A doctor needs to understand human anatomy as well as physiology to be able to detect and treat diseases. Similarly a knowledge management practitioner needs to understand how information is put into context and the nature of information flows in an organization. This helps such a person develop a framework that enables him or her to map knowledge flows.

Developing such a framework that includes knowledge rather than information helps identify what knowledge is available and what knowledge is missing so that gaps in knowledge flows are better identified. The process of identifying the gaps in knowledge flows is called information modelling.

 Knowledge Mapping

Information Modelling

Through a process of information modelling, it becomes possible to identify what knowledge is available and what knowledge is required to either improve a process, solve a recurring problem or seek better marketing opportunities

Sharma Management International has the required expertise to develop suitable knowledge maps as well as undertake information modelling to enable your company manage its knowledge assets better. For us to understand how to help you better, please provide basic information by clicking here

As business environments become increasingly embroiled in uncertainty and ambiguity the necessity for critical knowledge retention takes center stage. This is especially so in the knowledge age where people drown in information are starved of critical knowledge of how to continually improve.

In the knowledge age, the terrain of critical knowledge changes with time. Determination of critical knowledge is a dynamic phenomenon. It changes with circumstances and time. Many organizations spend time, money and resources acquiring knowledge that is supposedly critical but in reality, is not. Consequently, the applicability of knowledge retained in knowledge repositories declines with time. This short article seeks to provide ideas on how retention of knowledge has to be undertaken to arrest this decline.

Retention of such knowledge in the knowledge age requires consideration of a number of issues. They include the value it brings, the support it delivers and the process of retrieval that is required insofar as ensuring that the knowledge retained is applicable in practice.

Value Proposition of Knowledge

For any retained knowledge to be fervently consumed, it has to be knowledge that people value. Such knowledge helps employees work better, resolve issues and problems they face and make informed decisions. The higher the value this knowledge brings, the more readily it is acquired and applied in practice.

To establish what knowledge is critical requires a consideration of value it brings to the recipient of that knowledge from the perspective of the recipient. This highly valued knowledge for the specific targeted recipients has to be first determined. Only after this is established, the source of the required knowledge is determined. The knowledge source could include new hires, retirees, experienced managers or subject matter experts who have the critical knowledge required by the targeted knowledge recipients.

Social network mapping and technical support

Given the volatility of knowledge applicability in practice in the knowledge age, critical knowledge has to be analyzed in two primary context, know how or technical based and know who or social based. People need to be supported in terms of what they need to do as well as whom they need to refer to when this knowledge is required and applied.

Developing a checklist of what to do based on input received from a subject matter expert is insufficient. In addition, a social network mapping of who else possess this knowledge, why should this person be referred to, whom to avoid etc. enables a valuable ecosystem of social interactions required for knowledge acquisition to be developed as well.

When developing a framework for retaining critical knowledge that remains valuable over time, it is necessary to make adequate considerations for both technical know-how and know-what as well as mapping the flow of accessing knowledge from the right sources within specific domains that relate to the knowledge required.

Ease of Knowledge content retrieval

Critical knowledge has to be stored in a way that enables the best knowledge to be assessed by the right people at the right time to accomplish a specific goal. This requires knowledge to be stored in a condensed form and remain easily accessible to whosoever requires it when it is required.

Making this possible requires developing readily consumable knowledge nuggets developed based on the existing taxonomy in use. In addition, a process of content validation of knowledge from the source is required so that it may be readily accessible by knowledge recipients. The process of tagging key words or phrases and linking these to the specific content that has been stored is crucial in this regard.

In summary for iteratively improving business processes and delivering better products and services over time, critical knowledge required has to be retained and applied in practice. The knowledge retained will be of value only if it incorporates both know how as well as know who to get work done better. In addition, such knowledge should be structured in a way that remains easily accessible to whomsoever needs it whenever it is needed.

For additional assistance on how this may be done and to view a number of templates that have been developed to do this in practice, please contact Sharma Management International here at your convenience.

Dr Rumesh Kumar DBA MBA PMP CKM CST

As business environments become increasingly embroiled in uncertainty and ambiguity the necessity for critical knowledge retention takes center stage. This is especially so in the knowledge age where people drown in information are starved of critical knowledge of how

to continually improve.

In the knowledge age, the terrain of critical knowledge changes with time. Determination of critical knowledge is a dynamic phenomenon. It changes with circumstances and time. Many organizations spend time, money and resources acquiring knowledge that is supposedly critical but in reality, is not. Consequently, the applicability of knowledge retained in knowledge repositories declines with time. This short article seeks to provide ideas on how retention of knowledge has to be undertaken to arrest this decline.

Retention of such knowledge in the knowledge age requires consideration of a number of issues. They include the value it brings, the support it delivers and the process of retrieval that is required insofar as ensuring that the knowledge retained is applicable in practice.

Value Proposition of Knowledge

For any retained knowledge to be fervently consumed, it has to be knowledge that people value. Such knowledge helps employees work better, resolve issues and problems they face and make informed decisions. The higher the value this knowledge brings, the more readily it is acquired and applied in practice.

To establish what knowledge is critical requires a consideration of value it brings to the recipient of that knowledge from the perspective of the recipient. This highly valued knowledge for the specific targeted recipients has to be first determined. Only after this is established, the source of the required knowledge is determined. The knowledge source could include new hires, retirees, experienced managers or subject matter experts who have the critical knowledge required by the targeted knowledge recipients.

Social network mapping and technical support

Given the volatility of knowledge applicability in practice in the knowledge age, critical knowledge has to be analyzed in two primary context, know how or technical based and know who or social based. People need to be supported in terms of what they need to do as well as whom they need to refer to when this knowledge is required and applied.

Developing a checklist of what to do based on input received from a subject matter expert is insufficient. In addition, a social network mapping of who else possess this knowledge, why should this person be referred to, whom to avoid etc. enables a valuable ecosystem of social interactions required for knowledge acquisition to be developed as well.

When developing a framework for retaining critical knowledge that remains valuable over time, it is necessary to make adequate considerations for both technical know-how and know-what as well as mapping the flow of accessing knowledge from the right sources within specific domains that relate to the knowledge required.

Ease of Knowledge content retrieval

Critical knowledge has to be stored in a way that enables the best knowledge to be assessed by the right people at the right time to accomplish a specific goal. This requires knowledge to be stored in a condensed form and remain easily accessible to whosoever requires it when it is required.

Making this possible requires developing readily consumable knowledge nuggets developed based on the existing taxonomy in use. In addition, a process of content validation of knowledge from the source is required so that it may be readily accessible by knowledge recipients. The process of tagging key words or phrases and linking these to the specific content that has been stored is crucial in this regard.

In summary for iteratively improving business processes and delivering better products and services over time, critical knowledge required has to be retained and applied in practice. The knowledge retained will be of value only if it incorporates both know how as well as know who to get work done better. In addition, such knowledge should be structured in a way that remains easily accessible to whomsoever needs it whenever it is needed.

For additional assistance on how this may be done and to view a number of templates that have been developed to do this in practice, please contact Sharma Management International at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at your convenience.

Dr Rumesh Kumar DBA MBA PMP CKM CST

We live in a world where major governmental policy changes take place via Twitter. One tweet can change the course of the world’s economy, with billions of dollars and millions of people being affected overnight. In this era, where stability and certainty are words we can only use to wistfully remember the past, agility becomes essential to an organization’s survival.

Being in an agile landscape means being able to adapt in a work environment that changes very quickly and unexpectedly. These emerging changes can be very significant and impactful to an organization. When one is not able to adapt to these changes, their overall performance falls. Consequently, organizational objectives and key performance indicators are not met.

The realization of the importance of adaptation within this changing environment is important. Why is it so difficult to adapt to perform better in an agile working environment? What should be done to adapt better with others as changes become increasingly common?

People work best when they know what to do and how to do it. This is usually only possible when people have the experience and expertise to do what is needed. However, when their responsibilities deviate from the norm, uncertainty crops in. They may not have the expertise or experience needed, and as such are unable to perform as required. Therefore, in order to effectively perform their roles, they will then have to seek and access relevant pieces of knowledge, to ensure that their expertise and experience matches up with their role and responsibilities. If they are unable to effectively access the knowledge needed to adapt to the changing requirements, the organization will lose their ability to grow more resilient in the face of these uncertainties.

As per the above, the one effective method to combat uncertainly is effective knowledge management. One of the ways to more effectively manage knowledge is to ensure a better understanding of issues, which comes from developing accurate and deep insights of expertise from many different perspectives. This requires connecting with people who possess the required expertise and experience needed to deal with emerging problems or requirements.

Once better understanding is achieved, organizations may wish to to further explore beyond the boundaries of existing expertise and capabilities. This involves developing better mechanisms for optimizing existing knowledge assets.

In short, organizational agility is the byproduct of effective knowledge management. Investing in optimizing knowledge assets, by acquiring, creating and integrating knowledge, will lead to a greater ability to confidently respond to the turbulence that uncertainty causes. This leads to improved performance. Hence, knowing how to optimize knowledge assets is the key to succeeding in an agile landscape.

Dr Rumesh Kumar

January 2020