Knowledge and Knowledge Management at Accenture

Knowledge and Knowledge Management at Accenture

Why Knowledge and Knowledge Transfer? 2. Accenture. 3. What Are We Managing?

Prof Services Advertising Pharmaceuticals Software/Electronics Clothing Consumer Products Industrial Knowledge • The Cobbler • The Farmer Agricultural The Knowledge Economy... Capital Changing Values - Three Economies Labor Intellect • New basis of competition --- routinization matters less than rapid learning. • New basis for management – not looking for compliance but innovation. • New basis for offerings – not more product but value added through knowledge Land Land

Organizations are looking to leverage their knowledge in the form of adding value-added services to their products GE integrated into the airlines’ value chain and found more and more things to do Source: Corporate Strategy Board, 2001

Responsiveness by giving people access to the information they need when they need it, they can solve customer problems more quickly, make better decisions faster, and respond more effectively to changing market conditions. Improving an organization’s ability to manage knowledge can positively impact a number of factors

Innovation by finding and nurturing new ideas, bringing people together in "virtual“ development teams, creating forums for brainstorming and collaboration. Improving an organization’s ability to manage knowledge can positively impact a number of factors

Efficiency by capturing and sharing best practices and other reusable knowledge assets organizations can shorten cycle times and minimize duplication of effort. Improving an organization’s ability to manage knowledge can positively impact a number of factors

Class Discussion Questions • Accenture is an early mover and a classic example of a data-base oriented approach to KM. • Count off to five and give me a few minutes of thought on the below. • Team 1. What benefits does accenture hope to get from KM (innovation, efficiency and effectiveness)? Give an example. • Team 2. In the vignette on page 2-3, what was the issue and how did it get solved? • Team 3. How does knowledge exchange help? What is it composed of and what does it do? • Team 4. Knowledge Management Roles? How many? What do they do? • Team 5. Challenges going forward and problems with posed solutions.

Knowledge Xchange at Accenture Contents • Core Methodologies. • Best Practices/Reusable Work Products. • Discussion Databases. • External Info. Challenges • 3,000 databases (5-65,000 records in each). • How do you find things (e.g. search engines, agents)? What does this assume? • How do you organize things? • Several hundred servers for 35,000 users. • How do they maintain quality in the system? • Formally: Pre-filtering by experts. • Informally: People rely on networks. • Do you assign knowledge managers to each team?

Knowledge Roles at Accenture Supporting Organizational Infrastructure • CIO organization • Create global Lotus Notes applications • Set standards for contribution format, structure and location. • Over 200 full-time knowledge managers. • Sponsors – Partners responsible for creation & maintenance. • Knowledge Integrators – Content specialists. • Knowledge Base Admins – Administrative and technical D-base work.

Were They Successful? (A Vote)

We all have too much information to be efficient, responsive or innovative

Knowledge Is Complex and Multi-DimensionalExplicit and Tacit Knowledge

Give me three minutes of thought on the following question: With a year under your belt, you have learned a lot about what it takes to succeed here at McIntire. In particular, you learned a lot last year about getting internships and jobs. Rather than let the incoming class re-learn these lessons, you have decided to share your collective wisdom to save them grief. Your job is to identify what you have to know to be successful in an interview. Think broadly and create a list of 8 items for me in the following format: So why not just dump ideas into databases? Exactly what knowledge do these third years need? How can you get this to them? Company Facts…… Build a Database……

Types of Knowledge in Interviewing EXPLICIT TACIT • Company Facts • Current Events • Personal Values • Creative Solutions Know What (Know the rules of tennis) • Problem Solving • Financial Calculations • Interpersonal Skills • Sense an Interviewer Know How (Know how to play tennis)

EXPLICIT TACIT Documents Databases Reports Dialogue Conversation Mentoring • Facts • Ideas • Theories • Intuition • Beliefs • Values Know What • Routines • Procedures • Instructions • Expertise • Instincts • Informal Practices Manuals Engineering Methods Experience Apprenticeships Coaching Know How Types of Knowledge

Lack of Trust Different Cultures, Vocabularies and Frames of Reference Lack of Time and Physical Space Status and Rewards Go To Knowledge Owners Lack of Absorptive Capacity Belief That Knowledge Work Occurs Only in Certain Groups and NIH Intolerance for Mistakes Build through face to face. Create common ground through education, discussion, rotation. Create time and places: Fairs, Brown Bags, etc. Incent to Share Educate/hire for learning Encourage non-hierarchical approach to ideas/knowledge Accept and reward creative errors Knowledge Transfer(From Working Knowledge) Frictions Solutions

Information Versus Knowledge in Retail Banking

General Case Questions: McKINSEYCome Prepared to Discuss • What strategically differentiates McKinsey? How does KM (repositories, collaborative technologies and employee development) play into this? • What does the policy that McKinsey not accept routine assignments do for them strategically and organizationally (e.g., 1945 engagement guide & 1971 Commission on Firm’s Goals)? • What were the key elements of the knowledge management project launched in 1987? • Be prepared to discuss the Jeff Peters vignette. Specifically, how did he solve his problem? • What challenges does McKinsey face as evidenced in the case and vignettes?

Knowledge and Knowledge Management at Accenture