when tacit and explicit knowledge aren’t enough

Wieneke & Wieneke, Inc. / Copyright 2014 elkawareness.com

Case Study:When Tacit and Explicit Knowledge aren’t Enough

Steven WienekeWieneke & Wieneke, Inc.

elkawareness.com

February 18, 2014

http://www.elkawareness.com/




When Tacit and Explicit Knowledge aren’t Enough

or

That’s why its called Knowledge Management




Background

Midwest Manufacturer has successful commercial and military products.

• Manufacturer employees 1400 technical professionals plus marketing, sales, business support and manufacturing employees.

• Manufacturer has multiple locations for technical staff and manufacturing.

• The majority of technical professionals have 25 or more years of service.

• Groups of technical professionals have unique SharePoint repositories for their technical information, specifications and requirements.




Opportunity

• Management decides to co-locate two stand alone organizations.

• Relocation prompts significant number of retirements and voluntary separations.

• Significant influx of technical professionals with a variety of related experience but not necessarily direct experience.

• Significant influx of new (technical) graduates.

• Unique SharePoint repositories are available but not easily accessed (or even known/found), not readily used/applied and not trusted sources.




Relocation Outcome…

Years of Experience with Manufacturer Years of Experience with Manufacturer

Before Relocation After Relocation

25 Years 2 Years

Organization #1

Culture

Organization #2

Culture

Not Yet Assimilated Culturewith a Generation Gap




Knowledge Management State prior to Intervention

• Survey to Harvest Knowledge during Exit Interviews.

• Purchased a Sematic Search Software to Index and Search Multiple Share Point Repositories.

• Revised Review (Mentoring) Process to Ensure Product Robustness.

• Sr. Executive Management wants a “Product Technical Memory”




Knowledge Management State prior to Intervention

• Harvesting Knowledge during an Exit Interview

Pros ConsNone Insults Employee

Inappropriate environment to reflect on

and document one’s experience

Insufficient time to reflect on and document one’s

experience

NOT RECOMMENDED




Knowledge Management State prior to Intervention • Sematic Search Software to Index and Search Multiple Share

Point RepositoriesPros Cons

Method for Expert/Mentor to find existing knowledge

Requires training and continual use to maintain proficiency

Sematic artificial intelligence expands search

Requires Expert/Mentor to formulate search and evaluate

relevance of results

Does not integrate with other software applications

Must know what files to indexInitial indexing is a time

consuming process




Knowledge Management State prior to Intervention • Revised Review (Mentoring) Process to Ensure Product

Robustness.

Pros ConsProcess is essential in ensuring

product robustnessTiming of revised Process

training competes for resources to populate Technical Memory

Process can be easily enhanced by implementing active

knowledge methods with assessments

Some of the behavior resulting from this training will likely need to be unlearned once

assessments are implemented




Intervention Goal – Move to Active Explicit Knowledge Structured for Assessments and Embedded in Workflow




Intervention – Requires Shifting Several Pervasive Mental Models

• Shifting from Document Centric (passive) Model to Assessment Centric Model (active)

• Documenting Corrections to Documenting Preventions




Intervention – Shifting from Document to Assessment Centric

Document Centric

Library Model

Assessment Centric

Knowledge Packets……more like paragraphs grouped into pages or chapters called Knowledge Sets or Assessments

Appraisal Model

Knowledge RECEIVER

Knowledge HOLDER delivers

Knowledge in Knowledge RECEIVER’S workflow

???Knowledge

SEEKER




Assessment Centric

Dynamic, LivingVirtual Documents

“End-of-Life Cycle”Documents


Document Centric





Document Centric Author Assessment Centric AuthorWrite down what I can recall

being relevantWho is the end user of this

assessment?

Free text What is being assessed? What is its current state?

Not Structured What is known (available) at the time of this assessment?

What is the actionable assessment continuum (Red, Yellow, Green)?

What is assessment remediation if not Preferred (Green)?

What is the context (Why’s, When's, Where's) for the assessment rules?




Intervention – Shifting from Documenting Corrections to Documenting Preventions

Write down or storemy cell #…

248.000.0000

Example…

What “works” goes into Technical Memory

Number that Works Infinite

All Numbers that don’t Work Infinity




6. Purchase Commercial

Software

12. Manufacturer's

TechnicalMemory

11. CONFIGURE

5. Define Desired Software Functionality7. Establish Communities of Practices Design8. Define Practice Structure & Nomenclature 9. Identify Potential Classification Schemes

1. Identify Executive Sponsor2. Identify Business Owner3. Identify Knowledge Holders4. Select KAMs

13. IMPORT

10. Tactical Practice

Template

Major Implementation Steps…




CoP Workshops…

Focus:• Defining the breadth and

depth of CoP (define topics)• Exercises to recall what is

known (time to reflect)

Opportunity:• Confirm meaning of words• Build trust through shared

experience• Valued technical discussions




Roll Out Plan…

Knowledge Asset Manager

Knowledge Holders

End Users

• Member of the Technical Memory Steering Committee

• Responsible for their team’s planning and implementation

• Responsible for assessment content and mentoring

• Responsible for an “Acceptable” or “Preferred” assessment Outcome




Realizing the Value of Active Knowledge

• A live demo was held during the June 2013 Technical Memory Quarterly Communications Meeting.

• Two volunteers* evaluated a stamped sheet metal panel• Each Volunteer had 6 Concerns to address, each Concern

required assessing 3-4 stamped panel features• First volunteer referenced existing documentation• Second volunteer interacted with new structured practices

*Neither had sheet metal/stamping design experience

Stamped Part Assessment Challenge




Realizing the Value of Active KnowledgeStamped Part Assessment Challenge after 40 minutes

• First Volunteer (existing Documents) -

Partially completed evaluation of Concern #2 (7 of 20 features)

• Second Volunteer (structured practices) -

Evaluated all 6 concerns (20 of 20 features)

• Additional observations:

• Second Volunteer had no experience reading prints

• Second Volunteer’s answers were accurate

• First Volunteer’s answers had a number of errors due to misinterpretations of existing documents




Current Knowledge Management State• Manufacturer has a interactive Product Technical Memory• Identified 40 CoPs plus 10 temporary CoP (shared topics across

CoPs)• 25 Knowledge Asset Managers• 150 initial Knowledge Responsible People (knowledge holders)• 1400 End Users• Quarterly Technical Memory Communication Meetings• Next Steps:

• Continue Documenting Practices• Integrate Assessments with Review Process• Implement Assessment Signoff Process• Management Use Interactive Report Utility




Visit elkawareness.com to learn about our game changing, knowledge-based business strategies.

Call us 248-535-0427

eMail: [email protected]

Questions?

elkawareness.com




when tacit and explicit knowledge aren’t enough

Business

unique sharepoint repositories

ensure product robustness

explicit knowledge arent

intervention shifting

significant influx

documenting corrections

volunteers answers

technical professionals