Arthur Shelley
Intelligent Answers, Australia
The challenge for knowledge professionals is that humanity is not leveraging its collective knowledge as effectively as it could. There are many errors being repeated around the world, with major tangible and intangible losses. More directly connecting iterative co-creative approaches to knowledge development and better aligning knowledge initiatives with organizational strategies, will make major contributions to productivity and social value creation. The social capital that will be created from the five actions listed below will make a significant contribution to how we better manage our knowledge and more effectively lead everything we do as individuals, teams, organizations – and dare I suggest for humanity.
There are five BIG opportunities to advance the direction and impact that knowledge can have to making a better world. In collectively taking these steps, we will co-create a new identity we will come to belong to which is the International Knowledge Professional Society. First, the BIG opportunity for the knowledge profession is optimizing knowledge flow. This depends on senior managers and leaders engaging with lower level managers operating at the coal face, to listen to their insights and understand the practical challenges the organization faces. Second, knowledge professionals will benefit by elevating their profile to ensure knowledge initiatives play a critical role in the creation of strategy, not just react to strategy. Third, mindsets should be shifted through four structured stages of understanding and capability. Awareness is the foundation, followed by attitude, then ability and finally action. Change is usually met by resistance and this can be changed to support by engaging the right behaviours and highlighting the impacts the new way forward will generate benefits for them. Starting with awareness and a more positive attitude, it is important to then address ability is more likely to secure desired action. Fourth, knowledge professionals should play a more collaborative and proactive role in supporting the levels of knowledge maturity across organizations. Fifth, knowledge professionals to practice what they preach and collaborate with each other. The knowledge profession will benefit from creating a global identity which is recognized and respected like other societies, such as Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Project Management Institute (PMI), to secure greater credibility to influence government and senior decision-makers without a common identity.
Our role as knowledge leaders is to be a role model to lead others to build these capabilities and how our followers that is a more productive path. With these actions the future of the knowledge profession looks strong as we collectively become a stronger voice and build a sense of belonging for our membership. At present, there is a strong need for better use of knowledge, but not a strong enough demand from those in power.