Knowledge Management

By Robert C. Camp, PhD, PE Chairman Global Benchmarking Network (GBN), Best Practice Institute™, Rochester, NY, USA The perception, sharing, and adoption of best practices is mostly attributed to the activity called benchmarking. Obtaining maximum value from best practices is usually attributed to knowledge management. One is an extension of the other. Knowledge management can be looked upon as the management of knowledge about best practices whether in the mind as human capital or as intellectual assets or property. Most organizations now recognize the absolute imperative for the identification and collection of best practices through benchmarking. It can be a strategic strength when practiced and a fatal weakness if not pursued. But there is a serious disconnection in the exchange and adoption process. Despite significant advances in the approaches and technology that pursue improvement (six sigma, process redesign, customer relationship management, etc.), organizations continue to experience great difficulty in successfully transferring leading practices. Some would say these are exemplary, proven, observed, or promising, but, in the final analysis, they are best practices -with the objective of becoming world class. More insight is needed into how leading, or best practices are transferred and adopted - said differently, best practices for knowledge transfer or knowledge management.