Chris Collison - Knowledge Management and Lessons Learned

Summary

This transcript explores the challenges and misconceptions surrounding Lessons Learned and Knowledge Management within organizations. The speaker emphasizes that while knowledge is a valuable resource, it is often treated as free and infinite, with little recognition of the effort required to capture and maintain it. They discuss the leaky nature of knowledge transfer, the pitfalls of relying on static documentation, and the importance of human interaction in transferring lessons. The speaker advocates for fostering curiosity and passion within organizations to create a culture of learning, noting that the real value comes from the human connection behind the knowledge.

Takeaways

• 😀 Lessons Learned are often treated as free and perpetual, but they require significant investment and maintenance to be truly valuable.
• 😀 Knowledge transfer is a 'leaky' process—project teams disperse, and valuable insights begin to fade without deliberate effort to preserve them.
• 😀 Documenting knowledge in traditional ways (e.g., written reports) often reduces its effectiveness, as it lacks context and the human connection needed for engagement.
• 😀 'Dead butterfly collections'—static, documented knowledge—are ineffective because they don't retain the dynamic, living essence of the lessons learned.
• 😀 The human element of knowledge management is crucial: maintaining links to the people who contributed the insights and preserving context makes knowledge more useful and accessible.
• 😀 Knowledge management strategies often focus too much on storing knowledge and not enough on creating demand for it. Curiosity and engagement are essential.
• 😀 Effective knowledge management should connect supply (knowledge) with demand (curiosity) by fostering a culture of trust, honesty, and conversation.
• 😀 Curiosity and passion (CQ + PQ) are more important for successful knowledge sharing than IQ. Passionate and curious individuals drive meaningful learning and knowledge transfer.
• 😀 Too much focus on documentation and systems (like SharePoint) can obscure the true value of knowledge, as these systems often make information difficult to find and access.
• 😀 To enhance knowledge management, it's important to create systems that allow for direct interaction and follow-up, rather than relying on static documents that lack context or personal connection.
• 😀 Organizations should prioritize creating an environment where curiosity, passion, and human connection are nurtured to improve knowledge sharing and learning outcomes.

Q & A

What is the main concern raised about Lessons Learned in organizations?

The main concern is that organizations treat Lessons Learned as if they come for free and remain forever, while in reality, there is a huge investment in organizational learning that often gets overlooked.

What are some common myths or risks related to Knowledge Management (KM)?

A significant myth is that knowledge transfer is an efficient, non-leaky process. In truth, knowledge leaks as teams disband, and capturing lessons learned often fails to ensure that the right knowledge is retained for future use.

Why does the speaker consider Lessons Learned to be like the Higgs Boson particle of Knowledge Management?

The speaker compares Lessons Learned to the Higgs Boson particle because everyone acknowledges their importance, but no one can truly define or grasp them, despite frequent references to them.

What issue arises when Knowledge Management strategies focus on social media or content management?

When KM strategies focus solely on social media or content management, they risk neglecting the essential learning process that comes from direct conversation and reflection among teams, which is crucial for preventing failures and ensuring success.

What is the problem with traditional post-project reviews and capturing Lessons Learned?

The issue with traditional reviews is that they rely on guessing the right questions for future teams, which rarely works well because you can’t predict the exact problems a new team will face.

What is one effective way to improve knowledge transfer, according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests that techniques like 'bom passing' or 'peer assists,' which bring together the supply and demand for knowledge in a conversational, honest, and trustful environment, are far more effective than traditional methods.

What does the speaker mean by the term 'dead butterfly collections' in the context of knowledge capture?

The term 'dead butterfly collections' refers to the practice of simply capturing knowledge as static documents or files, which, although informative, lack the dynamic, engaging aspects that come with live interactions and conversations with the source of the knowledge.

How can organizations rehumanize captured knowledge?

Organizations can rehumanize knowledge by including links to the people who created the knowledge, using rich media formats, and retaining as much of the context, such as tone of voice or body language, as possible to maintain a connection to the knowledge source.

Why does the speaker caution against just storing Lessons Learned in information systems?

Storing Lessons Learned in systems without proper structure or accessibility doesn't help much because the knowledge is hard to find and may not be effectively used by those who need it. It's important to make it discoverable and actionable.

What role does curiosity play in effective knowledge management?

Curiosity is essential because even the best knowledge management systems will fail if people are not curious enough to seek out, explore, and learn from the available knowledge. Creating demand for knowledge is as important as providing it.