Knowledge Management Meets Future Information Users.(increasing need to manage information)(Industry Overview)

Publication: Online

Publication Date: 01-JAN-01

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Information Today, Inc.

In my last column, I discussed changes in information functions within today's leading organizations. Information centers, market intelligence, and learning are converging to form knowledge management (KM) functions. Many information professionals and market intelligence professionals comment that, while they're beginning to work together, KM programs are still for the most part poorly defined at best, while most characterize KM in their organizations as a free-for-all, with little overall leadership.

This is a function of where organizations are in their overall evolution of knowledge management. KM has focused on technology solutions, which really is only stage one in a four-stage evolution. The accompanying chart shows the integration of technology, content, process, and people through the four stages of KM:

In many instances, the technology view of KM came first. Stage two is a convergence of content-related functions. In the context of KM maturity, things will continue to look a bit disorganized, but KM isn't passe but rather a phenomenon still in very early development.

As content groups work together and with IT departments on content and pipeline issues, they'll be forced to address process and behavior--people issues--to be successful. Ultimately, KM is about continuous learning. And continuous learning involves people actively engaging with information and knowledge, then applying it. Companies are increasingly interested in improving information literacy, shown by the dramatic growth of distance and e-learning initiatives.

EVOLUTION FROM FACTS TO INFORMATION

The logical evolution of disparate facts into information is fundamentally about the pipes and content coming together, with data and information being related to stage one and two of the KM landscape. Analyzing information and applying it is what builds knowledge and where process comes in. In other words, stage three is about understanding the relationship of information inputs and outputs to key business processes (such as...

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