Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

38 | Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water Utilities
Technology Support
Many KM strategies or initiatives require the use of technology to efficiently provide the
information needed for effective Knowledge Management. Examples would be yellow pages,
expert locators, internal communications networks and groupware in support of teams. Whatever
technology is used needs to be user friendly, flexible, cost-effective and capable of being upgraded
to beat anticipated utility needs in the future. Without the available technology, some KM projects
would have great difficulty in enhancing utility performance.
Developing Trust
This refers to developing trust vertically and horizontally throughout the utility, having an
open mind and participating in a dialogue with others. It means a willingness to share one’s knowledge.
The creation of new ideas is enhanced where trust exists between individuals or among
groups. Further, trust can be developed by creating teams and interactive workgroups and providing
development programs to ensure employees are competent and capable of doing their jobs
without direct oversight.
Valuing Employees
Valuing employees includes ensuring that employees feel valued and recognize that they
are contributing to the overall performance of the organization. This provides a sense of ownership
to the employee, which in turn heightens their interest in the overall utility performance and makes
them much more willing to participate in KM projects. When employees feel secure with their own
performance and about their relationship with the utility, they are much more willing to work with
an organizational change effort.
Provide Training and Development
Providing necessary training and development, particularly where technology or special
skills are needed in the implementation of the KM project, is essential to the successful implementation
of new practices and procedures. If the technology is to be used effectively by utility employees,
it must be carefully brought into the culture and practices of the utility. Even when technology
is working perfectly and is easy to use, employees may not be willing to use it unless they are made
fully aware of its advantages and the benefits provided to their own work as well as overall utility
performance.
BARRIERS TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF KM IN DRINKING WATER
UTILITIES
Project 4003 survey participants were asked: What are the barriers in your organization to
implementing new initiatives? There were 263 responses from 207 responders. In a next question,
survey participants were asked: What are the barriers outside your organization to implementing
new initiatives? There were 208 responses from 207 responders. Figure 5.2 shows the general
areas of responses. The largest number of these total responses (22.3%) were focused on money;
for example, limited resources, budget constraints, pressure to reduce costs, unfunded mandates.
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