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Where KM Strategies Fail


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Posted by Robert Benjamin on May 31, 2000 at 02:21:04:

Hi all

I recently read (somewhere) that most KM initiatives fail due to a lack of KM strategy.

The question I am raising is why KM strategies fail as a strategy?

Someone once remarked that it only takes a little practice to prove a theory. KM, for many, is still an immature theory.

Let's take the knowledge ecology as an example and assume that a group of company "strategists" managed to specify an ecology within their particular business context.

Let's further assume that, at company level, such an ecology would include the state and/or national government as a role player in that strategy.

Now let's challenge this strategy. How many managers (up and down the line) of such an ecology actually establish communication channels to the relevant government representatives? How many small to medium (yet significant) companies' leaders meet with government to ensure the KM strategy can be aligned to all other ecologically-dependent strategies? Who is/are the owner(s)of governmental dialogue in the company?

I don't have market and industry answers to these questions, but I suspect that in South Africa there may be a major strategic chasm between most company leaders and their governmental counterparts.

Having said that, I realize I am wading into the fuzzy waters of politics and diplomacy. But, isn't KM political by sheer nature of wanting to manipulate/influence/affect group culture(s)?

But I digress, so let me conclude with a final, rhetorical question.

Why do companies go through the cost and energy of formulating and accepting a strategy in the first place, if they cannot cover the full distance?

A sporting race is not a race if it does not cover the full, specified distance with all the role players, and neither is a strategy.

Reflectively speaking, perhaps a strategy does not fail due to being a bad strategy, but rather due to poor organizational and personal leadership (up and down the line).

Regards

Robert

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