Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

efore individuals were located who identified themselves as the leads for implementation of
Knowledge Management. As a result of these conversations, an additional 552 surveys were
mailed and 25 were emailed. Since the intent of these multiple mailings was to seed the concepts
of Knowledge Management, a second set of follow-on telephone calls were initiated where a KM
lead had been identified. Even where individuals expressed the opinion that they did not feel
capable of providing this information, a friendly but short conversation pursued to help promote
future interest in KM. The survey
Simultaneously, a Blog was set up and a series of papers and other resource materials
provided via that vehicle. These included: The Business Case for KM, Issues Faced by
Drinking Water Utilities, Regulatory Perspective for Water Utilities, and other KM resources.
While the Blog process itself was quieter than anticipated throughout this two-year project, 67
drinking water utility managers/leaders submitted their survey responses via the Blog page, and
6,498 pages of resource materials were downloaded during the course of 1,453 visits.
In this same time period, the Principal Investigator and Co-principal Investigator
facilitated workshops and combination focus groups each one-two days in length involving 66
representatives from ten geographically-dispersed drinking water utilities. In conjunction with
these workshops, focus groups and site visits, the Principal Investigator interviewed 25
leaders/managers representing 12 drinking water utilities. The drinking water utilities
participating in this research project are acknowledged in the formal report and in the KM
Toolkit.
During the process of initiating the 1001 telephone conversation with drinking water
Utility personnel on knowledge and Knowledge Management, it was pleasantly noted that almost
every call was met with interest and cooperation. It appears that Knowledge Management is
gradually making itself known within the drinking water utility industry. When coupled with the
recent WaterRF KM research projects, KM presentations at Utility conferences and workshops,
and the number of Utility KM project studies gathered through this research (and others that
surfaced near the end of this project not included in the KM Toolkit), it would appear that a
growing number of drinking water utilities are taking advantage of KM to better prepare for the
uncertain future ahead. As these organizations become more experienced with the application
and benefits of KM they may become knowledge-centric, learning organizations who through
knowledge mobilization, technological sophistication and collaborative leadership prepare
themselves for the challenges ahead.
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