Knowledge organizations have been challenged to develop sustainable, actionable and business oriented knowledge management strategies. Many strategies published in the peer reviewed and gray literature include tactics, principle, platitudes and checklists. Organizations often borrow templates from associations or other organizations as starting points for formulating their strategies. These strategies often fall short of expectations. This chapter proposes a framework for an organization to walk through the process of developing a knowledge management strategy that aligns with business-critical capabilities, identifies the intellectual capital and knowledge assets required to support those capabilities, aligns assets and capabilities, and creates a foundation for selecting and monitoring tactics to invest in and manage liabilities associated with those assets. The chapter recommends a strategic infrastructure that is comparable to those developed for financial and physical assets.
TopBackground
The peer-reviewed and the gray literature are rich with theory and with case study references to knowledge management strategies. We provide a high level overview of these literatures to illustrate the challenges that organizations face in developing and deploying knowledge management strategies. Gray literature – wide range of types of strategies – from 175 page narratives designed around tactics, aggregated from multiple versions – to 1 page principles based papers (Alavi and Leidner, 1999; Beckett Wainwright and Bance, 2000; Bell DeTiene and Jackson, 2001; Blumentritt & Johnston, 1999; Carrillo Anumba and Kamara, 2000; Choi & Lee, 2003; Choi Poon and David, 2008; Dawson, 2000; Drew, 1999; Earl, 2001; Fahey & Prusak, 1998 ; Forcadell & Guadamillas, 2002; Garavelli Gorgoglione & Scozzi, 2004; Greiner & Bohmann, 2007; Haggie & Kingston, 2003; Hansen Nohria & Tierney, 1999 ; Jasimuddin, 2008; Kamara Anumba & Carrillo, 2000; Liebowitz, 2004; Liu Chen & Tsai, 2005; Lyles & Schwenk, 1992; Quitas Lafere & Jones, 1992; Rosenberg, 2001Sanchez & Mahoney, 1996; Wiig, 1997; Yang, 2010; Yew Wong, 2005; Zack, 1999; Zheng Yang & MLean, 2010)