KM challenges workshop

At KM world this past October, I attended a workshop entitled KM challenges. The purpose of the workshop was for participants to present a KM issue and then work in small groups to come up with a solution. I was asked today to provide some thoughts for an upcoming article for Information Today. Below are my comments:

I signed up for the KM challenges workshop because I was looking for a good networking opportunity. I didn't know many folks at the conference and thought this would be a great opportunity to meet people and discuss ideas. The workshop accomplished this.

The workshop offered a good framework for addressing KM problems with an opportunity to discuss my challenge with folks from a different industries. This offered new insights on my challenge. Because folks were from a industry, I really had to work hard to articulate my issue. This was good practice!

Presenting in front of the panel was a great chance to get feedback. First off it was a chance to practice presenting this issue to an audience unfamiliar with the specifics. Also, to have KM experts, adds insights without organizational issues or biases. I found that the workshop participants (all being KM practioners) also had a many valuable insights.

A few things I learned,

KM issues are similar among organizations across the spectrum of industries and size. We are all facing similar challenges.

The biggest challenges are often process related, not technology.

The biggest challenge is to clearly define the issue before jumping to the solution. The most common comment from the panel, was what is the business need? How would addressing this issue improve your business?