The Knowledge Management Fieldbook

"On the strength of its practical, concrete and thoughtful advice, this book will prove to be an essential guide to anyone who is involved in the implementation of a knowledge strategy." - Hubert Saint-Onge, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Capabilities, Clarica

"This book is very learning-rich ... offering stimulating perspectives from the evolving knowledge management movement. It contains many interesting case studies as well as valuable questioning approaches, with, among them; a tool for a KM diagnostic."- Leif Edvinsson, the first ever Director of Intellectual Capital, Skandia. Awarded Brain of the Year 1998 for his pioneering work on Intellectual Capital

The buzz about knowledge management has reached a crescendo. But what is it really about? Can organizations "manage" knowledge? What should they do differently? What should they pay attention to?

Now, for the first time, managers can explore the answers to these questions in a book that presents a comprehensive and practical approach to knowledge management.

Filled with case examples based on the authors' original interviews with more than 50 organizations, the Knowledge Management Fieldbook enables managers to build a detailed action agenda.

Using an elegantly simple framework for thinking about the knowledge management process, the authors advocate a strong link between tactics and strategy that will appeal both to in-the-trenches managers and senior executives at the helm who are grappling with how the knowledge economy impacts upon their business.

Get beyond theory: use knowledge management to make a difference in your organization

The Knowledge Management Fieldbook is a hands-on guide full of practical advice for managers wishing to implement knowledge management within their organizations.

Presented within a comprehensive, yet easy-to-use framework, this book provides quick references to specific areas of the knowledge management process, from information gathering, to facilitating internal knowledge sharing, to measuring the organization's knowledge assets.

Managers will be able to assess their organization's strengths and weaknesses using the Knowledge Management Diagnostic. Their knowledge management scores will guide them to specific chapters where they can learn about elements of the knowledge management process that are most critical to them.

Case studies, exercises, action agendas and self-assessment tools abound, giving managers a ground-level approach for tackling the challenges of knowledge management. Using compelling arguments, the authors demonstrate that managing knowledge assets is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

Knowledge management is one of the big ideas of the moment. In essence the idea is simple--all organisations have a wealth of information (both from inside and outside) at their disposal, yet few make the most of it. Moreover successfully using information is one of the key differentiators of successful companies.

The Knowledge Management Fieldbook is intended for any organisation aiming to implement a system for managing all that information. And the authors are senior American consultants and researchers so they should know a thing or two. The book has checklists and tables and pictures of light bulbs to signify good ideas--always a reassuring sign. There are chapters on getting information, learning from it and contributing to it and there are plenty of examples and quotes to stimulate and enlighten. Everything is aimed at making it happen in the real world of work. An abundance of wisdom delivered in no-nonsense nuggets swells the learning experience; "The need to inspire contribution--to make individual knowledge available across the entire organisation--is the bell weather of the knowledge management movement."

If anything it suffers from being a little too intense and worthy and the design does not complement the dynamism and energy of such an important subject. Beyond this, it is a useful read and at least a marker for a topic that deserves proper consideration. --Steve Morris