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· Is top management buy-in essential? If yes, why? If not, what can you do without it? (947 reads)

Top management buy-in is important to ensure that that a KM initiative is fully implemented within an organization, although KM demands commitment from all parts of an organization. KM also changes the way we work and top management need to understand and accept that it will organizational change. Enthusiasm from practitioners is also needed and KM practitioners need to be prepared to persist. The value of KM needs to be demonstrated to senior staff in very concrete ways so that they are fully engaged from the very beginning. Resources do matter but it is not all about money. KM must prove its value to mobilize management who allot time and money to the effort based on cost effectiveness.

Different levels of commitment from top management can be identified which can effect how KM is accepted in an organization. Here are possible ways to work with them:

• Enthusiastic buy-in: top management are champions and put their money where their mouths are (e.g. Issue a statement to the entire organization to engage their support)- best scenario, highest chances of having your KM initiative work.

• Blind faith: top management seem very keen at first and talk the talk but may not walk the walk – need to take advantage of the open door for a while and run with the ball before they lose interest, must demonstrate KM potential quickly but in the end might not be enough to ensure success.

• Passive acceptance: top management has been exposed to KM and is willing to give the KM team room to work. It can make or break any KM initiative as resources are involved and change be challenged in a budget crunch or cutbacks, also need to show quick results.

• Complete lack of commitment: top management are skeptical or unwilling to support KM initiatives – very hard to undertake KM in such circumstances, although some infrastructure (e.g. Intranet) could be put in place to capture explicit knowledge.

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Interview with Steve Denning in EIU's Ebusiness Forum Driven by passion--Steve Denning explains why "knowledge sharing" thrives at the World Bank

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:55:19 966 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Interview with Larry Prusak in EIU's Ebusiness Forum It's not about technology: An interview with Larry Prusak, author of Working knowledge and director of the IBM Institute for Knowledge Management

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:54:20 1050 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Who wants to be a chief knowledge officer? Article by Barry Vorster in ITWeb - 11 May 2000

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:52:35 820 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

What is a Chief Knowledge Officer? Michael J. Earl Sloan Management Review via Gale Group Dec 22, 1999— Many ambiguities characterize the new corporate role of CKO and knowledge management in general.

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:52:03 762 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

The CKO - Vision, Strategy, Ambassadorial Skills... The CKO - Vision, Strategy, Ambassadorial Skills and a certain Je ne sais quoi. An article by Rebecca O. Barclay, Managing Editor, KM Briefs and KM Metazine

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:51:32 768 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Managing the Knowledge Manager First agree on what you want to achieve. Then develop and execute an agenda. By Nathaniel W. Foote, Eric Matson, and Nicholas Rudd. The McKinsey Quarterly, 2001 Number 3

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:51:00 789 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Knowledge Roles: The CKO and Beyond Article by Tom Davenport on the role of the CKO in CIO Magazine:April 1, 1996

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:50:19 789 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Knowledge Management and the Role of the Chief Knowledge Officer This is a work in-progress from the National Defense University in Washington, DC. The content was derived from two separate brainstorming sessions including public and private sector CKOs.

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:49:46 859 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Knowledge Champions What does it take to be a successful CIO? Article from the Nov. 15, 1998 Issue of CIO Enterprise Magazine.

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:49:15 773 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

Do You Need a CKO? Article from David Skyrme Associates on how to evaluate the need for a CKO.

Allison Hewlitt Tue, 30 Jul 2002 20:48:39 788 hit(s) Send to a friend. Link Info | Printer-friendly version

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