!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: A Rubric for Knowledge Management Self-Assessment

Saturday, December 05, 2009

A Rubric for Knowledge Management Self-Assessment

Among the knowledge-sharing tools outlined at the Information and Communications Technology and Knowledge Management (ICT-KM) Program's website (see yesterday's post) is a knowledge managment (KM) self-assessment.

This particular self-assessment rubric (.doc) is based on an approach developed by BP for their operations excellence program. You can find additional details in Learning to Fly: Practical Knowledge Management from Leading and Learning Organizations, by Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell, both of whom worked on BP's knowledge management team.

The assessment includes five dimensions:
  • KM strategy

  • Leadership behaviors

  • Networking

  • Learning before, during and after

  • Capturing knowledge
Five levels of organizational performance are defined, using behavioral indicators that are specific to each particular dimension. The five levels are:
  • The way we work (highest)

  • Consistently apply

  • Act

  • React

  • Awareness (lowest)
To give you an idea of what the rubric identifies as the highest level of knowledge management performance, here are the Level 5 characteristics for each of the dimensions (somewhat edited):

KM strategy
  • Clearly identified intellectual assets.

  • KM strategy is embedded in the business strategy.

  • Framework and tools enable learning before, during and after.
Leadership behaviors
  • Leaders recognize the link between KM and performance.

  • The right attitudes exist to share and use others' know-how.

  • Leaders reinforce the right behavior and act as role models.
Networking
  • Clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

  • Networks have a clear purpose, some have clear deliverables, others develop capability in the organization.

  • Networks ensure time is set aside for social interaction.
Learning before, during and after
  • Prompts for learning are built into business processes.

  • People routinely find out who is knowledgeable in particular areas and talk with them.

  • Common language, templates and guidelines lead to effective sharing.
Capturing knowledge
  • Knowledge is easy to get to, easy to retrieve. Relevant knowledge is pushed to you.

  • Organizational knowledge is constantly refreshed and distilled.

  • Networks act as guardians of the knowledge.
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posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:53 PM