A "Knowledge Activist" For Every Business, Academy, and Learning Institution!

Introduction: What is a Knowledge Activist?

A knowledge activist can be any individual who has an interest in any of the following aspects:

• Helping other people gain and use knowledge
• Increase company success through knowledge leveraging
• Enjoys creative ventures and applications
• Increasing personal business, knowledge, and communication skills

The Importance of Becoming a Knowledge Activist:

• Growing your own knowledge management skills
  • To better help your company and yourself through expanded skills and insights

• Helping other knowledge activists

• Supporting knowledge management projects
  • Starting: can help launch your company’s knowledge management process
  • Managing: you get your hands dirty in the process and stimulate others’ growth / involvement
  • Assisting: your insight and knowledge may help another out

• Leveraging knowledge in the organization
  • The success of your organization is tied to how well staff uses knowledge

• Characteristics of an Activist (DART):
  • D ecisive: think about the options and consequences, then make the decision and take action
  • A daptable: being willing to change your view of what’s ‘right’ and your plans
  • R esponsible: have what you say you will do align with what you actually do
  • T eam-focused: you rely on others and they rely on you – interdependence

Knowledgeable Interactions:

• Ask yourself these questions:
  • What new behaviors will I need?
  • What new beliefs will I need?
  • What will be my biggest challenge in becoming one?
  • What are the rewards of being one?

• Getting Started:
  • Interacting with intention: can be differentiated by the participants and the mode of interaction (face-to-face or multimedia)
    • Personalizing: involves individuals and is live in nature – sharing emotions, feelings, & experiences – share implied knowledge
    • Discussing: group-oriented and live in nature – sharing implied and explicit knowledge
    • Recording: group-oriented and multimedia in nature – focused on collaboration and transfer of information
    • Individualizing: individual in nature and multimedia focused – works with documents, videos, & web-based information
  • Clearly Communicating:
    • Asking smart questions: make your questions relevant and focused
    • Actively listen: involves real concentration – pay attention to tone, words, and body language – paraphrase back what is said
    • Clearly explain: get to the point of what you are saying – give the minimum background details needed to understand

• The Roles You Will Play:
  • Instigator: you get knowledge management projects started – you are the catalyst – you look for opportunities and take action
  • Facilitator: network & document: stay aware of all other knowledge initiatives, be the link to other activists, and facilitate growth and development
  • Evangelist: spreads the word about knowledge – believes in the power of knowledge and a future from solid knowledge management – they pave the way for future activists

Focus, Planning, and Implementation:

• Getting ready through focusing:
  • Area:covers areas your company wants to handle (P.E.P.)
    • Problems: areas of concern that need to be addressed
    • Enhancements: areas identified for room for improvement
    • Potentials: new areas that could result in potential income
  • Scope: how large the project will be in terms of resource needs – costs and people
  • Importance: learn what is and is not important and use as a guide for level of importance

• Getting set through planning:
  • Create a project plan: consider milestones, budgets, and people.
  • Calculate the projected Return on Investment (ROI)
    • Calculate the estimated revenue enhancement of the project: estimated income + cost savings
    • Divide the estimated revenue enhancement by the budgeted cost
  • Sell the project to management:
    • Presenting the value: review the project’s area: problem solved, enhancements made, or potential achieved (P.E.P.)
    • Presenting the ROI: review the plan details and the ROI calculations

• Knowing through implementation:
  • Launching the project: begin the project and officially notify the team that things are beginning
  • Performing the spiral of expansion:
    • Support: proactively help instead of just leaving it up to the team
    • Learn: stay in the know by proactively communicating and keeping good records
    • Adjust: fine-tine milestones and staffing to make sure you keep your project on track
  • Sharing your results: keep management informed of successes and problems, keep team-members up-to-date, inform company