Transcript LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION Knowledge Management What is it? Who does it?

LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Knowledge Management
What is it?
Who does it?
How is it done?
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
“. . . knowledge management involves connecting people with
people, as well as people with information. It is a management
philosophy, which combines good practice in purposeful
Information management with a culture of organisational
Learning, in order to improve business performance.”
Sheila Corrall. “Knowledge Mangement: Are We in the
Knowledge Management Business?” Knowledge
Management, #18.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
“Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values,
contextual framework, and expert insight that provides a
framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences
and information. It originates and is applied in the minds
of the knowers.”
Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What they Know. Harvard
Business Press, 1998.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
“It may be concluded then, that information and knowledge
are not synonymous, though they may be so used in everyday
conversation. Knowledge is essentially personal, and
understanding and relation to values are inherent parts. It is
formed and increased by thought, by acquiring information
and by applying judgment to assess the quality, use and
consequences of that new information in the light of one’s
existing knowledge.”
Michael W. Hill. The Impact of Information on Society, Bowker Saur, 1999. P29.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Knowledge relies on thinking
Knowledge is synthesis of new information the result of
acquisition, evaluation and and integration of that
information with knowledge existing in our heads.
Knowledge is dynamic.
It is constantly being changed, enhanced and refined by new
information and experience.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
“We can’t manage anyone’s ability or willingness to know. And
until we come up with a technology that will extract, analyze
and synthesize information and then recommend to a business
manager what to do, we’re not quite managing knowledge –
we’re still trying to manage information, hoping that it will
enhance someone’s knowledge and ability to make the right
decisions at the right time.”
Helen Pukszta. Forget Knowledge management: Back to Information, Computerworld, 33,May 3, 1999, p. 32
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Can knowledge be managed? Probably, not.
Stephen Abram observed, “The plain fact is that knowledge,
Per se, cannot be managed. In fact capturing knowledge in
Any form other than into a human being’s brain, reduces it
To mere information, or worse, data. Only the knowledge
Environment can be managed.”
Can knowledge be shared? YES
Stephen Abram. “Post information age positioning for Special Libraries: Is Knowledge Management the Answer?”
Knowledge and Special Libraries. Edited by James Matarazzo and Susan D. Connellly, 1999 Butterworth-Heinemann.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
“. . . The history, the myths, the shared values, and the
Unreflective presupposition that define a strong corporate
Culture can blind business leaders to events that do not fit
Into their collective mental framework.”
Ideal – value for customers provided with efficiency and
profit
Philip Evans and Thomas S. Wurster. Blown to Bits: How
The New Economics of Information Transforms Strategy,
Boston, Harvard Business School Press, 2000. P. 4.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
KEY FACTORS
Competencies
Comprehension
Change
Culture
Communication
Content
Context
Collaboration
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Competencies - IT
Trained to solve technical problems or to find technical
solutions to problems.
Creation, support, maintenance and enhancement of technical
Infrastructure (computing, network, etc.
Success is measured in technological terms.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Competencies – IT
Logistics and infrastracture
Computers
Networks
Security
Transmission, receipt, storage
Software provision
System Design
Tight labor market – go to the competition
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Competencies – Librarians
Find, retrieve, analyze and communicate information
Knowledge of sources
Knowledge of user context
Detectives
Trainers
Expert searchers
Assessment of information
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Competencies – Librarians
Management of information, bringing to the desk top
User interfaces
Serving customers and adding value
Measure success in terms of value creation and contribution
to organizational goals and objectives.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Comprehension
Understand and appreciate the contribution of each group to the
solution of problems and the creation of value.
Understand how each group contributes
Understand how each group operates.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Change
Roles are changing
Uncertainty
Many variables
Knowns – demographics, technology, range of likely
futures
Publishing – electronic, STM and Business
Surprises
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Corporate culture
CIO role is changing
More collaboration and more teams
Young people breaking down hierarchy
Young people breaking the rules
Transitions
Transformation
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Communication
Talk, Talk, Talk
Share knowledge and information
Share know how
Create teams
Work together to solve common problems
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Content and Context
Delivery of content – anywhere, any time
Context of groups and individuals
Mass Customization
“Just for you”
IT provides the technology to enable information and
Knowledge sharing
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Collaboration
Learning together
Sharing goals
Sharing risks
Mutual needs
Create new value
Challenge – old organizational models encourage information
Hoarding
Knowledge and information needed for business decisions
And planning
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London
LIBRARY/IT COLLABORATION
Collaboration
Focus on shared goals and successful outcomes
BE flexible, agile and innovative
Focus on results, not activities
Focus on value for clients and customers.
©Miriam A. Drake, March 22,2000,
Internet Librarian International, London