Call for info about KM Tools & Solutions

Do you create, maintain, sell, implement, support tools for better KM?  If so I want to hear from you.

As part of the upcoming KM 101 course I am running for the KM Roundtable, the focus is very much on pragmatic learning and understanding what tools are available, what they can and cannot do and which problems they are best suited to solve.

I have built my own list over the years, and I am aware of both the Knowledge Bucket and the Knowledge Sharing Toolkit, but this is an area that continually evolves, so if you have or know of solutions that help in these areas, then please email me or give me a call on +61 411 797-781 for a chat.

Knowledge sharing Collaboration platforms Project asset management & coordination Decision making Workflow tools Sensemaking Social network analysis Intranets Lessons Learned databases Learning Management Systems

Document Management Record Management Knowledge Bases for Customer Support Enterprise (Federated) Search Plug-ins for Confluence & SharePoint Innovation Hubs Blogging, Podcasting, Publishing Expertise Location Competency Frameworks Dashboards, Analytics & BI Alternatives to email

I will need the following from you please:

1. Description of the solution
2. Problems it solves / potential application areas / Usual market (ie: SME, Enterprise, Gov't)
3. Simple Case Study - if available
4. Australian distributor / sales point
5. Rough pricing model
6. URL for more information
7. Product information
1. Key selling point
2. Key features
3. Extensibility and ability to connect, (ie: federated search, links to external content, etc)
4. Underlying technology requirements (ie: MS Stack?)
5. Compliance with the Australian Government Record-keeping Act.

If you are trying to get your product, tool or software in front of more eyes, then this is you chance. The course starts late November, so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

If Bill Gates were to cash out - An example of complexity

Understanding the different domains of complexity is such a powerful thing that I am constantly looking for examples I can use to explain it to newcomers.

In 2011 I wrote what has become one of my more popular posts where I described the difference to the warehouse manager of the company I was working for and Frank Connolly touched on the butterfly effect of small changes.

But as Aprill Allen says, "Knowledge is not understanding" and so I am always looking for visceral examples to help connect the dots for people, and here is one to think about:

Imagine if Bill Gates wanted to sell ALL his shares in Microsoft. How much would he get?

The simple way would be to take today's share price for MSFT and multiple by the number of shares he is selling.

Now that won't work because you need buyers.  A complicated approach will review the depth and take in to account the diminishing sale price by volume.

But of course, a sale of that many shares would take time and journalists, large funds, banks and a highly networked public will change their buying/selling behavior based on their trusted interactions, news media, advisers, available cash reserves and the general economic climate. A complex approach would probably involve a number of smaller sales to test the market, or even attempt to build sentiment before the main sale in order to maximize profit.

Just as a side note, Bill Gates is selling his stock in Microsoft.  He seems to be doing it at a predetermined and fixed rate. Perhaps he needs to read this post? :)

Of course if you really want to understand the Cynefin framework then Laurel Sutton's one day course is brilliant, and if you are in Europe then going to the source (David Snowden) is probably even better.  If you are a leader wondering how this effects your business I highly recommend David's post A Leader's Framework for Decision Making.