2016-17 KMWorld Survey Examines State of Knowledge Management in Today’s Enterprises
As businesses turn to new technologies to increase their competitiveness, there is growing awareness about the importance of close alignment between KM and data management, as well as increasing support from corporate leadership for KM initiatives. However, at the same time, enterprise KM proponents say there has been little progress in efforts to tear down data silos and to incorporate KM into day-to-day workflows.
These are among the key findings of a new survey of 342 executives and managers who are readers of the KMWorld magazine and website, published by Information Today, Inc.
The results of "The State of Knowledge Management: 2016-17 KMWorld Survey" are presented in the Fall 2016 Edition of the KMWorld Buyers’ Guide, a new 12-page resource available for download. The research report covers the impact of technologies and trends such as cloud, big data, and data integration, as well as the current level of overall management support for knowledge management initiatives.
The report shows that the transition to fully functioning KM systems is moving at a slow pace. About one-third, 32%, of respondents indicate they have successfully implemented a comprehensive, enterprise-scale knowledge management system on premises—about even to last year. Another 38% either do not yet have such systems, or are still in the exploration stage, representing a slight increase from 35% a year ago.
What’s the hold-up? Data and information integration are inhibiting KM efforts, according to the survey findings. Knowledge sharing is not integrated into daily work, and data or information is inaccessible across enterprises within silos. Both problems are cited by a majority of respondents, 56%.
However, KM is gaining corporate support. More than one-third of respondents, 35%, report that their KM efforts are being led by employee and manager teams, up from 30% a year ago. In one-third of the cases, C-level executives are also taking charge, up distinctly from 22% a year ago.
The “State of Knowledge Management: 2016-17 KMWorld Survey” report includes a synopsis of the highlights from the research as well as 13 charts drilling down on this year’s survey results compared to last year’s.
To download the KMWorld Fall 2016 Buyer's Guide, go here.