Knowledge Risk and Retention – beyond the usual suspects

In 2003 Kate Andrews introduced the term knowledge risk to describe the loss of knowledge critical to a firm’s performance.   In our experience, even today many organisations who are deeply concerned about potential knowledge loss from imminent staff exit DO NOTHING because there is no clear starting point.  This session will take a fresh look at risk and retention, with a focus on what is working in practice.   Questions will be posed and responses generated through discussion and reflection. 

• Knowledge risk is not evenly spread throughout your firm:  you are likely to have particular knowledge risk hotspots. What are some ways to identify where they are?
• It’s not all or nothing:  effective knowledge transfer focuses on unique, critical knowledge rather than trying to transfer everything known by everyone!  How can we identify the critical subset of expert knowledge?
• Targeted knowledge transfer is a prime tool to mitigate knowledge risk.  Benefits of knowledge transfer include: retention of valuable, ‘can’t buy’ knowledge when key staff leave; reduced hand over risk through a structured knowledge transfer effort; and better supporting your key staff by building knowledgeable teams around them.  What organisational factors influence effective knowledge transfer?

Participating in this event will enable you to

• Identify knowledge risk hotspots in your organisation 
• Take a fresh look at knowledge transfer and retention options

Agenda:  Wednesday February 24^th 2010

6:00-6:30          Networking with other thinking collaborators (over drinks and nibbles).

6:30-7:15          Dr Kate Andrews – Knowledge Risk and Retention – beyond the usual suspects

7:15-8:00          Informal conversation amongst the group to explore the ideas and concepts.

Venue: 

RMIT Graduate School of Business and Law, 300 Queen Street. Melbourne

Lecture room 158.1.2C (Ground level – just behind reception).

Ample metered street parking nearby in Queen Street (between La Trobe and Little Lonsdale).

 

RSVP: by email to melbournekmlf@gmail.com

About our Guest Speaker

Kate Andrews is an organisational psychologist who has worked in knowledge management for over a decade.  Her doctoral research highlighted psychosocial factors affecting knowledge sharing[1] and remains influential.  She is principal of knowledge asset consultancy KNOWABLE knowable.com.au, Adjunct Professor at QUT’s Faculty of Science and Technology and has lectured in KM at post-graduate level for Mt Eliza Business School as well as in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.   Her current knowledge risk assignments include projects with Water Corporation, Perth; Main Roads, Queensland; Sustainability Victoria; Valuer-General Victoria; and TAFE NSW.

 

---

[1] Influences on knowledge processes in organizational learning: the psychosocial  (2000) KM Andrews, BL Delahaye – Journal of Management Volume 37 Issue 6, Pages 797 - 810  - article has over 150 academic citations

Topic:  User Adoption Strategies for Collaboration Technologies

What is the biggest complaint around the introduction of new collaboration technologies into a group or organization? The answer: No one uses them.

New tools are often rejected.  The very people who are supposed to use them don’t do so—they keep going with earlier ways of working.  Sometimes “culture” is blamed for this failure, but our speaker, Michael Sampson believes it is more accurate to point the finger at the lack of intentional effort on user adoption.

This discussion session provides an opportunity to learn about user adoption strategies, how other organizations around the world are tackling user adoption for collaboration technologies, and to share what strategies are working well in your organization.

Participating in this event will enable you to:

• Learn about the current state of play with user adoption strategies
• Develop your thinking about the user adoption strategy for collaboration technologies at your organization.

Agenda:  Monday February 15^th

6:00-6:30      Networking with other thinking collaborators (over drinks and nibbles).

6:30-7:15      Michael Sampson – User Adoption Strategies

7:15-8:00      Informal conversation amongst the group to explore the ideas and concepts.

Venue: 
RMIT Graduate School of Business and Law, 300 Queen Street. Melbourne
Lecture room 158.1.2C (Ground level – just behind reception).

Ample metered street parking nearby in Queen Street (between La Trobe and Little Lonsdale).

 

RSVP: by email to melbournekmlf@gmail.com

About our Guest Speaker

Michael Sampson is a Collaboration Strategist. He helps end-user organizations in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Europe and other places around the world improve the performance of distributed teams.  Key themes are the effective use of collaboration technology to enhance distributed teams, using SharePoint for collaboration, and encouraging user adoption of collaboration technologies.  Michael has written two books on collaboration strategy, and is about to publish a third.  Michael is running a Masterclass on SharePoint Collaboration and Governance in Melbourne on Tuesday 16^th, for details see:  http://www.sharepointroadmap.com/melbourne.html