Reflections on Module 3 concepts, 3-3c

Why is cultural understanding essential in establishing knowledge management within an organization?

This is a tough one, but also a relevant one. It bet it is all too common that we think we really know and understand the culture through casual interactions. My guess, as one dives deeper into the true culture, when setting up - establishing a knowledge management system - the true culture comes out or the managers hiding behind it become transparent to the .....

It appears the first step is obvious and assessing knowing and understanding "What you know you know". This will help you harness what is known to be known. it helps, but is only the tip of the iceberg and the tip that most people and companies only want to "play with"

I digress, but the real knowledge is searching to understand and realize all that one and the company does not even know that they do not know. This bounty of knowledge is typically many folds larger than that what is claimed to be known. Innovativeness, creativeness, and initiative to learn is all guided to understanding and learning all that we do not even know that we do not know. Approaching knowledge this way will lead to an open mind and a search for a creative way to capture the greatness that resides in every employee of the company.

It seems that one must understand the gaps that reside in each division, each department, and each team. This leads to an understanding that a certain percentage of personnel do not even understand or know how misaligned they really are to the company and their objectives. This really starts at the top. Understanding that knowledge management has its roots and foundation at the bottom of ranks. Communication that is proper and thorough through the rank, then capture of raw knowledge can start and be refined through the rank to the top to real competitive advantages - my guess is that a very small percentage of companies have this mind set and commitment to the lower ranks and to really actively listening to their subordinates.