Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know

by Laurence Prusak and Thomas H. Davenport

Book Overview

The definitive primer on knowledge management, this book will establish the enduring vocabulary and concepts and serve as the hands-on resource of choice for fast companies that recognize knowledge as the only sustainable source of competitive advantage. Drawing on their work with more than 30 knowledge-rich firms, the authors - experienced consultants with a track record of success-examine how all types of companies can effectively understand, analyze,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875846556
• ISBN13: 9780875846552
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 199 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Comprehensive Perspective on Knowledge Management

I have to say that the only frustrating thing about reading this book was the fact that I had not done it before. In addition to addressing important, acute issues, Davenport and Prusaks are good writers and base their approach on practice and solid cases (including examples from 39 organisations) instead of abstract theories. The point is, most of existing knowledge management literature has its head in the clouds, forgetting the actual work environment, where the knowledge managed is born and used. The one thing that may feel alien from a Scandinavian perspective is the weight the authors' put on the so called "knowledge markets". That is, their approach to knowledge management is a strict application of market economy. While this opens some interesting perspectives and offers an applicable framework, it is, in my view, too simplistic. The authors do mention altruism as one of the possible motivations of knowledge sharers and exclaim: "Such people do exist ... We all know individuals who simply like helping" but the authors seem to have difficulties understanding such individuals. I have to give them credit, though, as they note that attitude to altruism is at least partly a question of national culture.

Don't miss out on Working Knowledge

Your company is thinking about implementing knowledge management, then "Working Knowledge" is the place to start your research on this topic. Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak give you a very practical introduction to this business concept with many "real life" examples that explain the theoretical foundation. Therefore you will earn a deeper understanding of how to generate, codify and transfer knowledge without ever feeling overrun at any point. Especially chapter eight and nine are very helpful when it comes down to get to work with the implementation of a knowledge management system in your company. Here you'll find helpful hints and advice to start out in the right direction and never miss a turn. So don't hesitate put your knowledge to work and do it right the first time!

First Great Book of Best Practices for Knowledge Management

Although knowledge management is an irresistible concept, your progress in this area is anything but assurred. Knowledge management is a hot topic, but it is usually pushed by people who want to sell you something. As a result, you can end up with a lot of technology that will not help you to manage your knowledge. As insurance against getting started in the wrong direction, I suggest you read Working Knowledge as a first step.Davenport and Prusak have examined 39 organizations that are well above average users of their knowledge. The case histories will give you a practical sense of what works that would take you years of false steps to duplicate in your organization. Then, even more helpfully, the authors outline the key lessons of these top performers for you to follow. I especially recommend chapter 9 on The Pragmatics of Knowledge Management.Any new initiative will run into problems and fall back. A great book to read next is The Dance of Change, which focuses squarely on that issue. Any book has to narrow its focus to be successful. That focus creates a vulnerability. In this book, the vulnerability is not looking far enough ahead for more effective ways to do knowledge management that no one is yet doing. For example, the potential to share knowledge among top best practice organizations is enormous. More attention is needed here.But do buy, read, and apply the lessons of this book. It's a great place to start!

Great Introduction to KM

I found Davenport's work to be of enormous value as I begin my work in the KM area. This is the first book you should read on KM -- it is concise and provides a very good foundation. I would then highly recommend moving on to Amrit Tiwana's Knowledge Management Toolkit. It's hands-on approach was an excellent follow-up to Davenport, as it lays out specific scenarios, guidelines, and tools for implementing KM in your organization.

KEY LESSONS OF MAKING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT WORK

If you are like most people, you are a victim of "stalled" thinking about how to make knowledge transfer work better in your organization. As the authors point out, many people believe things that will not work in practice, such as "build it and they will come" from a technology resource sharing perspective that all one needs to do is have the resource available. Unlike the theory about knowledge management, Davenport and Prusak have investigated many organizations to learn what does and does not work. Unlike some books that are no more than a few case histories strung together, the authors concisely use examples to examplify the key points of what they have learned. In their parlance, this book is full of "knowledge" rather than just "information" or "data." They are also astute observers, and notice things that many might miss. A key example of their astuteness is the observation that those who are expected to share must be given some meaningful incentive to do so. In these days of downsizing, rightsizing, etc., those with knowledge often see that knowledge as a security blanket for an economic livelihood. You have to provide some incentive to share that matches or exceeds the incentive to hoard knowledge. You need to read and understand the lessons of this book if you want to get further along in using the knowledge that is available (both in and outside of your company) to achieve greater results. A terrific book on the related subject of how to create new knowledge and use that knowledge to then create much greater results is "The 2,000 Percent Solution."