Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

CHAPTER 6
THE EFFECTS OF ALIGNMENT AND MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN
KM AND CORE PLANNING PROCESSES
This chapter investigates the effects of alignment and misalignment between a utility’s core
planning processes and deployment of a KM strategy or initiative. It will also address the possible
impact of an underdeveloped process on KM strategies and initiatives.
UTILITY CORE PLANNING PROCESSES
All utilities have core planning processes that are essential to effective planning and performance.
Examples of utility planning processes would include strategic business planning, operational
planning, capital improvement planning, human resource development, life cycle planning
and information technology master planning. These plans are critical to effective and efficient utility
operations because they set up procedures and processes that when implemented create the
activities and relationships that drive utility performance.
In the 4003 survey process, drinking water utilities were asked: How well do the following
core processes support your organization’s mission? A five-point Likert scale was used with the
variables defined as (1) very poorly, (2) poorly, (3) okay, (4) well, and (5) very well. The results
are provided in Table 6.1.
There are a number of observations that can be made regarding this response.
First, note that there is a range from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high) in response to each core
planning process and its support of the utility’s mission. Thus the standard deviations are quite
high for each set of responses.
Second, note that the median is 4 (high) for strategic business planning, operational planning,
and capital improvement planning, indicating that the majority of responses are 4 (high) or 5
(very high). These three processes are historically those that fall under the direct purview of leaders
and managers.
Third, note that out of the 207 survey responders, the number of responses to each of the
six core planning processes ranges from 177 to 202. The instructions on the survey read: “This
survey looks at your organization as a whole ... should be filled out by a senior manager.” Thus for
each of the core processes there were 5–30 responders who chose not to enter a value for that core
process, indicating either no judgment or an unfamiliarity with the core processes they were asked
to assess. In the order of those processes more readily assessed, the planning processes are: Capital
improvement planning, operational planning, human resource development, strategic business
planning, information technology master planning and life cycle planning. This would indicate, for
example, a higher level of familiarity and opinion on capital improvement planning than life cycle
planning. Yet capital improvement planning is directly correlated to life cycle planning. In an
uncertain and changing economic and political environment—where new requirements and issues
emerge without adequate resources to quickly and effectively respond to those requirements and
issues—long-term planning must often take a second seat to short-term needs. While this juxtaposing
occurs in a large number of organizations, the aging infrastructure faced by a large number of
drinking water utilities is rapidly bringing long-term into the sphere of short-term urgency. In other
words, funding needs that could previously be delayed can no longer be delayed.
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