Posted by Dr. Yogesh Malhotra on September 12, 1998 at 08:15:46:

In Reply to: Re: Intranet design to induce a new culture in which Knowledge can thrive posted by Jules Delambre on September 10, 1998 at 17:31:31:

Here are some concerns related to the assertions made in this message.

"This discussion of KM is a good example of information being expanded, but whether knowledge is being generated is to be determined."

The key distinction between information and knowledge in my view lies in their relationship with action and performance [see earlier discussions for more on this issue]. Given that the overall goal of this forum is to motivate discussion that includes complementary and contradictory views, and given the results [including the referred message], this objective seems to be served.

However, I find the 'hard-sell' attitude reflected by the following statement problematic:

"Thus, if KM is pitched right to management it should sell itself and prove its own worth."

Allow me to recap that any amount of 'selling' and 'pitching' WILL not prove the 'worth' of any of your new innovations or technology/KM implementations. As it has been pointed in several earlier discussions, the crux of the problem lies in assuming that the 'sales-hype' can somehow replace the 'real world' utility of the 'sold' ideas. This assumption seems to border on fallacy. What is needed is NOT 'sales pitch' or 'sales hype,' but connecting to the needs of the end users of your innovations, technologies and ideas. If you design, package and position your innovation and the facilitating infrastructure [based on cultural change, rural sociology, and agricultural extension and scores of other disciplines…] so that it relates to needs of the executives as well as other end users, your ideas will sell themselves. Why? Because, instead of relying on ex-post 'sales-pitch,' you had based your proposition around the 'marketing concept' that focuses on the needs of the users… Of course, one's understanding of the needs and concerns of the users and the stakeholders depends upon not only having a deep understanding of their goals and values, but also how the proposed innovation and the facilitating infrastructure answers the related needs and concerns.

Yogesh Malhotra
PhD,MBA,BE(Honors),CDP,C.Eng.
Chairman & Chief Knowledge Officer

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