The smart way to manage knowledge

The focus of the conference is on knowledge management, a term which implies exactly that, smart management of knowledge. It means using the available technology to harness your companyÕs wisdom at every level, enabling you to work as a team, and ensuring that each person has access to this collective knowledge. This wisdom can then be used to respond instantaneously and effectively to market opportunity, customers and competition.

Most particularly, the conference is intended to educate AustralasiaÕs senior management on the nuances of knowledge management. It aims to throw light on the terminology which exists and clearly demonstrate that knowledge management is a vital and strategic business tool.

The conference will also demonstrate how organisations are using knowledge management to gain competitive advantage, increase productivity and service levels and respond to change. Finally the conference aims to convince Australasian organisations of the importance of deploying this technology and cultural concept and actively adopt this world best practice.

Research undertaken by the Delphi Group of international organisations showed that 85 per cent of respondents saw knowledge management as providing logistical or strategic value to the organisation. Maybe even more importantly, only three per cent see it as a management fad.

There is little doubt that these trends will follow in this region, however, the inertia existing among senior management needs to be overcome. Delphi Consulting Group Australasia (CGA) believes the way to assist this is through education. The recently announced alliance with RMIT is intended to facilitate this process and through the establishment of regional network training centres (DATCs Ñ Delphi Authorised Training Centres) in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea and courses are developed jointly by both parties.

The first DATC appointment should be announced at the conference.

Corporate instinct

Corporate instinct is having the innate ability to react the right way to change, no matter how things have been done in the past. It is a companyÕs innate sixth sense to anticipate and respond to change. Corporate instinct is a coherent and intelligible pattern of activities from which a strategic direction emerges. Corporate instinct is essential for any company serious about staying ahead of the competition, however, corporate instinct must be influenced from the top down.

Technology is merely one part of a knowledge management solution, and in fact the components are generally comprised of business strategy, corporate culture, information management and technology. Of these, strategy and culture are consistently found to be the largest obstacles to effective knowledge management implementation.

The conference will address these issues and draw on real examples of successful implementations experienced by international organisations.