Why KM fails

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Oops!
Originally uploaded by bobster855

The list below (from this blog post) was created by Dion Hinchcliffe as a list of "reasons why Enterprise 2.0 fails". It's equally valid for KM.


1.It starts strong in a single department and then never makes it out;
2.Selecting the tools first;
3.Selecting the wrong tools and sticking with them;
4.There are no resources allocated to adoption and training;
5.It’s purely an IT initiative;
6.The effort excludes IT;
7.Engaging with HR, legal, branding, compliance, etc. too soon;
8.Pushing Enterprise 2.0 as a generic toolbox instead of the solution to specific problems;
9.Lack of effective executive champions;
10.Lack of effective participants: Empty blogs, wikis, or silent social networks;
11.No long term plan or budget for governance, community management, upgrades, or maintenance;
12.Failure to draw in key influencers as adoption broadens;
13.Building it all as a self-contained, top-down effort; and
14.Not waiting long enough to let critical mass build.

I would add one more -

15. Building it all as a bottom-up effort

Incidentally, I have been posting a series of "KM quantified success stories" recently, which you can find via the "case study" label to the right. I was thinking today that it might be equally instructive to post a series of "KM failure stories", so will start on that tomorrow.