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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, fun read on the realities of KM, May 12, 2003
This review is from: The Knowledge Activist's Handbook: Adventures from the Knowledge Trenches (Paperback)
Newman has put together a very readable collection of articles and thought-pieces that express his somewhat-contrarian ideas on knowledge management. The book aims at high-level management and people who will be leading KM efforts for the good of an entire company. A major theme is that knowledge management has to be about innovation. He argues in a number of pieces that for KM to provide any value to the organization, it must enable the innovation process in all its forms. This means supporting the Creators (the idea people), the Implementors (the people who can see the value of the Creators' ideas and get them to market) and the Stabilizors (the people who keep the ship running) in the correct balance. Newman argues that knowledge management is about stability, whereas knowledge development is about dynamism. My favorite thought in the book is that having knowledge does not fix a problem, just like knowing smoking causes cancer. The organization has to have something in addition to the knowledge to make the requisite changes. Newman rails against the hijacking of the KM terminology by three "lost tribes" of infromation technology, organizational learning, and lean production. I am not sure what value this adds to the book besides providing grounds for several diatribes and funny examples of the wrong way to do KM.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Business Book of the last 10 Years!, April 18, 2003
This review is from: The Knowledge Activist's Handbook: Adventures from the Knowledge Trenches (Paperback)
Since the mid 90's, CONSULTANTS (from a strategy and/or implementation perspective) have been attempting to explain a product/solution/offering called "Knowledge Management" (KM) to CORPORATIONS. It took 10 years, but someone has finally written a practical, yet breakthrough, "handbook" on the subject of KM. There have been volumes written about the topic (publications, seminars, thinktanks, products, etc.), but Victor Newman is the first to "Break it All Down" and apply this high-level concept to the real world. To do this, he has broken all the rules. The book is intentionally short (167 pages). The chapters are short (2-5 pages). He pokes fun at the academics who theorize KM, but also the consultants who pitch it, and the corporations who want to implement it. Through the use of concise (and very humorous) chapters, rounded with historical context and real-life stories from the business world, he paints a picture of how to use Knowledge for increasing the value of any business. A few favorite passages:
"Ultimately, if your addiction is to technology you are in for a bumpy ride. If your addiction is to the creation and delivery of value, you just might get what you want." "If you want to understand how organizations manage their knowledge, look at the way they manage projects. If they don't capture the lessons and integrate them into their processes and behaviors, then they don't understand knowledge management." You must read this book, whether you are a consultant, academic, or corporate employee with a desire to attain the status of "knowledge activist".
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Business book I've read in 10 years, April 18, 2003
This review is from: The Knowledge Activist's Handbook: Adventures from the Knowledge Trenches (Paperback)
Since the mid 90's, CONSULTANTS (from a strategy and/or implementation perspective) have been attempting to explain a product/solution/offering called "Knowledge Management" (KM) to CORPORATIONS. It took 10 years, but someone has finally written a practical, yet breakthrough, "handbook" on the subject of KM. There have been volumes of time (and energy) devoted to this topic (publications, seminars, thinktanks, products, etc.), but Victor Newman is the first to "Break it All Down" and apply this high-level concept to the real world. To do this, he has broken ALL the rules. The book is intentionally short (167 pages). The chapters are short (2-5 pages). He pokes fun at the academics who theorize KM, but also the consultants who pitch it, and the corporations who want to implement it. Through the use of concise (and very humorous) chapters, rounded with historical context and real-life stories from the business world, he paints a picture of how to use Knowledge for increasing the value of any business. A few favorite passages:
"Ultimately, if your addiction is to technology you are in for a bumpy ride. If your addiction is to the creation and delivery of value, you just might get what you want." "If you want to understand how organizations manage their knowledge, look at the way they manage projects. If they don't capture the lessons and integrate them into their processes and behaviors, they don't understand knowledge management." You must read this book, whether you are a consultant, academic, or corporate employee with a desire to attain the status of "knowledge activist".
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