Knowledge management is a powerful tool for staff development, high‐performance teamwork and organisational development. This book is one of the most interesting books on knowledge management that can be applied to teams and projects. The author of this book has been working in knowledge management for 14 years as a consultant, coach and trainer, and KM manager to several projects in the oil and gas, mining, consumer goods, engineering, education, and other sectors.
This book has seven sections. Section 1 starts with and introduction to the meaning of knowledge and knowledge management concepts, the principles of knowledge management models, business need, approaches to knowledge management and cultural issues that can be barriers to knowledge management. Section 2 looks at the nature of teamwork and how knowledge management can be applied in this specific context. Section 3 is about the flow of knowledge within a single project in terms of “learning before” activities, knowledge being identified during the project, and knowledge being captured at various stages for future use through “learning after” activities, and how these principles may be applied during the project stages.
Section 4 deals with the flow of knowledge between projects. As the project stages continue, the project team learns as it goes. The knowledge that has been gained at the end of each project needs to be identified and captured for passing on to the next stage or to the other projects. Section 5 is on assurance (how an organisation can be sure that the system is being used and being used to best effect) and embedding (integrating knowledge management into all business processes), which includes five elements that can be combined into an assurance system for knowledge management within projects. Section 6 is on the linkage with other management disciplines such as performance management, risk management and safety, security, health and the environment (SSHE) management. The last section is the summary of the main conclusions for three groups of knowledge management users: the project managers and knowledge managers, the community coordinators and SMEs, and the company management.
There are lists of figures, list of tables and an index. At the end of each section, there are some explanatory notes for more information and understanding. This book would be useful good for managers and others who wish to apply knowledge management to their teams and projects.
