Knowledge Support Not Management

The biggest mistake most companies make when it comes to knowledge? Calling it a Knowledge Management System. It's the wrong word for the wrong solution. Instead, think Knowledge Support System. Why? 'Management' tends to put a set of tools (usually starting with a database of sorts) in the centre and the people around the periphery. That's why the context gets lost and the system fails. A Knowledge Support System puts people in the centre of the system, and the technology in place to support them. Similar to a life support system --> it supports life, but it doesn't manage it.

Example of a company who 'gets' how to leverage knowledge: the BBC (thanks to their head of knowledge: Euan Semple). Check out this article: The BBC's low-tech KM

See related web site topic: Knowledge