Knowing What We Know

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November 17, 1997

Knowing What We Know

he chairman of the American Productivity & Quality Center tells a story about a big-company CEO who, in a moment of contemplation, revealed a deep desire: "I wish we knew what we know."

That wish is shared today by IS and business managers at dozens of companies. They fear the

knowledge in their organizations is going to waste simply because hardly anyone knows it exists. The dream of these managers is to tap not only the information buried in far-flung databases, but also the know-how trapped inside the heads and hearts of workers around the world. The larger goal: to use knowledge as fuel for innovation-the only competitive advantage companies can sustain indefinitely.

"The last remaining competitive differentiator is to stay ahead of the competition all the time," says Wayne Toms, a senior analyst at Delphi Consulting Group in Boston. "The single differentiator that is likely to last is innovation, and the raw material of innovation is knowledge."

Methods for harnessing corporate knowledge are converging in a practice called knowledge management: the process of capturing a company's collective expertise wherever it resides-in databases, on paper, or in people's heads-and distributing it to wherever it can help produce the biggest payoff. "Knowledge management is getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time so they can make the best decision," says Gordon Petrash, a global director at Dow Chemical Co., which uses the new tools.

Other well-known companies trying to make knowledge-management work for them include carmakers Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors; petroleum and chemicals companies Amoco, Dow, and Monsanto; and clothing maker Fruit of the Loom.

Story's author: Justin Hibbard

Read it on the Web at: techweb.cmp.com/iw/653/53iukno.htm

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