a guide to global best practice and standards in km · the value proposition ... success and...

A Guide to Global Best Practice and Standards in KM

EDITED BY ALEX DAVIES

Head of events and booksLeah Darbyshire

Commissioning editorAlex Davies

Editorial assistantFrancesca Ramadan

Published by ARK Group:

UK, Europe and Asia office 5th Floor 10 Whitechapel High Street London, E1 8QS United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 207 566 5792 [email protected]

North America office 4408 N. Rockwood Drive, Suite 150 Peoria IL 61614 United States Tel: +1 (309) 495 2853 [email protected]

www.ark-group.com

Printed by Canon (UK) Ltd, Cockshot Hill, Reigate, RH2 8BF, United Kingdom

ISBN: 978-1-78358-364-5

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

© 2019 ARK Group

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licencing Agency in respect of photocopying and/or reprographic reproduction. Application for permission for other use of copyright material, including permission to reproduce extracts in other published works, should be made in writing to the publishers. Full acknowledgement of author, publisher, and source must be given.

DISCLAIMER This publication is intended as a general guide only. The information and opinions it contains are not intended to provide legal advice. The publishers bear no responsibility for any errors or omissions contained herein.

ARK Group is a division of Wilmington plc. The company is registered in England & Wales with company number 2931372 GB. Registered office: 5th Floor, 10 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 8QS.

VAT Number: GB 899 3725 51.

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Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

About the authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxiBy Nick Milton, Judy Payne, and Ron Young, BS ISO 30401: 2018 Knowledge Management Standard committee

Chapter 1: The evolution of the KM Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1By Nick Milton, director and co-founder of Knoco Ltd

Background to the standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Drafting standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3The Committee Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6The final standard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2: Guiding principles of the standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9By Karen Battersby, director of knowledge management, Freeths

The nature of knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The value proposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Shared understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Iterative KM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Specification of the standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 3: Context and culture – Transport for London (TfL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19By Liz Hobbs, project manager, Transport for London

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19The early days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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Contents

Initial high level strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Delivering the strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Success and reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 4: Knowledge development and the knowledge lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . 29By Libbie Evans, senior manager, knowledge management, TD Bank

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Overview of matter management system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Matter management enablers as a foundational tool for the knowledge management system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 5: KM enablers from Olympic and Paralympic Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39By Dr Peter Brown, head of performance knowledge, English Institute of Sport

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39GB Olympic and Paralympic high performance sport system – context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39English Institute of Sport – overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Knowledge management within the EIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Nature of knowledge in the EIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Role of complex adaptive systems in EIS knowledge management . . . . . . 42Cynefin model and EIS practitioner knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Using the cynefin framework in practice for knowledge management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Knowledge management governance framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Application of the knowledge management governance mental model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47How to create a bespoke mental model in your context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Chapter 6: Knowledge management culture – enabling a composite mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51By Dr Dominique Poole-Avery and Elena Costello, Arup

Perpetual ethos embraced by new generations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Commitment to excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Shaping expectations and behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Developing a culture of enquiry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Sharing knowledge through networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Operations enhanced by Skills Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Leading by example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Investing time in reflecting and learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

v


Pinnacle of skill and knowledge excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59To conclude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 7: Leadership in KM – London 2012, Crossrail, and Learning Legacies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61By Karen Elson, major projects consultant, Co.Cre8 Ltd

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Leadership in the KM Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Identifying the need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Obtaining the mandate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Policy and strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Roles, responsibilities and authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Driving a Learning Legacy culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Measures of success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Chapter 8: Supporting and resourcing knowledge management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71By Hank Malik, KM program lead, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Dr Sulaiman Al Toubi, former PDO asset oil director and visiting industry-academic fellow, Muscat University, Oman

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71The approach taken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Competence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Chapter 9: Planning and operating KM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79By Rupert Ashley Lescott, specialist in knowledge management, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Introduction to the ISO standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79The role of DEWA and its KM journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79DEWA’s current priorities for planning and operating its KMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Piloting new KMS elements and approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Establishment of criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Outsourced processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Guidance and advice for other organizations seeking to develop and operate a KMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

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Contents

Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Chapter 10: Performance and improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89By Darryl Wing, director, knowledge management, Fluor

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89The make it easy fallacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Analysis and investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Protection of information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Validity and trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Cast the net wider and change the name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Out of documents into databases – push not pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Measurement and impact assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Can there be too many lessons? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Chapter 11: The future of KM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97By Patrick DiDomenico, chief knowledge officer, Ogletree, Deakins, and James Lee, co-founder and CEO, LegalMation

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Current and future trends in knowledge management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97People, process, and technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Automation of routine tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98The importance of data analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Growing partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99LegalMation background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Ogletree Deakins’ KM background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Case study: The LegalMation–Ogletree partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Chapter 12: Mostly harmless… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105By Professor Dave Snowden, director of the Cynefin Centre and chief scientific officer at Cognitive Edge

Some thoughts on the field… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106… and thus implications for the standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109An endnote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

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In November 2018, the International Standards Organization (ISO) published its new standard on knowledge management – BS ISO 30401:2018. This is the first standard on knowledge management (KM) ever to be introduced and is global and industry-agnostic. The standard came about due to an increasing recognition of the need for, and importance of, Knowledge Management, as well as a certain amount of ambiguity in the understanding of what KM is.

The standard begins by defining eight key principles of knowledge management, which taken together form the basis of best practice in the discipline, before going into prescriptive text about how organizations should carry out KM in practice.

The standard acts as a good guide for an organization of any size, in any sector, located anywhere in the world, to be able to benchmark its KM practices. It also acts as a useful toolkit for organizations that are just beginning their KM journey and need advice on how. This collection of case studies features organizations from many different sectors across the globe that are demonstrating best practice KM. Each case study deals with a different theme expanded upon in the standard, showing how KM is evolving, allowing readers to understand what is required by the new global standard in more practical terms.

The published standard is prescriptive and gives rules and guidelines – this book adds color to the clauses by showing practical examples of the principles of the standard in action.

In chapter one, Nick Milton – director and co-founder of Knoco Ltd, and a member of the ISO working group for the standard – describes the genesis of BS ISO 30401:2018, and the various decisions and processes that needed to be followed before the standard was fully drafted, approved, and released. Nick details the national and international bodies that were involved in the drafting process, and the consultative processes adopted to maximize input from KM professionals around the world, including a period of public consultation. He also describes the nature of the document as being a standard for the management system

Executive summary

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Executive summary

by which KM is governed, rather than a standard approach for managing knowledge. This has major implications over how the standard is applied, and sets constraints on the text within the body of the standard itself.

Chapter two then looks at the eight guiding principles of the standard, which provide a useful checklist for developing or assessing KM in legal practice. This chapter, by Karen Battersby, director of knowledge management at national UK firm, Freeths, examines each of the prin-ciples in detail and looks at ways in which law firms already do, or potentially could, implement and embed them within their KM strate-gies and practice.

The case studies section of the book begins with chapter three by Liz Hobbs of Transport for London (TfL). Following the 2012 London Olympics, TfL underwent a “Transformation Program” called Project Horizon. During this process the Horizon team identified that the organization was not learning lessons or transferring knowledge from project to project. The new Program Management Office (PMO) structure included, for the first time, a knowledge management team to implement systems, processes and most importantly, identify barriers to learning within the organization.

In order to achieve the outcomes identified for the new program, it was essential to understand the organization and the outcomes it was looking to deliver.

As section 4 of the KM Standard identifies, culture is critical to the effectiveness of knowledge management. A pan-TfL working group was therefore formed to establish a baseline, following which a strategy was developed to determine the scope of the new KM system. The output identified that the organization needed a multi-faceted approach rather than just introducing a Lessons Learned repository. TfL’s journey began from that point onwards.

In chapter four, Libbie Evans of TD Bank, a subsidiary of the Canadian multinational Toronto-Dominion Bank, describes how TD Legal designed its matter management system (people/process/technology) to advance the bank’s knowledge management objectives. Discussing knowledge development and the knowledge lifecycle, the authors look at how the matter management system became the foundation of its KM system.

In chapter five, Dr Peter Brown – head of performance knowledge for the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and director of the knowledge management consultancy, the Knowledge Podium – describes how the EIS brings to life the knowledge management enablers of its knowledge management system as described in section 4.4.4 of BS ISO 30401:2018.

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The chapter describes the context, nature, and the breadth of knowl-edge within the EIS and how this is understood and applied to enhance the performance of Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes on a daily basis. It explains how within the EIS, organic knowledge management succeeds, despite it being voluntary for individuals and teams and with no organizational consequences for non-compliance. The chapter demonstrates how knowledge management within the EIS is viewed and applied using complex adaptive systems and applied with a constraint-led approach to rapid organizational learning.

Design and creativity are at the heart of Arup. Human capital, in the capabilities of every member of Arup staff, is the key to the firm’s repu-tation of quality and innovative excellence. Formalizing the importance of collective knowledge, its access and transfer across to the continued success of the firm, is Arup’s strategy for knowledge management, which has developed to systematically address needs on a large scale, invoking principles familiar to knowledge management practitioners, such as the sharing of Lessons Learned, the development of communities of practice and the user-driven development of knowledge tools to support exper-tise and good practice sharing.

In chapter six, Dominique Poole Avery and Elena Costello at Arup, provide practical insights into how to encourage and stimulate a culture that intrinsically supports strong knowledge management practices, to better identify critical knowledge programs relevant to needs, and to mobilize senior sponsorship to build an open and collaborative global organizational culture on a large scale.

In chapter seven, Karen Elson, a major projects consultant at Co.Cre8 Ltd, discusses the role of leadership in the success of the London 2012 and Crossrail Learning Legacies. Learning Legacies are KM programs that share learning to drive a learning environment for the continuous improvement of major projects. Karen discusses how strong senior leadership, combined with a clear policy and alignment of objectives, championed by a dispersed leadership team and supported by a central team, were critical factors in their success.

Chapter eight, by Hank Malik of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Dr Sulaiman Al Toubi, former asset oil director at PDO and visiting industry-academic fellow at Muscat University, Oman, explore how KM is supported and resourced in a global oil company, utilizing their shared experience in the field to deliver Lessons Learned.

Chapter nine then looks at planning and operating KM. Rupert Ashley Lescott, specialist in knowledge management at DEWA – the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority – looks at how to use KM to plan

against risks and opportunities, and how testing, adapting and inno-vating enable long-term KM capability development.

Section 10.2 of ISO 30401 states that the organization shall contin-ually improve the suitability, adequacy, efficiency and effectiveness of its knowledge management system, and use monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation to do so. In chapter ten, Darryl Wing, director of knowledge management at Fluor Ltd, discusses how the organization changed the way it structured its Lessons Learned program to resonate better with staff.

By renaming the program “Project Experiences and Lessons Learned” with the instruction that any Fluor employee should submit an experi-ence if they felt its outcome could benefit other projects, the company was much more able to engage its learners.

What continues to work well is the capture and promotion of success stories that work their way into the fabric of the organization. Over time, the hope is that employees won’t question whether completing the expe-rience submittal and approval process is worth the time because the culture of the organization puts such an expectation on improvement that it’s simply a natural part of their work process.

Chapter 11 discusses current and future trends in knowledge management. Authors Patrick DiDomenico, chief knowledge officer of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC, and James Lee, CEO and co-founder of LegalMation, share their views on this topic in light of their recently-formed partnership. They discuss the recently-published ISO standard and how it will impact or cultivate information sharing and innovation. Using Ogletree Deakins as a case study, the authors discuss how knowledge development is cultivated via the leaders and enablers within the context of its firm culture as they evaluate and adopt innovative platforms such as LegalMation.

To conclude the book, Professor Dave Snowden, chief scientific officer at Cognitive Edge, looks at the Standard with a critical eye, asking if it will actually do what the KM community needs it to do.

This concluding chapter examines the latest knowledge management standard through this lens. Does it have utility? If so, what are its limits?

This book shows you BS ISO 30401:2018 in application, enabling you to decide whether you should apply it to your own organization, wholly or in part. More crucially, A Guide to Global Best Practice and Standards in KM allows you to benchmark your own knowledge initiatives against best in breed global examples.

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Note: Permission to reproduce extracts from British Standards is granted by BSI. British Standards can be obtained in PDF or hard copy formats from the BSI online shop: www.bsigroup.com/Shop or by contacting BSI Customer Services for hard copies only: Tel: +44 (0)20 8996 9001, Email: [email protected].

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Karen Battersby is the director of knowledge management at national firm, Freeths, and is responsible for the firm’s knowledge management, library, and legal learning and development. She has many years’ experi-ence in knowledge management, as well as a commercial lawyer, having practised both in private practice and in-house. Karen is an experienced lecturer and trainer, having taught everything from legal CPD courses to MBA qualifications to lawyers and other professionals. She has also taught KM at MBA level at Henley and she established the UK’s first postgraduate qualification in knowledge management for legal practice at Nottingham Law School. Karen also developed one of the UK’s first webinar and online learning businesses for the legal profession.

Dr Peter Brown is head of performance knowledge at the English Institute of Sport, the science, medicine and technology provider to GB Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and works with all departments of the UK high performance system to drive the design and delivery of the knowledge management and organizational learning strategy.

Peter is also the founder and director of knowledge management and organizational learning consultancy, the “Knowledge Podium,” where, using a unique complex adaptive systems lens, he advises elite sport and high performance organizations on accelerating knowledge transfer and rapid learning to maximize their organizational capability.

Peter has worked with many of Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic sports. He worked with Team GB and Paralympics GB in the preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and leads the Team GB approach to knowledge transfer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He has over 15 years’ consulting in high performance sport. Peter has been invited to speak at numerous KM and workplace learning conferences, has published peer-reviewed journal articles related to sport, complexity, and learning and is an authorized CYNEFIN trainer.

About the authors

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About the authors

Elena Costello is an expert in knowledge management; combining her formative career as a project engineer and qualifications as a project manager to ensure a relevant foundation of knowledge management that brings added value to projects. In addition to having delivered a wide range of multidisciplinary projects in energy, education, transport, mari-time, and healthcare sectors, Elena has steered the direction of internal and external knowledge management consulting work as well as research. In taking a project benefits and result-oriented approach, she has managed the successful engagement of critical stakeholders to successfully develop various programs within Arup’s knowledge management strategy, while working on external knowledge management consulting commissions.

Patrick DiDomenico is chief knowledge officer for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC, an international labor and employment law firm with 900 attorneys in more than 50 offices. Patrick also serves on the firm’s technology strategy committee, research and development council, and innovation summit committee. Before his knowledge management career, he was a practicing litigation attorney for more than eight years. Author of the book Knowledge Management for Lawyers, published by the American Bar Association, Patrick has been in the legal knowledge management industry since 2005. He is the recipient of the 2013 ILTA Knowledge Management Professional of the Year Award.

In his spare time, Patrick publishes the LawyerKM blog (www.LawyerKM.com), tweets as @LawyerKM, manages the 10,000 member Knowledge Management for Legal Professionals LinkedIn group, the 6,700 member Legal Project Management LinkedIn group, and the 600 member Artificial Intelligence for Legal Professionals LinkedIn group, all of which he founded. He is a fellow in the College of Law Practice Management, a frequent speaker on KM, legal technology, and legal innovation topics, and an advisor to legal technology start-ups.

Karen Elson is a major projects consultant and chartered engineer with more than 20 years’ experience in public and private sector projects. She has led the implementation of innovative and award winning Learning Legacy programs across the UK’s construction industry, including the Olympics, Crossrail, the Major Projects Knowledge Hub, and more recently developing the brief for continuous learning on the Palace of Westminster refurbishment and renovation program. Karen runs her own management consultancy business with two business partners and a select group of associates, delivering improvements in major projects through focus on knowledge, networks, and behaviors.

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Elizabeth (Libbie) Evans is the senior manager, knowledge manage-ment for the legal department of the Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD). She is also the product owner and business lead for the implementation of TD Legal’s modernized matter management system.

Prior to formally taking on the knowledge management program, Libbie practiced commercial law for a combined 20 years, first in private practice, and later at TD; negotiating and providing strategic advice on numerous outsourcing and other technology related agreements. Always interested in knowledge management opportunities, Libbie designed and implemented a process for contributing, maintaining, and searching for team precedents on the department’s SharePoint site. She also built systems and tools to simplify, standardize, and implement a risk-based approach to TD’s contracting process. In her newest role, she has presented multiple times on the topic of knowledge management, why it is important, and how it can be implemented.

Libbie was called to the bar in Ontario in 1998, earned her law degree from the University of Toronto in 1996, and graduated from Queen’s Economics (Honours) in 1992.

Liz Hobbs, project manager for London Overground, has more than 18 years’ experience in the transport sector involved in major projects and has taken Transport for London (TfL)’s knowledge management initiative from a standing start to embedding the strategy within the first four years. She is responsible for driving the transformation of the culture, systems, and processes that underpin the successful delivery of knowledge management in the organization. She has developed the use of Lessons Learned plans and strategies and seen successful implemen-tation show that learning has created efficiencies and savings across the organization.

Being passionate about knowledge sharing, Liz is a member of a number of external groups, including the Crossrail Learning Legacy Executive Steering Group.

James M Lee is co-founder and CEO of LegalMation. He is a founding partner of LTL Attorneys LLP, a nationally recognized litigation boutique. As an experienced litigator, he has tried numerous cases in federal and state courts. He has been recognized as a top business litigator by various legal publications including the National Law Journal. James has served as lead counsel to a number of Fortune and multinational clients including Wal-Mart, Thomson Reuters, Symantec, and VIZIO. He was formerly associated with litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel before co-founding

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About the authors

LTL Attorneys. He is a frequent and noted speaker and commentator in the field of AI and innovations in the field of law. At LegalMation, James serves as the key driver of the company’s vision and strategy.

Rupert Ashley Lescott is the KM specialist at the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), where he is working to introduce and enhance KM capabilities. He was a British Army officer for ten years, deployed on military operations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He has worked in KM consultancy for ten years, helping clients across many sectors, including defence, not-for-profit, oil/gas, transportation and utilities.

Rupert has worked across the KM spectrum, conducting assessments, creating strategies, and designing and implementing KM frameworks. Additionally, organizational culture, KM piloting and lesson learning are particular areas of interest for him and he began work in these fields during three years as an analyst at the British Army’s Lessons Centre.

Hank Malik is a recognized KM subject matter expert with skills in deliv-ering KM solutions with a blend of people, process, content, learning, and technology. Hank has worked for a range of blue chip management consultancies, IT organizations and government entities specializing in knowledge management, collaboration, learning and enterprise content management.

He has experience in implementing KM internationally where he has led multiple KM teams in the Middle East, Europe, the US and Japan. He has focused recently on delivering KM engagements within energy organizations including Shell, BG Group, and most recently in PDO, Oman. Here he designed the strategy, manages the governance and oper-ations and leads the enterprise KM program, and is the subject technical authority.

Hank has spoken at numerous international conferences, most recently on collaboration and enterprise social networks, and is a both a Certified and Master Certified Knowledge Manager (MCKM) with the Knowledge Management Institute (KMI). He was responsible recently for organizing the first certified KM training in Oman, and launching a number of growing communities and forums.

Nick Milton is director and co-founder of Knoco Ltd, with over 25 years’ experience in knowledge management. Working with Knoco Ltd, Nick has helped develop and deliver KM strategies, implementation plans, and services in a wide range of different organizations around the globe. He has a particular interest in Lessons Learned programs, and

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has managed major lessons capture programs, particularly in the area of mergers and acquisitions, and high technology engineering.

Prior to founding Knoco, Nick spent two years at the center of the team that made BP the leading KM company in the world at the time; acting as the team knowledge manager, developing and implementing BP’s knowledge of “how to manage knowledge”, and coordinating the BP KM Community of Practice.

Judy Payne has been involved in knowledge management since 1991, when she joined CIRIA and led collaborative projects that produced guidance for the water and construction industries. Since setting up Hemdean Consulting Ltd in 2001 she has worked as a knowledge and learning consultant, educator and researcher – including six years as a director of the Henley KM Forum. Judy is co-chair of the Association for Project Management Knowledge SIG and a member of the ISO knowledge management working group that developed ISO 30401. In February 2019, Judy took over from Ron Young as chair of the BSI knowledge management standards committee. She has contributed to many knowledge management and organizational learning publications and has co-written a book on managing knowledge in project environ-ments that will be published by Routledge in 2019. Judy is on a mission to spread the word about knowledge management, bust the many myths that surround the subject, and help people understand how managing knowledge creates value.

Dominique Poole-Avery is Arup’s global knowledge manager, respon-sible for the knowledge strategy that defines the practices, tools and behaviors applied to achieve knowledge sharing across Arup. She has shaped technology solutions and led a range of strategic initiatives to address issues such as skills mapping, Lessons Learned, risks from future “brain drain” and has played a key role in shaping Arup’s approach to skills networks as a primary means for knowledge transfer and skill development. Dominique originally trained as an architect. She has a PhD on the topic of Innovation in Construction: a client’s perspective, in which she explored the issues that influence client decisions regarding innovative practices and solutions, and the implications of these for designers and all involved in the construction process. Dominique has presented at various conferences on knowledge management, given guest lectures at business schools, has published papers and contributed to books on knowledge management and organizational learning.

Professor Dave Snowden is director of the Cynefin Centre and chief scientific officer of Cognitive Edge. Formerly a director of the IBM Institute for Knowledge Management, he pioneered an organic approach to the field and was identified by Thomas Stewart, former editor of the HBR, as one of the leading thinkers on tacit knowledge. He received a special award from the Academy of Management for his contribution to the field and his paper Complex Acts of Knowing is one of the ten most cited articles on the subject.

Dr Sulaiman Al Toubi is the former asset oil director at PDO and industry-academic at Muscat University, Oman. Dr Sulaiman has over 40 years of working experience, mostly with the oil and gas industry. He started his oil and gas career with PDO in 1978 as an apprentice and attained his academic achievements from various UK institutes in both technical and business management. He has held several technical and managerial roles within PDO, including four years with Shell Nigeria. He has held executive leadership roles for more than 12 years in PDO, and championed and supported several strategically important programs. In the last two years Suleiman has been appointed as visiting industrial fellow at the Muscat University. He is also leading R&D project “Ejaad,” mandated to establish an effective Oman R&D ecosystem, through part-nership between industry, academia, and the Government.

Darryl Wing joined Fluor’s newly formed knowledge management team in 2000. For over a decade he worked on developing and enhancing Fluor’s flagship knowledge-sharing platform, Knowledge OnLine. During that time he actively participated in extending the reach of Fluor’s communities of practice. Today they continue to flourish and provide a vital location to access Fluor’s global knowledge, from accessing best practices to getting project questions answered quickly by Fluor’s network of subject matter experts. Fluor’s KM program has received numerous accolades over the years, including multiple awards for the Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE). In July 2013, Darryl assumed responsibility for the KM team at Fluor, and is working to drive an evolved vision of KM within Fluor.

Ron Young is the founder of Knowledge Associates, based at St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge UK. He is acknowledged as a leading international expert and thought leader in strategic knowledge asset management. He chaired the BSI knowledge management standards committee until the first international ISO 30401 KM Standard was

About the authors

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published in November 2018, and is currently a member of several standard committees and workgroups for knowledge management, asset management, innovation management and quality. His passion is for a new knowledge economic theory and new measurements for the global knowledge-driven economy. He is concerned with effective knowledge and innovation management principles, and platforms.

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KM is real. And it matters. This was the response of many Knowledge Management (KM) practitioners when ISO published a management system standard (MSS) for KM in late 2018. No longer would they need to explain, justify, and defend KM – ISO had published a standard and KM had a new level of legitimacy.

We share their positive outlook, but there is a long step from publica-tion of a standard to its successful use in improving and enhancing KM practice. We contributed to the standard because we want to improve the understanding and practice of KM, without stifling its develop-ment, dumbing it down, or constraining its scope. That’s a tall order. Publication of the standard is one step in the right direction – under-standing, development, and improvements to practice will take time. This book marks the beginning of that process.

The standard is a management system standard – a standard for the management system that governs KM, rather than for the practical details of how knowledge will be managed. The practice of KM has developed over many years and, as the chapters in this book illustrate, the details and focus of KM varies considerably from one organization to another. Because KM is such a varied discipline, the ISO standard is based on principles – of KM and of management systems. It identifies the essen-tial elements of KM – things that apply to KM the world over. Crucially, the standard presents KM as a holistic management discipline in which all the essential elements need to be present. Within this framework, every organization needs to find solutions that are viable in their own context. In some contexts the emphasis is on connecting people to create new ideas and make better decisions, in others it is on codification of explicit knowledge to improve the efficiency of current operations, and in others still it is about the transformation of the organization and its operations through the use of knowledge as a key organizational asset.

The standard aims to provide structure and consistency to what people are already doing, as well as providing guidance to organizations

Foreword

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Foreword

new to KM. For organizations already practicing KM, such as most of these described in this book, the value of the standard will be in working through the elements of KM that are already in place, identi-fying anything that’s missing, and making sure the elements are fully aligned with the defined purposes of KM, the organizational objectives and the needs of stakeholders.

The standard is too new to have influenced practice, and although the case studies in this book each focus on an individual section of the standard, they clearly demonstrate that many organizations already appreciate the breadth of KM, its holistic nature, and the elements that need to be in place for it to be a robust management system. PDO Oman for example, as shown in chapter eight, recognizes the need for KM resources, roles, and competencies within its business, and has already set in place the training, communication, and awareness programs to make this possible. Other organizations have chosen to perfect specific elements of KM, such as the matter management program used in TD legal and described in chapter four, which helps manage the lifecycle of matter-related records and documents. Others are already using principles espoused by the standard, such as the activities Darryl Wing describes in chapter ten to review and continuously improve the perfor-mance of the Fluor Lesson Learning approach. To use the metaphor introduced in chapter one, they may have focused initially on parts of the KM elephant, but many are in the process of widening their focus to include the whole animal. Each KM practitioner has to weave the essential elements of KM into an elephant that suits their organization, their needs, and their context.

What we find particularly encouraging is the way the authors of these case studies have adopted the language of the standard. A common language is essential for the shared understanding and conversations that will lead to the development of KM practice. Already we can see people translating, interpreting, and questioning the standard to fit their own contexts. This is exactly what we hoped for.

What of the future? Case studies are, by definition, based on the past. How will technology influence the future of KM? Through elements of AI and data analytics, as discussed by Patrick DiDomenico and James Lee in chapter 11? We cannot answer these questions yet. Sir Isaac Newton talked about “standing on the shoulders of giants”, which makes good sense of the past. But in today’s rapidly changing global knowledge economy we also need to recognize innovative ‘leaps off the shoulders of giants’ where necessary. This is a continual dance between existing knowledge and new knowledge creation. In the standard we

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have attempted to describe KM by identifying its fundamental princi-ples – and these are unlikely to change. No matter what technology enablers the future may bring, KM will still need the cultural elements described by Liz Hobbs in chapter three and Dominique Poole-Avery and Elena Costello in chapters six, the leadership elements described by Karen Elson in chapter seven, and the planning and piloting described by Rupert Ashley Lescott in chapter nine.

Will the standard do what the KM community needs it to do? That depends on how it is used. If the standard is perceived as the sole defin-itive recipe for KM success, then no. If it is perceived as a “badge” to be collected, or as a way of legitimizing what people are already doing, then probably no as well. Professor Dave Snowden, in chapter 12, expresses many of the concerns about the standard we have heard from KM prac-titioners and concludes that if used in the right way, the standard is “mostly harmless”. Our outlook is far more positive. We agree that the outcomes are more important than the processes that take you there, and that an improved KM program is more important than being able to demonstrate compliance with the standard. We also believe that if used in the right way, the standard will be a positive influence on KM.

In these very early days after the publication of BS ISO 30401:2018, many people are looking at the elements of their KM program and checking to see if these are reflected in the standard. The next step will be to look at what is not there; to look for the things they are not doing, and for the standard requirements that they are not meeting. This is when the next step in value will come, and when the hard work put into the standard will begin to bear fruit. This is the purpose originally conceived for the standard – a framework that provides language, struc-ture, and consistency for understanding, practicing, and developing KM. If people use it as such, then it will do what the KM community needs it to do.

We welcome and respect the diverse perspectives and thinking in this book. We encourage you to do the same – and to recognize that the views expressed by all of us are our personal views and not necessarily those of the organizations, institutions, and committees referred to.

More than anything, we welcome the conversations and insights we hope this book will generate.

Nick Milton, Judy Payne, and Ron Young

a guide to global best practice and standards in km · the value proposition ... success and...

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