In a meeting, we began discussing ways in which our firm could improve the way we share information across multiple offices. We currently run a marketing database and all of our offices are networked, but information is still very isolated due to lack of exposure. The issue stems from the fact that there is no easy way to collect and then showcase knowledge in a meaningful way. We employ a firm-wide intranet, but it controlled from the top down and uses an antiquated platform that is full of bugs and well, visually bland.
One of the Principals of the firm charged me with the task of exploring other options and showed me this article from Architectural Record.
The article, in essence, describes how architectural firms are learning that the model of bottom-up idea sharing is the greatest way for a firm to collect, teach and then leverage the combined knowledge of their entire staff. In the article, Christopher Parsons, founder and principal of the consulting firm Knowledge Architecture explains, “That’s why we hire people, to leverage ourselves, to bring in their expertise for a bigger collective impact as an organization. Knowledge management can facilitate that process, but the root is the person who runs the company believing the way forward is to share experiences and get smarter.”
In a nutshell, companies that understand the way social networking, online wikis and open forums work on the internet can now adopt those principles in-house. We have the software and the connections. Now we just have to teach people how to contribute.
