Reshaping knowledge management at KMWorld Connect 2021

We live in unique times, shaped by the confluence of three events: the rise of big data, the dawning of the 4th industrial revolution, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is no wonder that the way we live, the way we work, and the way we communicate have been fundamentally changed.

Scoot Leeb, corporate lead, global knowledge, Fragomen looked at the changes taking place in KM and what the implications are for practitioners during KMWorld Connect 2021 in the session, “Reshaping KM: Tech Analytics & Smart Design.”

“Knowledge management has actually benefitted from COVID-19,” Leeb said. “It has put KM in the spotlight during this time.”

COVID-19 impacted KM in a few ways including the primacy of intelligence, capturing tacit knowledge, and the need for risk mitigation, Leeb said.

“The first casualty in any crisis is clarity,” Leeb said. “Knowledge management provides the clarity and insight.”

KM gives actionable intelligence, decision support, and provides predictive analytics, he noted. Because of the pandemic, it’s been difficult to capture tacit knowledge. Communication, training, and leadership support can reinforce knowledge sharing.

By creating an early warning system based off knowledge collected, it pushes forward a strategic threshold to plan where the organization goes next, he explained.

Doug Kalish, head of employee experience and knowledge management, Grant Thornton, discussed how intelligent use of modern, configurable technologies can transform knowledge flows and reimagine the knowledge worker experience in a matter of weeks instead of months or years for custom development.

He shared how Grant Thornton has orchestrated simple, modern, and secure knowledge flows by leveraging low-code/no-code solutions, analytics, and smart design principles.

“Knowledge management isn’t just what the KM team does, the entire organization does,” Kalish said. “The KM team helps to facilitate this.”

Grant Thornton has been able to use automation to boost knowledge management. The first thing the company did was simplify knowledge intake and make it omnipresent.

It improved the quality and relevance of things that were posted, he explained. Next, the organization auto-curate content and surfaced them in context. Use analytics tools to get insights into user behavious and improve user experience, he said.

Monitor the enhancements that Microsoft is planning to release is critical for the company as well. Centralizing user access management for secured content is a must, he said. The company implemented smart design principals to improve user experience.

Finally, the company utilizes bots to connect the dots of information, he said.

KMWorld Connect 2021 is going on this week, November 15-18, with workshops on Friday, November 19. On-demand replays of sessions will be available for a limited time to registered attendees and many presenters are also making their slide decks available through the conference portal. For more information, go to www.kmworld.com/conference/2021.