Knowledge Accountability Drives Knowledge Management Success

Knowledge accountability drives knowledge management success

By Bill Kaplan, founder, Working and effective – with the objective being KnowledgeCSP improved overall organisational performance. For organisations that recognise this value, Gaining value from knowledge they also understand that they need to create Knowledge is the foundation of any accountability for leveraging the knowledge organisation. This is true whether in the public of their organisation. Accountability should or private sector. Knowledge is essential exist at the leadership level and at the for planning, decision making, operations, operational or business level. Assigning and the growth of the organisation. Like a senior executive who is responsible for any other critical organisation resource, ensuring that the organisation maximises knowledge must be continuously used and the value it achieves through one of its most it must flow easily across an organisation. important assets, its knowledge, is critical. It must be created, leveraged, and further This executive, the chief knowledge officer developed in an organised, disciplined, and (CKO),1 a vice president for Knowledge systematic manner as part of the business and Management, or another title, is not a operational processes of the organisation. relabeling of existing positions like a chief Success requires a guiding strategy information officer or a variation of another to enable individuals, teams, and the position. The CKO is a unique, integrated or organisation to become more ‘knowledge hybrid leader and manager possessing skills enabled’ by complementing and supporting and attributes that include an ability to think both operational and infrastructure conceptually, manage people and projects, components in their everyday work and communicate effectively both internally providing tools and relevant technology and externally, and (very importantly) an that make work easier through the flow of ability to persuade and advocate. The knowledge and its use. As organisations CKO is very often ‘a’, if not ‘the’, principal develop and scale, there should be an ‘agent of change’ when it comes to leading increasing urgency to intelligently and behaviour change around the flow and use systematically leverage ‘what they know of knowledge in an organisation. about what they do’. This enables the agility that an organisation must have to remain What is the organisational context competitive, adapt to change quickly, and to for the CKO? achieve its organisational goals. It enables It is helpful to think of the CKO in the context the organisation to ‘create value from its of other organisational leadership and the knowledge’. Gaining value from knowledge functions and responsibilities they have improves problem solving, facilitates better with respect to developing and managing decision making, and enables the leadership the organisation’s critical assets. The chief and workforce to become more productive financial officer (CFO), for example, manages

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Figure 1: CKO Organisational context

the financial assets of the organisation; the an equal ‘seat at the table’. The CKO is human capital officer (HCO) manages the accountable for the ‘knowledge framework’ workforce; and the chief technology officer of the organisation. While the CKO is (CTO) manages the technology assets of the accountable for the framework, including organisation. It makes solid business and developing and maintaining the framework, leadership sense to have an organisational execution should and will always reside at leader that is responsible for and focused the operational level where the work gets upon developing and leveraging the done. While the CKO is accountable for intellectual assets – the knowledge – of the providing KM concepts, strategies, and organisation. This individual is the CKO. implementing practices in collaboration with the operational side of the house, the Where should the CKO operate in accountability for implementation ‘in practice’ the organisation? and as ‘part of the way work gets done’ The CKO should be considered an integral resides at the operational level. This makes part of the senior leadership team and have sense, for example, because profit and loss

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The CKO should: The CKO’s essential skill set Report to the senior leader; The skill set for the CKO is wide and Be an integral part of the senior includes, but is not limited to, the leadership (seat at the table); following: Be an internal consultant for KM; Act as practice leader for external Interpersonal communication skills to consulting; convince employees to adopt cultural Have accountability for the changes; knowledge framework; and Leadership skills to convey the Have the responsibility to develop, KM vision and passion for it to define, persuade, and share. leadership and the cross-functional teams supporting KM in the company; accountability and performance measurement Business acumen to relate KM efforts very often resides here as well. to efficiency and profitability; Successful advocacy of the tools and Strategic thinking skills to relate KM techniques that leadership and the workforce efforts to larger goals and strategic must use to successfully capture, adapt, organisational vision; transfer, and reuse knowledge is better Collaboration and facilitation skills to enabled by the right positioning for the work with various departments and communication of the message. This includes facilitate their ability to work with a reporting structure where the CKO reports each other; to the most senior leader in the organisation. Understanding of the relationship of This sends a clear message that the information technology and its role in organisation views leveraging the knowledge enabling success through KM; and assets of the organisation from the same Demonstrable experience as a value perspective, for example, as leveraging practitioner in delivering operational the financial assets of the organisation. and business results through KM.

What attributes should the CKO possess? to not only achieve the KM goals, but also Since KM involves integrating people, to facilitate the achievement of the corporate processes, and enabling technology, the goals. CKO requires a specific skill set; this critical The right organisational positioning and role must be filled by a person who can reporting structure is only a start. Actual understand the organisation and its big success also depends on how well the CKO picture; they must be able to tie all of this takes advantage of the skill set they possess. to the organisation’s strategic plan and its In fact, one of the most powerful attributes measures of success. (and the one I believe is most required for The CKO must be someone who is not success) is the CKO’s ability to achieve results only capable of being both cheerleader and through their peers. The CKO must be able teacher, but also someone with a vision of see the value of leveraging knowledge, knowledge sharing. Furthermore the CKO and then working with and through the must have the authority and experience to organisation to coach and facilitate the ability enable the corporate culture and processes to adapt business and operational processes

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Figure 2: What attributes should the CKO possess?

– and to make this happen ‘as part of the supported by appropriate enabling way the organisation does business’. This technology, that helps people at all will only occur if the peer leadership and the levels in the organisation to improve their organisation as a whole really understand performance; and believe that there is value in doing do 2. Leadership and the workforce recognise so. and understand that helping people and teams to learn before, during, and What are the key messages for after the work they do is the single, most leadership? effective way to improve performance in Organisations that can move knowledge the short term, and to establish the value effectively across their organisation to of capturing, transferring, and reusing continuously improve their performance knowledge in the longer term; recognise the following key concepts: 3. Experience and learnings are captured, stored, and made accessible after each 1. Leadership has enabled a framework project or activity in a format designed for ‘performing and learning’ – sharing to meet the needs of the re-user of the experience and insight from doing, knowledge;

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4. A consistent and disciplined process is in management to the organisation – without place to integrate captured knowledge a budget, the CKO’s skill set and that of the with what the rest of the organisation CKO team will be marginalised at best. knows and to make it searchable, accessible, downloadable, and reusable Five essentials for CKO success for others; 5. Responsibilities are defined for 1. Words and deeds; maintaining all knowledge processes and 2. Right position in the organisation; activities; 3. Resources for a team (internal 6. Facilitated people networks or consulting and external delivery); communities of practice are maintained 4. Leadership and workforce belief in through active participation within the your message and therefore your organisation in all areas that drive value and the value of KM within the organisational performance; and organisation; and 7. Someone must be focused on and 5. Ability ‘to speak truth to power’. accountable for the ‘knowledge’ of the organisation. Success is about knowledge and Four key aspects of a KM culture performance outcomes CKO success, and organisational KM 1. People must find value in changing success, can be measured in many ways and their behaviour; depends on the context of the organisation, 2. KM is about continuous performance its culture, and its leadership. I offer the improvement – nothing else; following general measures of success, 3. The focus is not on knowledge which, if achieved, can reflect success for management – it should be on KM in an organisation: knowledge leadership; and 4. KM must be part of the way work 1. A consistent and disciplined process gets done – not something extra. for the explicit or formal leveraging of knowledge is a part of ongoing operations; What support does a CKO need for 2. There is an ongoing effort to improve success? the ability to leverage the hidden value Success also really depends on providing of corporate knowledge in business the CKO with sufficient resources to take development and organisational growth; the organisation’s KM concept ‘from theory 3. There is an ongoing focus on improving to strategy to practice’, to ‘operationalise the ability to learn from past challenges KM’ within and across the organisation. and successes in strategic decision This means resourcing the CKO team with making; sufficient budget and people and maintaining 4. There is an ongoing focus on creating a consistent message across leadership value from knowledge (information, about the value of KM. While it is important experience, and insight) held by to place the CKO in a position that visibly employees; reflects the organisation’s view of the role’s 5. Capturing and reusing knowledge is value – and, in turn, the value of knowledge woven into the organisation’s business

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and operational processes to provide real when you consider that each business unit value to the individual and the team in or plant is different. Each possesses different their day-to-day activities; challenges and operating environments, 6. Clients are involved in organisational produces and delivers different products and learning (lessons are learned from services, and resides in different geographic supporting clients and meeting or areas globally and nationally. Each has a exceeding expectations); and workforce with a different demographic in 7. Performance measures of success terms of culture, customs, age, and education. compared to a baseline show One size KM cannot fit all... and nor should improvement. it. Senior leadership in the organisation must The US Army is an excellent example of an communicate the value of ‘performing and organisation where KM is embedded at learning’, of leveraging the knowledge of the 2 every level. The US Army has: organisation. But how does this become real so that it permeates through the organisation A full-time Center for Army Lessons and becomes part of the fabric of the Learned (CALL); organisation down to the work processes? An owner for every doctrine; Part of the answer is to ensure that ‘Lessons learned integrators’ in every there is a KM strategy for the organisation battalion, as well as the training centres; grounded in the overall organisation strategy. Facilitators and core teams for the com Accountability requires understanding munities such as companycommand.mil, the context of KM implementation in the platoonleader.mil, etc.; organisation, understanding the strategic plan Hundreds of trained AAR leaders; and of the greater organisation of which you are KM training at all levels guided by Army part, and then ensuring that the business case Field Manual 6–01.1. for KM investment over the longer term can Accountability strategies for KM be made. Structure and assignment Developing a KM strategic plan (a KM strategy) that is linked to the overall strategic Successful KM implementation can be affected by how KM accountability is plan of the organisation helps to ensure that structured and assigned. When it exists, part there is funding and resources – or at least an of the cultural or behavioural resistance to KM open discussion – to sustain the investment. can originate with how KM accountability Most importantly, meaningful measures is positioned within the organisation. Both of success must be developed not only to centralised and decentralised accountability track the progress of KM integration and can be effective depending on the structure, deployment in the organisation, but also the size, leadership vision, and culture of the value (return) it provides in order to ensure organisation. continued KM funding and resource support. For example, I worked with a global The KM strategy is much more likely to speciality chemicals company that be successfully implemented at the business understood the concept of KM and its value or operational unit level than at the broader at the senior corporate level, but all progress corporate level because the detailed insight in implementing KM really started at the necessary for KM success does not often business unit or plant level. This makes sense reside at the corporate organisation level

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when the organisation is large and the parts ensure goal achievement and opportunity to are many. change behaviour and direction.

Balanced scorecard RASCI model Another part of the answer can be the An additional dimension can be introduced integration of a ‘balanced scorecard’ across with the balanced scorecard – the the organisation’s leadership. To move an RASCI model3 – which can be adapted organisation from KM concepts to KM to focus upon knowledge management strategy to implementing practice, to enable accountabilities and integrated into the a corporate (top down) and workforce driven organisation’s processes and decision (bottom up) knowledge culture, organisations making. The RASCI model is a responsibility should focus on easily stated and easily assignment methodology for identifying understood outcomes tied to selective roles and responsibilities and drives broader measures of (KM) success that can be tracked collaboration across a leadership team. to existing strategic initiatives and measures of This is particularly useful when encouraging value, and then integrated into organisation the right behaviour is important and when and personal balanced scorecards. These leadership needs to understand that thinking broadly accountable outcomes can include: with the ‘organisational hat’ on can lead to greater success. Learning and sharing knowledge in and While the CKO and the KM team are across teams as a routine part of the way accountable for developing (in collaboration) people work, resulting in open behaviour KM concepts and strategy and implementing and fundamental change; practices, the operational managers are Capturing and reusing enterprise accountable for the practical application knowledge, resulting in immediate of KM within the organisation – capturing, improvements in operational and adapting, transferring, and reusing organisational performance; knowledge to create and drive value for the Leveraging collective know-how through organisation, the workforce, and the clients/ sustained networks or communities of practice (CoP) across lines of business customers/stakeholders. and practice areas; and Operate a senior steering group (SSG) Continuously improving business and operational process performance in a to help to ensure accountability for KM sustainable manner that can be tracked deployment to enterprise performance measures of Regardless of the name, the idea is to set success (e.g. balanced scorecard). up a group which regularly brings together the operations and infrastructure leadership Specific knowledge accountabilities are to discuss KM deployment. The ongoing assigned and performance measured. challenges and conflicts, search for solutions, Unless KM accountabilities, authorities, and the value of moving knowledge across and responsibilities are assigned (and you the organisation is addressed in a candid must have all three!), success is not likely. and collaborative conversation. Action items ‘Hope is not a solution’, nor is ‘serendipity are recognised and accountabilities assigned. a management tool’. If used, balanced This is one place to regularly ‘take the pulse’ scorecards must be reviewed regularly to of the KM effort in all its dimensions and

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improve collaboration and decision making knowledge leadership courses could include for KM success. the following example curriculum:

Create a structure for internal KM Introduction to the organisation’s KM support framework; When resources permit, this support is Knowledge capture with individuals; provided through the establishment of a Knowledge capture with teams; separate KM function (internal consulting) Knowledge assets: planning, creation, and embedded into operations through the and sustainment; assigned knowledge managers (KMG). The Communities of practice: planning, KMG takes KM to the organisational units. development, creation, and sustainment; The KMG role is viewed and supported by Creating a knowledge- senior leadership as an alternative form of enabled organisation: culture and roles; non-supervisory leadership. This is a clear Knowledge leadership training for and visible demonstration of leadership knowledge managers; developing knowledge workers and Survey course: knowledge leadership for recognising the value of doing so. It moves executives and managers; or accountability for operational integration of Knowledge distillation and sense making. KM to the operating units by providing the support necessary to help drive and facilitate Identify and develop knowledge success. mentors, champions, and managers Craft an organisational model that recognises Develop and train knowledge leaders an evolving set of attributes for identifying Knowledge leadership training is a successful knowledge leaders. Leverage the fundamental component of being a successful above training to move them into knowledge knowledge-enabled organisation not only manager (KMG) roles. at the leadership level, but also throughout all levels of the organisation. Knowledge Introduce KM to new employees on day leadership is about everyone stepping up one and living the values and guiding principles Introduce accountability broadly for of the company – it is about broader ‘leveraging the knowledge of the organisation accountability. as part of the way work gets done’ to new employees on day one as part of new Identify and develop knowledge employee orientation (NEO). In fact, each management/leadership competencies new employee can be provided their NEO Look for ways to provide KM leadership KM awareness training by the knowledge opportunities either internally or from manager who will be supporting them to outside the organisation. Develop a KM begin to build a collaborative and trusting education and training curriculum that covers relationship from the first day on the job. specific topics that make sense for your Finally, the curriculum provides the essential organisation. Working KnowledgeCSP has KM awareness and training necessary to provided the following types of training to deliver KM solutions to the workforce. organisations wanting improved capability and accountability for KM throughout their organisations. Knowledge management/

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Recognise/reward knowledge About the author leaders based on measures of their Bill Kaplan, a KM practitioner, published effectiveness author, and KM coach, is the founder of Organisation members can step up and Working KnowledgeCSP, an independent accept knowledge leadership roles. For knowledge management consulting company organisations that choose to embed KM and service disabled veteran owned small accountabilities at the individual performance business. His most recent book, Losing Your level, knowledge leadership tasks can Minds: Capturing, Retaining and Leveraging be identified in workforce ‘individual Organizational Knowledge, focuses on the development plans’ (IDPs) and ‘annual challenges and solutions to mitigating the loss performance plans’, which then become of knowledge due to workforce turnover. part of their performance evaluation Bill served 25 years in the United States and performance reward determination. Air Force, retiring in the rank of Colonel. Prior Employees might take on, for example: to founding Working KnowledgeCSP, Bill was the chief knowledge officer and knowledge Subject matter expert (SME) reviewer management practice manager at Acquisition roles for one or more knowledge areas in Solutions, Inc (ASI), a public sector only the organisation; management consulting company. Under Bill’s Community of practice leadership roles; knowledge leadership, ASI earned top 20 or North American Most Admired Knowledge Knowledge manager roles. Enterprise (MAKE) recognition from Teleos in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Prior to that, Bill Summary was the deputy global KM practice manager Organisations that derive ‘value from at SAIC. their knowledge’ have built ‘knowledge Bill holds a BS in Business and Economics management’ into the fabric of their from Lehigh University, an MBA from The organisations. These knowledge enabled Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, organisations, as a fundamental part of and a professional degree in Engineering how they do their work, learn before doing, Management with a concentration in learn while doing, and learn after doing. Knowledge Management from The George Knowledge is used and flows easily across Washington University. the organisation. They have also made the organisation, References and the people within the organisation, 1. For our purposes, we will refer to this senior accountable for the knowledge management knowledge leader as the CKO. 2. For those of you familiar with outcomes they have determined make sense CompanyCommand.com, you know that this is for their organisation. When KM is part of true down to the element level. the fabric of the organisation, it is embedded 3. RASCI: Responsible, accountable, supportive, in the organisational structure, organisational consulted, informed. (For an example, see strategy, business and operational it.toolbox.com/wiki/index.php/RASCI_ Model). processes, technology infrastructure, and most importantly, throughout the organisation leadership and workforce. People find value in capturing, adapting, transferring, and reusing their knowledge.