In this posting I talk about how an individual subject matter expert can develop a knowledge acquisition strategy. A company wide strategy would would require a different approach but it could benefit from individual subject matter experts and employees in general apply an individual knowledge acquisition strategy of their own. Knowledge acquisition and management is now so crucial to the success of an organization that all employees should be seen as a critical resource for the collection and analysis of key information. (Comment added 4/10/12).
A knowledge process strategy addresses how you go about acquiring new knowledge and information and how you incorporate that knowledge into content. As a subject matter expert you will already have a knowledge process strategy in place because that is how you acquired your expertise in the first place. You may want to expand or modify your knowledge process strategy going forward to incorporate more of the new, digital media solutions now available. Online journals and information resources are producing an overwhelming amount of information in every industry segment. A good knowledge process strategy will address how you identify trusted sources and prioritize these sources so that you can reasonably deal with this continuous flow of information. The rapid increase in the flow of information and the development of new knowledge simply requires that you have a progressive strategy for staying connected to current trends and developing knowledge in your industry segment. Certifications are no longer sufficient to establish you as a subject matter expert or keep you on the cutting edge of new and developing knowledge.
Blogs have become an integral component of many industry journals (for a good example, look at MediaPost which covers every aspect of on online media). Blogs are important because they have changed the way journalists create content. Comments are a critical part of the blog, providing alternative views, correcting facts, and even moderating the discussion. Journalism has become a dialogue between the journalist and commentators who are often bloggers in their own right. These communications drive conversations further and faster, uncovering new ideas and introducing ground breaking insights at an accelerated pace. Staying in tune with current thinking in an industry segment demands that you follow blogs with a keen eye on insightful comments. It’s imperative that you identify the most popular bloggers so you can prioritize the best content.
You should employ a search strategy for identifying the best sources of information in your industry. Professional associations and conference provide one of the best ways to connect to the best sources of information. Ultimately it is up to you to become active in the higher echelons of your industry segment, participating in conferences and trade shows, creating and commenting to professional blogs, and whenever possible, joining panel discussions at conferences and even giving key note speeches. While it may not be possible to gain access to these kinds of speaking opportunities, don’t shy away from them when those doors are opened for you.
In the old world, there was no need for a knowledge process strategy beyond simply reading whatever books you could find and keeping up with a handful of industry journals. Today the information explosion is challenging all of us to keep up with a dizzying amount of information. That is why it’s important to have a strategy in place and to reassess it on a regular basis. As more and more information becomes available you will have to make tough decisions about what sources to include in your daily consumption of information. Prioritizing content also becomes an increasingly important task.
As a rule, I scan the headlines of all the media journals that drop into my inbox. Currently I subscript to about 20-30 journals (I can never keep up with exactly how many). I always flag those that are the most compelling. That doesn’t mean I read everything I flag. I don’t always have the time but I do try to go back and read the most compelling of those I have flagged. I also unsubscribe to journals that I find I don’t read that often. That frees up room (in my overworked brain) to add new, more relevant journals to my subscription list.
Check this category for future blogs that talk about creating more effective knowledge process strategies.
2 Comments
Hi Bruce,
This is interesting, bit isn’t this more about tactics as opposed to strategy. For me, a knowledge process strategy needs to identify direction for sustainability or growth using knowledge processes – this needs to be aligned with the aims and objectives of the corporate strategy, which is usually focused on delivering competitive advantage. What you seem to be describing is more of a response to the strategic drivers. This is what a lot of companies seem to get wrong and why numerous KM projects fail – they stand alone as a response to ‘something’ and fail to align with the core strategic aims of the business. Something we have discussed here:
http://theknowledgecore.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/dont-start-a-km-project-unless-you-can-answer-these-two-questions/
What I am trying to say is that knowledge strategies need to be just that, a strategy, and as such they need to speak to competitive advantage, growth and sustainability.
Just an opinion and thank you for publishing a thought provoking article.
David
I just updated this posting to better position the topic. Of course you are right. This is a tactic if used throughout an organization. My real purpose here was to focus on strategies for individual subject matter experts.