Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Knowledge Moments
A new frame of reference for creating and supporting situations that connect people and their
knowledge.
Supports: knowledge sharing, organizational learning
LEVEL OF EFFORT
SIZE OF UTILITY
SCOPE OF WORK
LOW
SCALABLE
WIDE
An organization can be viewed as a collage of human knowledge moments. This refers to
the daily experiences and interactions across the utility and among the utility and its larger
stakeholder community as people read, write, converse and think during their workday—and
often in reflection and mental chatter outside of the workday.
Knowledge moments happen at the intersection of people, places, processes and purpose,
with every knowledge moment offering a learning experience to those involved. Since
knowledge is defined as the capacity to take effective action, knowledge moments refer to
exchanges that provide the potential for, or lead to, effective action. Thus the behavior of the
utility is enhanced by the result of the interaction of all decisions made and actions taken based
on the knowledge moments of every individual in the Utility. Similar to the butterfly concept in
chaos theory (see the MQI paper on Systems and Complexity Thinking), there is the potential
for success or failure based on knowledge moments which cannot be specifically identified or
tied directly to that success or failure.
A sustainable utility is co-evolving with its environment. Thus, the quantity and quality of
both planned and spontaneous exchanges within the utility’s larger stakeholder community
affects both the quality of the utility’s work products and stakeholder’s perceived quality of the
utility’s work products.
This new frame of reference lays the groundwork for applying this understanding to the
drinking water utility. The questions a utility must ask are:
How can the utility increase the quantity and quality of knowledge moments for its
employees?
How can the utility increase the quantity and quality of knowledge moments with the
larger stakeholder community?
Expected Outcomes:
Improved knowledge sharing resulting in more effective actions by employees.
Expansion of each employee’s network of colleagues resulting in greater access to
needed information and knowledge and a better appreciation for how the utility works.
See:
Case Example #6 (SHELL HP)
Singapore Case Study
Tools: Appreciative Inquiry
Ba Space
C-80
©2011 Water Research Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.