Common KMS “projects”
Digitisation of codified knowledge Documenting Best Practices & LL
Search Engine & NavigationDocument/Knowledge Repository

20. Content needs to be managed

21. Teachers
Parents/
Graduates
Students
Collaboration

22. Yeah. Me too.
Let’s discuss
and share more
about new
developments.
Hi John, I am
interested in
process
management?Let’s
do
lunch Great.
I now
work in
Finance
dept.
Tell me
more
about
your new
role. Do you know
where Peter
is?
He is
on
leave.
Can I
help?

23. Xerox’s Eureka system
Sharing technical support knowledge (Source: Xerox Corp.)

24. Help!!! I have a problem…

25. “We know a lot more than what
we can say; we can say a lot
more than what we can write.”
“Knowledge is socially
constructed.”
The characteristics of knowledge

27. Campfire – Warmth of a
community

28. Characteristics of KMS 2000-2007

29. Some installations of Enterprise
Knowledge Portals in Hong Kong

30. Knowledge as an object
Vs
Knowledge as a process
My
Knowledge

31. The Knowledge Management
Toolbox

39. Knowledge Sharing Tools
Name Link
KM4Development Knowledge Sharing Toolkits http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/Knowledge_Sharing_Toolkits#Relate
d_FAQs.2FCommunity_Knowledge
KM4Dev Group Method Knowledge Sharing http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/Community_Knowledge
Knowledge Exchange Knowledge Sharing in the CGIAR http://www.ks-
cgiar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=41
Dare to Share Knowledge Management Toolkit http://www.daretoshare.ch/en/Dare_To_Share/Knowledge_Management_T
oolkit
It's all about KM - Knowledge Retention Strategies
http://itsallkm.wordpress.com/2007/02/15/knowledge-retention-strategies/
ODI Tools for Knowledge and Learning http://www.odi.org.uk/RAPID/publications/Documents/KM_toolkit_web.pdf
http://www.odi.org.uk/rapid/publications/Tools_KM.html
ICT-KM Knowledge Sharing Toolkit http://www.kstoolkit.org/
Gurteen Knowledge KM Tools http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/km-tools
Steve Denning Leadership, Narrative, KM and Mentoring
tools
http://www.stevedenning.com/launchgifts.html#top
AOS KM Toolkit https://www.itbusinessedge.com/commerce/?c=607
Asian Productivity Organization http://www.apo-tokyo.org/publications/files/ind-43-km_tt-2010.pdf
Australian Local Government KM Toolkit http://lgam.wdfiles.com/local--files/alga-local-government-knowledge-
management-toolkit/Knowledge_Management_Toolkit.pdf
BBC Toolkit http://www.elearningnetwork.org/newsletter_images/powerpoints/BBC_tool
kit_booklet_v9.pdf
CGXhange http://www.cgxchange.org
CIGAR KS Toolkit http://www.kstoolkit.org/
Crowdsourcing http://www.econbiz.de/de/search/detailed-view/doc/all/legal-aspects-of-
crowdsourcing-knowledge-management-as-part-of-an-adequate-risk-
management-sedlmeier-tobias/10003927888/?no_cache=1

40. Knowledge Sharing Tools (cont.)
Name Link
IDEO Human-Centered Design http://www.ideo.com/work/human-centered-design-toolkit/
IFAD Facilitator's Guide to Knowledge Sharing tools &
methods
http://www.ifad.org/pub/thematic/km/faciliator_guide.pdf
IFAD Toolkit for communications http://www.ifad.org/commtoolkit/
IIED
Ingenious Peoples Knowledge http://i-p-k.co.za/wordpress/resources-downloads/
Knoco http://www.knoco.com/Knowledge-management-downloads.htm
NHS KM Toolkit http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/icd/knowledge/
kmtools
OHS KM Toolkit http://www.usherbrooke.ca/ceot/transfert/en/toolkit/
Steve Denning http://www.stevedenning.com/launchgifts.html#KMGifts
Swiss Agency for Development & Communication (SDC) http://www.deza.admin.ch/ressources/resource_en_183581.pdf
UNDP KM Toolkit & Repository http://www.undp.org.ye/reports/Knowledge%20Management%20Toolkit%2
0for%20the%20Crisis%20Prevention%20and%20Recovery%20Practice%2
0Area.pdf

41. • Existence, awareness & retrievable
• Ability to match, adapt & apply
• Knowledge as an codified asset, expertise &
experience, a connection, a collaborative
contribution/integration
• Network & capabilities building
• Generalised, discovered, deduced
• Co-create by humans & machines
• Learn, practice & reflect
Exhilarating the knowledge potential

42. 43

43. Common “entry points” for KM in HK
• Baby boomers retirement syndrome
• Harnessing & sharing good practices, lessons learnt
and/or project experiences
• Minimise re-inventing the wheel
• Excessive time spent on searching/locating explicit
knowledge assets
• Knowledge Transfer (instantaneous, intermittent,
structured) among professional staff
• Consistency and governance in process executions
• Need to leverage collective wisdom across regional
offices
• …

44. Babyboomers retirement syndrome
(People who were born 1945-60 are retiring)

45. Knowledge Audit
Task Method(s) / Tool(s) Deliverable(s)
Readiness Assessment Culture Survey
KM Quick Scan
Interviews
Questionnaires
Knowledge Flow Analysis STOCKS
Process Survey
Social Network Analysis
(SNA)
Knowledge Network
Analysis
Knowledge Mapping
Analysis of findings &
recommendations
Knowledge-Strategy gap
analysis
Prioritisation of KM
initiatives
Knowledge Strategy
You
KeithKen
Jack
Benny
Jack
Benny
YouKen
Keith

46. Relevant strategies & methods for
knowledge retention, sharing &
transfer
1. Bring back retirees, ex-workers
2. Delay the age of retirement
3. Mentoring, Job Shadowing, Job Rotation
4. Peer Assist Scheme
5. Knowledge Audit including SNA
6. Narratives, Stories & Storytelling
7. Knowledge Maps & Knowledge Mapping
8. After Action Reviews (AARs), Lessons Learnt (LL) DB
9. Learn before, Learn during, Learn after
10. Communities of Interest/Practice (CoI/CoP), Thematic Groups
11. Expert Directory
12. Knowledge Repository
13. Collaboration systems, Knowledge Portals
14. Employee lifecycle approach
15. Redesign of exit interviews
16. Videotaping

47. Effectiveness of various KT methods
(Source: DW Delong, 2004)

48. An employee lifecycle approach
to managing knowledge
Length of employment in the company
A baby
A youngster
A junior Middle age Senior

49. SomeSome KMIRC projects clients

50. Lessons Learnt over 100+ KM
projects

51. For organizations which are new to KM
o Awareness raising / Readiness Assessment
o Strategy Formulation / Strategic Planning
o Identify, rank and pilot of KM initiatives
o Knowledge Audit, Social Network Analysis
o EDMS, Search engine, portal deployment
o Taxonomy Creation and Maintenance
For organizations that have already started KM
o Sustainability of KM programs, culture building
o Strategy revisit, gap analysis
o Embodiment of knowledge in business processes
o Knowledge distillation and harnessing
o Soft KM tools/skills
o Health checks & Benchmarking
Common projects at 2 stages
of a KM journey

52. Typical obstacles and
excuses
1. There is no budget for doing KM
2. People are not willing to share
3. Everyone is already over-loaded; we do not
have time
4. Our staff are not IT-savvy; they refuse to learn
to use new tools
5. We do not have the skills nor the expertise
6. How can I ensure the codified/elicited
knowledge is correct and complete?
7. I cannot measure and justify the benefits?

53. Observations and Summary
• Organisations tend to start KM with a focus on creating
a strategy, a framework and/or conduct a Knowledge
Audit; it is common to start with a pilot; launching a
KMS (e.g. a portal) often acts as the catalyst
• Private organisations operate with a much shorter
planning horizon that those adopted in the public
sector
• Information/Document-centric organisations
increasingly adopt a repository (EDMS, CMS, portals)
with due attention to taxonomy and search; IT-based
projects still prevail and often include change
management
• Collaboration emerges as a key focus – “knowledge is
socially constructed” is gradually being understood

54. • RSS, Wikis are “entry points” for Web 2.0/Enterprise 2.0
projects in organisations
• Increasing number of IC projects; several organisations
have adopted an IC-focus to plan, manage and grow
their businesses
• More and more soft-side KM (e.g. Elicit tacit knowledge,
Peer Assist, AARs, Communities) & bottom-up sharing
techniques (e.g. Storytelling, Knowledge Cafe, ASHEN,
appreciative inquiry) are being adopted
• Projects focussing on distilling quality knowledge,
visualisation paradigms, deriving value from CoPs
reflect a higher level of maturity in the KM journey
Observations and Summary

55. • A handful of organisations utilises workplace design to
enhance ideas generation & knowledge sharing
• Myths about KM remain (e.g. KM=IT, KM needs deep
pockets, KM is out of fashion, CoP=project team, Why
should I share?, “Put more people on the task and the
problem will be solved” etc.)
• Despite limited resources, around 30% of NGOs have
taken on KM through staff reallocation. ICT is not a
significant contributor as many staff are mobile
workers and sharing PCs is common
• For organisations that have over 6 years of KM track
record, an integrated KM project/system can garner
encouraging feedback from staff and nurture a peer
support culture
Observations and Summary

56. • (Equivalent) Full time/Dedicated KM staff ranges from
0 to 3 in an organisation/department. KM Officer, KM
Manager, KM Director/Consultant/specialist are
common titles
• Large private and especially global organisations have
a sizeable budget for internal marketing of their
KM/knowledge sharing program or platform
• KM is expanding in HKSARG departments and large
organisations in HK; awareness among SMEs is still
very low however
Observations and Summary

57. Some observations on the deployment &
user adoption of KM technologies in HK
• (Affected by) the Business, IT divide – insufficient end-users, Subject
Matter Experts input
• Technologies ahead of the KM Strategy; under-leverage on soft KM
tools/techniques
• KM systems often treated as only static repositories; many interpret
KM systems as EDMS
• Over emphasis on the containers rather than the identification of
critical knowledge assets/flow and people connections
• KM defined as a project rather than a journey
• Comprehensive view of KMS lacking; under-leverage of collaboration,
social software and social media
• Inadequate user training/awareness on search engines
• Lack of enterprise/departmental-wide focus on taxonomy
• Time lag between requirements elicitation and procurement
• Content Management not treated as a lifecycle process
• Commitment on some out-dated technologies

58. Example of a coordinated
set of KM projects/initiatives
Culture Building
K Audit KMS Repository Mentoring AARs
Change Management
CoPs Stories Peer Assist
Program
KM Strategy
IC
Audit

59. Source: Nancy Dixon, http://www.nancydixonblog.com/2010/08/the-three-eras-of-
knowledge-management-summary.html

60. 64
KM is not a projectKM is not a project; it is a journey

61. Four forces shaping the KM world
Open
Innovation
Cloud
Computing
Big Data
Social
Business

62. (ISE101x) Knowledge Revolution:
From KM, Big Data to Cloud Services
HKPolyUX’s first
MOOC
(to be launched in
August 2015)
Prof WB Lee, Prof Eric Tsui, Prof K Tochtermann & Dr Usama Fayyad

63. “The more brains we can connect, the
more powerful our decisions and
actions can be.”

64. Your support is absolutely vital

65. An introduction to
Knowledge Management
& its evolution in the last
2 decades
Eric Tsui
Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University &
KM Advisor, Police College