CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS IN

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
IMPLEMENTATION
 The critical success factors.

There are mainly three critical success factors in

knowledge management implementation:
1. Developing a knowledge strategy.
2. Implementing knowledge management as any other
change program.
3. Seek and sustain top management support.
 Developing a knowledge strategy

 We must be able to generate and manage knowledge

to use it as a strategic lever for competitive
advantage.

 Setting up a vision for the knowledge management

program (formal or informal) and the level of the
knowledge management the company intends to be is
required.
 This vision would specify whether the company
would focus on :
 Exploiting internal available knowledge.

 Exploring external knowledge.

 Fostering innovation.

 The K.M. strategy should revolve around fulfilling

both internal and external knowledge gaps.
 For effective implementation, the KM
implementation approach should be clearly specified.
 The aspects of KM implementation are
 Designing knowledge architecture
 Building systems and technologies
 Handling People issues
 A typical KM implementation begin with decision
about knowledge architecture, gradually moves to
system and technology before deciding people related
issues.
 It might be because most of these implementations
are top down approaches
 The next set of issues is setting up appropriate
implementation structure and augmentation of
technological infrastructure.
 People related issues have to be addressed and
individual employees have to be convinced of the
utility of the program.
 They should be motivated to participate in creation,
maintenance, application and sharing of their own
knowledge
 Conceptualization of the importance of knowledge
for the business is easy for top management.
 Setting up systems to augment and complement the
technological infrastructure is also not difficult.
 The issue is to implement the appropriate system for
which the whole organization need to be involved
 The company should exploit the full potential of
existing systems ensuring lot of buy in for KM
program
 For e.g. HECL (Hughes Escorts Communication
Limited) has capitalized on its culture of frequent
meetings to the fullest advantage.
 Its way of KM is so integrated with existing systems
that people do not see KM as something that needs to
be separately implemented
Implement KM as any other change management
program
 The same issues that crop up in management of
change also surfaces in implementation of KM.
 There is always resistance to change when any new
system/structure/process/practice/culture is
introduced.
 It is important to gain the commitment and
participation of a cross section of people to the KM
initiative.
 Any initiative restricted to top management is not
likely to be sustainable over long run.
 The best way to achieve this commitment is to
involve more people right from conceptualization
stage as they contribute more to design of program.
 It is necessary to provide the employees with a clear
understanding of business and personal advantage
this initiative will bring in.
 New practices should be set up to reinforce
interaction among people for creation, mutual sharing
and application of this knowledge.
 Seek and sustain top management support

 Top management need to be convinced about potential of

managing knowledge.
 Implementing a successful KM program requires top
management support for clearly defining business imperatives
and role of KM in achieving them.
 A KM strategy and vision is developed according to the first,
second or third generation KM adopted by the company.
 The program may require an alignment in existing systems for
which the support of top management is imperative for
institutionalizing the new system and practices.
 Active participation and commitment of top management is
necessary to make it an organization wide initiative.