The goal of the engagement was to change the habits of consultants
worldwide rather than hiring a team of knowledge managers to perform KM;
therefore pursued a highly participatory approach from the outset, thereby
giving consulting community ownership of the solution. Kicked off
engagement in the U.S., while bringing Europe Middle East Africa and Asia
Pacific on-line. Convinced EMEA and AP partners on the validity of
a global KM program. The team conducted interviews globally regarding
KM practices and needs.
Developed KM participation roles for various consultant profiles in
order to maximize participation. Led teams through development of
models for communities of interest, and managed cross-cultural aspects
of forming communities. Utilized iterative approach to KM that focused
on sharpest points of pain to create value and demonstrate program value
to skeptical community. Managed multiple tracks with people flowing through
the team.
The engagement was begun as an "administrative" effort; however, its
value proposition then assumed an exciting turn: we discovered (no surprise
in retrospect) that ITS practices were in all stages of maturity across
the globe, as they found themselves in diverse economies. We learned
that targeted global knowledge sharing would make a strong financial impact
on ITS: products, services, methodologies and approaches could be managed
across a life cycle model globally. An approach that might be perceived
as somewhat stale in one market would be cutting edge in another.
Targeted sharing could drive much faster growth in newer practices.