Knowledge Management

There is a need in business organizations for a central knowledge base of construction-related data, one of many forms of "knowledge management". The goal of knowledge management is to increase corporate IQ by sharing history and current knowledge. Executives must lead the way, establishing open communications and proper tools. Market analysis replaced cost analysis as the biggest user of technology at Coca-Cola. Yamanouchi Pharmaceuticals and Microsoft use Web tools to ensure timely responses to complex product questions. Digital systems improved collaboration in product development at Nabisco. Online tools solve training problems. Sharing information is key to recruiting and retaining smart people. Global access to information doesn't mean centralized management. The CEO must foster a collaborative, knowledge-sharing corporate culture, provide the digital tools, and reward knowledge sharing.

Knowledge management is not a software product or a software category. Knowledge management doesn't even start with technology. It starts with business objectives and processes and a recognition of the need to share information. Knowledge management is nothing more than managing information flow, getting the right information to the people who need it so that they can act on it quickly. It goes back to Michael Dertouzos' idea that information is a verb, not a static noun. And knowledge management is a means, not an end.

The workers in a company with a high corporate IQ collaborate effectively so that all of the key people on a project are well informed and energized. The ultimate goal is to have a team develop the best ideas from throughout an organization and then act with the same unity of purpose and focus that a single, well-motivated person would bring to bear on a situation. Digital information flow can bring about this group cohesiveness.

To recruit and retain smart people, you need to make it easy for them to collaborate with other smart people. That makes for a stimulating, energized workplace. A collaborative culture, reinforced by information flow, makes it possible for smart people all over a company to be in touch with each other. When you get a critical mass of high-IQ people working in concert, the energy level shoots way up. Cross-stimulation brings on new ideas-and less experienced employees are pulled along to a higher level. The company as a whole works smarter.