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Securing Buy-In and Building an Effective Process for your KMS

This is the second post of a three-part series regarding Knowledge Management. The first post is KM and Workplace Transitions, and the third is Choosing a KMS Tool: Which Way to Go?

Deciding to implement a Knowledge Management System (KMS) in your office is a smart move—if done right, it can save your organization both time and money. Research shows that organizations with a properly-working KMS improve their overall productivity by 20 to 25 percent. However, before diving into the sea of available tools, it’s crucial to focus on getting buy-in from your team and establishing a robust process. This preparation will help you choose the best tool and ensure its successful adoption. A well-managed KMS is essential to prevent wasted resources and information.

Four smiling people looking at laptop. Text under image reads: "Companies with effective knowledge management are more secure. They're more efficient. Their employees are more productive, with less burnout and turnover. They can make better choices faster and with less effort. The list goes on." —Sirjad Parakkat, Forbes"

Securing Buy-In from Your Team

Getting buy-in from your team is crucial to the success of any KMS, no matter how big or small. All employees need to understand the advantages of consistently contributing to and using a KMS for your company to fully benefit.

Leadership Endorsement is Crucial

For a KMS to thrive, securing support from your leadership team is essential. Here’s why:

  • Visibility and Use: If the leadership team doesn’t actively use the KMS, other employees are unlikely to. Leaders should be involved in selecting the tool and should lead by example, demonstrating its value and functionality.
  • Training and Advocacy: Ensure that leaders receive training first, enabling them to advocate for the system effectively. Their engagement will help foster a culture of use and accountability.
  • Example: Imagine a company where the CEO and department heads consistently use the KMS to track project progress and share insights. Their visible commitment encourages all employees to follow suit, leading to widespread adoption and effective knowledge sharing.
Stick to One Tool

Using multiple KMS tools can overwhelm your team and dilute the effectiveness of your knowledge management efforts. Here’s how to avoid this pitfall:

  • Evaluate Options: Choose a single tool that best fits your organization’s needs, whether it’s a comprehensive platform or a more basic solution.
  • Training and Onboarding: Ensure thorough training and integrate KMS training into your onboarding process to streamline adoption.
  • Example: A tech startup opts for a versatile KMS platform that includes document management, collaboration tools, and project tracking. By focusing on one platform, they simplify training and reduce confusion, leading to higher user satisfaction.
Ensure System Security

While additional security measures like two-factor authentication (2FA) can seem cumbersome, they are essential for protecting your data:

  • Data Protection: Implement robust security features to safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access.
  • User Confidence: When employees feel confident that their contributions are secure, they are more likely to use the system actively.
  • Example: A financial services firm employs 2FA and role-based access controls in their KMS. This ensures that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data, enhancing trust and encouraging regular updates.
Maintain Accuracy and Currency

To keep your KMS valuable and reliable:

  • Assign Responsibilities: Designate team members to regularly update and clean the system.
  • Best Practices: Ensure that best practices are documented and easily accessible to prevent misinformation.
  • Example: A manufacturing company assigns a dedicated knowledge manager to oversee updates and accuracy in their KMS. This role ensures that information remains current and relevant, streamlining operations and reducing errors.

Haphazardly stacked books in an old bookcase in a dark stone basement. Text under image reads: “In today’s environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something very important, the way to get power is by actually sharing it.” Joseph Badaracco John Shad Professor of Business Ethics Harvard Business School"

Creating Your KMS Process

1. Knowledge Creation and Discovery

This is all about creating knowledge from raw data, such as surveys, interviews, and observations. Communication is key: ask a lot of questions and more than once. You may not think to ask about a process because you’ve been using it so long it’s second nature, but newer hires may share some best practices they’ve discovered after making mistakes early on.

Start by gathering and creating knowledge from various sources:

  • Data Collection: Use surveys, interviews, and observations to capture valuable insights.
  • Communication: Engage with team members to uncover hidden knowledge and best practices.
  • Example: A healthcare provider collects insights from frontline staff through regular interviews and surveys, discovering new best practices for patient care that are then documented in the KMS.
2. Knowledge Storage

Now that you have begun to capture all that invaluable knowledge, you need to decide on the best way to store it. Meet with your leaders to decide what type of KMS you need. Some organizations create or pay a third party to create a customized system just for them, others may subscribe to platforms that cater to specific industries. Your company may be small or have a limited budget and decide that a simple low-cost or free option of folders and documents is all you need. It’s like buying a car — understand your budget and your needs BEFORE you start looking; otherwise, you might get distracted by bells and whistles you do not need.

Decide on the best way to store and manage your knowledge:

  • Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf: Choose between a customized KMS or an industry-specific platform based on your needs and budget.
  • Cost Considerations: If resources are limited, a simple document management system might suffice until you can invest in more advanced solutions.
  • Example: A small business opts for a cost-effective cloud-based document storage solution that meets their immediate needs, with plans to upgrade as their budget allows.

Person standing at huge wall of brainstorming ideas in black text and yellow bubbles. Text under image reads: “Employee knowledge is at the core of innovation, agility and overall productivity.” Marc Vontobel, Founder & CEO of Starmind"

3. Knowledge Sharing

Decide who needs what information, and ensure you communicate that information across your organization. Examples include lectures, presentations, training events, or simply sharing project files in a way that several team members can add to a document without needing a new version each time. (We’ll discuss tools in a future blog post.)

Facilitate effective dissemination of knowledge across your organization:

  • Communication Channels: Use various methods such as presentations, training sessions, and collaborative platforms to share information.
  • Version Control: Implement systems that allow multiple users to contribute to documents without creating confusion with multiple versions.
  • Example: A multinational corporation uses a centralized KMS to share project updates and collaborative documents across its global offices, ensuring consistent and up-to-date information.
4. Knowledge Application

Here it is, the reason you put in all that hard work: applying the knowledge in your KMS. If this step isn’t working, the KMS will not be effective. “Knowledge application” refers to how your staff uses the information in the KMS to make decisions, improve processes, and solve business problems. It is also applied through best practices, onboarding, employee handbooks, and other organization or team procedures.

Apply the knowledge stored in your KMS to drive decision-making and process improvements:

  • Integration: Use the KMS to inform best practices, onboarding procedures, and problem-solving strategies.
  • Evaluation: Regularly assess how the KMS contributes to business outcomes and adjust as needed.
  • Example: A tech company integrates their KMS into their project management workflows, enabling team members to quickly access relevant information and apply best practices to enhance productivity and innovation.

Inside of computer with large chip with "AI" on it. Text under image reads: "The drudgery can be done faster, and possibly better, by a computer, while you can improve your performance on the tasks that remain." Maryam Alavi and George Westerman Harvard Business Review"

Embracing Artificial Intelligence in KMS

We discussed the role of AI in modern knowledge management in our first post in this series, but here’s an overview of how AI can significantly enhance the capabilities of a KMS:

  • Intelligent Search: AI-powered search functions can understand natural language queries, providing more accurate and relevant results.
  • Automated Categorization: AI can categorize and tag content automatically, making information retrieval more efficient.
  • Virtual Assistants: AI bots can assist users by directing them to the right information or person when needed.
  • Example: A large retail chain uses an AI-powered KMS with a virtual assistant that helps employees quickly find product information and policies, reducing the time spent searching and improving overall efficiency.

Final Thoughts

Remember that for your KMS to work properly, you must have participation from all your employees, and your leadership must be included in the process from the beginning. This is the “management” in “knowledge management.” It’s more important than ever to have a consistent and accurate KMS in place so your staff from around the state, country, or world can access information needed to do their best work. By thoroughly planning and implementing your KMS with these considerations in mind, you’ll create a system that effectively supports your organization’s knowledge management needs. 

Do you need a knowledge management system or want to improve the one you currently use? We can help you determine your best options according to your needs and budget! Contact us today to learn more!

 
Related Blogs

KM and Workplace Transitions

Choosing a KMS Tool: Which Way to Go?

How to Solve Problems Strategically: Using a SWOT Analysis

Resources

Alavi, Maryam and George Westerman. “How Generative AI Will Transform Knowledge Work.” Harvard Business Review. 11/7/23. Accessed 9/4/24. https://hbr.org/2023/11/how-generative-ai-will-transform-knowledge-work 

Chui, Michael, James Manyika, Jacques Bughin, Richard Dobbs, Charles Roxburgh, Hugo Sarrazin, Geoffrey Sands, and Magdalena Westergren. “The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies.” McKinsey & Company. 7/1/12. Accessed 9/9/24. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-social-economy

Parakkat, Sirjad. “Maximize Productivity With AI-Powered Knowledge Management.” Forbes. 3/13/24. Accessed 9/4/24. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/03/13/maximize-productivity-with-ai-powered-knowledge-management

“Productivity Drain Research Report 2021: Breaking silos, realizing the value of employee knowledge.” Starmind. 7/10/21. Accessed 9/4/24. https://www.starmind.ai/press/starmind-productivity-drain-research-report-2021

Rao, M.S., Ph.D. “The Relevance of Peter Drucker’s Management Philosophy in Today’s World.” Thinkers50. Accessed 9/4/24. https://thinkers50.com/blog/relevance-peter-druckers-management-philosophy-todays-world

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