An effective approach to change management issues and risks is critically important to the success of KM program implementation. In fact, the reasons most often cited for why KM implementations did not deliver expected benefits are organizational and cultural issues. Some of the reasons include failure to integrate KM into everyday working practices, insufficient communications, a lack of training and/or time to learn new systems and processes, and a lack of clear and sustained executive leadership.
Iknow has developed a set of critical success factors for KM-related culture development and organizational change management, based on our firsthand KM leadership experience and extensive external benchmarking. These critical success factors include reinforcing leadership, both by example and through personal recognition of successes; continuing communication through multiple channels; encouraging broad involvement from staff at every level of the organization and in as many work processes as possible; and working to create and publicize short-term wins wherever possible.
In parallel with other implementation work streams, Iknow works with clients on the planning and implementation of people-related organizational change management and institutionalization activities, including stakeholder assessments, change management planning, communications planning, training, rewards and recognition programs, and KM organization and role development.
Sustained KM success depends on knowledge sharing and collaboration becoming embedded in the organization’s cultural fabric. A strong organizational change management program is a critical lever for making this happen. The change management program needs to be developed and executed in parallel with the other activities in a KM implementation roadmap, and given equal or greater attention by senior management.