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Chapter 4

Developing and Sustaining a Knowledge

Culture

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Introduction

• A major goal of knowledge management is to encourage a knowledge culture: where everyone recognizes and accepts knowledge sharing as a desirable behavior

• Knowledge management is strongly influenced by the culture which operates in an organization

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Organizational Cultures (1/2)

• The collective perceptions, beliefs and values of employees in the workplace

• The culture is learned from stories, observations and experiences in the workplace

• Strongly influence retention and productivity

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Organizational Cultures (2/2)

• Cultural influences include: – Past patterns and history

– Teamwork

– Climate and morale

– Information flows across the community

– Supervision quality

– Leadership

– Workplace interactions

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Effective Knowledge Cultures (1/2)

• Open and communicative• Encourage sharing• Tolerant• Collaborative• Trusting

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Effective Knowledge Cultures (2/2)

• People are more important than systems• Public encouragement of knowledge sharing• Advocacy and support for good knowledge

practice• Values adopted by all staff members

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Knowledge culture enablers (1/4)

Core values• Collaboration• Communication• Interaction• Innovation• Adaptation• Learning orientation• Trust• Sharing and valuing of knowledge

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Knowledge culture enablers (2/4)

Structural support• Organizational structure• Transparent decision making• Information access• Problem solving• Communication channels• Human resource management

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Knowledge culture enablers (3/4)

Enacted Values• Models• Leaders• Opportunities to collaborate• Encouragement to collaborate

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Knowledge culture enablers (4/4)

Interaction with colleagues • Quality of interaction• Focus of interaction• Mentorship• Team behavior

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Reviewing the Existing Knowledge Culture (1/6)

• Organizational diagnosis: existing organizational patterns, attitudes, processes and behaviors

• Draws on many sources of evidence• Help to clarify areas which challenge

effective change and development

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Reviewing the Existing Knowledge Culture (2/6)

• Diagnostic focuses: – Organizational context

– Key people

– Knowledge philosophy

– Knowledge definition

– Knowledge sharing

– Knowledge cohesion

– Knowledge conflict

Reviewing the Existing Knowledge Culture (4/6)

Cultural evidence

ValuesPhilosophyStructureMessagesSystems

Diagnostic approaches

SurveysComparisons

Trends analysisbenchmarking

Organizational Level

Reviewing the Existing Knowledge Culture (5/6)

Cultural evidence Diagnostic approaches

Knowledge sharingValues

ExperiencesKnowledge sources

ConflictCompetitionCollaboration

Case studiesFocus groups

Action researchObservation

Comparative outcomes

Group Level

Reviewing the Existing Knowledge Culture (6/6)

Cultural evidence

StoriesValues

PrioritiesExperiences

Knowledge sharing practices

Diagnostic approaches

Case historiesInterviews

Observation

Individual level

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Planning for Knowledge Culture Enhancement (1/2)

1. Identify key goals to be achieved

2. Identify key sponsors / main clients of the intervention

3. Identify the scope of the process

4. Identify major contributors

5. Gather background information

6. Review the existing organizational context / culture

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Planning for Knowledge Culture Enhancement (2/2)

7. Determine key developmental objectives

8. Identify tasks and activities

9. Identify potential contributors and assign roles and responsibilities

10. Plan for communication and marketing

11. Plan for evaluation

12. Prepare timelines and commitments

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Implementing Knowledge Culture Enhancement Programs

• Communicate the program intentions and ongoing progress

• Pilot test• Accommodate difference• Encourage knowledge champions • Share user success stories• Promote awareness of the process and

outcomes

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Communities of practice (CoP)

• Clarify the domain and contribution of members

• Identify potential members• Assist key members with workload support• Enable opportunities to interact• Consider appointing a broker to help CoP

management

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Concluding Points

• Knowledge cultures constantly evolve• The development of an effective knowledge

community requires dedicated and ongoing support

• Knowledge culture development is complex and links to many different organizational/work roles

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Today’s focus questions:

• What are some of the main features of effective knowledge cultures?

• What factors enable effective knowledge cultures?

• How can knowledge cultures be enhanced?

– Lecture reference: Debowski, Chapter 4