PD 7506:2005

Making Knowledge Management (KM) relevant to UK plc, SME and public sector organizations depends upon exerting a positive impact on organizations and their various areas of business activity and functions. By examining current practices across a range of organizations, this PD examines how such relevance can be achieved.   Our research indicates that forward-looking organizations do not necessarily see KM as a traditional organizational function. Rather, they tend to prefer to establish KM as an organizational competence; when they are successful, such competence resides everywhere in the organization. The actual label “KM” may be de-emphasized in the process, but this can be a good thing, meaning that the practice of KM, however it is labelled, is not viewed as the exclusive preserve of an isolated function.   Where this strategy can be most effective is in spreading knowledge skills as widely as possible throughout the organization. At the same time, it can help avoid traditional rivalry between functions, or help an attempt to ‘colonize’ KM within a small community, which has marked many previous initiatives in this area. This PD provides guidance on how to link KM and other key organizational functions and established emerging processes, within and between organizations. This PD is therefore intended for employees, managers, directors and anyone else interested in KM. This PD combines both desk and primary research and also offers a comparison of different approaches and case studies. Readers should note, however, that although this PD touches upon various other management sciences - such as Quality - it does so only by way of example or analogy. Key sections of this Guide include: