Knowledge Management projects LO19556

Walter Derzko (wderzko@pathcom.com)
Mon, 19 Oct 1998 19:18:27 -0700

Replying to LO19317 --

In Knowledge Management projects LO19317, Ruediger Reinhardt
<Ruediger.Reinhardt@Wirtschaft.TU-Chemnitz.DE> asks
>
> We have already started five pilot projects for the R&D department of a
> large German au-tomotive manufacturer. Hence, we are very interested to
> discuss experiences for the following projects and to identify best
> practices companies:
>
> 1. Reducing training period by transferring experiences and knowledge of
> high experienced engineers to just employed engineers.

Best Practice

Create concept maps or knowledge maps relevant to the work experience- how
and why things work ? Key Team Players ? Technical Wizards ? The Politics
of the Organization; Key Infuencers ? --who influences who; Barriers ?
how I got things to run smoothly ?

> 2. Implementation of a "yellow pages"-system: Identification of know how
> carriers, provi-ding relevant information and motivating participants.

Best Practice

This is being done by a number of firms especially in collecting
competitive intelligence using KM software suites and intranets.
Schlumberger in the USA just implemented a great system. Early adopters
are starting to test new themescape (visual landscape) software that
creates visual maps(mountain peaks) of information from such firms as
Cartia (formerly ThemeMedia in Redmond, USA) > > 3. Improvement of R&D
processes by learning from former R&D projects.

Best Practices:

Create templates for "generic lessons learned" or project snapshots and
posted to an intranet with password protection and access. Single loop,
double loop and deuteru learning (learning about learning) important to
stress and highlight and building into knowledge architecture

> 4. Elicitation of the experience of employees who will retire

Best Practices:

Hard to do--not too many volunteer information freely--need a formal
reward /mentoring program. Best to tie into a junior-retiree mentoring
program. Some creative company might consider calling it a
corporate/personal memoirs exercise and turn into a mini book for each
employee....or feature episodes in commercials

> 5. Innovation: Integrating existing knowledge and visions of "key
> stakeholders" in order to create new knowledge

Best Practices:

Hewlett Packard does this well with customers. See back issues of conf
proceedings of the PDMA. We did some of this work in the Idea Lab with
clients--Bell Canada, Stentor and the Royal Bank here in Canada

Walter Derzko
Brain Space
(formerly the Idea Lab )
Toronto
wderzko@pathcom.com
(416) 588-1122

-- 

"Walter Derzko" <wderzko@pathcom.com>

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