Many knowledge managers make the mistake of implementing tools like Confluence or SharePoint without understanding how work is done in the organization. It is important to gather information and understand what knowledge is important to the people before managing it. Getting firsthand experience and understanding the ground truth is crucial. Just like in the medical field where vitals are taken to assess the patient's condition, taking initial measurements and understanding the current state is essential. This allows for adjustments and redirection rather than stopping and changing the entire plan.
With a broad background in the Oil, Water, Healthcare, Finance and Emergency Management industries, Stuart French is author of the www.DeltaKnowledge.net blog, and currently the Head of Knowledge Management at Country Fire Authority in Melbourne, Australia and Chair of the AFAC Knowledge, Innovation & Research Utilisation Network (KIRUN).
Stuart combines 25 years of professional experience with a Masters of Knowledge Management (KM) to help companies with expertise identification & management, collaboration, organizational learning and knowledge systems to improve their performance and resilience to change. His research on wikis and knowledge cultures led to a fascination with complexity theory which he now enjoys teaching to various organizations and universities so they can bridge the gap between corporate strategy and service excellence.
He continues to serve the KM community as co-host of the Knowledge Management Leadership forum in Melbourne Victoria and is honored to be the Australia delegate at the KM Global Network.