Getting and Keeping a Job Through KM Expertise

How to get and keep a good job ... that's an issue in the minds of many Americans today. In this post I'll introduce you to KM--Knowledge Management--a skill that everyone must have to prosper in the 21st century economy.

Every Economics 101 course at some point brings up the significance of human capital--skills, knowledge, and abilities--to an economy. Human capital in today's world is more important than physical capital as a generator of wealth. The right human capital can also enhance individual job security.

As mentioned in my previous post, information hoarding is destructive to an organization, and hinders economic efficiency. As workers in the information economy, we must know how to beat information hoarders by making use of technology to access information and effectively utilize it.

Organizations are increasingly utilizing KM experts to break down information bottlenecks. However, to a certain extent each individual must be his or her own KM expert, fighting information overload on the one hand and information hoarders on the other.

KM consultant Edward Truch proposes the 5 Es of successful knowledge management:

1. Engagement: top management teams must engage and persuade across the company.
2. Empowerment: empowering people to act effectively and with authority.
3. Entitlement: opening access to information across the organisation.
4. Enablement: providing specific support systems across the company (e.g., Intranets and knowledge tools)
5. Environment: creating work environments conducive to meeting and sharing knowledge.

Truch speculates that as people become more aware of the significance of KM to their own success, the success of their organization, and to the economy, he or she who masters the technology associated with effective KM will possess essential intellectual capital. It could be the difference between having a job and a place in the unemployment line.

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