If we build a good IT system, or social media software, will people share knowledge naturally?
No they won’t, I am afraid. You may introduce the best IT system in the world, and the most user-friendly social media, but people will not just naturally start sharing knowledge. You need to show them how, you need to tell them why, you need to engage them in the idea that knowledge-sharing is easy and delivers value to them, you need to coach them in the processes and approaches to use, and then you have to make it part of the day job. Knowledge Management is a cultural change process, and people need to be coached through change. Investment in IT is an excellent start, and needs to be followed up with an equal, or greater, investment in coaching and training, if you are to deliver the full benefits. The need for an equal balance of people, process, technology and governance is particularly true for Knowledge Management. No single one of these factors will deliver a transformation in business results; only a holistic combination of the four. The practical outcome of this is that your
