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Think Globally, Share Locally
By Jodi Santamaria
Beginning next week, the Fort Monmouth community will start to see posters asking them to "Think Globally, Share Locally." This twist on the environmental credo is being used to create awareness for the new CECOM Knowledge Center and the updated versions of the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communication Systems Tactical (PEO C3T) and PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare Sensors (IEWS) Knowledge Centers, coming in May 2002.
Representatives from each CECOM organization have joined and expanded the existing Knowledge Center Consortium to one that now encompasses CECOM, PEO C3T and PEO IEWS for a truly Team C4IEWS perspective on Knowledge Management (KM). This larger consortium approved the "Think Globally, Share Locally" slogan at a recent meeting because it best describes the KM strategy taking form, and the cultural change required in their offices worldwide.
If you were not already aware, on August 8, 2001, Army Chief of Staff Shinseki and Secretary White provided the creative impetus behind the Army's KM transformation with a single memo. They called for a wide-reaching Army conversion into "a Network-Centric, Knowledge Based Force." Each of the five Army-level goals called out in the memo has translated into an action taken locally. Most recently, a CECOM Knowledge Center is in development to complement the Knowledge Centers already used by PEO C3T and PEO IEWS. This effort was spearheaded and endorsed by MG William Russ, who signed a Team C4IEWS Knowledge Center Consortium Agreement along with BG Michael Mazzucchi and Mr. Edward Bair on March 26, 2002.
What Does it Mean?
"Think Globally" refers to the command's desire to include all of CECOM in the KM efforts. "Share Locally" refers to capabilities within the Knowledge Center. Briefings, information papers, etc. that Knowledge Center users can post locally to the CECOM Knowledge Center may be shared with CECOM employees worldwide. The portal establishes a collaborative work environment through instant messaging and online team and project management tools that will allow users to share information with other users despite their disparate physical locations. Next door or around the world, Knowledge Center users can stay connected.
What is Knowledge Management?
KM has been used by industry for a number of years to capture and maintain the key pieces of information that are crucial to their survival. Similarly, the Army finds KM vital to its future success, especially with the anticipated shortage within the acquisition workforce due to planned retirements over the next five years.
Within KM, there are two general types of knowledge: explicit and tacit. Explicit is information that can be asked, answered and shared effectively through electronic means, such as a Knowledge Center. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and information papers that stand-alone fall into this category.
On the opposite end of the knowledge spectrum is tacit knowledge, which is tied to the experience of the owner. For example, if an employee is seeking information on the budget process, they can now access expert advice in a few ways through the Knowledge Center. First, they can read the answers to a number of questions asked and answered in advance by a trusted budget expert through an interview process. Second, they can submit an "Ask the Expert" question, for the answers to more pointed questions as they arise. Or, lastly, they can browse through a listing of subject matter experts in this field and contact them through the Support Center or directly through phone, e-mail or instant messaging (using the Sametime application) for an immediate response. Each of these methods allows the user to benefit from the expert's experience, learned throughout his or her career. Likewise, the user's expertise gained over time within their domain can be offered to the rest of the community so together the whole of CECOM can become more than just the sum of its parts-a knowledge enterprise.
As depicted in the "Army Knowledge Management (AKM) Strategic Plan for an Agile Force," AKM framework (Figure 1) is comprised of the infostructure, intellectual capital and change catalysts necessary to create "an enterprise that constantly learns and shares experiences, insights, and expertise. In other words, the framework embeds knowledge management into daily processes and operations of The Army" … and, the result will be a more agile force.
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