Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Introduction to the Instrument
The Readiness Assessment Instrument
Individual Assessment Interpretations
For a Utility to be ready to successfully implement a KM strategy it should have certain
characteristics and capabilities. Leadership, management, culture and support staff are all likely
to play a role in the success of a KM strategy. While the assessment instrument is developed to
assist in determining a Utility’s readiness, the final judgment of readiness lies with the Utility’s
leadership. They are the experts who know the intended KM strategy, the stakeholder
environment, and their Utility’s ability to learn and change.
Introduction to the Instrument
This assessment instrument takes 10-15 minutes to fill out, and is designed to help you
answer the question: Is my Utility ready to implement a knowledge management strategy?
A knowledge management (KM) strategy is a program to implement KM throughout the entire
Utility as compared to implementing a KM initiative in one or more departments or divisions of
the Utility.
There are 40 questions that are divided into five areas, each area pertaining to a specific
aspect of your Utility. EACH QUESTION MUST BE ANSWERED. Each statement or question
asks you to respond on a forced five-point Likert scale in one of the following ways: 1/very low;
2/low; 3/medium; 4/high; and 5/very high. For example, consider the first statement: A KM
strategy’s contribution to the current performance of my Utility would be ... If KM is already
understood by leadership and the value of your planned KM strategy recognized as high or very
high, then you would select a 4/high or 5/very high. If the value of KM is understood but the
strategy unclear, or there is perhaps an uncertainty about KM but the planned strategy makes
sense, you might answer 3/medium, indicating some value but uncertainty regarding how much.
It is assumed that you have a specific KM strategy that you are considering implementing. If
you do not have a KM strategy in mind, then you may wish to read the section on Developing
the Strategy in the Planning phase of the toolkit process. Short descriptions of several KM
strategies are provided for your consideration.
Because each Utility is unique and possesses a wide variety of characteristics—complete
with its own history—this instrument must be used in concert with informed reflective thought to
determine readiness. What this assessment will do is provide key questions and aspects of your
Utility for you to think about before implementing a KM strategy. From your answers to these
questions and your reflection on what you know about your Utility, you will be able to make an
informed judgment on whether to proceed with implementation of your KM strategy, or take
some preparatory steps prior to implementation of a KM strategy.
The Readiness Assessment Instrument
While a description of the implications of item scoring is provided below, it is strongly
recommended that you do not review this material until after you have completed the
assessment instrument. Following completion of the instrument, you will be provided with an
Assessment Scoring Sheet which will include a discussion of the implications of items scored in
terms of your specific responses.
Complete the Assessment Instrument. A list of the assessment questions is also provided.
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