Product Description

Close collaboration across agencies and international borders is mandatory for public health officials. A powerful tool for sharing knowledge, knowledge management (KM) can help public health professionals quickly collaborate and disseminate knowledge for solving public health issues worldwide. The latest initiatives for reforming healthcare have put the spotlight on the need for maximizing resources. In addition to providing a platform for sharing knowledge, KM can help healthcare professionals do more with less. One tool, two problems solved. Yet the sharing of knowledge and KM continues to be a major challenge in the public health field.

Knowledge Management in Public Health provides a general introduction to KM and social networking in the public health arena. The book begins with coverage of basic principles, components, and methodologies as well as trends and key issues in public health. It includes ten case studies illustrating applications of KM and social networking in public health. The chapters are written by leading individuals from organizations involved in applying KM in public health worldwide. The editors and chapter authors explore the many elements of KM, delineating how and why to start such an initiative. They provide specific examples of the development and value-added benefits of KM in a variety of public health environments.

Tough or quick decision making has always benefitted enormously from knowledge based on the maximum amount of pertinent information available at the time—this has not changed. What is new in the present public health environment is the need to do this more often, with fewer personnel available, and increased expectations relative to the services expected by the public. Better use of information under a KM system is well suited to serve that purpose. This book explores the many ways to use KM to anticipate potential health issues and quickly resolve key incidents when they occur.

Product Description
We are now in the 'third wave' of Knowledge Management - the first was focused on the potential of new technology, while the second focused on the nature of knowledge and how people 'know' and learn. The focus in the third phase is two-fold: building individual and team productivity, and proper alignment of Knowledge Management efforts in helping deliver on strategic goals of the organization.

Knowledge Management- a Blueprint for Delivery explores and builds on current ideas about the dynamics of knowledge in organizations, answering such questions as: 'What is knowledge management?' and 'What does it mean for today's companies and organizations?'

Written by two leading knowledge management practitioners, this book looks beyond academic theory and software company hype to focus on the roles that knowledge and information play in creating high-performance organizations.

Built on their extensive experience of Knowledge Management programme design and delivery, Knowledge Management- a Blueprint for Delivery:
- contains a comprehensive survey of the whole area of Knowledge Management, from theory and strategy creation through to techniques, tools, and delivery of change
- provides an insight into developing and managing Knowledge Management initiatives
- bridges the gap between theoretical, strategic, and practical hands-on perspectives

Customer Reviews (4)

A truly good book....
Outstanding is the best word to use if you need a book that can give you a basic understanding of the leading KBM practices.Six Sigma to defect analysis and most concepts in between are covered in an easy-to-read and follow manner.I was so impressed, I bought six copies for my management team and asked them to read it on their next flight (the book can be read in one sitting).

Knowledge Based Management - excellent book
I enjoyed the book and gave it to my supervisor. The Folks from Air Academy Associates us a common sense approach implementing six sigma.

An excellent managers guide to KBM and Six Sigma
This book is an excellent KBM and Six Sigma primer. Designed by it's authors to be read in it's entirety by business executives or managers in the duration of a short plane journey (2-3 hours), this books adopts it's philosophy of KISS (Keep it Simple...) in order to communicate it's ideas.

The book's format is light (0.6kg) and compact (23.5cm x 15.5cm x 2.4cm). Its style is light and easy to read, with frequent diagrams. At the same time it manages to be informative and pass on profound quality improvement knowledge.

While it is American in flavour, I have personally found that the powerful underlying messages of quality improvement translate well internationally across Europe.

A Primer on Process Improvement
I thought the book was an excellent introduction to the topic of process improvement, where the author argues that we should manage processes from the vantage point of knowledge of them.By this they mean more than knowing how the work gets done, but what is the cost of failure, what are the key defect types, what are the sources of the defects, and knowing the tools to address these issues.

If you are an expert in the topics of quality, process management, 6 sigma, this may not be the book for you to expand your knowledge.This may be a good book for you to use as a tool to help a manager, colleague, or someone less familar get a grounding.There is a good discussion of problem solving, the requisite tools, process mapping, and a good primer on why it is important to business.

I would read Demings "Out of the Crisis", and then pick up this book.There are may others that I would include on the list, but this is a good start.

If you are looking for an excellent discussion on DOE, Taguachi Techniques, and other sophisticated methods, go elsewhere.If you are looking for a well thoughout introduction to the idea that we need to solve problems by fixing processes and not people, this is an excellent book. ... Read more

Product Description
It is a tragic paradox of American health care: a system renowned for world-class doctors, the latest medical technologies, and miraculous treatments has shocking inadequacies when it comes to the health of the urban poor. Urban Health Knowledge Management outlines bold, workable strategies for addressing this disparity and eliminating the “knowledge islands” that so often disrupt effective service delivery. The book offers a wide-reaching global framework for organizational competence leading to improved care quality and outcomes for traditionally underserved clients in diverse, challenging settings. Its contributors understand the issues fluently, imparting both macro and micro concepts of KM with clear rationales and real-world examples as they: • Analyze key aspects of KM and explains their applicability to urban health.• Introduce the KM tools and technologies most relevant to health care delivery.• Offer evidence of the role of KM in improving clinical efficacy and executive decision-making.• Provide extended case examples of KM-based programs used in Washington, D.C. (child health), South Africa (HIV/AIDS), and Australia (health inequities).• Apply KM principles to urban health needs in developing countries.• Discuss new approaches to managing, evaluating, and improving delivery systems in the book’s “Measures and Metrics” section. Urban health professionals, as well as health care executives and administrators, will find Urban Health Knowledge Management a significant resource for bringing service delivery up to speed at a time of great advancement and change. ... Read more

Product Description
A volume in I.S.C.E Book Series: Managing the ComplexSeries Editors Kurt Richardson and Michael Lissack, ISCE ResearchIt seems as if attempts to use knowledge to understand and manage social networks are everywhere.Millions, if not billions, of dollars are being spent in an attempt to derail terrorist networks, withmuch of it being invested in making sense of massive data streams. There is growing concern thatmuch of this money is being squandered on approaches that will never deliver on their promises.Our armed forces are being prepared to combat terrorist threats by the introduction of "networkcentric approaches" and "digital battlefields" - basically attempts to provide warfighters with acomplete picture of the battlespace. However, the experience of practitioners suggests that the "datasmog" this creates is actually counterproductive.From the arena of politics, the recent invigorating battle between senators Clinton and Obama has thrown the spotlight on thedeficiencies in political polling (Economist, 2008b). Changes in the structure of the situation (e.g. high turnouts) have thrown the wholeindustry into chaos. Complexity is being discounted and the results are stark. The conclusion formed in the media was that the situationwas wildly unpredictable (so anyone's to win), and ended up having real consequences for the Democratic challenger in November2008 (Baldwin, 2008).Turning to business, we find that Société Générale recently lost $7.2bn as the result of asingle rogue trader making a series of bogus transactions amid turbulent markets in 2007 and2008. There has been much speculation on what was known, when it was known, and whoknew it. In other words, we have speculation that this is an example of the role of knowledgein the mismanagement of social networks - with spectacular effect.At a glance, the problems highlighted above seem positively overwhelming. Where do youstart? But start we must. Simple "causal and effect" thinking doesn't seem to be able to cutthe mustard. There is broad agreement that even if the Kyoto targets were fully met, onschedule, by 2100 it would only delay the warming of the planet by six years (Parry et al.,1998). We need to utilize knowledge in new ways...or maybe uncover insights from oldways.It is hard to think of something more worthy of attention that the role of knowledge in themanagement of complex systems.In Volume 4 of the Managing the Complex Series we have brought together seventeen essaysfrom authors around the globe to explore the complex systems view of knowledge and itsrole in social networks. Contributors explore such topics as: the limitations to our knowledgeof complex systems, the transfer of knowledge from local to global levels, collaborative knowledge generation, decision making incomplex multi-stakeholder situations, organizational learning and innovation, all through the lens of the emerging field of complexityscience. The editors hope that this volume will give theorists further avenues to explore in their attempts to understand knowledgecreation, maintenance and distribution, and also provide practitioners with new tools to apply in the complex and messy real world. ... Read more

Product Description

Information and knowledge have profoundly transformed businesses, organizations and society. Knowledge management promises concepts and instruments that help organizations to provide an environment supportive of knowledge creation, sharing and application. Information and communication technologies are often regarded as the enabler for the effective and especially efficient implementation of knowledge management. The book presents an almost encyclopedic treatise of the many important facets, concepts and theories that have influenced knowledge management and integrates them into a framework consisting of strategy, organization, systems and economics guiding the design of successful initiatives. The third edition particularly extends coverage of the two pillars of implementing knowledge management initiatives, i.e. organization and systems

Customer Reviews (1)

Desafiante
Para quienes somos parte del compromiso en desarrollar organizaciones que administren de manera efectiva el capital intelectual (capital humano, capital organizacional y capital relacional) esta obra representa un gran alcance respecto al desarrollo de sistemas adecuados, soportados en las TICs, para desarrollar el aprendizaje experiencial y transformativo de la organización. ¡Excelente obra! ... Read more

Product Description

While companies search the world over to benchmark best practices, vast treasure troves of knowledge and know-how remain hidden right under their noses: in the minds of their own employees, in the often unique structure of their operations, and in the written history of their organizations. Now, acclaimed productivity and quality experts Carla O'Dell and Jack Grayson explain for the first time how applying the ideas of Knowledge Management can help employers identify their own internal best practices and share this intellectual capital throughout their organizations.

Knowledge Management (KM) is a conscious strategy of getting the right information to the right people at the right time so they can take action and create value. Basing KM on three major studies of best practices at one hundred companies, the authors demonstrate how managers can utilize a visual process model to actually transfer best practices from one business unit of the organization to another. Rich with case studies, concrete examples, and revealing anecdotes from companies including Texas Instruments, Amoco, Buckman, Chevron, Sequent Computer, the World Bank, and USAA, this valuable guide reveals how knowledge treasure chests can be unlocked to reduce product development cycle time, implement more cost-efficient operations, or create a loyal customer base. Finally, O'Dell and Grayson present three "value propositions" built around customers, products, and operations that could result in staggering payoffs as they did at the companies cited above.

No amount of knowledge or insight can keep a company ahead if it is not properly distributed where it's needed. Entirely accessible and immensely readable, If Only We Knew What We Know is a much-needed companion for business leaders everywhere.Amazon.com Review
Responding to the familiar observation that what you don'tknow can and will hurt you, American Productivity and Quality Centerleaders Carla O'Dell and C. Jackson Grayson Jr. have countered with acontention that the "hidden reservoirs of intelligence that exist inalmost every organization" can, with work, be efficiently tapped "tocreate customer value, operational excellence, and productinnovation--all the while increasing profits and effectiveness." IfOnly We Knew What We Know is their detailed examination of theresultant groundbreaking but common-sense methodology they have dubbed"knowledge management," along with their analysis of several companiessuch as Amoco, Arthur Andersen, Buckman Laboratories, and Xerox thatare successfully employing it today. By studying the execution andevolution of this practice in over 70 companies involved with theirnon-profit management organization, the two have observed how toppractitioners are turning internal information that's alreadyselectively available into dynamic improvements that are apparentthroughout the companies. They describe how to implement knowledgemanagement in your own firm and describe the "enabling context"(including infrastructure, culture, technology, and measurement) thathelp or hinder the process. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

An Excellent Starting Point
This book quickly helped me to define my knowledge management approach as it has case studies, and skips the jargon. I recommend it to all starting with knowledge management.

Very easy to read and usefull KM book
KM is about People, IT, Infraestructure and Metrics,I agree with Carla on that. KM is the key of today business.

Good 'outside the box' thoughts on KM
This book offers useful 'outside the box' reasons that knowledge management is needed and helpful.People generally think of knowledge management as being internally focused (i.e. "didn't we solve that problem last year"), this book goes beyond that to deeper levels of knowledge management.An example is you hire a person with 10 years experience (read: KNOWLEDGE) but peer teams aren't made aware of past experience (KNOWLEDGE), they are only made aware of the current job position.Knowledge management from a technology stand point is both a searchable repository and a broker service that links people with questions to people with answers.Creating a knowledge management system is challenging and should always involve outside council, use a good consulting company that won't try and sell you software but will provide a well designed solution.[...]

Useful introduction to KM
KM was a vague and fuzzy terminology for me, before i read this book.We had a KM subject as a part of the IT management course inGraduation and this book was suggested as a good reference to get insight and understanding.I found this book useful in giving a clear picture on KM - the concept underlying KM, the way to approach it, implementation methods, challenges, common pitfalls, lot of practical examples, success stories - all of this is covered.Another salient aspect is, the book is very easy to read - it doesn't thrown in too much of jargon or heavy-duty management stuff. This can be an easy read for anybody(the casual reader, the management junkie, student etc).

This book was written almost eight years ago. Much has changed due to the Internet revolution and the spawn of great IT tools.Even though the material of the book is still relevant (remember: IT is only a enabler and not be-all of KM), it would have been useful to have an updated version of the book with examples of implementation of KM in the current environment.

Here are some intresting excerpts from the book:
*******************
-Knowledge is what people in an organization know about their customers, products, processes, mistakes and successes, whether that knowledge is tacit or explicit. It is dynamic - a consequence of action and interaction of people in an organization with information and with each other.
-Knowledge Management is a conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping "people share and put information into action" in ways that strive to improve organizational performance.
-It's guaranteed that exhortation to "Share more!" will not work. It takes systems and systematic approaches like internal benchmarking, mapping the knowledge terrain, creating new practices, which costs time and money. That's why having a clear business case and a value proposition is important.
-Culture is important, because learning and sharing knowledge are social activities. They take place among people.
-while new technologies are making the transfer of practices and knowledge more affordable then ever before, companies that think that simply by developing an intranet they will make sharing happen are dangerously wrong.
-Technology is a catalyst for KM but no panacea.
-Business Values Drive Transfer benefits
-Having the right culture is critical
-There is no conclusion to managing knowledge and transfering best practices. It is a race without finishing line
**************

Solid Theory, But More Execution Tasks Needed
This book focuses on making the case for a knowledge management system.If you're already convinced and need specific, measurable steps, try a different book. ... Read more

Product Description
The first edition of this book is regarded as a classic in its field. Now, in an expanded and updated version of The Art of Service's book, the authors once again present a step-by-step guide to Knowledge Management.

Everything in this book is tried, true, and respected in the field. The author has synthesized and made accessible the best practices and theory from a variety of sources and experiences, laying out the path forward in a clear and direct style that makes this one of the key guides for successful knowledge initiatives.

Complete, pragmatic approach and great supporting tools (document blueprints and templates). The essence of the book is a phased and step by step approach for capturing and disseminating knowledge, and measuring the impact of your efforts in the form of ROI and other performance metrics.

Covered are: Infrastructure evaluation, KM System Analysis, System Deployment and Infrastructural evaluation.

A few things stand out: the approach is laid out and the documents that come with the book has evaluation forms and checklists that will assist greatly every step of the way.

KM has matured beyond buzzwords and visions from people who have ideas but cannot implement, into an essential element of organization and process for companies that will survive. Implementing it is hard work, but this 5-star book will show you how.

Considering the increasing number of Professionals and their Organizations who want to be actively involved in Knowledge Management, this book should do at least as well as the first edition, which is a bestseller.

... Read more

Product Description

Creative Space summarizes and integrates the various up-to-date approaches of computational intelligence to knowledge and technology creation including the specific novel feature of utilizing the creative abilities of the human mind, such as tacit knowledge, emotions and instincts, and intuition. It analyzes several important approaches of this new paradigm such as the Shinayakana Systems Approach, the organizational knowledge creation theory, in particular SECI Spiral, and the Rational Theory of Intuition – resulting in the concept of Creative Space. This monograph presents and analyzes in detail this new concept together with its ontology – the list and meanings of the analyzed nodes of this space and of the character of transitions linking these nodes.

Product Description
In an effort to integrate the thought processes of prominent scholars in the field of Knowledge Management (KM), editors I V Malhan and Shivarama Rao K have selected contributions from these scholars and encapsulated them in a single volume. Compiled primarily to make information professionals and knowledge workers aware of the growing diversity and importance of KM, the comprehensive coverage provided in Perspectives on Knowledge Management will contribute to better understanding of the evolving and significant field of KM. ... Read more

Product Description

The revised edition of the single-best source of project management case studies

Compiled by Harold Kerzner, the leading authority on project management, Project Management Case Studies, Third Edition presents the most comprehensive collection of project management case studies available today. Featuring more than 100 case studies, this essential book illustrates both successful implementation of project management by actual companies as well as the pitfalls to avoid in a variety of real-world situations.

This new edition:

• Contains case studies illustrating successful and poor implementation of project management

• Represents a wide range of industries, including medical and pharmaceutical, aerospace, manufacturing, automotive, finance and banking, and telecommunications

• Covers cutting-edge areas of construction and international project management plus a new "super case" on the Iridium Project, covering all aspects of project management

• Follows and supports preparation for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification Exam

Project Management Case Studies, Third Edition is a valuable resource for students, as well as practicing engineers and managers, and can be used on its own or with the latest edition of Harold Kerzner's landmark reference, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling.

Other powerful tools by Harold Kerzner, Ph.D.:

• Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, Tenth Edition (978-0-470-27870-3)

• Project Management Workbook and PMP®/CAPM® Exam Study Guide, Tenth Edition (978-0-470-27872-7)

Customer Reviews (6)

Good Seller - Highly Recommended
Great seller and comes highly recommended. Product was delivered as product and in condition as promised. THANK YOU!!! Great product @ great price!!!!

old material not applicable to today's business world
The antiquated examples were probably good in the first edition, but totally irrelevant in today's technologically advanced world. Most of the "problems" can be solved (and were) with modern technology. Not worth the time to read.

Reliable
This book was shipped to me in a timely manner, and the condition was exactly as was posted. I will definitely buy more books from this seller.

Very Good Reference For Project Managers
This book was part of my study package for a Masters course. It doesn't give guidance to new or "to be" managers. Instead, it gives real life examples of issues which a project manager is more likely to come across. It covers a wide span of applicaions; construction, computer related and manufacturing are among the many applications it covers. It is also based on the PMPBok. I would recommend te book for anyone who wants to further pursue project management as a career.

Long awaited book. Most useful if you are an experienced PM.
Classes that use Case studies seem to be common at the Harvard Business School but apparently not in the Project Management world. This is a long awaited book containing Case Studies from a respected author and Project Management guru. A detailed analysis of the Pros and Cons of this book follows:

First, a summary of what is contained in the book - 437 pages objectively documenting 68 real life Case Studies spanning the last 20 to 30 years and 1 very neat Time Management exercise at the end. The Case Studies are typically 3-4 pages long with a couple that are 40-50 pages long and a few that are only 1 page long. The Case Studies are roughly divided into 16 Chapters that don't necessarily follow the Process Groups or Knowledge Areas in the PMBOK Guide (PMI). Example chapter names are 'Negotiating for Resources', 'Project Estimating', and 'Project Planning'. Each chapter starts with a 1 page summary of the author's opinion on that topic - no more, no less! The Case Studies themselves sound like factual description of what happened with absolutely no judgment or analysis following any of the Case Studies.

Since I like to end a review on a good note, the CONS first - the blurb on the back of the book makes three claims out of which two are clearly suspect. The claim regarding the Case Studies covering a wide range of industries is definitely true. The claim regarding 'follows and supports preparation for the PMP certification exam' is not supported by the content in the book. The only way this claim would come true is if you attended a class led by a very competent instructor that can glean the relevant points from these Case Studies and present what you need to pass the PMP. The Instructor's manual is ONLY available through the publisher directly if you represent a University teaching Project Management curriculum. The third claim is regarding the book presenting the best practices and pitfalls of PM implementations in the real world. For this claim to be true, one would expect discussions of the Case Studies presented in the book by the author and a summary of lessons learned so you can understand what these best practices and pitfalls are. Without the best practices and pitfalls EXPLICITLY stated, how do you know for sure what they are? Isn't the assumption that you don't know them, one of the reasons for reading the book? Anyway, this does not happen anywhere in the book except very briefly and indirectly at the beginning of each of the 16 chapters (1 page per chapter).

The language used is sometimes hard to interpret. I was thrown off track quite a few times by some ambiguous statements and I had to read them carefully a second time to interpret them correctly. I have not noticed this problem with other Kerzner books. There are also quite a few typos and grammatical errors that may be common for a First Edition.

The last CON - I really wish the book had an extra 200-300 pages of Kerzner's interpretations of these Case Studies and his opinions of how things should have been handled. I would have paid three to five times the price of this book if that had been included. Oh, well. I will sign up for one of his classes.

Okay, the PROS - there aren't many books on Project Management that have real world Case Studies. And definitely not as valuable as the ones presented in this book. For this reason alone, this book is worth a LOT more than its price. And to top everything, these Case Studies are presented in a very objective way so that you can try to see things the way they really are and engage in educational discussions with a group of experienced professionals to gain not just PM knowledge but PM WISDOM.

The time management exercise (about 24 pages) is one of the best sections in the entire book. It is simple, yet worth spending time on. The Case Studies of the Denver Airport (under the Managing Scope Changes Chapter) and the Space Shuttle Challenger (under the Project Risk Management Chapter) are probably the most valuable Case Studies (in my opinion). These are the Case Studies that are 40 and 50 pages respectively that I mention at the beginning of the review.

The Preface carries a very important observation (and message) regarding how these basic project management mistakes are still being repeated even 20-30 years later in modern day corporations. This is very profound as it implies that these mistakes can be avoided by Project Managers that learn from the past mistakes made by other corporations (from these Case Studies). It is amazing that something so simple has not happened in the Project Management profession even after all these years.

I have treasured this book since the day I received it and I am looking forward to joining a local group of experienced Project Managers (meaning the Austin chapter of the PMI) to discuss and learn from these Case Studies. A definite buy AFTER obtaining the PMP Certification. In my opinion, it will only confuse the reader who is focussed on passing the exam to read these Case Studies that don't have any analysis associated or references to the PMP exam (I didn't find the word PMP anywhere between the covers of this book).

I hope you found this long and objective review helpful and that you benefit from these Case Studies. ... Read more

Product Description

Today there are more technology, technologists, knowledge and experts than at any time in human history; but from a global perspective, it is difficult to argue that this accumulation of knowledge and technology has put the world in an unambiguously better position than it was in the past. Business is not getting any easier to do and major corporate collapses based on poor decisions, poor conduct, and poor judgement continue to occur. In public administration too, basic institutions and services (education, health, transport) seem to be continually undergoing “crises” of inadequate delivery and excessive pressure. Wisdom and Management in the Knowledge Economy explains why unwise managerial practice can happen in a world characterized by an excess of information and knowledge.

Drawing on Aristotle’s idea of practical wisdom, the book develops a theory of social practice wisdom that addresses important social psychological and sociological dynamics that underpin wise management and organizations. As well as providing a detailed theory of social practice wisdom, this book considers practical issues in organizational communication, behavior, culture, change and knowledge as well as in HRM, leadership, ethics, strategy, international business, business education, and wisdom research. By introducing the notion of social practice wisdom, aspects of social structure, organizational culture, and organizational communication needed for wisdom to flourish are for the first time rendered visible in a way that opens new possibilities for wiser management, wiser organizations, and wisdom research.

Product Description
"The book not only gives a clear picture of the policy and strategic framework of PFI/PPP projects, the governance and knowledge management issues through different phases from planning, design development to operation and service delivery and the processes associated with each phase, but practical tools, methodologies and capabilities needed to deliver PFI/PPP projects in a range of sectors are also explained. It clearly demonstrates the key imperatives that are the hallmark of successful programmes and projects no matter what there method of funding or delivery.

I have no doubt that, in undertaking the programmes and projects that I am responsible for delivering and in undertaking OGC Gateway Reviews, to support clients delivering their own programmes and projects, I will draw on the material contained in this book."
—From the Foreword by Rob Smith, Director of Gateway Reviews and Estates & Facilities, Department of Health

There is a growing demand worldwide for transport, healthcare, education, energy and water infrastructure. However, government resources are often insufficient to meet the needs of new projects and to upgrade existing infrastructure. Private participation in public infrastructure is therefore increasing but the respective roles of the public and private sectors are the subject of intense debate. This has led to renewed interest in public-private partnerships in developed and developing countries.

Governance and Knowledge Management for Public-Private Partnerships shows how effective governance and knowledge management can improve the performance of PFI/PPP projects. It provides an in-depth understanding of different dimensions of governance and how they affect project management structure, processes, and decision-making ability of actors and teams involved in PFI/PPP projects. The role of knowledge management strategy, the need for benchmarking knowledge management efforts, specific tools and methodologies for capturing, sharing and applying knowledge to accelerate learning and capacity building are also examined.

The book is essential reading for all those involved in PFI/PPP projects, including policy makers, industry practitioners, academics and students. The practical tools for governance and knowledge management it offers make this book particularly useful for consultants, contractors and client organisations. ... Read more

Product Description

Recent years have seen an upsurge of interest in knowledge. Leading organisations now recognise the importance of identifying what they know, sharing what they know and using what they know for maximum benefit. Many organisations employ knowledge engineers to capture knowledge from experts using the principles and techniques of knowledge engineering. The emphasis is on a structured approach built on a sound understanding of the psychology of expertise and making use of knowledge modelling methods and the latest web technologies.

Knowledge Acquisition in Practice is the first book to provide a detailed step-by-step guide to the methods and practical aspects of acquiring, modelling, storing and sharing knowledge. The reader is led through 47 steps from the inception of a project to its successful conclusion. Each step is described in terms of the reasons for the step, the required resources, the activities to be undertaken, and the solutions to common problems. In addition, each step has a checklist which lists the key items that should be achieved during the step.

Knowledge Acquisition in Practice will be of value to knowledge engineers, knowledge workers, knowledge officers and ontological engineers. The book will also be of interest to students and researchers of AI, computer science and business studies.

Product Description
Building on the success of the first edition, the second edition of Knowledge Management in Organizations presents a critical introduction to the subject. Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, encompassing issues of strategy, structure, systems and human resource management, the text introduces the reader to the concept of knowledge before examining how, and whether, knowledge can be managed within the organizations in which we work.

Three brand new chapters have been included in the second edition, enhancing the book's coverage of leadership, defining knowledge management, and examining how organizations replace and "unlearn" knowledge.

New case examples and longer end of chapter case studies have been added to this new edition, with other features including definition boxes, further reading and review questions being retained.

Online Resource Centre

Supporting resources, delivered online, are new for the second edition. Users of the website will find web links and extended cases which present knowledge management in virtual and knowledge-intensive firms, and global organizations. ... Read more

Product Description
The first tactical handbook that gives both the ways and means to manage the process that generates useable knowledge assets within an organization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

You want to run a KM project? Then READ THIS BOOK
Knowledge Management is a pretty complex subject, and I'm not going to try to detail everything that's covered in this book.
What I will say is this:

1. The book is comprehensive
2. The authors REALLY know what they're talking about
3. The book is packed with spot-on insights and excellent advice
4. There are a wealth of checklists that will help you to focus on what really matters
5. The book is well written (easy to read without being simplistic or patronising)
6. The authors REALLY know what they're talking about. And yes, I KNOW I said that already - But it is SO imnportant, and so rare!

At the time that I read this book I was working on a KM project for a subsidiary of one of the major comms companys in the UK. They chose to ignore the advice these authors provide, and today they're just one more company stuck on the "Oh we'd rather downsize than develop some genuine expertise" road to oblivion.

It is my perception that if they'd followed the advice in this book they would have had fewer layoffs and would be a lot more financially successful, today.

But they didn't, they didn't - and they aren't!.

You want to be amongst the IT winners? Read and use the information in this book.

You want to be a loser? Just ignore this book.

IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

knowledge management fieldbook
This book is a fantastic overview of knowledge management in the field of business. There are lots of questionnaires that can help facilitate knowledge management intiatives in your own company or business.The authors provide many case studies of how real companies have maximized their knowledge in ROI in technology, customer services, creating new products and in consulting practices.

This book is geared toward people with no prior interest in knowledge management, but also contains useful information for those who have been in the field since its inception.

Useful, practical reading.
You really get some tips to audit the processes in your company. Definitelya must-read for any executive in a bigger firm. Smaller firms normally have other things to worry about. ... Read more

Product Description
The facilitation of knowledge work or what is increasingly known as "Case Management" represents the next imperative in office automation. The desire to fully support knowledge workers within the workplace is not new. What's new is that recent advances in Information Technology now make the management of unpredictablecircumstances a practical reality.
There's now a groundswell of interest in a more flexible, dynamic approach to supporting knowledge work. Here are examples of what recognized experts have have recently written on the topic: 
    Advancing to support more knowledge work is the goal of many organizations, 
    thus there is a new groundswell of activity around unstructured processes. 
      - Jim Sinur, VP of Research, Gartner
    I think a sea change is coming in the process world. 
      -Connie Moore, Research Vice President, Forrester 
The sea of change Moore refers to is about technology that is able to support knowledge workers. The work of a knowledge worker is by its nature unpredictable and can not be handled by more formalized process definition techniques. 
For executives and managers of knowledge workers, "Mastering the Unpredictable" will: 

• Explain the need and why previous technological approaches don't meet the need 
• Explain the current technology gap, and the new technology that can close the gap 
• Lay out the options that can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their organizations 
• Equip them to best take advantage of this evolving trend

Customer Reviews (7)

Brief Commentary
I never understood the difference between "case management" and BPM until I read "Mastering the Unpredictable".

Civerex built a `case management' in 1992 that evolved to where it has a strong focus on guiding the processing of patients according to "best practice" protocols.

We took this direction this because our company received a grant from a hospital association to build healthcare software where the entire focus is on instances (i.e. patients), and where no two instances are handled in exactly the same way.

We had `cases' from the start and we called these Electronic Medical Records (EMRs).

We never had issues with unstructured work - our users could process patients using protocols, process patients not using protocols, or both. Basically, they have always done what they like, when they like, how they like.

I found by reading "Mastering the Unpredictable" that part of what we have been doing for the past 15 years is called ACM.

We realized something was different about our BPM system. We found it difficult to engage many consultants in conversations about our software - they would typically look at us as if we were from another planet.

So, we renamed our approach at one stage to BPMx. And then, about a month ago, to ACM/BPM.

I don't understand or agree with everything in the book but our ability to communicate with management consultants has improved dramatically.

I tell anyone who will listen that "Mastering the Unpredictable" is a must-read.

Karl Walter Keirstead, P. Eng.
Managing Director
Civerex Systems Inc.

Business Process is not an assembly line!
As a coauthor of 'Mastering The Unpredictable' (MtU), I am very glad that finally the recognition emerges that not all business processes can be modelled and 'hardcoded' into rigid flowcharts. I have been promoting this for over ten years. James March (1991) said that each business has to perform both exploitative (use existing knowledge) and explorative (create new knowledge) work to stay in business. Orthodox BPM can only support existing knowledge and tries to automate it to the point that virtually anyone could execute it. That is most probably only possible for at most 20-30% of all processes. Approximately 40-50% of all processes are executed by so called knowledge workers who enjoy very limited IT support today. Most of it happens through email, office products and some collaboration tools. These workers need to switch between multiple systems (i.e. CRM and ECM) and there is no complete customer focused record of their work.

In this book there are many different approaches described how knowledge workers can be supported. That is an important first step and therefore MtU is a perfect introduction into this subject because of the collaboration of so many industry experts. It thus avoids the oversimplified 'How-To' step by step lists that are mostly unrealistic. I saw it as my part to add to this book which elements of IT are necessary to make ACM or Adaptive Case Management feasible. The other authors describe many examples of knowledge work, how the collaboration is different from typical case management and how data and process interconnect.

A common question is how the term ADAPTIVE pertains to in this approach and how it differentiates from case management. 'Adaptive' is more than a new buzzword, because I started to discuss the concept five years ago in difference to 'agile' in process management, because it describes the ability of an entity to change from within, without external change agents. 'Agile BPM' requires long analysis phases by large numbers of experts who then implement complex processes by means of flowcharts. ADAPTIVE moves the process analysis and creation phase into the execution (sometimes referred to as enactement in BPM) and empowers business users to assemble processes focused on the goals they want to achieve. Only when all elements of ACM are user definable, it becomes realistic that this empowerment can actually happen as otherwise additional IT work is necessary to complete the process.

'Mastering The Unpredictable' is a unique collaboration of industry experts who usually compete. Therefore it represents a perfect opportunity to learn from so many within one book. Keith Swenson's main contribution was to bring twelve experts together and push us to bring our knowledge to you. This is right now not only the only book on this subject but it will be the reference overview for many years to come.

For more information and discussion, please visit my blog - [...]

Business Processes as Unique Cases
For several years now, business process theorists have been concerned with describing the difference between processes that are more-or-less procedural in nature and slow to change and those processes that either change frequently, are very complex and difficult to describe, or both.

A good example of a procedural process that is slow to change is a production line situation where each assembly worker's job is precisely defined.

A good example of a complex, dynamic process is a process that generates proposals for major engineering undertakings.The process begins when the engineering firm receives a request for a bid.Someone at the firm analyzes the request to determine if the firm is even interested in bidding.Assuming the request is something the firm is interested in, a team is assembled to analyze the problem, design a solution and generate a bid.In the course of the project members of the team may send emails to colleagues around the world to find out about problems with similar jobs, to learn more about the needs of the company making the request, and to gather information about technologies that might be used.Similarly, there may be many meetings in which issues are argued out, solutions are discussed or the language of the final proposal is discussed.The proposal, when it is finally prepared and submitted may have characteristics in common with other proposals the engineering firm has submitted in the past, but it is also a unique response to a unique proposal.In other words, the response to the request was treated as a unique case.The approach and activities undertaken were adapted to the unique needs of the client and the skills of the team assembled to generate the proposal.And the entire effort was managed, at least in part, according to unique criteria associated with the specific request.

Historically, consulting firms have always used an approach more-or-less like the one just described.As other organizations offer more options and tailor to customer demands, they have also begun to introduce more flexibility into their processes.Similarly, as organizations rely more on knowledge workers who add value to services by refining them as they interact with customers, process analysts have been challenged to figure out how best to describe and specify improvements for complex, dynamic, knowledge-based processes.A variety of names have been proposed to describe these processes.Case Management has its roots in hospitals and insurance companies where the term reflects the idea that each patient's case needs to be considered as a unique case and that each insurance claim, is, so some extent, a unique case that needs to be carefully examined to determine which rules apply.

Theorists like Keith Harrison-Broninski have been discussing complex, dynamic processes for several years.The Object Management Group (OMG) began to discuss this type of process modeling problem in 2009 and has been using the term Case Management to describe the approach they are trying to define and standardize.I would prefer that they use something a little more descriptive, like "dynamic, complex processes," but can certainly use Case Management if that's what the community settles on.


Adaptive Case Management (ACM) describes an approach for capturing and automating the work that knowledge workers do.In essence, the authors propose a systematic approach for the description and capture of processes undertaken by knowledge workers - processes I would suggest range from a few hundred to a thousand rules.

Mastering the Unpredictable is a book of readings and the contributors include many people who have been involved in the OMG effort. As with any book of this type, some chapters are better than others.Chapters 5, 6 and 7 form the heart of the book and should be read by anyone interested in the future of BPMS and process automation.

The authors often contrast what they are recommending with BPM, which they say begins with and focuses on processes (procedural sequences)In essence, they are contrasting BPMS tools based on Enterprise Application Integration and older workflow approaches and their approach which depends on dynamic planning, "Tasks" ("templates") and rules.

Let's begin with the idea of tasks or templates, as these terms are used by the authors.A "case" is something that you want to accomplish. As the authors are using these terms, a process is a sequence.Each subprocess gets done in a specific order.A "task" is one or more activities that need to be accomplished to complete a case, but its use or its order can't be determined until we know the specific case.Thus, instead of a flow plan, the knowledge worker about to undertake the specific case considers a list of tasks and decides which he or she will use for this specific case, and in what order the tasks will be attempted.In other words, one of the first tasks in the case involved planning the tasks and tentative sequence for the specific case. Note that his places a limitation on automation - ACM applications are designed to support knowledge workers, not replace them. For any given case, only a subset of the tasks may be employed. The structure of the tasks themselves are largely based on the use of rules.The rules used, however, are mostly derived from knowledge workers, however, and not from organization policies.

Stepping back a bit, we are seeing an effort to reestablish some of the concepts used with expert systems development in the 80s.Instead of structuring the approach around a flow (procedural) we are going to structure the approach around knowledge concepts (data structures) and rules - a declarative approach.Our concern, in almost all the examples provided in the book, is not with accomplishing a task, but in reaching a decision or defining a solution. One might suggest that BPMS vendors began with procedural techniques, then begin to add rule-based techniques.Adaptive Case Management suggests how the rule-based techniques might take over and provide developers with tools that make it easier to model and automate knowledge structures and knowledge-based tasks.

This is an important book.It does not provide the kinds of concrete examples one might like, with detailed discussions of how a specific set of cases might be processed, but hopefully that will come in a subsequent volume.What this book does is define the fundamentals that might be used to develop what I think of as rule-based or agile workflow systems.

This is a significant step beyond the more or less independent business rule approaches that have been popular in the last decade and represents a return to knowledge-based techniques that predominated in the Eighties.It is a direct result of some very serious thought about how rule or knowledge-based techniques can be used to help model and automate complex, dynamic processes.

The contrast several authors set up between BPMS and their ACM approach is dramatic, but probably not as significant as they think.Lots of good enterprise work can be done with high-level processes that will be completely compatible with the use of ACM techniques at more detailed levels.ACM is not an alternative, but a set of tools that can be used on one set of problems that process analysts face.

I do not believe the techniques described in this book can be scaled to deal with really complex problems - for the same reason that expert systems failed - because the rule maintenance problems would be too expensive.I do believe, however, that the time is right to apply these techniques to extending BPMS tools for use with processes that include tasks that depend on knowledge.Moreover, as these applications illustrate, the tools only work if there are knowledge workers to plan each case and adjust the tasks and choose among the options offered by the ACM tools.In other words, we are always talking about a Decision Support tool here rather than a fully automated solution.Being stimulated to think about how this integrates with today's popular BPMS applications is worth the price of this book.

I recommend caution, however.This book will help you with cases that involve modest amounts of knowledge.It will not, however, prepare you to tackle the really hard or complex problems that would require thousands of rules.Those problems are still beyond what we can handle in a cost effective manner.You are better to hire a good CEO or a good enterprise architect than to focus on trying to define the processes he or she will use.But for many more modest knowledge-based jobs and processes, the approach recommended by ACM will probably work fine.

I strongly recommend this book.Others will come out with different ways of dealing with knowledge-based processes, but this is a very good start and suggests an approach that will certainly be rapidly developed in the year ahead.This book will not prepare you to build an Adaptive Case Management system, but it will certainly give you lots to think about.

Like BPM, the Next Generation!
As I was reading this book, I realized that I really need this technology badly and my department needs this technology badly.

We simply must adopt the concepts presented in this book or as another reviewer alluded to, the consequences could be dire indeed.

I predict you'll like it!
I enjoy books that help me think about things in new ways and also provide practical advice."Mastering the Unpredictable" did not disappoint From Keith Swenson's first chapter on the nature of knowledge work, to my colleague Tom Shepherd's discussion of adaptive case management using examples from the insurance industry, to the thoughtful view that John Matthias paints for the courts, I found ideas in each of the chapters that I can apply.

Of course, the premise that an ever increasing amount of the work we do is unstructured and unpredictable seems to immediately make sense in today's "information economy." And, finding better ways to get things done given the economic turmoil we currently face is appealing whether you are a technologist or a business leader. I recently shared copies of the book at a Supply Chain Leaders conference I participate in each year and the feedback was very positive - this subject definitely resonates as they focus on managing exceptions and risk.

The MtU authors all bring intelligence and a strong experience set to their contributions. Further, as Nathaniel Palmer points out in his Introduction, the contributing authors - including Forrester's Connie Moore who wrote the Foreword - are all passionate about this subject.That combination makes for a good read.



... Read more

Product Description
Marketing Management: Knowledge and Skills, 7/e, by Peter and Donnelly, serves an overview for critical issues in marketing management.The text strives to enhance knowledge of marketing management and advance student skills so they can develop and maintain successful marketing strategies.The text does this through comprehensive text chapters that analyze that marketing process and gives students the foundation needed for success in marketing management and through 45 cases (16 of them new, many others updated) that go beyond traditional marketing principles and focus on the role of marketing in cross-functional business and organization strategies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Complete but completely dull
Half the time reading this book is like reading a dictionary. I think I must have read 100 sentences that begin with "XXX can be defined as .... ". The authors do a complete coverage of the topics but in such a dull and routine way it is hard to keep your attention on the reading. On a plus side, there are about 40 case analyses that are pretty good, but of course they weren't written by the authors. Of course if you're like most people, your professor has chosen this book and you have to get it whether you like it or not. ... Read more

Product Description
The Harvard Business Review paperback series is designed to bring today's managers and professionals the fundamental information they need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world. Here are the landmark ideas that have established the Harvard Business Review as required reading for ambitious businesspeople in organizations around the globe. The eight articles in Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management highlight the leading-edge thinking and practical applications that are defining the field of knowledge management. Includes Peter Drucker's prophetic "The Coming of the New Organization" and Ikujiro Nonaka's "Knowledge-Creating Company." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
Ok but we found the complete idiot's guide on Knowledge Management to be a bit more useful for our needs.

Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management
Used as a textbook for a leadership course. It is o.k., have read more interesting pieces of KM. Recommend if you need scholarly material.

Extraordinary Guidance for Practitioners
This is another great book in the HBR paperback series. There are several very helpful article/chapters in this book; each one taken alone is worth more than the cost of the book.

The article by Argyris, "Teaching Smart People to Learn," is quite insightful. Argyris explains why smart, highly trained professionals find it difficult to learn from their mistakes and failures.

In David Garvin's article/chapter, he talks about what real people in real organizations are doing to build learning organizations.

John Seely Brown discusses the importance of new innovations found in "how work is done" in his chapter.

Add to these helpful chapters, the work of Drucker, Nonaka, and Kleiner, and this is a must-have for practitioners.

Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Learning"

If KM seems expensive, try ignorance
I read this book when it was first published in 1998 and recently re-read it, curious to see how well it has held up since then. It has done so to a remarkable extent.

Again, I am reminded of Derek Bok's observation "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

This is one in a series of several dozen volumes which comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarded experts on the given subject. All of the volumes have been carefully edited. An Executive Summary introduces each selection. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section which usually includes suggestions of other sources which some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, we are provided with a variety of perspectives on knowledge management: Peter F. Drucker on "The Coming of the New Organization," Ikujiro Nonaka on "The Knowledge-Creating Company," David A. Garvin on "Building a Learning Organization," Chris Argyris on "Teaching Smart People How to Learn," Dorothy Leonard and Susaan Straus on "Putting Your Company's Whole Brain to work," Art Kleiner and George Roth on "How to Make Experience Your Company's Best Teacher," John Seely Brown on "Research That Reinvents the Corporation," and James Brien Quinn, Philip Anderson, and Sydney Finkelstein on "Managing Professional Intellect: Making the Most of the Best." Listing the article titles correctly indicate the nature and scope of the specific subjects offered.

Quite true, some of the material is dated and inevitably so, given the elapsed time since the articles were published in the Harvard Business Review. However, in my opinion, the principles advocated and the core strategies recommended remain relevant to the contemporary marketplace. For example, Drucker notes that "to remain competitive -- maybe even to survive -- businesses will have to convert themselves into organizations of knowledge specialists." Garvin presents an especially informative analysis of Xerox's six-step problem-solving process which addresses questions to be answered, expansion/divergence issues, contraction/convergence issues, and "next steps" after implementation. Leonard and Straus rigorously examine the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator process, including within their narrative a brilliant overview of the MBTI©. Indeed, readers are provided with rock-solid material throughout each article.

For less than the cost of breakfast in an upscale Manhattan restaurant, each volume in this series provides an intellectual feast. It remains for each reader to determine, of course, which of the volumes will be most nutritious to her or his appetite.Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Carla O'Dell's If Only We Knew What We Know: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice, Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline and The Dance of Change, Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak's What's the Big Idea?: Creating and Capitalizing on the Best New Management Thinking and also their Working Knowledge, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton's The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action, and Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi's The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation.

Knowledge Management with practical applications
Excelente libro que proporciona las bases suficientes sobre la administración del conocimiento, además de tener como respaldo el prestigio de una casa de estudios como es la Universidad de Harvard.

Lo recomiendo ampliamente. ... Read more

Product Description
This book describes how Knowledge Management (KM) is applied at team and project levels. KM techniques such as Peer Assists, Project Retrospect, Technical Limit meetings, KM self-audits, and KM plans are covered, and helpful real-life examples from successful organizations will prove useful for anyone involved in a KM projectfrom small teams working on discrete activities to large, multi-company construction and development projects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A BOOK FOR PROGRAM AND TEAM MANAGERS
MESSAGE / CONCEPT

This book started slowly for me.But once I could see where Nick Milton was coming from, quite a few things "clicked".Being a project and program manager myself, some of his concepts resonated tremendously and I will implement them in some of the areas we work in including some of our clients.For example:

* His "learning before", "learning during" and "learning after" is a very useful and practical concept in any environment, but particularly in a project environment.This is encapsulated in Figure 1.6 on page 12.

* The techniques he offers to generate these learnings are grounded and realistically achievable.

* I particularly liked his discussion on knowledge engineers and knowledge managers because we actually use those terms in our business, but with slightly different roles.

* I am not enamoured with his Knoco Ltd 12-Component Framework for a Knowledge Management System.But if it works for him and helps him make sense of the issues including for his clients, then it is a good one.

His pragmatic approach through the whole book, plainly means he has considerable experience and it is quite full of good ideas that can be implemented in any project/program.For such a slim volume, it is certainly worth the effort to read.

WHAT WE LEARNT

We learnt that we need to take a more structured approach to "learning" within a program of projects and within projects and teams.We already have mechanisms for it, but I suspect they aren't sufficiently structured and robust to make them as useful as they could be.The solid list of techniques and methods that Milton offers will certainly come into our work.

We also learnt that we aren't "off the pace" with our approaches.Indeed, we are certainly "up there with the best", albeit with some different approaches.But as it is with everything, there is always room for improvement and Nick Milton's work will certainly be part of our improvement process and our own learnings, before, during and after. ... Read more