What is "Knowledge Management"?

Knowledge Management is learning from what we know by effectively sharing information and best practice. Sharing information and knowledge occurs naturally, but Knowledge Management formalises this process, using tools to capture information and share it with others.  

Knowledge Management is important for the Social Enterprise sector - by sharing information and working together we can make good use of what we collectively know about running our enterprises, using this knowledge to: 

• Foster innovation by encouraging the free flow of ideas;
• Learn from each other, share best practice and collaborate;
• Utilize resources effectively, streamline operations, avoid duplication and reduce costs;
• Increase revenues by getting products and services to market faster;
• Enhance retention rates by recognising the value of individuals' knowledge;
• Improve customer service and satisfaction.

Visit the case studies area for examples of effective Knowledge Management practice in the social enterprise sector

Elements of Knowledge Management

• People - ways of connecting people who have the knowledge to help each other, and developing their willingness and ability to ask, listen, share and apply knowledge; 
• Processes - tools and processes to simplify the sharing and representation of knowledge; 
• Technology - reliable, user-friendly technology that can support communication and knowledge sharing. This is more widely available than ever before with the rise of easily accessible sharing technologies such as email and social media technologies like Facebook and Twitter.

Knowledge Management Processes

After-Action Review - a structured meeting or conversation designed to carefully review and evaluate a particular activity, such as a piece of work or an event that has taken place. The reflections are then used to consider how best to plan future activities, enabling us to learn from successes and avoid repeating mistakes.

Information Asset Register - is a process which helps organisations to organise the many pieces of information they hold which are important to business, by organising individual information assets; categorising them together in groups, making them easier to access, use and maintain.

Fishbowl Conversation - a useful technique for a large number of people (potentially up to 50) to have an intimate and dynamic conversation about a topic or issue that the group needs to discuss.

Knowledge Harvesting - a conversation/interview based process aimed at capturing and recording the knowledge that resides in peoples' heads; knowledge that is highly valuable to others, and that the individual in question may not even realise they have!

Storytelling - Storytelling leads to naturally emerging anecdotes - people telling one another about their experience of a particular topic or issue will produce richer narratives and more valuable information than can be collected in a conventional interview.

If you have tried any of these process tools, and have any feedback or suggestions, please email craig.carey@socialenterprise.org.uk, or holly.brereton@socialenterprise.org.uk.

Knowledge exchange among social entrepreneurs: a report by the Tomorrow Project

In November 2010, the Tomorrow Project delivered a report on knowledge exchange for Social Enterprise UK, exploring the ways in which social entrepreneurs capture and make use of knowledge about good practice. The report is available here.

For more information, please contact Craig Carey, Projects Manager, Social Enterprise UK