This document discusses characteristics of a "knowledge organization" and provides examples from the real estate industry. It argues that a knowledge organization's main assets and profits come from intellectual capital. It then lists several key aspects of a knowledge organization, including structured data, information holdings, defined processes, and a culture of knowledge sharing. The document proposes some specific ideas for sharing information and knowledge, such as communities of practice, best practices documentation, and exit interviews. Overall, it advocates for organizations to focus on knowledge management in order to remain innovative and aware of their external environment.

1. A few Models and Samples….for
discussion
David G. Jones M.A.
Shibumi Management Canada
Shibumi.management@gmail.com

3. Knowledge Connect

4. Knowledge Disconnect

5. What would a true “Knowledge Organization” look
like?
To find one, we need to look for an organization
that may well make and sell things, but its major
profit centre is other than that. Its profit needs to
be in intangibles – it needs to consider its key
assets to be intellectual, and its best workers
owners, managers and brokers of intellectual
capital.
A real estate company fills the bill. It is a good
model for a knowledge enterprise.

6.  Business model and culture
 Processes
 Information and Knowledge
 Methods
 Data
Summarizes – for the most part – as
intellectual and human capital

7. • Masses of structured data (transactions, state of
economy, street resident index, telephone
directories)
• Large information holdings: (mortgage rules;
lenders and interest rates; maps; marketing
methods and costs; existing and potential
customers; communications practices; intellectual
capital)
•Great knowledge in: (qualifying, finding /
matching properties and clients, selling, closing)

8. • Well defined processes in:
• recruitment and retention
• marketing
• continuous improvement
• managing business intelligence
• A culture of information sharing, tips and advice
and collaboration
• A business model focused clearly on
organizational and individual success and
sustainability

9. Achieving enterprise-wide definition, establishment,
operation and continuous improvement of the
organization and its capability; its information and
knowledge; and its collaborative information
technologies – all directed towards ensuring the
organization remains firmly focused on operational
effectiveness.
……….I would call this “Knowledge Management”

10. Complacency is simply non-operative in a
knowledge organization. Internal knowledge
relations are important for activity -> outcome
relationships; but elegant harmonization between
the organization and its environment is mission
critical. It is of no use to be brilliantly positioned
and fully alert if you are not entirely aware.
To ensure high capability the organizations needs
to enshrine R&D into basic operations. It needs a
culture of exploration and risk taking. It needs
innovation, and innovators.
Here‟s a few launch ideas for imagination,
exploration and expansion.

11. Information Knowledge
Libraries and learning centres Communities of Practice
Vertical files Interactive presentations
Classifications (Metadata, De-briefs (events, experiences,
taxonomies, ontologies) situations, locations, etc. etc.)
Meeting places Best practices
Experience sharing (interesting and Knowledge transfer
potentially useful articles, books) “Explorations” (as in “what if?”)(as
Information management including in “what do we know, what don’t we
sharing (e.g. roles and know, what do we need to know?”)
responsibilities) Clients, partners and relationship
Clients and partners (who) profiles) (Corporate intelligence)
Enterprise FAQs and templates Scenarios, models, frameworks

12. Information Knowledge
Document and records management On-line centres of expertise (loaded
Repositories i.e. static) and interactive (i.e. “virtual
Mail management
mentoring”)
“knowledge tools”
Enterprise directories
Workgroup computing
Architecture and standards
Interactive Web
Portals
Employee skills and interests
Media inter-operability
database (with relationship to
Search engines and automatic
succession planning)
analysis tools
Forums and social networks
Databases and business applications
Conference debriefs
After-action reports
Exit interviews

13.  Knowledge Transfer  Leveraging
and Retention
 Deployment de-brief
Infrastructure
 Knowledge download  Shared Drives and
repositories
 Words of Wisdom
(retirements,  Employee Profiles
departures)  Knowledge Centre
 Just In Time KM  Interactive Forums
 Building a database
 Linking for Success
 Rules for Good
Governance
 Info Management (know
when to hold „em and
when to fold „em)

14.  Experienceonce –  Exposed
share widely Relationships
 Conference sharing and  Internally - between
feedback
similar functions
 Best or good practices
 Externally - with
 Great books and stakeholder
magazine articles
community

15. It may.
But it is surprising how few organizations do a good job of
maintaining an employee phone directory. Few allow easy
access to employee job titles and key functions. Many do
not allow collaboration (or even communication) that goes
against the official org chart.
And as there are many “sacred cows” that must not be
tampered with, many organizations spend fortunes on “KM
initiatives” that are – quite simply – doomed to failure.
Failure is assured when you overlay state of the art tools
and techniques on obsolete structures and processes.

16. David G. Jones M.A.
@shibumimc
Shibumi.management@gmail.
com
See also:
http://shibumimanagementcanada.wor
dpress.com/2011/10/27/picturing-km-
knowledge-management-
21e0w8ynph54k-41/