Volume 1 Number 14Microsoft and KM +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Table of Contents 1.KnowBits
a.Knowledge Work Readiness Assessment
2. KnowldgWORKS News Number 14, Microsoft and KM
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ KnowBits a. Knowledge Work Readiness Assessment In an effort to begin to articulate (in one place) some of the considerations that must be
reviewed in creating a knowledge work effort, I have prepared a knowledge work readiness assessment. The assessment consists of approximately 100 yes-no questions that provide an indication of the risk in embarking upon a knowledge
work effort. After answering the approximately 100 yes-no questions a graphical assessment of readiness is displayed. Readers of knowldgWORKS News and other interested parties are welcome to try the assessment. Suggestions,
questions, and comments are always appreciated. The assessment can be accessed from
http://www.accsys-corp.com/useassessment.htm.+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Volume 1 Number 14 Microsoft and KM
I am presently reading a book by Guy Kawasaki entitled "Rules for Revolutionaries." I recommend this book to anyone in IT and anyone doing knowledge work. Why? Mainly because it is a fun book, written well, and because Kawasaki
provides some interesting insights about why some products are successful, and why some products are not successful. This brings me to the relevance of Kawasaki's book to this week's topic, "Micorosft and KM." In Kawasaki's book,
he describes something called "churn." I would characterize churn as the continual modification of a product to meet some need in the market. The faster that you can do this, the more you can attract buyers of your product. After
all, the more needs that the product meets, the more attractive it is over time. Note that churn does not mean innovative, or best in class, or the most elegant, or highest quality. It just means change. Microsoft is expert at
churning products. At a recent meeting with CEOs, Bill Gates spoke about knowledge management and the revolution it was going to bring. And of course embedded in all of this was how well Microsoft would support the
revolution. In the context of knowledge management, how are we, as knowledge work and knowledge management professionals to interpret the latest from Microsoft about their offering in the knowledge management arena?
A Tool is a Tool is a Tool is a Tool Here are some quotes from a web paper entitled, "Practicing Knowledge Management" that can be found on the Microsoft site at http://www.microsoft.com/dns/km/KMpract.htm. They are relevant to this discussion and I include them here for that reason."… knowledge
management is about embracing a diversity of knowledge sources, from databases, Web sites, employees, and partners and cultivating that knowledge where it resides while capturing its context and giving greater meaning through its
relation to other information in the company." "Its essence involves what knowledge workers do best – what Microsoft CEO Bill Gates refers to as "thinking work." "Knowledge management helps prepare people for an environment of
constantly shifting demographics, industries, economies, and customer needs by ensuring that people have the expertise and information they need in order to properly assess business problems and opportunities." First, I will
admit to the crime of removing these statements from the context in which they are embedded. This is admitting to a "sound byte" approach to considering what it is that Microsoft considers knowledge management. Nevertheless, a snap
shot approach is sometimes valid because it gives us a flavor of what something is about. Having said that, what can we surmise about the Microsoft definition of knowledge management?
1.It involves thinking. 2.Knowledge sources are things like databases, web sites, employees, and partners. 3.Knowledge sources are meant to be cultivated. 4.Knowledge
management involves relating knowledge to other information in a company. 5.Knowledge management helps people by giving them the information they need.
If we consider the knowledge management in a wide context, the statements from the Microsoft paper address important considerations of knowledge management. Later in the paper, the author(s?) also address some of the typical
concerns; for example clear leadership and rewards for participation. The questions that remain for me though are, (1) Does the entry of Microsoft into the knowledge management arena make knowledge management more well defined? and
(2) To what extent does the Microsoft set of tools support knowledge management? With regard to the first question, namely, does the entry of Microsoft into knowledge management make knowledge management any clearer?, I would
answer no. Their definition, although touching many of the issues, does not create any new clarity. It is simply a restatement of what practitioners already know. Furthermore, some of the statements I extracted may go some way to
muddy the definition of data, information, and knowledge and the distinctions among them. To me, this muddiness acts to position the Microsoft suite of tools as a potential tool for knowledge management, and here is where the churn
lies. Office 2000 will be seen as a solution for knowledge management. On days when I am feeling less than charitable towards Microsoft, I would think that if Bill Gates could find a way to say that Office xxxx is a cure for the
common cold, he would . That said, how far does Office 2000 go as a knowledge management solution? Out on the Microsoft web site, at http://www.microsoft.com/dns/km/default.htm
, you will find an index of "case studies." These case studies are divided into several categories including knowledge creation and sharing; access to information anytime, anywhere;
and better decisions through better information. Clicking down further into these "studies" you find descriptions of what Microsoft characterizes as knowledge management scenarios. One of the first things that you will notice when
you look at each of these cases is the list of Microsoft tools used by the organization described in the case study. I would recommend a look at these studies, but the short version of the story is that most only touch knowledge
management in the most elementary way and do not give any great insight into creating a knowledge management culture. They are about the technology used to solve a particular problem--not a surprise considering that Microsoft sells
tools.Notice I said most of the case studies can be characterized by the description above. At least one that I found is worth reading. This is a description of the work in knowledge management that was carried out at
J.D. Edwards. It can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/dns/km/jdedward.htm. This case study describes the transformation of
a culture to a knowledge management culture using technology to augment the process. Most important about this case study was the involvement of the people who would live in this new culture.I would ask the following question of
this case study. Could the same have been accomplished with any technology supporting the required functionalities? I would have to say yes. There is nothing about the J.D. Edward's situation that makes one technology better than
another (except, perhaps, J.D. Edwards investment in a particular technology). And this observation is critical to the interpretation of the role that technologies like those produced by Microsoft play in the knowledge management
arena. Technology is not the primary consideration AND a knowledge management effort should not be based on any particular technology. Having said this, I will point out a couple of things. Office 2000 has extended and improved
its integration with the web and HTML. Therefore, it is easier to deploy web-based information using this tool suite. Office 2000 also has improved features for collaboration, an important aspect of knowledge management.
Interestingly enough, the solutions touted a couple of years ago for collaboration are the same – namely shared folders in Exchange. Of course, the new version of Exchange, code named Platinum is supposed to improve knowledge
management functionality support. What this is and how it works have yet to be seen. I would also like to point out that many of the world's computer-based documents happen to be in Microsoft Word document format. The
significance of this is important because any knowledge management technology might need to manipulate documents in this format as part of the intellectual capital of an organization. The integration of knowledge management
technologies with Microsoft Office formats is a critical consideration if a knowledge management solution will make use of these documents. By virtue of the prevalence of information in these formats, Microsoft has a significant
role to play in knowledge management specifically and knowledge work in general. I believe that the role Microsoft will play is still churning. Commitment to a particular Microsoft Knowledge Management solution at this time may be
premature. Microsoft will probably sell more products based on its representation of the Office 2000 suite as a tool for knowledge management. This is most certainly a part of their churn. But one should remember that Microsoft
has been and will continue to be a tool builder, and tools are the means to an end, not the end itself. The Office 2000 suite represents a potential tool for knowledge management and should be considered with other tools offering
similar functionality. In the end, the consideration of what tools to use should be about meeting the needs of the knowledge sources, individuals, groups, and organizations.
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ If you are interested in learning more about knowledge work, subscribe to this newsletter by sending email to: knowldgWORKSNews-on@lists.webvalence.com.
To unsubscribe send an e-mail to: knowldgWORKSNews-off@lists.webvalence.com.You may type an x in the subject or body if your e-mail program requires. Next week's issue: Should IT Do KM? Previous issues of the knowldgWORKS News are archived at http://www.accsys-corp.com.
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Published by Dr. Randy M. Kaplan, and ACCSYS Corporation. This newsletter is the property of ACCSYS Corporation. No part may be reproduced in any form without
permission from ACCSYS Corporation. Copyright (c) 1999 ACCSYS Corporation. All rights reserved. All contributed work remains the property of the authors. |
