Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

12 | Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water Utilities
# Subject Utility Size Estimated cost Benefits
11 Knowledge
Management
through Training
Greenville
Water System
Not
identified
$25,000 The on-site training in England gave the
employees insight into a new concept of
knowledge management and putting it to
practical use simply and easily.
12 Using Contract
Employees to
Supplement
& Prepare for
Retirements
13 Increasing the
Number of SOPs
14 Converting from
Paper utility to a
Geodatabase
15 Increasing the
Number of
Interns Hired
16 Career Ladder
Program
17 Rally a Team
of Exceptional
Employees
18 Hired a
Private Firm
to Determine
the utility’s
Communication/
Knowledge
Sharing Needs
19 Computerization
of all Customer
Service Records
20 On the Job
Training
City of Grand
Forks Public
Water utility
City of
Akron Public
utilities
Bureau
City of
Akron Public
utilities
Bureau
City of
Akron Public
utilities
Bureau
Waterford
Township
Department
of Public
Works
Orlando
utilities
Commission
Rice Lake
utilities
Evergreen
Metro
District
Southeast
Morris
County
Municipal
utilities
Authority
Table 2.1 (Continued)
28.5 No additional costs The utility is able to recruit outside of the
system for a very talented candidate and put
him or her into the utility’s system.
310 No cost identified Improved training programs and the utility
can tweak SOP’s after a year or two.
310 $300,000–$500,000 Better data for asset management and can
make better decisions. This process allows
the utility to better integrate asset information
with other applications.
310 $3,000–$5,000 per
utility intern
The ability to hire a new young employee
with six to nine months of experience.
53 $40,000 a year Allows the employee to advance with the
correct licensing based on their knowledge.
1158 No cost identified Reducing or mitigating utility risk by
identifying key positions. The utility is not
running the risk of the employee leaving
without gathering critical institutional
knowledge and documenting it.
11 Several thousands
of dollars.
28 At completion
$500,000
Employees have the opportunity to realize
they were not just a part of their individual
departments; they are a team. The staff—
including management has learned to
communicate better.
The utility can easily look into the future and
see the long-term possibilities when the plan
is completed.
49 No cost identified Employees are able to learn while employed
in an entry level position and are given the
opportunity for career advancement.
(continued)
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