32 McGregor-MacDonald
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KM Across the Learning and Development Community
The global Learning and Development network has been investigating KM oppor-
tunities to enhance and ensure consistency in the role of colleagues increasingly
involved in managing this programme around the globe. Through the programme’s life
of just more than two years, colleagues in different geographies have approached its
implementation in slightly different ways, all sharing their experiences with the global
Programme Manager based in New York. The global Learning network is now looking to
use a specific database functionality through the cross-company e-mail system to
communicate with each other, store documentation, and to share tasks.
The decision to use this particular database came after consideration of a number
of internal options, including a Microsoft® Access database, use of an intranet, and use
of technology known as E-Room. None of the above media allowed an economical, easy
global access and storage of documents along with online interactive communication
through electronic discussion boards. The Access database would be difficult to share
and update across the globe on each regional internal network. Ensuring secure access
to the intranet site to restrict access to only L&D colleagues would come with compara-
tively high expense on a direct cost basis and the “one more log-on and password” toll
to colleagues in using it. The E-Room facility offered the closest match as a type of online
filing cabinet where information could be stored, e-mails could be sent and access levels
could be dictated; unfortunately, this option was prohibitively expensive for the number
of users anticipated over the foreseeable future.
While the chosen database is not the most visually stimulating platform, the
challenges of the other options make it the most practical and economical solution.
CONCLUSIONS
The KM strategy for a core Leadership Development programme in Europe is to
sustain learning for colleagues who attend, cascade learning to others, and demonstrate
return on investment from the event. While the organization had a number of KM tools
available in various geographies, these were mainly used to manage day-to-day business
knowledge. Sharing of learning materials and experiences was a relatively new concept
in the organization. The existing tools have been flexed to implement a structured
programme of interventions to increase organizational capacity through this sharing of
knowledge. There is now a set of tools and practices in place to reinforce and cascade
the learning across Europe aligned to the organizational culture using a variety of
mediums including, but not limited to, the PC. These tools and practices are being shared
in the internal learning community across the globe. The foundations of the strategy are
in place and are being executed. It is too early to confirm the long-term success of this
solution, but feedback to date suggests the strategy is supporting sustainable KM and
breaking down geographical and business silos to improve organizational capacity.
Epilogue and Lessons Learned
The same external partners continue to deliver the three-day learning event across
the globe. The challenge over recent months has been to maintain the organisations’
commitment and energy to the KM strategy. Priorities in the business are regularly