What comes after the KM culture change?

There's a lot written and spoken about KM and culture change, even on this blog.

However there comes a time when culture change is no longer the big issue. There come a time when the company has bought the concept, and the culture is already tipping, and you move to the next big issue, which is delivering the fruits of the culture.

Culture sells the WHY

After the WHY, you need to define HOW and WHO and WHEN and WHERE.

People are fired up to do Knowledge Management, and the next step is to define how that culture is expected to express itself. You do this through a Knowledge Management Policy. The Policy says "This is how we will now work together in a Knowledge focused way."

We worked recently with a company who had bought the WHY, and wanted the next step, which was embedding the HOW. We worked with them to document the Knowledge Management framework and associated policy. We drew process flows, we wrote RACI charts, we looked at issues of Knowledge Management Governance, and we summarised all this in a Knowledge Management Policy. This is where the long-term value will be added, because this adds the How to the Why, and channels the culture into action and activity.

So please, worry about the culture change. And also, at the same time, worry about what comes after. Once you have sold "Why KM" you then have to define "How KM".  That's when your strategy becomes a policy, and your culture change becomes cultural expression.