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The Role of Organizational Culture 245

Table 7.8
The six maturity models

Maturity model Key features
Paulk organizational Represents the adoption of a new technology or process
maturity within an organization, which is a very good match for the
introduction of new KM functions
Fujitsu organizational Provides a fast and easy way of assessing how cohesive or
maturity pervasive a culture is within a given organization which can
provide valuable guidance in selecting either pilot KM sites,
if the organization is in the earlier stages, or focusing on
closely aligning KM with the overall business strategy
Infosys KM A model that is much more specifi c and allows diagnosis of
particular KM behaviors such as content capture, knowledge
sharing, and KM metrics
Greater specifi city allows for more refi ned targeting of
priority KM initiatives
Paulzen and Perc KPQM The KPQM is quite similar to the Infosys KM model and
also allows for incremental introduction of KM initiatives
into an organization based on the phase of KM maturity
Forrester Group KM A model that focuses on how employees acquire relevant
maturity mode content that is particularly well suited for an incremental
introduction of knowledge support services within an
organization.
Wenger CoP life-cycle The CoP life-cycle model can also provide a good indicator
model of the cultural evolution of an organization, particularly as
it pertains to the coalescing of informal networks of peers
who regularly share valuable knowledge with one another
The CoP life-cycle model can also help identify key KM
roles and responsibilities that should be introduced at each
phase

important to note that there is a minimum level of maturity or readiness before KM
stands a good chance of succeeding.
The major features of the six maturity models presented are summarized in table
7.8 . Each can serve as a good framework for understanding how change is introduced
and eventually adopted within knowledge-based organizations. The current state an
organization is in can be diagnosed in order to better anticipate how both the orga-
nization, as a whole, and individual knowledge workers within that organization will
react to KM initiatives. A better understanding of the level or phase of maturity of the
organization will greatly help in better identifying the potential enablers and obstacles
to the organizational cultural change(s) required for KM to succeed.