Chapter 9
EXTRACTING KNOWLEDGE VALUE USING DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Snapshot
Electronic document and record management systems (EDRMS) are increasingly seen as a way to effectively and efficiently store vast arrays of documents. From the perspective of improving access to knowledge in the organization, such information repositories are clearly potentially valuable in supporting better knowledge flows. Yet, the promise that such systems offer is often not fulfilled. By pinpointing precisely where value typically lies and identifying proven ways to extract it, the return on the investment in electronic document management can be significantly improved.
Intelligent EDRMS use means linking the technical ability to store, locate, and connect information with processes and approaches that tap into the unstructured knowledge in people’s heads. This provides essential context and meaning to a situation and is a source of real value to the organization.
We found three potential sources of value generation from the effective EDRMS: compliance, competitiveness, and collaboration. Although, for most organizations, one of these is likely to be the primary value driver, all three need attention. The key is to determine an appropriate balance for your context. Implementing EDRMS needs to be viewed as a significant change programme. The factors that are known to underpin the flow of knowledge (motivation, skills and abilities, actions and the environment) point to the issues to be addressed through ...
