KM Review, Volume 4 Issue 4 September\/October 2001<\/p>\n
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Change is the ultimate challenge for knowledge management. In 1998, complex organizational change was the order of the day at Bezeq. The telecommunications market in Israel was about to open for free competition and this was affecting Bezeq\u2019s business in the following ways: in the Engineering & Planning Division around 50 percent of employees were laid off, all units were moved within the division, a lot of knowledge left or went missing, and the 280 remaining employees changed roles, their positions and their hierarchy. Prior to the changes, the Engineering & Planning Division had seen its knowledge as an insurance policy. During the transition, many knowledge holes appeared and the price to \u201cfill\u201d those holes was high and painful. <\/p>\n
Maintaining market leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The business case for KM was clear: Bezeq needed to maintain its position as the leading telecommunications company in Israel and the Engineering & Planning Division wanted to maintain its position as the best place for telecoms professionals. The two areas were united in the need to support the corporate vision and maximize profit to stockholders. To achieve its goals, Bezeq\u2019s Deputy CEO & VP of Engineering & Planning chose knowledge management as the platform to support the cultural change he wanted to generate within his division. Bezeq began the KM program plan by hiring a consulting firm and appointing a knowledge manager to achieve the mission. The deputy CEO set the main goals for the program: to change the culture, to develop and implement proper processes, and to support it with the necessary infrastructure. These goals aimed to re-use current and existing knowledge as well as foster the <\/strong><\/p>\n Defining priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The Engineering and Planning management set a detailed KM program that consisted of division activities and departmental activities. <\/p>\n Division activities: Departmental activities focus on management development, but differ among departments since each manager initiaties his or hers independently. Generally, the department managers match the vision and mission to their scope and interpret local versions of \u201cthe big picture\u201d on a regular basis. <\/p>\n \n Frustrations and under-estimations<\/strong> <\/p>\n So where should knowledge managers turn to find information on how to lead through a transformation?During my service as the knowledge manager within the Engineering & Planning Division, I learned that there\u2019s no approved and developed methodology for the job. Rather, I\u2019d like to share my experience with the hope it will aid other practitioners with similar challenges. <\/p>\n In our case, KM deals with two major issues:<\/p>\n 1. It allows the organization to act, function and perform better and more efficiently; therefore, managing knowledge increases the profit of the organization. In addition to overseeing the divisional and departmental activities, the knowledge manager facilitated the KM program\u2019s progression. All frustrations, under-estimations and general organizational chaos were thrown at me from other managers and workers. Many issues undermined the program, such as the discomfort and fears of people that do not believe in their power to change. If people are just trying to survive, it\u2019s difficult to motivate them to act and share knowledge. <\/p>\n The most complex part of the program was the need to describe an abstract concept. For most managers and workers, KM is a new way of thinking that must be operationalized carefully and step-by-step. During this period, leadership from senior management had to be dominant; the knowledge manager needed to feel the leader\u2019s spirit pervading the entire project. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How will I know where I am? <\/strong><\/p>\n During our work, I identified three key phases for successful KM implementation. The next sections describe the stages and corresponding roles for a knowledge manager. <\/p>\n Phase one \u2013 finding the need Phase two \u2013 establishing a KM program [X=nextPage=X]<\/p>\n Phase three \u2013 successful integration <\/p>\n During the third phase, the need for a formal KM program has dissipated because all people and units are working as a team towards achieving business goals. Managers and workers deliver knowledge and innovate. Organizational efforts are focused on creativity, invention and innovation. It\u2019s now time that each manager sees the opportunity to \u201cupgrade\u201d him or herself on a regular basis to create and innovate. <\/strong> <\/p>\n Bezeq\u2019s journey<\/strong><\/p>\n Bezeq\u2019s KM plan progressed through the stages in a similar manner and after almost two years of strenuous efforts led by managers from all units, we are not ready to rest yet. Still concentrating on Stage 3 activities, we are focusing on integrating knowledge assets across our division and attempting to establish knowledge management as its own business unit. The HR division at Bezeq has taken on the lessons learned and best practice from KM and now leads the knowledge management program within Bezeq. And as recognition of our leadership in the KM area in Israel, we often serve as advisors to other organizations. This has placed us as leaders in service development. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KM Review, Volume 4 Issue 4 September\/October 2001 Change is the ultimate challenge for knowledge management. In 1998, complex organizational change was the order of the day at Bezeq. The telecommunications market in Israel was about to open for … \u05dc\u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05d9\u05da \u05dc\u05e7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d0
creation of new knowledge.
Leadership and management roles were emphasized and a tremendous effort emerged to transform the way Engineering and Planning Division managers saw themselves \u2013 as team leaders, not only as talented professionals. All divisions acted top-down to create the vision, mission, objectives and ethics code together. After a few months of preparations, the program was on the move.
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\u2022 holding organizational development programs, seminars and outdoor training to motivate managers on a day-to-day basis;
\u2022 developing leadership in all mid-level managers;
\u2022 communicating the vision and ethics code to all division employees;
\u2022 establishing a survey of who knows what;
\u2022 documenting what we need to know \u2013 learning methods vary from internal and self-directed learning to formal and outside training;
\u2022 establishing communities of best practices for core issues, led by section managers \u2013 the focal point for each discipline;
\u2022 establishing \u201cknowledge labs\u201d \u2013 to deal with core issues in a way that delivers and demonstrates the new culture;
\u2022 acknowledging, respecting and rewarding concept, processes and mechanisms to motivate people to share, use and cooperate;
\u2022 setting up a corporate university to mentor each employee, newcomers and seniors in a threelevel program: basic orientation program, technical training, and niche training;
\u2022 debriefing processes to learn not to make the same mistakes every morning. <\/p>\n
2. It shows the organization the hidden competencies and abilities to do things that were latent; therefore, it increases the value and the intellectual capital of the organization. <\/p>\n
Identifying the need for KM is easy in times of crisis, but less so when the organizational landscape is smooth. Organizations that haven\u2019t experienced a crisis event or don\u2019t have stiff competition in the business field may not see the need for KM. Many organizations in this position see the picture mistakenly: they are waiting for a \u201cnegative\u201d crisis event to make an organizational change. Clever leaders don\u2019t hesitate, however. When they analyze the big picture, they act by moving to the next phase of leveraging innovation and organizational excellence through KM. <\/p>\n
When initiating a KM program, leaders must be solving a problem. It\u2019s critical to focus and set a proper rationale to address specific business issues. The leader should serve as a mentor to subordinates and communicate a brave and admirable vision within the organization. The route must be to tackle culture and process, then tools. If you don\u2019t have a cultural infrastructure to support processes, no tool can deliver true benefits.
Leaders must fully understand the risks, the personal efforts, and the amount of management attention and time required. For us, this was the time to go to a specialist. We called in a consultant suitable to help the leader deliver the change needed. The outside view of a consultant was vital to raise and interpret cultural and procedural issues that can\u2019t be seen from within the organization.
It makes sense at this stage to set a KM and organizational learning program consisting of a conceptual design and detailed planning that all contribute to proper execution. This is a dramatic point on the whole journey.
The leader now focuses on taking the company through the natural waves and barriers while the consultant focuses on organizational development activities with all managers. The leader may also nominate a Knowledge manager at this time. It must be a full-time job because dedicated attention is needed to successfully facilitate the organizational shift. A steering committee could also be established at this juncture to guide the KM program team through three to four meetings per year.
The knowledge manager needs to have an intimate knowledge of the organization and the experience to understand who knows what as well as in-depth knowledge about the subject of KM.
Many organizations fail to nominate such a unique person. In my view it\u2019s only a matter of understanding the whole issue: once the leader acknowledges that people and their intellectual capital are in the center, the decision is clear.<\/p>\n
Leadership must still be visible and people must feel it to continually improve the processes. The knowledge manager now often nominates a chief knowledge officer. By this time tools and infrastructures are set: tools support business needs in order to do things better and create new developments. The consultant helps the organization assess the program, define its deliverables and help chart the road ahead. <\/p>\n
KM is embedded in many of our business processes, such as marketing and engineering. People use KM mechanisms and processes on a daily basis, creating more seamless teamwork, more frequent and deeper knowledge sharing and distribution, and more efficiencies that have led to value for the company. We have also noticed an increase in knowledge-related initiatives \u2013 all expressions of the cultural change we have worked hard to enable. <\/p>\n