The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/67910
The Path to Becoming a Knowledge Organization Create a Culture of Knowledge- Sharing The knowledge-based organization is a place that needs to be thoughtfully managed. When firms share common values and mentor and coach well, the firm's culture becomes tightly woven across offices and practices. When firms are meticulous about socializing new associates, their values emerge in all areas of the firm, including recruiting practices, social events, written correspondence, training and so on. According to "When Professionals Have to Lead," "Professional service firms with these kinds of cultures tend to be faster-paced, more tightly knit and more intellectually vibrant than their competitors." Systemic practices that must be woven into the fabric of the firm include continuous improvement of everything it does, learning to exploit what it knows and learning to innovate — three classic KM service offerings. Without the three practices, Drucker points out that "a modern firm will very soon find itself obsolete, losing performance capacity, and with it the ability to attract and hold the knowledge specialists on whom it depends." The Future Is Bright A future of extravagant technology may appear to solve our problems, but technology alone does not make the law firm, people do. People are at the center of our universe, and by guiding them through the cascade of upcoming changes, we can better construct support systems. In the year 2020, there will be many opportunities to take advantage of new technologies, economic markets, and hyperconnectivity, but we must realize the importance of changing our professional practices with the times. Keeping up with the speed of technology will be challenging, but the hardest work will be to incite professionals to expand their mindset to include the full dimensions of a new knowledge economy and to realize yet unimagined benefits of sharing and leveraging knowledge from within and outside the firm. The beneficiaries will be our clients and the profession itself. It's not enough to leave professionals to their own traditional means of conducting business. New knowledge-sharing methods and technologies must be introduced to strengthen and facilitate natural professional inclinations. Only then, when the efforts of one help the many, will we have a chance of maintaining sustainable competitive advantages. Knowledge-sharing must be voluntary, it cannot be forced. Knowledge management (KM) is the systematic practice of creating, storing, combining, distributing and internalizing meaningful information. The ultimate business objectives of KM are to create sustainable competitive advantages and stimulate revenue generation. KM, like IT, strives to liberate information from bottled- up sources in new and meaningful ways. Knowledge is inside the minds of people. It is expressed through actions, processes, end products and services. Knowledge-sharing must be voluntary, it cannot be forced. We always know more than we can say, and we will always say more than we can write down. Linking people is more important than codifying artifacts — the more they get together with a deliberate plan to solve a problem, advance an agenda or strategize, the more new knowledge is created. As described in "Managing Flow: A Process Theory of the Knowledge-Based Form," "It is the deliberate creation of strategic communities with clients, vendors, and associates worldwide that leverages the organization to accomplish great feats." Hector Cruz, former IT director of Harness Dickey & Pierce and former CIO of Clark Hill, has 15 years of experience automating law firm practices while leading and developing IT personnel. He has extensive know-how in IT management, document management, SharePoint portal and extranet designs, and knowledge management practices. Hector spent five years in ILTA volunteer leadership roles as the Great Lakes regional vice president and Detroit city representative. He can be reached at hector@cruzz.com. Peer to Peer 61