Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

constraints can limit the ability for employees to embrace and/or properly evaluate new
initiatives."
This was reflected in the Project 4003 survey results. On a Likert scale where 1 is very
low and 5 is very high, the statement “Number of new ideas implemented annually” evoked a
3.22 mean from 207 responders. This is significantly below the mean of means (the average for
this survey response) of 3.44. In contrast, the question “How well does your organization accept
and implement new initiatives?” had a mean of 3.49 from 198 responders.
Resistance to Change
Employee resistant to change can present a challenge to the implementation of new
projects such as KM strategies or initiatives. Some employees are stuck in their old ways and
have difficulty learning new practices or ways of interacting with other employees. This
frequently shows up as a lack of enthusiasm in changing the way things are done in a given
situation or Utility.
As one responder noted, "A high percentage of employees with greater than 15 years
experience find it hard to change their old ways of thinking." Other aspects of resistance would
include concern or fear over new technologies, protecting one's turf, conservative personalities
and a strong belief that the old way of doing business is still sufficient.
Lack of Manpower
It may be difficult for a Utility to identify the people who could be put on new initiatives
for implementation without serious impact on the normal operation of the Utility. This may be
particular true for small utilities which are already stretched thin. Another aspect is the inability
of management to staff individual assignments at the necessary levels to ensure effective KM
implementation.
Politics
Another barrier to implementing KM initiatives may be political opposition from the
Utility's governance group or, in some cases, the Utility’s customer base. Resistance can also
come from labor unions, bureaucratic inertia or even senior managers concerned with
maintaining their silos or personal control. Utilities embedding stovepipes or silos may run into
resistance from managers intent on protecting their turf.
Leadership and Management
In situations where leadership has a track record of creating new management initiatives
that turn out to be the “flavor of the month” a mindset has been accepted by employees that
every new initiative will turn out this way. As this pattern continues, employees become very
reluctant to support any new initiative. Where senior managers and leaders do not have a
common vision for the Utility--reflected through different perspectives and ineffective
communication throughout the organization—employees again feel like the initiative is bogus
and will never amount to much. Where there is lack of trust between managers and employees,
resistance to anything new and different often occurs. Further, when management does not have
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