Recommended Books

Knowledge Management: A Guide for Your Journey to Best Practice Processes By C. O'Dell, S. Elliott, and C. Hubert. Houston, TX: APQC, 2000, 67pgs Reviewed by Michael J.D. Sutton APQC always has a simple, yet intellectually inviting way of beginning its guides. This one is no exception since we start from the premise that organizational knowledge is "valuable information in action." Both the organization and the recipient assess value. Following this the authors state that: If people don't have a context for the information or understand how to use it, the information is not valuable and therefore cannot be considered knowledge.

Now, from a business perspective I would have to respect the definition. However, if I went very deep into the epistemological roots of the concept of knowledge we might be having a totally different conversation. For example, in the 1794 version of Wissenschaftslehre, J. G. Fichte lays out the foundation for his German idealism--later translated by Peter Heath and John Lachs as the Science of Knowledge (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1970). Fichte's philosophy was derived from Kant's critical philosophy, and posited that the absolute self was the sole source from which all the forms of human knowledge can be dialectically deduced. This is a far cry from 'information without context or understanding lacks value, and therefore cannot be considered knowledge.'

Nonetheless, O'Dell and her team are not suggesting a philosophical basis for their work. On the contrary they introduce an incredibly easy to read and absorbing guide which permits the layperson manager to grasp a framework for thinking about business and organizational knowledge. The framework is presented in terms of six major strategies for knowledge management -- the WHY factors within many of the organizations the APQC has studied:

	Knowledge Management as a business strategy - KM and sharing are integral to competition and growth
	Transfer of knowledge and best practices - the reuse of knowledge and improving operations products and services by means of transferring best practices
	Customer-focused knowledge - solving customers' problems through knowledge and increasing sales by understanding customers' needs, preferences and businesses
	Personal responsibility for knowledge - employees are the most valuable organizational asset and must be enabled to share their knowledge assets
	Intellectual asset management - increasing competitive advantage by means of effective exploitation of customer relations, management practices, operational practices, organizational arrangements, patents, technologies, and other structural knowledge assets
	Innovation and knowledge creation - increasing the organization's competitive value by emphasizing innovation and creation of new knowledge.

Throughout the knowledge management journey, APQC has defined a number of key landmarks that will be encountered. The landmarks help the new KM practitioner to know where in the landscape the organization is currently positioned. The landmarks are:

1. Value proposition - the business rationale for instituting a KM business process
2. Culture - the barely perceivable rules and norms that guide the activities of the organization
3. Structure and roles/responsibilities - the relationship of actors and managers within the KM initiative
4. Information technology - enabling tools and automated methods for the KM initiative
5. Approaches - the tactics used to embark upon a KM initiative
6. Measurement - the value analysis associated with the impact of a KM initiative

Each of the subsequent chapters explores one of the landmarks in enough detail and sage advice to prove useful to a first-time practitioner or manager.

The only organizational philosophy statement I am less than satisfied (and, in fact, actually uncomfortable) with is:

This is the kind of motto that makes KM look very bad. First, there is no such thing as perfect information or knowledge. How do you make a decision in an organization that can provide you with perfect information? It is impossible for the perfect information and knowledge to exist. Subsequently, how can we measure our current information and knowledge assets against a hypothetically perfect baseline? Often having the wrong or ambiguous information and knowledge at the worst possible times is what can trigger excellent decision-making and action. Many wise generals in the many global wars would have lost their battles if they had actually known the overwhelming odds they were up against.

We need a more pragmatic, practical and believable motto surrounding the successful KM initiatives underway. This 'error of omission,' however, does not take away from the quality material that APQC publishes and distributes.

Availability

This book is part of APQC's Passport to Success Series To order, see www.apqc.org/pubs/dispPub.cfm?ProductID=1115. It is also part of the course KM 101: Managing Knowledge for Results; see Events page and also www.apqc.org/training/dispTrainingDesc.cfm?ProductID=1219

About the Author

Dr. Carla O'Dell, President of the APQC and director of its International Benchmarking Clearinghouse in Houston, TX, has incubated, launched and successfully promulgated a significant contribution to KM through the Benchmarking series. She also co-authored a number of important books in this area with Dr. C. Jackson Grayson, most notably, American Business: A Two-Minute Warning, and If Only We Knew What We Knew: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice. The remaining authors have held particular roles at the APQC.

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