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During these first few years, the list of completed contributions grew from 400 to
over 4,000 topics (Figure 2). This growth was a mixed blessing. Ms. Johnson noted that
the more recent documents were not as useful as earlier ones. The initial topics tended
to be of more general interest, and later ones were more specialized to particular problems
and industries, and less relevant to the general population. In addition, there was less
review of the contents as the number of documents grew.
SMSI’s KM program extended beyond the development of the Colleagues program.
A small headquarters-based unit acted as a clearinghouse for the firm’s current and past
activities. Databases of current activities across the firm, model deliverables, and
frequently asked questions were made available. They were representative samples of
well-received project materials, client proposals, templates, and general advice on the
topics at hand. Experts and thought leaders in the topic area were identified, and their
particular expertise highlighted. Discussion databases, where questions may be posed
to these experts, received several postings a day. These discussion databases could be
initiated by anyone in the firm, and there were literally thousands of them. No central
repository was maintained, and the contents were often informal and somewhat wild and
wooly.
SMSI’s Knowledge Colleagues also agreed to participate in the discussion data-
bases and make themselves available for ad hoc questions around the firm. Through their
responses, the Colleagues extend the informal information network that corporate
growth was dissolving. The time they spend in this role was not billable to any project,
and went largely unmonitored. Here, more than anywhere, the altruistic nature of the
knowledge-sharing experiment was seen, as individuals who answered questions were
often contacted off-line for further explanations.
CURRENT CHALLENGES
The success of the SMSI KM program was quite remarkable. Almost all of SMSI’s
staff used the KM system in some fashion. The most pleased were the junior and mid-
Figure 2. SMSI Knowledge Colleagues projects
SMSI Knowledge Colleagues Projects0500100015002000250030003500400045001996 1997 1998 1999Number of Documents