Part One: Knowledge Management Networking Secrets

You don’t have to go it alone to sell KM inside your organization. Take advantage of outside help by scheduling visits with others who are doing KM well, joining and participating in KM communities, using industry analyst reports, or retaining an outside consultant.

As a KM practitioner, you are, de facto, a member of a large network of active professionals. You all face the same challenges, ponder the same questions, share the same frustrations, devise clever and strategic solutions, and jointly celebrate KM successes. In order to stay motivated, keep abreast of proven practices—and even to learn about what doesn’t work—as well as to share your own insights and celebratory moments, you must work to stay connected. Here’s one way to do so:

Schedule visits with others who are doing KM well

Identify people to visit by attending conferences, listening to webinars, participating in communities, and reading publications, blogs, and books. Good advisor candidates are people who make a major impression, are engaged in similar efforts, or are in the same industry.

When you meet with them, ask these questions.

• To whom have you had to sell KM within your organization?
• How did you go about it?
• What obstacles did you encounter, and how did you overcome them?
• How do you educate stakeholders and users?
• How do you communicate with stakeholders and users?
• How do you motivate people to demonstrate the desired behaviors?
• How do you work with IT?
• What other functions do you work with, and how do you work with them?
• What are your top three tips for selling KM?