**8. A well-balanced KM initiative strategy within organizations**

A general KM initiative shows willingness, at the highest level of the enterprise, to encourage all the steps, and to implement all the means leading to capitalize on knowledge to pull strategic advantages of it. Afterwards, we refer to our own studies about general KM initiative (Grundstein, 2005b).

There exist three main development phases: (i) The Strategic Orientation Phase which aim is to establish KM Initiative outline and agenda; (ii) Operational Management Phase which aim is to design and specify specific projects linked to capitalizing on knowledge problems; and (iii) Projects Deployment Phase which aim is to monitor and implement EIKS. For the purpose of this chapter, we will focus on the first phase, the strategic orientation phase.

#### **8.1 Strategic orientation phase**

The strategic orientation phase of general KM initiative leads to establish KM initiative outline and agenda, taking into account priorities and available resources. It includes four steps (ref. Fig. 10): (i) Elaborating the Enterprise's KM Vision; (ii) Aligning KM Strategy on Enterprise's Strategies; (iii) Monitoring KM Maturity Study; and (iv) Establishing KM Initiative Program. Questions which must be considered focus notably on achieving alignment of the KM strategy on the organization's strategy:


18 New Research on Knowledge Management Models and Methods

must be understood as transmission, plus absorption and use of knowledge (Davenport and Prusack 1998 p.101). Therefore, the project manager should consider the individual (knowledge worker and decision-maker) both at once as a user, and a component of the EIKS. In EIKS, the information and knowledge portals have become essential for the knowledge

workers who have to share with colleagues disseminated all around the world.

Fig. 9. The enterprise' information and knowledge system (EIKS)

initiative (Grundstein, 2005b).

**8.1 Strategic orientation phase** 

**8. A well-balanced KM initiative strategy within organizations** 

A general KM initiative shows willingness, at the highest level of the enterprise, to encourage all the steps, and to implement all the means leading to capitalize on knowledge to pull strategic advantages of it. Afterwards, we refer to our own studies about general KM

There exist three main development phases: (i) The Strategic Orientation Phase which aim is to establish KM Initiative outline and agenda; (ii) Operational Management Phase which aim is to design and specify specific projects linked to capitalizing on knowledge problems; and (iii) Projects Deployment Phase which aim is to monitor and implement EIKS. For the purpose of this chapter, we will focus on the first phase, the strategic orientation phase.

The strategic orientation phase of general KM initiative leads to establish KM initiative outline and agenda, taking into account priorities and available resources. It includes four steps (ref. Fig. 10): (i) Elaborating the Enterprise's KM Vision; (ii) Aligning KM Strategy on


Fig. 10. The Strategic Orientation Phase

The strategic orientation phase is crucial and can avoid getting KM resources outcomes unused. We argue that, most of time, IT approach leads confusing notions of information and knowledge, and misunderstanding the goals: do we have to develop an Information System or do we have to implement an EIKS that integrate people as users and components of the system? Therefore, the strategic orientation phase must help to build a general KM vision that makes a clear distinction between technology as a support to share individual's tacit knowledge, and

Three Postulates that Change Knowledge Management Paradigm 21

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technology as a means to collect, store, and distribute explicit and codified knowledge that is no more than information. Beyond benchmarking studies, to deal with the strategic orientation phase, Enterprises need a Meta model that is a pattern of reference (a template) in order: (i) to integrate KM Governance principles; (ii) to adapt it to their own situation; (iii) to monitor KM Maturity study (Grundstein, 2008, p. 424); and (iv) to envision integrating Information systems and KM systems in the same both digital and human system that we call EIKS.
