3 Identifying, Capturing and Transferring Learning into Action Available to Purchase

What is the big deal about knowledge management, you might ask. I wouldn't argue that the movement is getting a bit long in the tooth, way too long as it traverses more than a decade! The number of knowledge management conferences is down, even though I have been presenting papers on knowledge technologies almost twice a year. I do still waiting for People magazine to stop being stubborn and name a KM expert as one of its 25 Most Intriguing People of the year. Even my wife, not known for her high level of interest in business trends, has suggested that I'd be wise to move on to other subjects.

It is true that knowledge management has been treated as no longer the next big thing. But I guess you don't mind if I disagree. After all, you got to chapter three, and hopefully chapters one and two already convinced you that e-learning alone will not do the trick. Some people thought I was nuts to try to market a new book on knowledge management. I actually had to go abroad, and here you are reading the book.

Knowledge management may be quiet, but it is not dead, as it is just beginning to penetrate the fabric of many businesses, and statistics alone prove it. The problem is that the early, flashy-but-insubstantial applications, such as best practices and lessons learned, for example, have given way to broadly focused initiatives that are transforming the way organizations work, in particular in government circles and fortune 100 corporations. Any change takes time, and for the most part, changes are never amenable to shallow, sensationalistic journalistic treatment. In fact, only the most profound, gifted analysts and writers can comprehend and express them. But the new breed of knowledge workers discussed in chapter two also can, and they are the ones holding the KM flag today!