Knowledge Management Evolution

Knowledge Management in the context of the RUFORUM Network (Part IV)

I came across three ways that the evolution of Knowledge Management has been mapped out by different authors / organizations / communities. 

The KMWorld website describes 3 stages of KM evolution:

1. First Stage of KM was about Information Technology. There was excitement in the opportunities provided by the internet and possibilities of sharing information and knowledge. Emphasis was on establishing communication and sharing infrastructure - intranets, emails
2. Second Stage of KM was about Human Resources and Corporate Culture. This stage recognized that KM was not just about information technology - but the people and the organizational culture mattered. This stage also marked the beginning of communities of practice. 
3. Third Stage of KM elevated the importance of Taxonomy and Content Management. There was recognition that content management and its accessibility and find-ability were important – including the structure of that content.

 In her Blog Nancy Dixon considers the three eras of KM to be:

1. Leveraging Explicit Knowledge – and focusing on documentation of information and knowledge in accessible databases. This phase emphasized capturing of best practices and lessons learned, building repositories and databases. KM was viewed as a “library or a warehouse with inputs and outputs”. 
2. Leveraging Experiential Knowledge – through supporting communities of practice. Methods suc as Q&A were used by workers to share their tacit knowledge. Processes such as After Action Reviews were institutionalized to support “continuous learning in teams and projects so that what was being learned in the field could be continually updated”. Expertise Locator systems supported the location of experts and “knowledge harvesting”. 
3. Leveraging Collective Knowledge – has been done by “a few leading edge organizations that have developed new practices for making use of their organization’s collective knowledge”.  This phase is characterized by Knowledge Café’s, organizing conversations that produce new knowledge, strategic use of Web 2.0 social media - Wiki’s, blogs, Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Nancy reckons that most organizations are still focused in leveraging experiential knowledge. She also alludes to the fact that organizations that are lagging behind in KM are “still struggling with getting good content management in place”.

CTA & Co-Capacity outlined the evolution of KM as below:

1. KM as ICT or Information Management – this phase is similar to the first stage of KM described by KMWorld. Knowledge was perceived to be written or digitised content. KM was about ICT tools such as online databases, online libraries, information management (IM).
2. KM as Human Resource Development or Human Talent Development – this phase saw the shift towards the personal side of knowledge. It had been realized that knowledge was not contained in ICT systems, but was personal and subjective: “knowledge is in people”. This phase placed emphasis on technical, management and personal trainings, appraisal talks and formulating personal goals.
3. KM as an organizational approach – This phase emphasized a focus on people interacting in an environment, such as within a company, a network or a community. This phase involved introduction of concepts such as ‘knowledge-intensive environments’, ‘knowledge-workers’, capacity building of stakeholders - strengthening organizations and partners in their capacity to effectively apply knowledge and use information.
4. KM as an integral approach, optimising knowledge ecosystems – this phase aims to develop improved ‘knowledge environments’ in which individuals, organisations and networks/communities are prepared to create added and sustainable value for their partners, clients and members. This is based on the principles of systems thinking and is also related to organisational learning and innovation systems. Integral KM develops and balances out five important dimensions of knowledge intensive environments: 

•  Root aspects - strategy, values & culture, structures & governance, management & leadership, and skills & staff
• Knowledge processes - knowledge creation, storage and use
• Enablers - communication, systems & technologies, learning and M&E, and internal innovation
• External factors - stakeholders participation, external influences and external resources
• Brokering, adoption and monitoring & evaluation of knowledge products & services

Part V will discuss Knowledge Management Evolution and where we are as the RUFORUM Network.