This week I had the pleasure and honor of engaging in a discussion on Knowledge Management (KM) with a group of graduate students from a leading university. They are studying KM, Information Architecture and Usability. I say it was an honor because I respect who they are and what they represent. They are the next generation of business leaders, those who will be entering the workforce and helping to chart new direction – at least providing an influence on the way organizations operate. I say it was a pleasure because it has been a while since I have engaged in discussion focused on KM – a topic I love to discuss. It was also gratifying to realize that topics such as KM and IA are being addressed at the graduate level.
We explored KM from virtually every perspective: leadership, economic influences, skills/training, innovation, culture and motivation, corporate strategy, ROI, and yes technology. The discussion of technology was aptly positioned. The dialogue did not start with technology. The handful of questions regarding technology specifically focused on how technology can support and facilitate a KM strategy and practice, and how technology has changed (functionality and cost) since I wrote my last book on KM some 2 years ago.
The perspective and enthusiasm with which the group approached KM made me recall a survey that AIIM Market Intelligence ran several months ago. (I discussed this survey in a previous post.) We had a group of technology users, and a group of technology providers rank a list of topics based on their level of interest. The software providers had little to no interest in KM. The users ranked KM #2 in interest, second only to Sharepoint (a topic that also came up in my discussion with the graduate students, interestingly enough).
So, Why the rift? If universities are offering KM studies at a graduate level and if AIIM members rank KM at the top of their interests, then why has the software industry all but turned their backs on KM. Well, the answer lies in one of the other issues we spoke about the other night. You cannot offer a software solution for KM. KM is not a single piece of software, application or process. It is a strategy, a practice and an underlying foundation to organizational operations, and for a few organizations, a core competency and source of competitiveness. I can appreciate the discomfort this causes the “solution seller.” Solution in this case is not just a matter of the “right technology” - bells and whistles/features and functions. Yes, if properly aligned and deployed, technology can be instrumental to KM success, but it alone cannot be “the solution”. Systems integrators and large consulting practices still offer KM services (a host of services and technology), but the software folk do not. Indeed, when they tried to offer their technology as the solution (remember “portal in a box”?) – they failed and took down the KM buzz with them. But the KM Buzz is resurfacing apparently – and for this I for one am pleased, and welcome the next generation of KM practitioners with open arms and an open mind to their new ideas.
BTW, it is likely that there will be a similar post in the next few days. Tomorrow, Dan Keldsen and I are addressing a group of KM managers at law firms in the Boston area. Getting to talk about KM in a business context twice in one week. Life is good. Stay tuned ...
