Knowledge Management—Organizational Development

Puzzle Pieces

In many ways, knowledge management is built on the concepts of the “learning organization.” Approaching knowledge management strategically, we can apply systems thinking—which we have learned from Peter Senge's popular work The Fifth Discipline. The ideal way to build organizational knowledge is to use a holistic, integrated approach.

To answer the critical question, “What is our organization's most important knowledge and what is the best way to share it?”, you conduct the same type of needs analysis needed to strategically determine training priorities. Consider both business and people issues, which include intellectual capital. (Refer to the Organizational Analysis for Knowledge Management sidebar on the following page.)