People-focused knowledge management

Knowledge Management Effectiveness
Knowledge management is effective when it leads to good knowl-
edge creation, building, deployment, and exploitation that serve the
objectives and needs of people, the enterprise, and its stakeholders.
The effectiveness of KM is initially provided by envisioning how KM
activities will support the success and longevity of the organization
and by creating KM approaches that are in line with the organiza-
tion’s culture and people’s mentalities. By being a very large domain,
KM offers literally thousands of different methods, approaches, and
practices. The effectiveness of a KM effort in a particular organiza-
tion is determined by the selection of appropriate tools, approaches,
and practices. Furthermore, both senior management and the rank-
and-file throughout the whole organization must accept and support
the KM effort.
Knowledge Management Efficiency
Knowledge management is efficient when it provides its desired
results on time, with few disturbances and minimal effort, and when
it utilizes processes that are natural and preferred ways of doing
things as perceived by the enterprise’s culture and individuals.
Notes
1. We cannot assume that everyone will share broad perspectives. People
can be classified into five groups according to the breadth of their focus:
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(1) pragmatic focus on effective delivery of “Today’s Work”; (2) opera-
tional focus on improving work methods and environment; (3) tactical
focus on improving products and services; (4) strategic focus on improv-
ing the business for long-term viability; and (5) visionary and societal
focus on enterprise role in the world-at-large. It is possible to migrate
people to a broader focus in parts of their domain through education,
peer influences, and cultural conventions.
2. Action space: the domain that lies within the boundaries (constraints)
that circumscribe the outer limits of the actions within which the person
(or enterprise) is comfortable to operate.
3. Completed staff work is the study of a problem and presentation of a
solution by a staff member in such form that all that remains to be done
on the part of the recipient is to indicate approval or disapproval of the
recommended action. The words “recommended action” are emphasized
because the more difficult the problem is, the more the tendency is to
present the problem to the recipient in a piecemeal fashion.
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8
P
EOPLE-
F
OCUSED 
K
NOWLEDGE
M
ANAGEMENT 
E
XPECTATIONS
Premise: People-Focused Knowledge Management
Supports Global Excellence
The global economy’s reliance on personal knowledge and struc-
tural IC has flattened the global playing field. In the aggregate, new
generation KM — including national educational systems and efforts
— will potentially provide worldwide exchange of intellectual capital
and the ability to operate enterprises anywhere at globally competi-
tive levels. Workers everywhere will accordingly be able to achieve
livelihoods that in the past only workers in industrialized and devel-
oped nations could realize. It will also be possible to reduce the gaps
between rich and poor nations and individuals within nations.
The Global Leader Example
Solitus Inc. is a medium-sized company that develops and produces
high-technology nonmilitary devices, with associated software capa-
bilities for industry and governments. Solitus has technical and 
manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, Europe,
Asia, Africa, and Australia. Apart from its focus on remaining a
market leader in its field, Solitus considers it strategically appropri-
ate and beneficial to support and improve the societies and environ-
ments in which it operates.
In an annual “town meeting” with more than 1,000 worldwide
employees and with video connections to all major facilities, Hans
Schelling, Solitus’s chairman and CEO, described the company’s
direction in the following manner:
During the last year, many of you have joined our ranks and I would
like to talk to you about how we operate and perceive ourselves since
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we find it to be imperative for our success that all of us understand,
agree, and believe in what Solitus is all about.
To begin, let me state some basic beliefs on which the Board of
Directors, the senior management team, and many throughout the
company agree. We believe that corporate excellence and success in
the global competitive environment is secured by a knowledgeable,
collaborating, motivated, energized, and ethical workforce that is
compensated well, has growth opportunities, and is proud of its
accomplishments. We believe that a workforce can be effective only
when treated equitably and with respect, allowed to exercise its capa-
bilities, and when its members enjoy good personal lives. We believe
that for long-term survival, we must not only learn faster than our
competitors — we must innovate faster than they do. We believe 
that misalignment between corporate direction and personal goals
leads to ineffectiveness. We believe that greed, politicking, bureau-
cracy, and dishonesty are counterproductive at any level of the
company.
Our intent is to continue to make Solitus a very different company.
Therefore, as during prior years, our main objective has four sepa-
rate thrusts, and they are:
To encourage and support world-wide employee mentalities and
cultures that make you, the employees, proud to work with (not
for) Solitus in ways that you find to be challenging, interesting,
fulfilling, and promising — and that energizes you to engage to
make your work effective in all respects and closely aligned with
Solitus’s purpose. You are our brains and you implement each
and every action and we rely upon your expertise, motivation,
and conviction that ours is the right approach.
To make our customers select us as their preferred supplier as a
result of the quality and cost/performance of our goods and 
services and the manner in which we treat them. Our customers
must trust us and realize that they can work with us to receive
the best available goods and services.
To build broad capabilities and good quality of life in the com-
munities in which we operate. That means that we will work
actively to assist the building of educational capabilities and
societal facilities of many kinds. Particularly in developing
nations, we will provide better salaries than our competitors to
attract the best talents and we believe that world-wide we need
to compensate people equally according to their contributions
although adjusted to local conditions.
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People-Focused Knowledge Management
To sustain our performance so that it is consistently durable —
profitable in the short-term and successful in the long-term with
secure reserves to buffer unexpected setbacks. We will achieve
this by being diligent and effective and willing to take risks 
to advance our leadership. We will always be ready to tackle
unwelcome surprises. We cannot afford to be vulnerable since
we are serious about our responsibilities to you, our employees,
or our other stakeholders, particularly our customers.
This philosophy brings many conflicts, because we also believe in
the basic right of each human to live a worthy life. However, there
are many ways to achieve these objectives. On the personal level, we
need to make it possible for you to achieve an attractive balance
between your work life and your professional life. At work, we need
for you to understand the goals, intents, and strategy of our company
down to the level where you specifically and instinctively know how
you can participate in achieving these purposes. And, very impor-
tantly, we need for you to agree with these purposes and feel that
they are right and that you will be proud to pursue them.
On the company level, we must be honest and operate with highly
ethical principles and provide a safe environment where we can 
deal openly with opinions, criticism, and ideas. We must be equitable
in our dealings with you, the employees, with customers, with 
suppliers, with owners, with all other stakeholders whoever they are.
We must participate actively in supporting this society and commu-
nities and the environment in which we all live. We must provide
products and services of which we can be proud. We must be prof-
itable and provide financial results that satisfy our investors, make 
it possible to compensate you appropriately, and satisfy all other
stakeholders.
There is more. We must make it easy for each other to conduct
work. That means that each of us must find ways to build personal
knowledge and increase our structural intellectual capital since these
are basic pillars that make us able to be effective and excel. We must
develop concrete personal knowledge to deal with routine work and
highly abstract knowledge to handle novel challenges and difficult
assignments. We will help you!
We must transfer all possible personal knowledge to structural
knowledge so it can be available for general use to everybody’s
advantage. The ever-increasing personal knowledge base must be
complemented with intelligent work aids, excellent and relevant
information, and availability of advanced and easy-to-access 
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structural intellectual capital assets. All of this will make it possible
for us to work effectively and to innovate in ways that will make our
company the very best. It will also make it possible for all of us to
work smart, and not to work unduly hard. By being knowledgeable
and by understanding what we need and want to do, by cooperat-
ing and collaborating to achieve shared goals, by working with
systems and procedures designed to help, as well as by providing
prudent but not restrictive controls, we will be able to do our work
by exerting little effort and feel that much of what we do is both
natural and second nature.
We must be critical of inappropriate and unethical behaviors by
our coworkers, superiors, and subordinates. We shall have zero 
tolerance for unacceptable behavior and actions and must observe
the laws of the countries in which we operate. There will be no room
within Solitus for those who want to pursue different agendas.
However, while observing strict principles, we must remember that
situations are not always what they appear to be at first glance. We
need to be flexible and allow pursuits of approaches and opinions
other than our own.
We must accept risky ventures and actions as long as they hold
beneficial promises. At the same time, we must accept that risky ven-
tures can fail without faults of the people involved. In other words:
“We must push the envelope and think outside the box!” We must
be prepared to enter areas where no one has been — even areas where
others have failed.
One more thing. Our company should not be a command-and-
control or top-down company. Nor should it be a bureaucratic silo
organization where communications are restricted to “channels.” We
must be open to suggestions, disagreements, and supportive com-
ments from everyone to anyone. Personally, I will be glad to receive
inputs — just make them short and to the point! The management
committee and I need swiftly and regularly to learn about what
works, what does not work, what could work, and relevant ideas for
improvements and new directions. All of us need to work together
to innovate faster than our competitors! And, the people who often
know best are those who are close to the action.
These are our goals but it will not happen automatically. Nor can
we expect all of this to happen flawlessly. But by working together,
let us continue on the path that we already have chosen — and let us
excel, both as a company and in our professional and personal lives!
Thank you!
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As a result of its management’s efforts to build employee capabil-
ities, understanding, and agreements, Solitus has built a highly
capable and motivated workforce. It continues to be the leader within
its market niche, constantly providing new or improved products and
services. It is profitable in the short term and has built considerable
reserves to ensure long-term survival.
Solitus is a leader in engaging in social and cultural activities in 
all locations where it operates. The company supports community
initiatives and, for example, has policies to support its employees to