Selected Resources on Knowledge Management

The following articles are useful initial resources for thinking about knowledge management. We have provided brief reviews of each piece, highlighting their specific applicability to foundations and grantmakers.

Artificial Intelligence
Applications Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Knowledge Management, AIAI website, 1999. http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~alm/kamlnks.html
The AIAI website provides an introduction to the concept of knowledge management and highlights important resources, key challenges, approaches to the practice of knowledge management in an organization. The piece provides a good overview of the field and builds a simple framework for how organizations, including foundations, can think about their knowledge-related processes.

L. Bernholz and K. Guthrie. "Knowledge Is an Asset Too." Foundation News and Commentary, May-June 2000. http://www.cof.org/foundationnews/0500/Knowledge.htm
Bernholz and Guthrie introduce the concept of the knowledge foundation, contending that foundations need to begin to capture, use, and share knowledge as an asset, as they do their financial resources. The article also provides several examples of foundations that are using knowledge management strategies effectively.

T. Davenport. Some Principles of Knowledge Management (University of Texas, Austin, 1998). http://www.bus.utexas.edu/kman/kmprin.htm
Davenport takes a pragmatic look at several basic principles of knowledge management, including: the importance of combining technology and human solutions, the challenge of overcoming cultural resistance to sharing knowledge, the need to find dedicated leaders to promote knowledge management, and the fact that knowledge management is an ongoing, never-ending process. Many of these principles are applicable and enlightening in relation to philanthropic, as well as corporate, organizations.

M. Earl and I. Scott. "What Is a Chief Knowledge Officer?" Sloan Management Review, Winter 1999, pp. 29-38.
Earl and Scott examine the importance of knowledge management in businesses and explore the role of "chief knowledge officers" in implementing knowledge management strategies. They examine what CKOs do, what they look like, and what types of support and resources they need to be effective. The article can help foundations in thinking about how they can find or develop the leadership needed to implement knowledge management practices.

B . Fryer. "Get Smart." Inc magazine, September 15, 1999. http://www.inc.com/articles/details/0,3532,ART13542_CNT53,00.html
Fryer looks at the growth of the field of corporate knowledge management and examines the benefits and challenges that have resulted as several companies have tried to implement knowledge management systems. The article provides a simple introduction to the field that can help grantmakers to think about how knowledge management practices can be applied to their own organizations.

M. Gladwell. "Designs for Working." The New Yorker, December 11, 2000.
Malcolm Gladwell, author of last year's well-received The Tipping Point, discusses how the set-up and character of offices can influence innovation and knowledge sharing. Drawing specifically from Jane Jacobs work, "The Life and Death of American Cities," Gladwell notes the importance of frequent interaction among colleagues and how far basic office layout goes in shaping the human relationships of a workplace. Glad well notes that "...innovation - the heart of the knowledge economy - is fundamentally social." This is an easy-to-read piece on how the places and way we work shapes what we do and how we do it. A useful article for grantmakers who are thinking about the very human elements of knowledge management.

M. Hansen, N. Nohria, and T. Tierney. "What's Your Strategy for Managing Knowledge." Harvard Business Review, March-April 1999.
The authors examined corporate knowledge management practices to reveal two very different overarching management strategies. In companies that center around standardized products that fill common needs, knowledge is carefully codified and stored in databases to be accessed and used by anyone in the organization. In companies that provide more customized solutions, knowledge is shared primarily through person-to-person contacts, and computers are used to help people to find each other and communicate. This article can help grantmakers in thinking about the type of knowledge that they hold and what systems can help them to capture, use, and share that knowledge.

R. McDermott "Why Information Technology Can Inspire but Cannot Deliver Knowledge Management." California Management Review, Summer 1999, pp. 103-117.
McDermott argues that effective knowledge management depends more on cultural change and community building than information technology. Knowledge requires a human relationship to think about, understand, share, and appropriately apply information to create solutions to problems. The article provides grantmakers a good distinction between information and knowledge and identifies several strategies for building a culture that supports knowledge sharing and creation.

M. Porter and M. Kramer. "Philanthropy's New Agenda: Creating Value." Harvard Business Review, November-December 1999, pp. 121-130.
Porter and Kramer look at ways that foundations can move beyond serving as passive conduits for giving to actually generate social benefits that go beyond the purchasing power of their grants. The authors suggest that grantmakers can add value through several knowledge-intensive strategies: selecting the best grantees, signaling other funders, improving the performance of grant recipients, and advancing the state of knowledge and practice.