Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

PART 1
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
The formal title of WaterRF 4003 is “Organizational Development Needed to Implement
a Knowledge Management Strategy at Water Utilities.” The overarching project objectives
were:
(1) Identify the benefits and costs of implementing a knowledge management (KM)
initiative;
(2) Investigate and identify organizational characteristics and processes (e.g., culture, core
planning processes, communications, rewards, etc.) critical to the success of
implementing a KM initiative;
(3) Develop an assessment tool for drinking water utilities to identify their organization’s
readiness to plan and implement a KM strategy; and
(4) Develop a tool kit for establishing or enhancing organizational readiness to support a KM
strategy and initiatives.
The 4003 research approach included a survey process, literature review, site visits,
leadership and management interviews, workshops, focus groups, and development of project
studies, case examples and case studies focused on KM implementation. Two specific tools
resulted from this research. The first is a Readiness Assessment Instrument used to evaluate a
Utility’s readiness to implement KM. The second is the KM Toolkit for planning and
implementing the organizational changes needed for a successful KM strategy or initiative in
utilities. While the virtual toolkit serves as a stand-alone product focused on implementation of
KM strategies and initiatives, it also includes down-loadable resource documents to support
second-order learning, for example, Tool, Ideas and extensive resource documents contributed
by leaders in the field of Knowledge Management.
THE KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION APPROACH
Knowledge mobilization (KMb) is the process of creating value or a value stream
through the creation, assimilation, leveraging, sharing and application of knowledge. In terms of
drinking water utilities, KMb is the effective creation, movement and tailoring of specific
knowledge from its source (research or specialized expertise) to its application (practitioner,
utility worker) such that consequent actions are effective and sustainable. KMb is focused on
new knowledge that has emerged (and is emerging) through research and in other parts of the
Utility (or in other organizations with similar issues), with implementation driven by the content
of that new knowledge and identification of stakeholder groups that “need” to apply that
knowledge. The specific knowledge involved in WaterRF Project 4003 that is being mobilized
is knowledge about Knowledge Management and its application to drinking water utilities.
KMb introduces a difference in perspective, with KM being a strategy or initiative that is
intended to improve organizations through the effective creation, sharing, leveraging and
application of knowledge, and KMb being a process for moving specific knowledge to action to
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