Our experience is that to be sustainable, knowledge management needs to become embedded in the day-to-day business of an organisation - its processes, its culture and the behaviour of its leaders. Embedding knowledge management is difficult to achieve when a central team remains who can "do knowledge management for the organisation.
We drew parallels with the way in which fledglings are encouraged out of the nest by their mothers - such that they can learn to fly for themselves.
During our time at BP, we had the privilege of being part of a highly successful knowledge management team wich focussed on building capability in the organisation, and ultimately in working themselves out of a job. We were proud of the team’s achievements, and wanted to capture the essence of BP's success story for others to read. After the departure of the majority of the team, the two of us remained in a new role, weaving learning and sharing into the fabric of the organisation through new and updated processes - but without using the "K word! To return to the fledgling analogy, the emphasis shifted to creating "thermals" which would enable a young bird to soar higher.
Since leaving BP, this has become an enduring philosophy for us both. How can we ensure that the capability we have created is sustainable? You'll see this reflected in "what we offer". Out desire it to build relationships with a relatively small number of organisations, and help them to create a lasting capability for managing knowledge. That’s how we get our buzz!
How to buy your copy
"Learning to Fly - Practical Knowledge management from leading and learning organizations" is available in bookshops, through Amazon and other on-line bookshops.
If you are unable to obtain a copy, please contact our publishers, Wiley Group, who will be able to advise you as to the nearest reseller.
The original version, published in 2001 which was based wholly on the BP experience is no longer generally available - but the new edition includes all of the original content, plus 75 pages of stories and examples from a diverse set of organisations, including the United Nations, De Beers, BBC, TearFund, Centrica, the US Army and even a primary school in Australia! The new stories are proof that the model which originated in BP is transferable, as the "Learning to Fly" community - over 500 practitioners will agree.
Learning to Fly is now available in several other languages, including Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Slovenian. We expect to see Thai and Czech versions later this year - watch this space!
