To see how exceptional the conditions are in which the codifi-
cation-access model works, take one success: McKinsey’s use of a
knowledge management system to help consultants worldwide
access “practice development” materials relevant to developing
proposals for new projects and to helping engagement managers
structure work plans once a project starts. The conditions at
McKinsey represent something of a “perfect storm”:
- The hiring model and the way people develop on the job are
carefully honed to ensure that people are not only good at
solving problems but also at stating how they have solved
problems (clients would be skeptical of purely tacit expertise).
Therefore, consultants are far more able to “extract” their
knowledge than many other knowledge workers. - The vast majority of consultants are very comfortable with
reading and writing, given the academic emphasis of the firm. - Reputation is significantly a function of having disseminated
ideas for which others have a high regard, creating a strong
reason to publish internally. - Expertise outside the firm in the areas most relevant to the
firm’s work is often not readily accessible. There is not an
extensive professional literature on many of the specific
questions that McKinsey consultants need to address (for
example, strategy in a particular industry). - There are strong practices focused on industries and functions,
making it much easier than in most situations to know where
to “file” newly codified knowledge and where to look for it. - There are often slack resources at the end of a project that
can be used to codify work that resulted from the project. - Both the nature of the work (frequent need to solve problems
perceived as unfamiliar) and the rhythm of how the work is
done (a new engagement manager brought in to start up a
project, in many instances) make people more receptive to
conducting an initial “search” phase early in a project.
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