Exploitable results Share, collaborate, create! We hear a lot about the knowledge economy these days. For instance the pledge by EU leaders, made at their meeting in Lisbon, to make Europe "the most competitive knowledge economy in the world by 2010". But what does that mean for the average company? How can they apply knowledge to make themselves more innovative? The European Knowledge Management Forum is helping to find out, and along the way is developing a distinctively European approach to knowledge management (KM) research and the way it is implemented. From a standing start three years ago, the IST programme-funded Forum has built a community of over 5000 KM practitioners and experts who share information, opinions and experiences on the future of knowledge management thanks in part to the sheer drive and determination of all involved, and in particular of the Commission Scientific Officers. Members include academics, researchers, software vendors and end-users from over 100 countries, including a large representation from the US. In addition, almost 200 organisations have endorsed the community by joining as corporate members. One of its goals is to overcome fragmentation, as Frithjof Weber, the Project Manager, explains: "Knowledge management cuts across many disciplines: organisational theory, psychology, anthropology, IT, to name just a few. Normally such people would approach the subject from their own perspective and never interact. We saw a need to help EU KM projects to share their results, and beyond that to network the wider community of KM researchers and practitioners. We call this approach 'KM Made in Europe'". Life's a community: At the heart of the community is the KnowledgeBoard web portal (www.knowledgeboard.com). Far more than just a "flat" discussion board or newsgroup, the site employs some smart technology to make every member visible. Members can pursue their own interests through special interest groups and multilingual zones, or interact with others in real-time workshops held frequently online. The member's directory includes not just background information on each participant but also links to their contributions on specific topics. One recent innovation is a monthly theme - an in-depth look at some aspect of KM that is reflected across the community, in online and offline events, interviews, and through synthesis reports. Participation is governed by a few simple rules designed to ensure that everyone is given an equal chance to have their say. Be polite and respectful to other members, have regard to copyright, don't use the site to promote commercial organisations or events. There has been only one infringement in the whole time the site has been running. "It's amazing how closely people stick to the rules", exclaims Weber, "I'm surprised myself. I guess it reflects the site's altruistic element." Of course, even here, among the knowledge professionals, not everyone wants to contribute openly. Weber estimates that around 10 to 20 percent of the community makes active contributions. The rest, which he calls "lurkers", are content to watch from the sidelines. "That's just like life", he says, "It only takes a few people to make a party. The secret of success is to build benches for these lurkers so that they can view in comfort." Growing recognition: KnowledgeBoard's reputation is growing far and wide. Harvard Business School recommends the site as "Best of the Web" in Knowledge Management and recently the US-based KM guru Deborah Amidon called KnowledgeBoard "one of the 20 most important milestones in the development of the knowledge economy". Success is evident in other ways too. "The most important measure is that we are recognised by the researchers themselves", notes Weber. "People are finding each other within the community. It's the place to get noticed and to find out what's going on in the world. I know of people who mention their involvement in KnowledgeBoard on their CVs and companies that have won contracts through it. One guy finds the newsletter so useful he forwards it to 200 people within his organisation. You can't get better recognition than that." As well as the website the KnowledgeBoard community organises many "real world" events. One of these is the popular summer school, which this year is being held in San Sebastian, Spain. The schools bring together postgraduate researchers and practitioners for a stimulating exchange of ideas about where KM is going and how to make it work better. KnowledgeBoard also has a high profile at KM conferences and exhibitions, such as KM Europe. And the Forum is working with CEN, the European standards body, to develop best practice guidance on KM for SMEs. Feeding the innovation cycle: So why does it work? What makes people want to share their research and experiences in so open a manner? Is this situation peculiar to KM researchers - because of their subject - or are there lessons for other research communities? Weber certainly thinks so. "The world is changing fast", he says, "and researchers must change with it. Many businesses now think in terms of three or six month planning cycles. They are looking for very fast returns. Academics have to respond to that by accelerating the rate at which their research results are taken up and used." Clearly, some academics feel a need to protect their work and would rather have the cachet than the cash. But Weber detects a change. "We're starting to rethink whether classical, reputation-building mechanisms are still relevant", he says. "Both academics and industry have to find new ways of working and we must move forward towards new frontiers together." Unlocking the future: With its reputation firmly established and membership continuing to grow, the future for KnowledgeBoard looks assured. "We're already developing a business plan to continue the service once our EU funding runs out at the end of the year", explains Weber. Options being considered include sponsorship and advertising. Plus, the site hopes to play a role in numerous EU research activities under FP6 providing a platform for Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence (NoE) to support the knowledge economy. "We're a living example of the new model NoE, with very close interaction between academia and industry", he says. With the future of value creation in Europe based more and more on knowledge and intangibles, individuals and organisations are having to work more closely together than ever before. Communities like KnowledgeBoard will be key to helping organisations, large and small, unlock this potential. The approach adopted is also extremely relevant to other areas of European research. Promoted by: IST Results Service Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
