A reflection on the meanings and nuances of "knowledge management."
The punch line: knowledge management (KM) is a mindset and process of collaboratively describing a desired future state of affairs, the required information needed to make decisions towards those desired outcomes, and the ecosystem of practices to collect, organize, and interrogate that information.
Given Assumptions
Ecosystem of Practices
KM is a thoughtful, intentional ethos surrounding practices designed to determine, unearth, and utilize significant data from a variety of sources all in service of desired outcomes. Stemming from that mindset emerges activities and digital tools aiding in the organization and evaluation of that data in order to determine next steps in the decision making cycle. Of critical importance as well is an intentional effort of evaluation across the data collection life cycle so that corrections to the practices and systems are regular occurrences by design.
If you add “robust knowledge sharing by default” to your organizational goals, pay attention to micro habits. Those habits by teammates if left unexamined and unmodified will sabotage a polished knowledge sharing workflow plan or policy. The knowledge sharing culture eats the strategy for breakfast (h/t Peter Drucker, supposedly).
The knowledge of the elders is sometimes written.
As an institutional member of a consortia of international relief and development organizations, I catalyzed the creation of a new knowledge management community of practice (CoP). While serving on the steering committee of an existing CoP, I recognized the opportunity for a new km-specific peer learning group. With support from the consortia staff, I and others invited members into the new KM CoP group in 2025. I began as the single chair of the steering committee after recruiting five committee members. I then asked one of these five to work with me as co-chair.
As a librarian and knowledge manager, the "Information Steward" moniker grew out of information organization practices in academic libraries and international development nonprofit work. Examining who I am, what I believe, and my habits in vocational environments, I now recognize a broader scope of my work.
Knowledge sharing values lived out as habits. How individuals and teams practice knowledge sharing emerges from the values and culture embraced by those individuals. Rules, processes, and expectations succeed or fail based on the energy embodied in the culture. What is the knowledge sharing culture of your team or organization? The following activities may help illuminate the root of your knowledge sharing culture.
Stewarding information across work departments and teams necessitates links, relationships, visibility, and lines of communication at the highest level of the organization. Consequently, Information Steward co-leads will report directly to the organization's leader (CEO, President, Executive Director).
What could a Knowledge Stewardship team look like? Consider the foundational elements below from which a scenario is then briefly sketched. The new model may only be achieved over the course of a few years through multiple step-wise iterations.
As Knowledge Manager at a large international development nonprofit, I developed a knowledge mobilization strategy. As part of the first knowledge management-specific team within the organization, I developed a baseline strategy for people-first knowledge sharing habits. Leading with a set of key values and principles, the strategy included critical cultural aspects alongside the tactical, technical processes for success.