KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION | Dr Kondal Reddy Kandadi | TEDxUniversityofBolton

Summary

This talk explores the critical role of knowledge management in fostering innovation. Highlighting the wheel as a pivotal human innovation, the speaker emphasizes the necessity of collaboration and knowledge sharing in today's fast-paced environment. The speaker identifies culture, process, and infrastructure as the three key components for effective knowledge management, illustrating how they enable organizations to adapt and innovate continuously. The talk concludes by stressing the enduring importance of people in the face of technological advancements.

Takeaways

• 🔄 Innovation is an ongoing process that requires continuous knowledge creation and application.
• 🚀 The wheel is considered one of the greatest human innovations due to its requirement for conceptualization and practical application.
• 🌐 Knowledge management is crucial in the modern era due to the collaborative nature of innovation across individuals and organizations.
• 📈 The rapid pace of obsolescence in products, especially in technology, necessitates ongoing knowledge creation and innovation.
• 💡 Innovation is not just about creating new products; it also involves solving problems and finding new ways to do things.
• 🤝 A culture that encourages informal knowledge sharing and networking is essential for fostering innovation within an organization.
• 🏆 Recognition and appreciation of contributions are more important motivators for knowledge sharing than monetary rewards.
• 📝 Effective knowledge management involves capturing both success and failure stories to learn and improve.
• 🛠️ Infrastructure in knowledge management includes not only technological tools but also physical spaces that promote interaction and idea sharing.
• 👥 The three key components for successful knowledge management are culture, process, and infrastructure.
• 🌟 People remain the central aspect of knowledge management and innovation, regardless of technological advancements.

Q & A

What is considered one of the first or greatest human innovations according to the speaker?

The speaker considers the wheel to be one of the first or greatest human innovations because it requires the creation and application of knowledge to make it functional.

How does the speaker describe the pace of innovation today compared to the past?

The speaker describes the pace of innovation today as rapidly growing, with numerous gadgets, televisions, and watches, and highlights the International Space Station as one of the greatest human innovations.

Why is knowledge management important in the current context of innovation?

Knowledge management is important because it involves collaboration, knowledge creation, sharing, and application across individuals and organizations to innovate and produce world-class products.

What is the problem with the rate of obsolescence in products today?

The rate of obsolescence, or the speed at which products become outdated, is about 5% per month, cumulative. This means that products can become obsolete within a year or two, requiring continuous innovation and knowledge creation.

How has the approach to innovation changed from the past?

In the past, innovations were often developed in isolation by R&D teams and then marketed. Today, innovation is more about interacting with customers, solving problems, and identifying new market patterns, involving more than just R&D.

What are the three core components of effective knowledge management according to the speaker?

The three core components of effective knowledge management are culture, process, and infrastructure.

Why is organizational culture critical in knowledge management?

Organizational culture is critical because it needs to encourage flexibility, informal knowledge sharing, and networking among employees. A culture that does not support these aspects will hinder knowledge management and innovation.

What role do informal interactions play in innovation according to the speaker?

Informal interactions, such as chatting over coffee or lunch, are where most innovations happen. These interactions facilitate the sharing of knowledge and ideas, leading to new solutions and products.

How should organizations capture knowledge from both successful and failed projects or products?

Organizations should have processes to capture stories of success and failure, documenting the experiences and lessons learned, which can then be used to guide future projects and prevent repeating mistakes.

What is the speaker's view on the role of technology in knowledge management and decision making?

The speaker views technology as a tool that supports decision making, not as a decision maker. It is important to use technology as a means to facilitate knowledge management, but human judgment and interaction remain essential.

Why are physical spaces like water coolers important in knowledge management?

Physical spaces like water coolers are important because they facilitate informal interactions and discussions among employees. These interactions are crucial for knowledge sharing and can lead to innovative ideas and solutions.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The Evolution of Innovation and Knowledge Management

The speaker begins by discussing the concept of innovation, highlighting the wheel as one of humanity's most significant innovations due to its requirement for knowledge creation and application. The talk then transitions to the rapid pace of modern innovation, exemplified by the International Space Station, and emphasizes the necessity of knowledge management in today's collaborative environment. The speaker points out the challenges of the fast obsolescence of products and the need for continuous knowledge creation and sharing within organizations. Historical examples, such as the single car model available in India for 20 years, are contrasted with the current market's diversity, illustrating the shift in innovation dynamics.

05:02

🌟 Key Components of Effective Knowledge Management

The speaker delves into the three core components essential for successful knowledge management: culture, process, and infrastructure. Culture is defined as the organizational environment that encourages informal knowledge sharing and networking, which is critical for innovation. The process involves capturing and learning from both successful and failed projects or products, ensuring that knowledge is not lost. Infrastructure is not just technological but also includes physical spaces that facilitate interaction and knowledge sharing among employees. The speaker argues that while technology is a tool, it should not replace human decision-making, as illustrated by the story of an oil company's failed reliance on a computer program for exploration.

10:03

🤝 The Importance of Organizational Culture in Knowledge Sharing

The speaker stresses the importance of a supportive organizational culture for knowledge management, where employees feel motivated to share knowledge informally. This culture is contrasted with one that stifles innovation by discouraging interaction and networking. The speaker shares insights from research indicating that the majority of innovations occur through informal knowledge sharing rather than formal meetings. The talk also touches on the misconception that monetary rewards are the primary motivator for knowledge sharing, highlighting that recognition and appreciation are far more impactful.

15:04

🛠 The Role of Process and Infrastructure in Knowledge Management

The speaker discusses the role of processes in capturing knowledge from both successful and failed endeavors, emphasizing the need to document stories and lessons learned. Infrastructure is highlighted as a critical component, including both technological systems and physical spaces that enable interaction. The speaker uses the example of 'water coolers' to illustrate how informal spaces contribute significantly to knowledge sharing. The talk concludes by emphasizing that while tools and technologies have evolved, the central aspect of knowledge management remains the culture of the organization, which must prioritize people and their interactions.

Keywords

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the process of creating new ideas, methods, or products. In the video, innovation is the central theme as it discusses how knowledge management facilitates the generation and application of new ideas, with the wheel and the International Space Station being highlighted as examples of significant human innovations.

💡Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management is the systematic approach to capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge within an organization. The video emphasizes the importance of knowledge management in fostering innovation by creating, sharing, and applying knowledge, particularly in a collaborative environment.

💡Wheel

The wheel is considered one of humanity's greatest innovations due to its fundamental role in transportation and mechanics. The script uses the wheel as an example of an innovation that required both the creation of knowledge and its application, setting a precedent for future innovations.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. The video script mentions that modern innovation requires not just individual effort but also collaboration among people and organizations to share and apply knowledge effectively.

💡Obsolescence

Obsolescence refers to the process by which products or ideas become outdated or are replaced by newer versions. The script discusses the rapid pace of obsolescence in technology, emphasizing the need for continuous knowledge creation to stay relevant.

💡R&D (Research and Development)

R&D is the process of exploring new ideas and creating new products or methods. The video points out that while R&D is crucial for innovation, it's not the only source of new knowledge; customer interactions and market patterns also play a significant role.

💡Organizational Culture

Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices within an organization. The script stresses the importance of a culture that encourages informal knowledge sharing and flexibility, which is critical for innovation.

💡Process

In the context of the video, process refers to the systematic procedures an organization follows to learn from its successes and failures. The script illustrates the need for organizations to have processes in place to capture and learn from their experiences to drive innovation.

💡Infrastructure

Infrastructure in the video is not limited to technology but also includes physical spaces that support knowledge sharing and innovation. The script highlights the importance of both technological and physical infrastructures, such as water coolers, in facilitating informal interactions that lead to knowledge sharing.

💡Absorptions

Absorptions, in the script, refers to the rate at which products become outdated. The term is used to illustrate the rapid pace of change in the technology industry, where a product can become obsolete within a year or two, necessitating continuous innovation.

💡Water Cooler

A water cooler is a common area in an office where employees gather, often leading to informal discussions. The script uses the water cooler as a metaphor for the importance of informal spaces in facilitating the exchange of ideas and knowledge, which is vital for innovation.

Highlights

The wheel is considered one of the greatest human innovations due to its requirement for knowledge creation and application.

Innovations have evolved rapidly, with the International Space Station being a current example of significant human achievement.

Knowledge management is crucial in the modern era due to the need for collaboration in knowledge creation, sharing, and application.

The inability of a single individual to produce all aspects necessitates a systematic approach to knowledge management in organizations.

The rate of obsolescence in products, particularly technology, has accelerated, requiring continuous innovation and knowledge creation.

Innovation is not just about creating new products but also solving problems in new ways and inventing new solutions.

Organizational culture plays a critical role in knowledge management, with flexibility and informal knowledge sharing being essential.

Formal meetings are not the primary source of innovation; rather, it is the informal interactions and networking among employees.

Recognition and appreciation are more important motivators for knowledge sharing than financial rewards.

Processes are vital in knowledge management, capturing both success and failure stories to learn and avoid repeating mistakes.

Technology and infrastructure are tools that support decision-making, not replacements for human judgment.

Physical spaces like water coolers and cafes are crucial for informal knowledge sharing and innovation.

The speaker's research across global corporations revealed patterns in how organizations create, share, and apply knowledge.

The three core components of effective knowledge management are culture, process, and infrastructure.

The speaker emphasizes that culture is critical, as it influences how people interact and share knowledge within an organization.

The transformation in tools and technologies over time has not changed the fundamental importance of people in managing knowledge and innovating.

Transcripts

[Applause]

today I thought today I thought I'll

focus on innovation but particularly how

knowledge management managing knowledge

of the people's how that helps

innovation may I ask in your view what

do you think is one of the four most

important innovations of mankind a lot

of people will say it's fire but fire

was already there and some people say

hunting tools but stones were already

there personally

I think one of the first or greatest

human innovations is the wheel because

it requires creation of knowledge and

application of that knowledge to

actually make a meal because we didn't

exist on the seashores or anywhere else

so somebody has to think about it about

the concept of wheel and actually in a

way dot and so on so I regard that as

one of the greatest and for the forced

innovations of mankind

people say it's about six thousand years

ago when humans started making wheels

we moved far from that and today our

innovations are it really really growing

at rapid pace

we got our gadgets we got televisions

forms watches and you know at the

foremost and probably you could say one

of the greatest human innovations now is

probably the International Space Station

okay we moved quite a bit from that to

actually here everything is great so

what about this knowledge management

stuff why do we need to do that now we

didn't needed to do knowledge management

then nobody has actually asked well go

to that website or look at the

concepts learn and then produce a meal

where do we need to do knowledge

management or anything like that now why

is it important the problem today is a

single individual cannot produce all of

these aspects

it requires collaboration not only

knowledge creation and application but

it requires knowledge creation sharing

that knowledge with other people other

organizations in many instances and then

applying it to innovate so that's quite

a lot and because it requires a number

of people and organizations to create

world-class products today organizations

whether it's universities Apple

Microsoft Merce these bands they require

to manage knowledge in a formal way in a

systematic way and that helps to these

organizations and people to produce

great stuff the another problem of today

is absolutions okay and a few years ago

probably until 1990s guys in research

and development teams somewhere locked

up in laboratories created ideas

produced stuff and then the products

came out the marketing and sales guys

went into the world to sell those

products for 5 10 15 20 years the same

product could you do that now the rate

of absolutions which is the products

going outdated in basic terms the rate

of absorptions in some of the technology

products now is about 5% per month

cumulative so within a year or two

whatever great product you produce

becomes obsolete and out-of-date and

ends up there ok so what does that mean

that means institutions companies needs

to produce new products in a wage on a

rapid pace continually that requires

knowledge creation on a continual basis

and that's quite important not only that

it's not just guys in R&D locked up in a

lab who produce new knowledge now it's

how you interact with your customers how

you solve problems

you identify new market patterns and a

number of things it's not just R&D

problem anymore just give you an example

when I was growing up in India for about

20 years though only one car was

available in the market one car just one

car one model ambassador it was called

for 20 years they sold the same model

car just one car in the whole Indian

market that's all I could remember now

there probably 300 in the market in

European markets it's quite high so the

markets have changed the requirements of

knowledge creation and therefore

innovation have changed and we need

knowledge creation at rapid rapid pace

organizing the human knowledge at in a

very systematic process and then

applying it to produce great stuff like

that so how do we do that how do we do

good knowledge management okay and I

have done about five or six years of

research work on how to do knowledge

management across a number of global

corporations in Germany India and United

Kingdom looking at how global large

organizations create share and apply

their knowledge and there were quite

interesting patterns the three key

elements that really helps knowledge

management there are three core

components and the three requirement the

core components obviously have been

saying create new knowledge share it and

apply it for the benefit of your

organization and yourself so what are

the three components that makes

knowledge management work one is culture

you need to get your organizational

culture right we'll go through what it

means because it's quite easy to say get

your culture right yeah but how do we do

that the second aspect in knowledge

management is process you need to get

your organizational processes right

and finally infrastructure when I say

infrastructure it's not just about

technology it's a

but physical and other infrastructure

that goes in so the three key aspects to

do great knowledge management and

therefore to innovate better is culture

process and infrastructure let's look at

culture a culture of a company or a

university or a charity or a country all

of these is quite critical

what kind of how do you treat your

people in your organization for example

if you say you know a couple of people

your coworkers are chatting in the

corridor and say what are you doing in

that country go back to your computer

screen go back to your office and go to

work if that kind of culture exists

forget it

knowledge management knowledge sharing

is not going to happen

why because you don't know what they're

discussing they may be discussing a

recent customer problem innovation is

not just about creating new products

innovation is how do you solve problems

in new ways how do you actually do

things in new ways and of course invent

new products so if you treat people like

that if you have a culture where there

is no flexibility there is no that

informal knowledge sharing flexibility

then it's a wrong culture so you need to

encourage people to develop those

informal networks to develop those

informal knowledge sharing attitudes

okay and out of the companies like I

have studied like Merce these bands

hewlett-packard or a key corporation

National Health Service every

organization I have studied during my

research work in knowledge management

everybody said only probably less than

1% of innovations happen in real formal

meetings have you ever come across a

meeting where end of a meeting yes we

invented this product through this

meeting it just doesn't happen like that

innovations happen in people networking

sharing the knowledge informally because

if you go to you know sharing a coffee

with the colleague unit canteen and says

I had this great problem today this

customer is pestering me to modify this

product and the design guy might say

while sharing the lunch well we could

actually change

that may be good for other customers as

well innovations happen like that all

the global corporations every one of

them said 90% or 99% of innovations

happen through informal knowledge

sharing so why do we force our people to

go and look into the computer screens

right

burying under the computer into the

computer screen doesn't create

innovation it's helpful of course you

need to do their two-day jobs but

organizations need to have culture where

it motivates people it gives the time

and flexibility for the people to

actually share knowledge and create

those new ideas through those informal

networks

that's quite critical and organizations

which don't do that will end up probably

like Nokia today where they were the

number one mobile phone company where

are they now

they're trying to produce you know

products from 20 years ago to make it

come back anyway so it's a culture

that's critical of course you need to

pay well but what you may not realize is

people don't share knowledge because you

pay them well a lot of research shows

that its appreciation its

acknowledgement of people's contribution

much more important than actually

rewarding for developing a new idea in

the initial days of knowledge management

a lot of companies do you know what they

did they said right we're going to do

knowledge management now guys this is

the early 2000 and so on and so forth

what we do is and let's collect all the

PowerPoint slides of the company let's

upload these ideas into the website we

have the company website and we'll give

you air miles for every presentation you

upload or we give you cash

if you upload this thing they actually

thought it would work and those were

ideas they came up with and then lot of

garbage went on to the knowledge portal

sort companies websites because it's

useless because there is no quality

control there is no and people who are

just uploading for the sake of it

because they will get a couple of air

miles what people realized as knowledge

management as a discipline matured is it

sees not the actual money it is not the

actual rewards it is

the praise it is acknowledgement

appreciation of people contributing

sharing the knowledge with others coming

up with new ways of doing things so that

where process comes from so you need to

have not only the right culture you know

where you actually do the flexibility

time provide good rewards recognition to

people but processes are also important

what do we mean by processes let's say

one of the big engineering firms just

finished a great project multi-million

dollar project went successfully and so

on another example another company

created a product that utterly failed

it's crashed in the market and so on

after those things happen you need to

learn from those whether it's success or

failure you need to learn from those and

your organization's need to have

processes to actually capture not

documenting every detail but you know

tell tell us the story Bob you develop

this product it's failed we know that

but tell us the story why it happened

and how it happened similarly success

stories captured both success and

failure stories and create the process

in such a way that whether it's a

project whether it's a and a great

product or failed product your

organization captures what went into it

and build those processes so that you

you create knowledge from that so that

people don't repeat the same mistakes or

people do good things that are learn

from good things that went wrong so

that's quite critical the process are

there infrastructure and again a pretty

good story here and one of my when we're

doing some research working knowledge

management and we studied an oil company

pretty global oil company who actually

thought again the computers knowledge

engineering approach where they wrote

programs they looked at oil exploration

patterns all the best practices that

went into oil exploration projects they

interviewed geophysics chemists and

everybody and they wrote very good

programs and you know developed a

software system and a computer so for

about five years after develop the

system they kept asking the computer

putting all the data geophysics data and

so on would we find the oil in this

site should we explore or not the

computer says no and in some time the

computer said yes so where the computer

said no they didn't drill where the

computer said yes there could be oil

they drill so if it didn't work it's a

mistake of the computer because it's a

computer who said it's nobody's decision

ok so everybody thought it's the risk

free approach let's go in the computer

for about five six years they actually

didn't find a single oil side okay so

what they did is they basically threw

that computer in the sea after five

years and they went back to their people

and say right let's work go back to the

model of actually people say look at the

data use the computer as a tool but not

a decision maker and then within six

weeks they found an oil site now

computers technology infrastructure are

tools they are not decision makers they

are decision supporting tools there's a

lot of talk that in five years 70% of

the jobs you've done by robots computers

and things like that yes they will have

more share in terms of the lot of stuff

done but could you imagine going to a

computer for diagnosis of a cancer or

treated by a computer chiming drugs to

you would you go and see well go to

restaurant to be served by a robot and

while it is true that the role of

computers robotics would improve but

they are not going to be decision makers

or decision decision making tools the

tools rather than dissing makers so

infrastructure is quite important the

next bit of infrastructure is quite when

I say infrastructure it's just not

technological infrastructure acknowledge

portals

there's database systems there are a lot

of good technologies that are helping

but this particular technology is also

quite helpful it's a body cooler okay

why is that helpful in knowledge

management knowledge creation and

innovation how many times you have

observed people catching up for a coffee

or near the

cooller talking and discussing about

organizational matters that could be

sometimes gossip but many times people

discuss things share knowledge around

water coolers okay there's a research

done that water coolers cafes informal

corridor meetings actually about 80

percent of our nation's knowledge is

shared through that so not only your

technological infrastructure you must

focus on your physical spaces how your

organization is designed your office

spaces are designed whether you have

water coolers don't throw them because

it wastes organize all time because it

doesn't let people to hit targets it's

actually their essential tools so that

these things enable people to criss

cross people from different areas to

talk people from different areas to meet

and share knowledge so that new ideas

new ways of solving problems new

products come out of those organizations

I haven't seen in 15 years of my service

ideas created in meetings very rarely

they happen in meetings or committees

okay there are quality control systems

not idea generation systems so it's

quite important that those three aspects

culture process and infrastructure

become great components of a knowledge

management infrastructure so it took six

thousand years from going from veal to

that International Space Station's

things have transformed the tools we use

have transformed probably people might

have used just stones and some sticks to

actually make a meal at the time but we

need lot more of course we can't do and

share knowledge similar way the people

or ancestors did six thousand years ago

we need tools we need technologies but

the central aspect is the culture of

your organization if you don't have the

right culture it's not going to be

happening so culture process and

infrastructure are critical culture

means people okay so we don't need to go

to too deeper into that so

transformation has happened we will

transform our lives even further will

humankind will go even further but the

way we manage

knowledge the way we innovate one thing

won't change that's people thank you

[Applause]