KM: It's Good for Enterprise 2.0

Over the past weeks I have posted several times  to this blog regarding the market research Dan Keldsen and I have been conducting on Enterprise 2.0.  The survey component was completed by 400+ individuals.  We have been poring over the data and we are finding some great pearls of insight, on everything from what works (what doesn't), to how age effects  perception (or not).   

For me personally, one of the more interesting findings is the fact that organizations that have embraced Knowledge Management are far ahead of the rest of the industry in adopting Enterprise 2.0 and leveraging its benefits.  Those of you who follow my musings know that I am proponent of Knowledge Management.  Unlike many consultants and analysts who turned tail when the vibrations from the buzz when silent, I have continued to pontificate on the virtues of this business model.   Knowledge Management continues to thrive in many organizations, manifesting under many other names such as portals, collaboration, innovation management, and now Enterprise 2.0. Our survey findings indicate that adoption and realization of benefits from Enterprise 2.0 is greater in organizations that have embraced Knowledge Management.

How do I know this?  Among the  80+ questions in our Enterprise 2.0 survey,  we inserted 12 questions from the Knowledge Assessment methodology I have used in my consulting practice.  These questions were used in the survey to profile the culture of the respondents’ respective organizations. The profiling identified a sub-group of respondents that worked in a Knowledge Management embracing environment.  The responses provided by this group to other questions, substantially differed from the other respondents,  in many instances.

The data shows that organizations that can be characterized as Knowledge Management-oriented are further along in their adoption cycle of Enterprise 2.0 technology, perceive fewer barriers and are more aware of the potential benefits that Enterprise 2.0 can provide.  Behind this rift likely lies the criticality of corporate culture as a component to a successful deployment of Enterprise 2.0.  Knowledge Management-oriented companies typically have a collaborative, inquisitive and transparent culture, an environment in which Enterprise 2.0 thrives.  Those who have yet to embrace Knowledge Management will find themselves perhaps unimpressed with Enterprise 2.0, and/or scrambling to affect the requisite change in culture in order to maximize the benefits these emerging technologies can provide.

Its just the tip of the iceberg.  We are waist deep in data at the moment (which is why I have been so silent of late), but still on track to release the report at the end of next month.  If interested, you can register for the respective webinar we are holding on March 27th, now.  We are also providing Enterprise 2.0 training, which includes much of the survey findings.

In any case, stay tuned - there is more to come.