Page 102 - The McKinsey Mind

03 (049-082) chapter 3 1/29/02 4:49 PM Page 77

Gathering the Data 77

Culture
• Understanding
• Support
• Incentives
• Interaction

Business
Results

Infrastructure Technology
• Physical layout • Role of IT in KM
• Hierarchy • IT tools
• KM programs
Source: “Knowledge Management in Research and Development,” Research and
Technology Management (July/August 2001).
Figure 3-3. Knowledge Management (KM) Enablers Framework

ical areas of KM* shown in Figure 3-3. Culture describes the way
a company’s employees understand KM, have support and incen-
tives to share knowledge, and interact in a sharing, interdepart-
mental manner. At McKinsey, there is a well-understood KM
strategy whereby knowledge sharing is expected of all employees
and rewarded accordingly. The infrastructure pertains to the phys-
ical layout of offices and departments, organizational structure,
and the KM program itself (including KM officers). As an example
of KM infrastructure, McKinsey has an extensive network of infor-
mation specialists in every office who can lend immediate assis-
tance to teams trying to get up to speed on new areas and
industries. Other organizations have begun dedicating similar

*This framework originally appeared in Armbrecht, Chapas, Chappelow, Farris, Friga, et
al. “Knowledge Management in Research and Development,” Research and Technology
Management (July/August 2001), pp. 28–48.