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cheek, that finishing work more quickly might even be against the firm’s principles,
particularly if the client was paying by the hour. The senior managers reviewing the
effects of KM on the organization were asked to think about softer and more anecdotal
measures than they were used to, with user satisfaction being a primary indicator of
continued success.
Of course, reasoned Ms. Johnson, this would likely work in reverse as well: A KM
system that did not address the needs of the users would get less use. Requests would
taper off, starting a possible downward spiral toward obsolescence. Such a spiral would
be hard to identify beforehand, and would be difficult to reverse. Thus sustaining a KM
program requires several critical adjustments to the KM program to maintain the positive
momentum and continually demonstrate the KM system’s value to users and the firm.
Yet, Ms. Johnson thought, how does SMSI (or any firm for that matter) meet these
challenges?
Encouraging the collection of knowledge from a large number of contributors had
several unanticipated consequences. The most concrete was a large accumulation of
materials, not all of which were adding to the available knowledge for several reasons.
First, redundant materials have little incremental impact. At the outset of the Knowledge
Colleagues program all contributions were welcome. In response, staff posted their
planning tools, interim deliverables, and project documents for use by others. Over time,
though, the incremental value of these postings to others decreased. When searching
for a topic, many users looked only at the first few hits. Having seven or eight or 15
examples of a project schedule made little difference in outcome, but they do consume
resources.
Second, collected materials become obsolete, and their effects on the organization
decrease. The collection of project materials and examples permitted the dissemination
of new information quickly. Over time, though, the older materials became less useful as
techniques change and market requirements shift. In the fast-changing world of infor-
mation technology consulting, some materials were really only useful for a few weeks or
months. After that, they might be misleading or just plain wrong. If users of the KM
system find that materials are not current, their satisfaction will drop, and they are less
likely to ask for information in the future.
Third, the “core knowledge” needed by the firm was about to change because the
marketplace was about to change as well. When SMSI’s KM program was launched, the
firm was struggling with integrating thousands of newly hired employees into the fabric
of the firm. When a new hire arrives, the KM system gives him or her a ready source for
contacts around the firm and exposure to SMSI’s project portfolio. This eased the
transition into the firm, and made these new hires much more productive.
With the slowing of the consulting marketplace, however, the firm may not be hiring
staff as quickly, and the value of indoctrination-focused knowledge falls. In a declining
market, emergent needs revolve around developing and maintaining customers and
looking for new opportunities, rather than sharing knowledge about techniques to
complete projects. The SMSI partners, who made up the firm’s marketing and manage-
ment teams, needed support in their quest to obtain work. Internal data sources, while
providing information on the firm’s existing project and resource portfolios, provided
limited value in their search.