Lean Knowledge Management

Introduction

In a Wall Street Journal article, not long ago, the author stated that “… knowledge management isn’t dead, but it’s gasping for breath.¹” I believe it’s gasping for a breath for two reasons, we’ve made it much more complicated than it needs to be and we’ve failed to demonstrate what an enormous, positive effect a strong KM program can have on an organization’s success. For companies trying to compete in a dog-eat-dog marketplace where the bottom line dictates an organization’s funding priorities, an effective KM program needs to be recognized as a critical tool—not an additional layer of bureaucracy, complexity, or cost—that can help organizations become successful and profitable in a world where only the strong survive.

There are ...