Communication is one of the biggest enablers for knowledge management in any organization. Your people need to know the what, where and why of the KM initiative if you want to ensure its success.
The number of methods of communication strategies have increased in leaps and bounds since we entered the age of information technology. E-mail, RSS feeds, posters, etc are just some of the methods to enable the distribution of information. The extensive use of clever visuals also aids tremendously with getting the message across. Some companies have even gone so far as to create video clips of success stories in their organization. Even something as simple as a screen saver can be a powerful tool when it comes to reaching out to your people.
If you are keen to explore methods of communication there is a list below that you can delve into in more detail when you have the time. The idea is to be an innovative as possible to ensure your message gets across.
- Meetings
- Newsletters
- Employee annual report
- Speeches
- Special events
- Mailing lists
- One-on-one interviews with prominent employees
- News releases
- Electronic releases
- Public speaking
- AV presentations
- Public meetings - bring people together, can provide competition or opposition with a platform
- Information kits - background information
- Web site postings
- Posters - highly visible for a long time, can suggest a special occasion
- Bulletin board messages
- Electronic mail messages
- Employee special events
Using a combination of some of the methods described above is a great way of spreading the word on any initiative. As we all know, one of the greatest drivers for knowledge sharing is recognition. A communications platform gives you the ability to promote employee recognition across the organization. Thereby encouraging other users to participate in the initiative.
Things to keep in mind : As with most organizations, there is a central channel by which company wide information is dispersed. In most cases via e-mail as this is the cheapest and fastest way to ensure that the information gets to everyone. The draw backs of using such a platform for your KM initiative are the fact that these “vessels” are used to send information about everything, minor and major. The end result of this is a large portion of employees don’t even bother to check it.
So, at the end of the day how do you ensure that your message isn’t lost in all the noise? If you are looking for a simple answer there isn’t one. All i can say is look at everything you send out twice, pilot it with a bunch of people who can give you an outsiders opinion, and most importantly keep your fingers crossed.