Knowledge Management Tools and Techniques PRACTITIONERS AND EXPERTS EVALUATE KM SOLUTIONS

Knowledge management (KM) - or the practice of using information and collaboration technologies and processes to capture organizational learning and thereby improve business performance - is becoming one of the key disciplines in management, especially in large companies. Many books, magazines, conferences, vendors, consultancies, Web sites, online communities and email lists have been formed around this concept.This practical book focuses on the vast offerings of KM solutions—technology, content, and services. The focus is not on technology details, but on how KM and IT practitioners actually use KM tools and techniques. Over twenty case studies describe the real story of choosing and implementing various KM tools and techniques, and experts analyse the trends in the evolution of these technologies and tools, along with opportunities and challenges facing companies harnessing them. Lessons from successes and failures are drawn, along with roadmaps for companies beginning or expanding their KM practice. The introductory chapter presents a taxonomy of KM tools, identifies IT implications of KM practices, highlights lessons learned, and provides tips and recommendations for companies using these tools. Relevant literature on KM practices and key findings of market research groups and industry consortia such as IDC, Gartner and APQC, are presented.The majority of the book is devoted to case studies, featuring clients and vendors along the entire spectrum of solutions: hardware (e.g. handheld/wearable devices), software (e.g. analytics, collaboration, document management) and content (e.g. newsfeeds, market research). Each chapter is structured along the "8Cs" framework developed by the author: connectivity, content, community, commerce, community, capacity, culture, cooperation and capital. In other words, each chapter addresses how appropriate KM tools and technologies help a company on specific fronts such as fostering adequate employee access to knowledge bodies, user-friendly work-oriented content, communities of practice, a culture of knowledge, learning capacity, a spirit of cooperation, commercial and other incentives, and carefully measured capital investments and returns. Vendor history, product/service offerings, implementation details, client testimonials, ROI reports, and future trends are highlighted.Experts in the field then provide third-party analysis on trends in KM tools and technique areas, and recommendations for KM practitioners.

Table of ContentsChapter 1: OverviewCase Studies: Chapter 2: AccentureChapter 3: APQCChapter 4: Asea Brown BoveriChapter 5: Cable&WirelessChapter 6: Computer Services CorporationChapter 7: Daimler-ChryslerChapter 8: easyJetChapter 9: EricssonChapter 10: Ernst&YoungChapter 11: FordChapter 12: Fuji XeroxChapter 13: HPChapter 14: Innovators Online Network, New ZealandChapter 15: Institute for Johns Hopkins NursingChapter 16: KPMGChapter 17: National Office of the Information Economy, AustraliaChapter 18: Office of Small Business, AustraliaChapter 19: Rolls-RoyceChapter 20: UnileverChapter 21: World BankConsultant/Guru perspectives:Chapter 22: Ritendra Banerjee (overview) Chapter 23: Eric Woods (collaboration) Chapter 24: Arik Johnson (CI, KM and blogging) Chapter 25: Heidi Collins (knowledge portals) Chapter 26: Jon Mason (e-learning, KM) Chapter 27: Patti Anklam, Hutchison Associates (social network analysis) Chapter 28: Steve Barth (personal KM) Vendor experiences Chapter 29: AskMeChapter 30: EntopiaChapter 31: iManageChapter 32: InxightChapter 33: ServiceWareChapter 34: Author biographies

Dr. Madanmohan Rao is an infotech consultant and writer based in Bangalore, India. He is the editor of two book series: "The Asia-Pacific Internet Handbook" and "The Knowledge Management Chronicles." He is also editor-at-large of DestinationKM.com and contributor to the Poynter Institute blog on new media trends. Madan was on the international editorial board of the recently published book, "Transforming e-Knowledge." He currently serves on the international board of directors of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (www.cpsr.org). Madan was formerly the communications director at the United Nations Inter Press Service bureau in New York, and vice president at IndiaWorld Communications in Bombay. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology at Bombay and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, with an M.S. in computer science and a Ph.D. in communications. He is currently the director of the InfoComm Observatory at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore. Madan is a frequent speaker on the international conference circuit, and has given talks and lectures on Internet-related issues in about 50 countries including the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, Italy, Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Finland, Tunisia, Oman, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Australia. Madan has spoken at the Internet World series of conferences (hosted by Penton Media) in over a dozen countries, the Asian Business Forum (Content Summit, Singapore; March 2001), PDVSA 4th Annual KM Summit (Caracas, 2002), Asian Media and Information Communication Centre's annual summits (Chennai, 1999; Singapore, 2000; Manila 2001), INET (annual summits of the global Internet Society: Sa