Ten principles of knowledge management and four case studies

Many companies are beginning to feel that the knowledge of their employees is their most valuable asset. They may be right, but few ®rms have actually begun to actively manage their knowledge assets on a broad scale. Knowledge management has thus far been addressed at either a philosophical or a technological level, with little pragmatic discussion on how knowledge can be managed and used more effectively on a daily basis. At this early stage of knowledge management in business, the most appropriate form of dialogue is not detailed tactics, but rather high-level principles. When an organization decides what principles it agrees upon with respect to knowledge management, it can then create detailed approaches and plans based upon the principles. For the past 2 years I have been working with organizations in the area of knowledge management. Some of them have been working on the topic for years, but only recently realized that they were managing knowledge. More frequently, the topic of knowledge management has only recently emerged in these organizations. But there are enough lessons so that we can begin to articulate and debate some principles and rules of thumb. Ten principles of knowledge management are listed below. I'm sure that there are more that could be stated, but the decimal system has a strong appeal. With each principle some implications and issues are also discussed. Where I am aware of ®rms who have wrestled with the principle and taken action on it, their experience is described.