Working Knowledge William Muehlbauer Bharadwaj Raghuram

Knowledge Transfer In R&D Outsourcing (Windows vs. Linux) Why did Microsoft not hire all those smart programmers who ended up developing Linux through the internet? Certainly not because “It did not know them”, for it would not have been difficult to screen the good programmers on the market. The answer is that it did not hire them because of a fatal knowledge–transfer problem. The value of the information about its operating system that Microsoft should have transferred to any of them to render her productive would have been too high compared to her expected individual contribution, so that after writing a contract with Microsoft the typical developer would have run away to sell the acquired knowledge on the market.

Knowledge Transfer In R&D Outsourcing (Windows vs. Linux)… On the other hand, knowledge transfer in R&D outsourcing is not always so critical. In the pharmaceutical industry research contracts are extensively used, usually in the context of a long term relationship between the firm and the innovator. There was no knowledge–transfer problem in the Linux side; the reason is simply that knowledge there is common property.

Knowledge Transfer with Colleges Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: – Designed to help businesses access expertise in colleges and research organizations by working in partnership with academics or researchers. – The company will then define and agree a project with the relevant organization – Draw on their expertise and apply it to the business. The agreed project could be for any length of time between one and three years

Staffing of a Knowledge Management Office Case: VA Healthcare Network Upstate, New York ( Knowledge Management Office - Knowledge Management Officer Application/Database Development - Application/Database Developer Data Analysts - 4 Data Analysts Decision Support System - 2 DSS Mappers - 2 DSS Processors

VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York Library Services – 3 Librarians – Library Clerk – VISN 2 Library Point of Contact – Library Assistant – Library Technician – 2 Medical Librarians Web Development – Network 2 Webmaster – 2 Web Assistants

A Typical Day for a KM Worker At a very ground level, understanding what various stakeholders / users want. Think of best ways and mechanisms to share knowledge. Most important is Content Management! Basically how to keep the "KM environment" live within the organization. Communicating with employees at regular intervals. How to increase participation and involvement? Providing ways for an employee to come share and contribute, digest / synthesize whatever is available!

A real job posting for a CKO position: CKO Qualifications Source:

CKO Qualifications BA or BS degree required in engineering, computer sciences or related discipline. Advanced degree preferred. A minimum of 10 years experience in a senior leadership position within a multi-billion dollar media, technology, equipment or wireless company. Good understanding of analog and digital radio technology. The selected candidate will be a professional with an established top- notch market reputation and business management skills. Must have the ability to understand and communicate complex business strategies and the leadership ability to secure the confidence and respect of the executive team.

CKO Qualifications Demonstrated ability to manage technical developments and staff through various life cycle stages. Skilled in managing large scale projects with high quality deliverables. Leading edge technical expertise and strong business acumen to assist the executive management team in the assessment of technological and internal capabilities to support the current and future needs of the company, employees and customers. Good presentation skills and appearance. If you have all these qualifications then you will be making 200 – 300k.

Piloting KM Projects Don't fear failure – Implementing knowledge management is a daunting prospect for any organization. Start at the beginning – A critical step both in implementing a comprehensive KM strategy and in deploying a specific solution—but it is not the first step for either. Rather, it works best when preceded by careful analysis and consideration. Choose the right projects – Pilot projects should be working systems with real functionality, rather than a discreet prototype running dummy data just to test new tools. Choose the right project, the right people and the right tools – Pilot projects should be working systems with real functionality, rather than a discreet prototype running dummy data just to test new tools. Success depends on the participation of all individuals required.

To Wrap Up… ?