The Dissemination and Adoption of Knowledge Management Practices Behavioural Model

Abstract

Moving a global consulting organisation from an attitude based on individuals' "knowledge is power" to the advocated principles of knowledge sharing is a challenge that requires facilitation. This paper studies a real global consulting organisation that recognised that important firm resources like processes, technology and capital were not enough in order to drive the required attitudinal change. Details are presented about the lessons learned from a couple of unsuccessful past knowledge management programs and from a successful implementation of a knowledge enablement program involving agents as facilitators of attitudinal change. Some of the lessons learned were that (i) action research components were of help harvesting knowledge assets from tacit knowledge, (ii) perceived value moderates the motivation of associates to participate in the knowledge enablement program, and (iii) knowledge practice owners should perform their agentic task as consultants. A topic for discussion is if the prior knowledge of knowledge practice owners on a given knowledge domain is a requirement to facilitate an attitudinal change.