| | SEPTEMBER 20178CIOReviewThe Story Behind Knowledge Management PLATFORM OF TOMORROWBy Joe Beery, SVP & CIO and Mike Glass, VP Talent Management & Development, Thermo Fisher ScientificLike "Easter Egg" or "Sandbox" the term "Knowledge Management" is defined by the generation using it. In the 1990s, as the internet solidified its place in Corporate America, training leaders and business leaders alike viewed knowledge management as a storage repository­a one-stop-shop for seamless access to information on demand. Add to the repository a search capability (even a 1990s search capability), a engaging user interface, and some well though-out logic to organize the information and, voila, knowledge was there for the taking.Once these repositories were established, it did not take long for knowledge management to become a staple in IT, HR and Operations strategy. A senior call center executive at a large mutual fund company saw knowledge management as a way to reduce training classroom time and improve productivity. He used to say "concepts in the head, facts in the box," meaning don't spend valuable time in the classroom teaching facts like "fee amounts" and "policies" but instead use classroom time to teach why fees existed and why certain policies were in place. He insisted that learners be taught to build confidence in the knowledge management system and be tested not on their ability to access their rote memory, but rather access the information they needed online.As the 1990s became the 2000s, cultures took hold of knowledge management. HR leaders reveled in building learning cultures in which employees were rewarded for their free exchange of ideas, either inserting their knowledge into the system or commenting on what was already there. Of course, these were the days when legal and compliance and yes, HR, soon picked their heads up to see that the information being shared and accessed via these robust searchable knowledge management repositories was not necessarily accurate. Colleagues would share best practices, "this is how I do it," but they would drift into some dangerous regulatory and ethical grey areas that were now legally discoverable online. And so, governance was born.As technology improved, so too did knowledge management utilities. Electronic Performance Support IN MY OPINION
< Page 7 | Page 9 >