People-Focused KM: Effective Decision-Making Leads to ... · People-Focused KM 2004/ 18 Copyright...

People-Focused KM 2004/ 1 Copyright © 2004 Knowledge Research Institute, Inc.

People-Focused KM:Effective Decision-MakingLeads to Enterprise Success

2004

Karl M. WiigKnowledge Research Institute, Inc.

Arlington, TX 76016-3517phone: (817) 572-6254 fax: (817) 478-1048

e-mail: [email protected] –– website: www.krii.com


♦ The Early Focus:Strengthen Operations by Improving Knowledge

and Its Availability with IT and LO♦ The Emerging Focus:

Make the Enterprise More Competitive fromStrategic Perspectives by Creating and Utilizing

Knowledge and Personal Understanding

“To Survive and Prosper You Need toInnovate Faster Than Your Competitors

– It is Not Enough to Learn Faster!”

KMKM’’s Role Is Changings Role Is Changing


Enterprise SuccessEnterprise Success

Effective Decision-Making /Effective Decision-Making /Problem-Solving and ExecutionProblem-Solving and Execution

Continual IC DevelopmentContinual IC Development

People-Focused KMPeople-Focused KM


Relevant Intellectual Capital AreasRelevant Intellectual Capital Areas

Knowledge to Perform Daily Work Executing Work Tasks How to Shape Daily Work to Support

Enterprise Intent Understanding of Which IC Assets Are

Important to Develop for Support of: Enterprise Goals Personal Goals

Understanding of How Personal Goals AreSupported by Enterprise Success


Enterprise Success:Enterprise Success:–– A Very Tall Order IndeedA Very Tall Order Indeed! ! ––

♦ Peoples’ actions create enterprise behavior♦ People act according to what they feel, know,

and understand about the target situation• Feel - Culture and mentality

• Know - Knowledge to decide and act• Situation understanding - Knowledge and information

♦ People pursue what they understand to be“best”


Effective Decision-MakingEffective Decision-Makingand Problem-Solvingand Problem-Solving

♦ Seeks to execute enterprise intent♦ Leads to action options that are feasible

and implementable♦ Seeks to execute enterprise intent♦ Seeks to execute enterprise intent

Effective decision-making/problem-solving:


Enterprise Behavior andEnterprise Behavior andPerformance Result fromPerformance Result from

Individual Individual VoluntaryVoluntary Actions Actions

♦ Voluntary actions cannot be “managed” –only “influenced” to be consistently effective♦ The enterprise is a networked social system

whose culture shapes personal behaviors♦ The enterprise is “complex system” that in

theory and fact cannot be “controlled”

Remember:


People-Focused KMPeople-Focused KM

Systematic and Deliberate KMSystematic and Deliberate KM

Requires that UnderlyingRequires that Underlying

Knowledge-Related MechanismsKnowledge-Related Mechanisms

Are Understood and AddressedAre Understood and Addressed


People-FocusedPeople-Focused KM Features: KM Features:· Intellectual Capital Stewardship Mentality ProvidesLong-Term Viability Secured by Short-Term Survival· Part of Integrative Management and “Living the Job”· Self-Sustaining & Self-Renewing Systemic KM Practices· System Perspective of Enterprise and Environment· Adaptive & Complex – Not Static and Mechanistic· State-of-the-Art KM Methods – Vigilantly Applied· Bottom-Up “Demand Pull” – Not “Supply Push”· People-Centric Knowledge View – Not Technology-Based· Advanced Infrastructure Capabilities – Used Everywhere


We Need to Change OurWe Need to Change OurUnderstanding!Understanding!

In the past we misunderstood how peoplehandle situations and make decisions.

We believed that decision making is rationaland mostly conscious deliberations.

These misconceptions misled, and still mislead,development of many KM-related practiceswith results that can be quite disappointing.


Seven Common KM MisunderstandingsSeven Common KM MisunderstandingsWe Must Remember That:

People RememberStories and Concepts

People Tend to PursueRole Model Behaviors

People's DecisionsAre Nonconscious

Stress Impairs Retrievalfrom Long-Term Memory

People Have DifferentCognitive Styles

Complex Work RequiresMore Knowledge than a Single

Person Normally Possesses

Information andKnowledge Are

Fundamentally Different

Excessive Focus on InformationLeads to Inappropriate

Knowledge Management

Resulting Misconceptions

IgnoringPrimary Modes of

Cognitive ProcessesLeads to Ineffective

Preparation andSupport

InappropriateSupport of People's

Capabilities andNatural Behaviors Impairs Work and

Managementand Operating

Practices


Adapted from Bechara et alia, Science 28 Feb, 1997 When Needed, New Situation-Specific

Mental Reference Models

Are Created by Conceptual Blending

Most Decisions Are NonconsciousMost Decisions Are Nonconsciousand Result from Activating Mental Reference Models!

Decision

Situation ReasoningStrategies

Facts-Objectives

Options fordecision

andinnovation

Representationof futureoutcomes

Covert activation ofbiases related to

previous emotional[or meaningful]experiences ofcomparablesituations

Reference ModelLibrary

Personal MentalModels of

Wellknown Cases


Mental Reference ModelsMental Reference Models

“Give me an example I can adapt to fit my problem!”People Imitate Prior Behaviors and

Organizations Reenact Past PracticesPeople making decisions, to the largest extent possible,

rely on past experiencesPeople and organizations adapt and execute

reference models to imitate prior successes andavoid prior failures

They build large libraries of reference behaviorpatterns


Ongoing Situation

Information Information Information

NewNew New

Situation Handling Requires KnowledgeSituation Handling Requires Knowledge

Copyright © 2003 Knowledge Research Institute,Inc.

Initial

Situation

Situational

Awareness

Sensemaking

Information

Action Spaceand Innovation

Decision-Making/

Problem-SolvingUnderstanding

of

Situation ExecutionCapability

Implementation

Decision

Monitoring

Governance Competence

CorrectiveAdjustment

CorrectiveAdjustment

Feedback FeedbackFeedback

KnowledgeMental Reference Models – Concepts – Understandings – Judgments – Principles – Facts

Effective

Action

Actions

to Change

Situation

Actions

to Change

Situation


ConsolidatedEnterpriseBehavior

InnumerableNano Actions

Marketand

StakeholderResponse

RealizedPerformance

CostsService QualityProduct Quality

Customer Supportetc.

Effectsof

Actions

Effectsof

Actions

Micro"Action"

Micro"Action"

Micro"Action"

Micro"Action"

Individual Actions Lead to Enterprise BehaviorIndividual Actions Lead to Enterprise Behavior

R&D-Marketing

Engineering

Manufacturing

Delivery & Start-Up


We Must Make Our PeopleWe Must Make Our PeopleUnderstand and AgreeUnderstand and Agree

the Enterprisethe Enterprise’’s Business Strategy,s Business Strategy,Its Direction, and IntentsIts Direction, and Intents

“We must communicate our strategy andintents effectively”

1. First to the Initial Target Group2. Later to Everybody

Strategy is decided by Upper Managementbut mostly implemented by Rank and File


Micro Managing Does Not Always Work!Micro Managing Does Not Always Work!

Delegation of authority is mandatory for detailedimplementation of desired actions.

Effective implementation relies uponimprovisation and innovation.

Changes will occur and situations in the field willinvariably differ from expectations.

People need requisite knowledge and resources.They must be prepared to accept responsibility!


Personal Work Becomes More ComplexPersonal Work Becomes More Complex

1. Routine tasks

(simple,

repetitive, and

well understood)

2. Logical or less

common

variations

(transformations)

of

Routine Situations

3. Complex, yet

expected

extensions of

routines

integrated with

external factors

4. Unexpected

challenges

(conditions),

but with a mix

of routines and

external factors

6. Unusual

challenges

outside

job scope

5. Totally

unexpected

situations and

non-routine

challenges,

yet within the

larger job scope

RequiredKnowledge

Can BeExplicated

(Some Can BeAutomated)

Workers NeedAdditionalKnowledge

ConsiderableNew Knowledge

Is Required

Past

Work

Future

Work

Some AbstractKnowledgeIs Needed

Frequency of

Occurrences

Complexity

of Work

Candidates

for

Intelligent

Automation

Potentials for

Delivering Work

Requiring

Greater Knowledge


Make

Sense

Decide &

InnovateExecute

Monitor

Apply KnowledgePersonal Operations

Level

Effective Actions Are Needed at All LevelsEffective Actions Are Needed at All Levels

Make

Sense

Decide &

InnovateExecute

Monitor

Apply KnowledgeDepartment Tactics

Level

Make

Sense

Decide &

InnovateExecute

Monitor

Apply Knowledge Division Business Plan

Level

Make

Sense

Decide &

InnovateExecute

Monitor

Apply Knowledge Enterprise Strategy

Level


Personal IC DevelopmentPersonal IC Development

Personal IC Development Has Two Areas:1. Directive Component is top-down:

People need only to follow directions2. Participative Component is bottom-up:

People need to understand how best tobuild their own IC assets

For success - people need to understandenterprise direction and their own roles


Crucial KM Focus AreasCrucial KM Focus Areas

• People-Focused Management Philosophy• Knowledge Management Expertise

• Integrative Management• Intangible Asset Management Mentality

• Critical Success Factors• Knowledge-Focused Business Diagnostics


Intangible Asset Management MentalityIntangible Asset Management Mentality–– Knowledge-Leveraging Mentality Knowledge-Leveraging Mentality ––Knowledge-Leveraging Mentality Consists of

Knowledge- and Performance-CentricPerspectives and Attitudes

that Promote Effective and CompetitiveActions and Behaviors

of Individuals and Enterprise

Corporate Culture Is Driven by theKnowledge-Leveraging Mentality


KLM FocusKLM FocusCompetitive enterprise and personal performance

result from conscientious application ofsuperior intellectual capital (IC)

Superior IC is built through constant innovationand wise investments and trade-offs

High performance depends on effective practices,arrangement of work, organizational structureand systems and procedures

Widespread Knowledge-LeveragingMentality is cornerstone for ‘doing business

differently’


Important KM Development PrioritiesImportant KM Development Priorities1. Make KM part of Integrative Management2. Focus KM more on People – Less on IT3. Make KM Promote Innovation and Strengthen

Consistency of Routine Operations4. Increase Understanding of Knowledge-Related

Processes - Personal - Organizational - Societal5. Strengthen IT for KM Infrastructure and

Intelligent Operational Support6. Compile Repositories of Effective KM

Approaches and Related Best Practices


“A Focus on Cost-Cutting and EfficiencyHas Helped Many Organizations Weather

the Downturn, But This Approach WillUltimately Render Them Obsolete.

Only the Constant Pursuit of InnovationCan Ensure Long-Term Success.”

DF Muzyka, FT Sep 17, 2004

Knowledge Management Is theInnovation Enabler by Providing the

Driving Intellectual Capital Resources!

KM and Innovation Are KeyKM and Innovation Are Key


Thank You!

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