InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
August 16, 1999
Behind The Numbers:Sharing Knowledge Isn't Easy Yet
Knowledge management is as much, if not more, an organizational and cultural challenge as a technology issue. Most IT managers say the impetus to improve knowledge management has to come from the business side--and based on the results of a recent InformationWeek Research survey, that's quite a challenge. While 72% of IT managers surveyed say their tech teams have a clear understanding of the value of knowledge management, they estimate that only 43% of senior business execs grasp its value.
IT executives from small companies are more likely to understand the value of knowledge management than those from larger enterprises. But that's not the case with business executives--most of them, regardless of company size, don't get the picture when it comes to knowledge management, IT managers say.
It's not easy to make headway in most companies. Only 11% of IT managers say it's easy or somewhat easy to change their companies' culture to encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration. The largest group, 74%, say it's somewhat or very difficult to change the culture.
Does your company encourage knowledge management? Let us know at the E-mail address below.
John Eckhouse
nowledge, like water, is a precious commodity. Though it's a shame to waste either one, unfortunately it happens all too often. While many enterprises try to be good about conserving water during droughts, they aren't nearly as effective when it comes to knowledge.
ManagingEditor/Research
jeckhous@cmp.com
This week in Behind The Numbers:
| Databases Abound | Faster Solutions To Problems | Spending Will Rise Modestly | SAN Usage Will Grow |
Databases Abound
While knowledge management is primarily an organizational issue, that doesn't mean IT managers aren't throwing a lot of technology at the problem. The two most commonly used systems are relational databases and a company intranet--in place at nine of 10 sites surveyed. But a majority of IT managers are using nine of the 14 knowledge-management systems about which they were queried. Showing that names mean little, the system that would seem to be best at promoting knowledge capture and sharing--teamware--is the least- used tool. Portals, though new, are used by six of 10 sites. |
Faster Solutions To Problems
A common issue in the business world is the need to reinvent the wheel every time someone new is confronted with a recurring problem. No wonder IT managers say the main benefit of their knowledge-management systems is the ability to achieve faster solutions to business problems. Another key advantage: improved customer service, which presumably will translate into a bigger bottom line in the long run. |
Spending Will Rise Modestly
Knowledge management is becoming a budget priority. Only 5% of IT managers say spending on knowledge-management systems will decline in the next 12 months, while 68% say it will increase. Of those, however, 51% say the increase will be fairly modest, while 17% say spending will rise significantly. Despite pouring more money into knowledge management, most organizations don't expect to achieve much of a payback on their investment. Only 27% expect more than a token ROI. The largest number of those surveyed, 42%, say it's impossible for them to measure the return on investment in knowledge management. |
SAN Usage Will Grow
There's a symbiotic relationship between knowledge management and data storage. At more than half the sites surveyed, implementation of knowledge-management solutions led to major additions of data-storage equipment. Minor additions were made at another 30% of sites. The preferred data-storage architectures for knowledge-management solutions are network-attached storage and direct-attached storage. The latter will fade somewhat in importance in the next 18 months, while storage area networks will become more widely used. |
