Hi, Amy. 

You wrote via Ernie the Attorney via snowdeal.org | conflux:

One of the tough tasks in KM is getting expertise located in an organization (that is, figuring out who has it on a subject by subject basis). Tougher still is validating its credibility with other members of the organization. Toughest of all is getting the experts to agree to share their expertise with others, except as part of their regular job. Employees who have spent a career lifetime enhancing their value because they "know" something others don't are logically reluctant to give away their valuable expertise...  

Amy, the baby boomers are starting to retire in droves (you know who you are). How competitive is a firm when 20% to 40% of its most experienced people leave? You can fight to get and keep talent but that doesn't fix Mary-who-left-Tuesday being the only one who knows how to get that payroll program to work.

There is no technology fix. Just a human one. Whether you call it a Learning Organization campaign or a Knowledge Management program, you still have to get people engaged. Talking. Sharing. Growing. Enjoying the process. Becoming more effective, more marketable. Making their workplace better.

The only tools that matter are ones people really use.

That's where klogs (knowledge or enterprise weblogs) come in.

KM Systems are to Treacle as Weblogs are to Honey. People gag on most KM systems. And get a sugar high off of blogging. So people use them. Start your engines and gun your motor, your KM go-cart is off and running. It isn't ready for NASCAR, it won't make it to the moon and back. But your project, your people, are going in the right direction. Can you say that now or for any other toolset?  

btw, if you know anyone interested in setting up a consulting practice to help large orgs, public or private, survive the coming Baby Bust, drop my name. pwolff@dijest.com.

Ever yours,

- Phil Wolff