Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

(5) Track knowledge growth over time. As the ideal defined in (2) above changes, so
too do knowledge needs of the organization. Periodic knowledge audits help identify
the direction over time that the organization is heading and provide the opportunity
for conscious strategic shifts.
(6) Determine your organization’s strategic position within its technology framework. As
the knowledge audit surfaces information that can now populate information
systems, the directions in which knowledge management and information technology
should and should not focus are clarified.
It is critical to have a consistent framework to assess the knowledge assets that are
discovered during the knowledge audit. While the knowledge discovery process selected in (3)
and performed in (4) above often uses surveys and interviews, it may also include focus groups
or Delphi studies, formal and informal reports, and exploration of databases, employee skills,
the sharing of best practices and core competencies which can provide indicators of knowledge
robustness.
In Project Study #9, the Utility identified critical knowledge and knowledge gaps as part of a
complete Workforce Planning Project. In Project Study #23, the Utility used a questionnaire to
help identify critical operational knowledge and as input for development of a documented
action plan. The questionnaire and the process they are using to develop their action plan are
attached to the project study. In Case Example #2, a knowledge audit was used to measure
Return on Investment.
Expected Outcomes:
Important information and knowledge will be identified, stored and made available to
those who need it.
Learning and succession planning will be easier because of this meta-knowledge.
Actions can be taken to fill in gaps of knowledge and information, avoiding mistakes and
frantic searches for problem resolution.
Training, planning and decision-making will be more efficient.
All of the above will increase Utility efficiency and effectiveness.
See:
Project Study #9 (Tualatin Valley Water District, OR)
Project Study #23 (Louisville Water Company, KY)
Case Example #1 (ReVisions)
Case Example #2 (Mitre Corporation)
Tools: Communities of Practice
Interviewing Profiling Tool
Knowledge Blueprint
Knowledge Mapping
Social Network Analysis
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References:
Bennet, A. & Bennet, D. (2004). Organizational Survival in the New World: The Intelligent Complex Adaptive
System. Boston, MA: Elsevier.
Tiwana, A. (2000). The Knowledge Management Toolkit. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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