them to pilot KM before full-scale implementation. Monitor their
use and attitudes carefully, and provide as much support as needed.
These will become your success stories that will boost acceptance
of the system when you deploy it to the larger organization.
Priorities
One person’s critical issue can be someone else’s trivial concern.
Assessing the priorities of users goes hand in hand with determin-
ing their view of the project’s likelihood of success. People who
think that knowledge management is critical (a high priority) but
who also feel that it won’t succeed are bound to be the most disap-
pointed and discouraged if the KM initiative does fail. In addition,
they may be more resistant the next time around. This is even
worse if management attaches a high priority to KM but fails
to instill it in those who will use the system. The result is lots of
bewilderment and a feeling that KM is just another management
fad. Again, the key is alignment—a high priority (“we need this”)
with a perception that the new KM system might actually work.
This is a key criterion for early adopter selection.
Fear of Technology
In today’s Internet-savvy world, it’s easy to think that everyone is
totally comfortable with technology. There are still lots of people
who are new to computers. There are also lots of people who use
computers every day who still have trouble upgrading to new
operating systems, software packages, or applications. Clerks who
have worked for years on mainframe, green-screen systems may
have trouble moving to a Windows or mouse-based system. Man-
agers who have stored critical documents on their C drive may be
fearful of placing those same documents in a centralized knowledge
repository. Always assume that any significant change in hard or
soft technology, the way that technology is used, or how that tech-
nology alters work routines may instill some fear and trepidation.
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