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Knowledge Management Strategy 317

b. Need to level performance variance
c. Need for innovation
d. Need to address information overload
3. An inventory of available knowledge resources
a. Knowledge capital: tacit and explicit knowledge, know-how, expertise, experience
in the minds of individuals and in communities or embedded in work routines, pro-
cesses, procedures, roles, and artifacts such as documents or reports
b. Social capital: culture, trust, context, informal networks, and reciprocity (e.g., will-
ingness to experiment, take risks or able to fail without fear of repercussions)
c. Infrastructure capital: physical knowledge resources, for example, LAN/WAN, fi le
servers, intranets, PCs, applications, physical workspaces and offi ces, and the organi-
zational structure
4. An analysis of recommended knowledge leverage points that describes what can be
done with the above-identifi ed knowledge and knowledge artifacts and that lists KM
projects that can be undertaken with the intent to maximize ROI and business value,
for example
a. Collect artifacts and exploit them, for example, a best practices database, a lessons
learned database
b. Store for future use, for example, data warehouses, intelligence gathering for specifi c
issue/problem, data mining, text mining
c. Focus on connecting; connect “ knowers ” to each other and to a problem through
CoPs or expertise location systems; hypothesize to carry out scenario planning and
informal cross-pollination to produce new insights and breakthrough thinking
The major steps involved in developing a KM strategy are to fi rst understand the
organization in terms of its current state (as is) and its desired business objectives (to
be). The analysis of the difference between the two states is often referred to as a gap
analysis and the means of getting from the “ as is ” to the “ to be ” is often represented
in the form of KM strategic road map. The road map typically represents a three- to
fi ve-year strategy with clear milestones or targets to be achieved throughout that
time.
The current or baseline state of the organization is assessed using information
gathered from a variety of sources such as key documents (e.g., annual report) and by
interviewing key stakeholders (e.g., senior managers, human resources, information
technology and major business unit managers). It is at this point that existing KM
initiatives will also be identifi ed in the form of a knowledge audit or inventory.