As you develop your knowledge management strategy, it’s important to get user input in order to determine which needs to address. Conduct surveys to identify challenges and needs, identify opportunities, and request suggestions.

There are many ways to nurture an organizational knowledge-sharing culture, including embracing “Working Out Loud”. Bryce Williams defines Working Out Loud (WOL) as Observable Work (creating, modifying, and storing your work in places where others can see it, follow it, and contribute to it in process) + Narrating Your Work (writing about what you are doing in an open way for those interested to find and follow).

Your organization’s IT department is a key functional partner. You will need to work with them to plan and implement technology projects. Here are detailed suggestions for how to best do this.

Timely communication is critical to successfully introducing a new KM initiative and keeping users and advocates informed on progress and the positive impact of knowledge management.

Nancy Dixon has written a great post about what special librarians can do in strategic support of their users, titled Three Eras of Knowledge Management. It fits nicely with my own position that it’s not possible to actually manage knowledge. I may be being a bit heretical here—but I believe we need to understand this deeply to know the difference between data professionals, information professionals, and knowledge workers.

Offering one-on-one support is a very personal and individualized approach to KM communications. Build a team of people who provide support to users by phone, email, chat, enterprise social network (ESN), and screen sharing.

If you are ever at a dinner party and want to kill a conversation, tell the people you’re sitting with that you are into knowledge management. They won’t exactly move their chairs away, but they’ll suddenly be more interested in the food they’re eating. AI, however, is something many people have an opinion about—and it could just be the big break that KM needs.

In order for users to adopt and continually leverage your KM program, you must make it easy for them to access people, process, and technology components. This includes providing an intranet, portal site, or mobile app with obvious links to the available resources. Allow users to quickly navigate to the appropriate sites or apps based on their role, business process stage, and current requirements.

Our KM Conversation webinar series included a chat with knowledge management evangelist and expert Stan Garfield about using gamification techniques, including offering tangible rewards for participation in a KM program.

In order to motivate those in your organization to embrace knowledge management, you must be able to passionately describe the end-state vision for your program. What does KM look like when it’s working? Establish a vision for how knowledge management should work, and relentlessly work towards making that vision a reality.

During my career as a KM practitioner, I have both observed and developed proven practices for leading successful knowledge management programs, and in doing so, have compiled many “Tips Lists” to serve as thought-starters. They’re included in my latest book on promoting knowledge management initiatives within the corporate world; the below list is from Chapter 12: Use the Keys to Success.

During my career as a KM practitioner, I have both observed and developed proven practices for leading successful knowledge management programs. They’re included in my latest book on promoting knowledge management initiatives within the corporate world. Please read on for my thoughts on the essentials of KM leadership.

The single most important “KM sale” you can make is to your senior leaders. In my first two posts on this topic, I asserted that in my experience, if you get them on board, everything else will be much easier. If you can’t: try, try, and try again. Valuable tools for getting leadership sponsorship and support include telling stories, making the business case, and selling the benefits. Please read on to learn about selling the benefits, drawn from my new book Proven Practices for Promoting Knowledge Management.

The single most important “KM sale” you can make is to your senior leaders. As mentioned in my previous post on this topic, if you get them on board, everything else will be much easier. If you can’t, you must keep trying until you do. To get their sponsorship and support, tell stories, make the business case, and sell the benefits. Please read on to learn about making the business case, drawn from my new book Proven Practices for Promoting Knowledge Management.

The single most important “KM sale” you can make is to your senior leaders. If you get them on board, everything else will be much easier. If you can’t, you need to keep trying until you do. To get their sponsorship and support, tell stories, make the business case, and sell the benefits. Please read on to learn about effective storytelling, drawn from my new book Proven Practices for Promoting Knowledge Management.

You don’t have to go it alone to sell KM inside your organization. There are many avenues available that let you take advantage of outside help when you’ve run out of ideas (or steam!) and need to regroup or re-energize. These include joining and participating in KM communities, using industry analyst reports, and interviewing your peers in other organizations.

You don’t have to go it alone to sell KM inside your organization. Take advantage of outside help by scheduling visits with others who are doing KM well, joining and participating in KM communities, using industry analyst reports, or retaining an outside consultant.

Education is required when introducing a new KM initiative, during roll out across your organization, and as a key part of ongoing implementation. You must continue to offer training in a variety of ways; once is never sufficient. Please read on to learn the elements of a knowledge management training program, drawn from my new book, Proven Practices for Promoting Knowledge Management.