Time and time again, APQC's research in knowledge management (KM) has proven that a knowledge-sharing culture leads to increased productivity, improved cycle times for business processes, and innovation. The ongoing role of KM is to develop an environment where people freely create, share, and use information and knowledge; work together toward a common purpose; and are supported and rewarded for doing so.
While this may seem like an easy feat, it is not. It is imperative to remember that implementing a KM program is not an automatic trigger to transform an organization's culture. Yet, many KM leaders immediately begin their efforts by trying to "change the culture. " It is at this point that APQC suggests you stop, collaborate, and listen. It is vital to appreciate the culture of your organization and what drives people's behaviors before trying to implement any type of enterprise-wide change. Your level of cultural understanding could determine the success (or failure) of the proposed change to a familiar process, routine, or technology.
Defining the Barriers .
There are, and will always be, barriers that hinder the flow of knowledge among colleagues. People bring their own values, beliefs, and habits into workplace, and KM cannot achieve its objectives without implementing solutions to overcome behavior-related barriers. We often try to change our culture before understanding it "without taking into account the core values of the organization; the entrenched ideas about how "things get done around here; " and the variety of perspectives contributed by people with different jobs, in different geographic locations, from different generations, and so forth.
1. Awareness.
Awareness refers to the widespread communication of KM approaches and activities across the organization. Organizations typically market the available KM capabilities and approaches so that people know how to connect to content and expertise.