An Alternative Future for Knowledge Management

What a powerful keynote speech Dr David Griffiths gave at the UK Knowledge Management (KM) Summit 2020. He looked at the past, present and future of KM. He showed very clearly that current KM is still facing the same problems it was in 1995. And he is right that KM today is the result of all the decisions taken since then, and that really not much has progressed in 25 years.

He takes us on a count down to success - 5 tips for the present that help us build KM for the future. They are very useful, but are they revolutionary? I think we need something more radical, because we have been trying to do those things for over 25 years and KM is still “gasping for breath”.

My contention is that Knowledge Management isn’t performing. That is because it is, and has been, based on a false assumption. And again David is entirely correct, ‘where we are now is a result of past decisions’. If the foundation of those decisions was incorrect then it is not surprising that 25 years later KM is still not working properly is it?

What is the incorrect assumption the vast majority of us have been making?

As Knowledge Managers we have assumed (whether consciously or not) that organisations are complicated, a big machine. And we know from David Snowden’s Cynefin Framework that in the complicated domain we use experts to apply Good Practice. And that's what we have done. But actually are organisations complicated or complex?

According to Snowden, you can tell something is complex if it has the following characteristics:[1]

   •   'It involves large numbers of interacting elements.'

   •   'The interactions are non-linear, and minor changes can produce disproportionately major consequences.'

   •   'The system is dynamic, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and solutions can't be imposed; rather, they arise from the circumstances. This is frequently referred to as emergence.'

   •   'The system has a history, and the past is integrated with the present; the elements evolve with one another and with the environment; and evolution is irreversible.'

   •   'Though a complex system may, in retrospect, appear to be ordered and predictable, hindsight does not lead to foresight because the external conditions and systems constantly change.'

   •   'Unlike in ordered systems (where the system constrains the agents), or chaotic systems (where there are no constraints), in a complex system the agents and the system constrain one another, especially over time. This means that we cannot forecast or predict what will happen.'

The characteristics of complexity can be seen in today's companies and organisations. Companies do have large numbers of interacting elements. They can be sensitive to small changes. They are dynamic. They are greater than the sum of their parts. They do have history; some of the older ones may even have traditions. Both history and tradition will affect how change is perceived and assimilated. New patterns of behaviour can emerge without being directed from above. Progress and change mean it is impossible to go back to a previous version of the company. The dynamics of internal and external conditions can make reliable predictions of future company performance impossible. For example, just look at the demise of the once mighty Blockbuster, or Andersons, or Enron, or Lehman Brothers.

Even a small organisation is complex. What about a big one like the NHS?

In the complex domain it is inappropriate use Good or Best Practice. And experts will not be able to predict the outcome of their interventions. That is why Knowledge Management has not taken off as it should. That is why it continues to disappoint.

Having changed my assumption, the basis of my knowledge work, I am able consider an alternative future for KM, and Knowledge Managers, one that breaks the current log jam and gives us first-class, sustainable, business supporting knowledge systems and hopefully breathes life back into the 4th knowledge revolution.

[1] Snowden, David J. and Boone, Mary E. A (2007). Leader’s Framework for Decision Making, Harvard Business Review.