DoD KM: A Fish Out of Water?

It is hard for me to believe that I read and commented on John Bordeaux’s “The Day DoD KM Died” blog post 3 years ago – hard to believe that 3 years has gone by so fast and hard to see that we are still struggling with knowledge management in the Department of Defense.  My opinion about his post is sadly no different today than it was 3 years ago which seriously bums me out.  I thought I might reread it and discover that my mind had changed, that our situation had changed for the better, but I find myself coming to the same conclusions Dr. Bordeaux did then: We simply continue to miss the mark in KM inside the DoD, and it’s entirely our own fault.  The structure of the DoD and the way we respond to it continue to hold us back.  On the bright side, we may not be able to change the structure of the DoD, but we CAN change how we ‘respond’ to it.  Let me explain.

Currently in the DoD, our community of knowledge managers and our leadership still cannot agree on what the REAL work of knowledge managers is, where this work needs to be done, what our function really is, and how to actually DO it effectively.  Instead, some of us march on as though having a good portal, whatever the flavor, means we are evolved beings who, because of “a tool” magically know how to manage and share knowledge.  Some believe if we could ONLY have taxonomies and naming conventions in place that we will crack the code on knowledge management and develop into “learning organizations”.  Still others continue to talk about Web site and share drive overhauls as if they are new innovations in our field.  The list of outdated, singular approaches to KM go on and on.  Before you get ready to pounce on my bluntness, let me say there is nothing wrong with ANY of these things – in fact, applied ”locally” in certain situations they can be extraordinarily helpful – but these things alone will not lead to an enterprise DoD level success with KM, nor are they representative of what knowledge management is, or should be today.  Those who STOP their journey at the end of the technology and taxonomy fence line are destined never to know how knowledge management could really change and strengthen our organizations in systemic and profound ways.

A big issue we continue to struggle with as Dr. Bordeaux implies is that we want to place a structure on something that quite frankly doesn’t do well shoved into a “code” in an org chart so it can be managed from above and made into nice ‘fit rep’ sized bullets.  “Is it a 6 function? A Chief of Staff function? A 3 function?*” Why do we have to answer that question at all (okay money, requirements, yes, I know – but can we not operate out of the box?) Done right, KM, and those who steward its integration in an organization, should be like water flowing through that organization freely but with purpose. Instead, we insist upon trying to be “equal” to everyone else.  We fight to be FISH in the fish bowls that are our organizations, and this is where that level of effort continues to take us:

When Dr. Bordeaux sat through the meeting he mentioned in his blog post, I imagine it was like watching KM flop around on the floor like a fish out of water while people stood around debating ad nauseam over how, when and why to lift it off the floor, about the qualifications of the person who might potentially lift it off the floor, and deciding who should write the point papers about the pros and cons of putting it back into the water.  Painful, pointless and focused on making KM “a BIG fish” so it had a presence.  3 years later, we still fail to see that KM and knowledge managers have a presence that is most effective not when we are in FRONT of or ABOVE people, but when we are all around them.

This is where we run into trouble in the DoD.  Some of you right now are probably gagging at my new age view of knowledge management flowing through and around not above or below us, but quite honestly that’s when knowledge managers and knowledge management principles are working at their best.  The problem in the DoD, however, is that we’re a top down, hierarchical organization that not only believes in but needs to preserve the order of command and control – everyone reports to someone.  Someone must be above, someone below. Someone needs to be in CHARGE.

But can anyone truly be “in charge” of knowledge management which, today, should focus more on the hard, organization wide, ”gray” cultural and behavioral changes vice seemingly easier “black and white” technical implementations?  Can someone “direct” sustainable change when our organizations are in a constant state of personnel turnover and ‘knowledge in, knowledge out’?  Will we not forever be more successful if we work with the fish supporting their grassroots changes so we can help weave them through our organizations in order to make them “systemic”? If so, CAN KM SURVIVE LIKE THAT IN THE DoD and, when it comes to affecting the enterprise, is DoD KM a fish out of water?

What do you think? 

*For those not familiar with the 6, 3 references, these are codes for departments or directorates that typically are the IT folks (in the Navy it’s N6, in the Army it’s G6) and the Operations folks (in the Navy N3, Army G3). The Chief of Staff has a code that is typically either N01 or N02. The Commander is always double zero (N00 for Navy).

The Value of Gathering the Tribe

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB

In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I worked as a caterer at Ortega Dining Commons.  Catering is not at all an easy job – in fact it’s fairly strenuous work.  To the outside observer, we spent a good half hour, more or less, standing behind a table in long-sleeved, white collared shirts, black bow ties and black pants, enjoying the summer sun, smiling and “showcasing” (not pointing), restocking coffee creamers and making sure the aervoids of coffee stayed full.  Sounds pretty cush, but it took a lot of hustle to set up even the smallest venue, and once the event was over, we spent hours breaking down and putting away the equipment, driving it back to the dining hall and washing, scrubbing and preparing things for the next event.  Those catering set ups were such a pain, but it was better than being indoors serving food to the high school kids who were there attending cheer camp (no, the brownies and the ranch dressing are not fat free, but sure, keep eating them like they are…)

Collaboration

One of our regular coffee break gigs was outside the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics – a mecca of sorts for physicists and big brains like Stephen Hawking (who I once sat next to at lunch at the University Center, but that’s another story).  It was during their coffee breaks that I had the most fun observing people, and seeing what I might now, as a knowledge manager, refer to as a tribe or community of practice in action.  There they were, a group of great scientific minds, finally on a break in beautiful Santa Barbara on an outdoor patio, taking a breather from their “theorizing” and what did they do? Talk about the kids? Sports? Other things they like to do?  Why no — they spent all break, every break, talking about physics.  And not just talking about it, but drawing diagrams on napkins and even table cloths, practically jumping up and down, arms raised, voices getting louder, LOVING to discuss with one another the new discoveries in their discipline and their theories on theories.

Some of you might laugh and throw in a nerd joke or two, but I don’t attribute their lack of ‘personal’ conversations to a lack of social skills.  Instead, I credit it to their love for what they do and their excitement over being around other like minded individuals.  They thrived when they were among members of their ‘tribe’ and they generated idea after idea for ‘formulas’ and experiments.  It was amazing to see them in action.

The value of gathering a tribe can be understated or OVER cut, spending wise, by those who do not see the potential rewards for bringing together experts that are passionate about what they do or the power of their ideas amplified and then applied as outcomes of such events.  Last week’s Pacific Fleet Knowledge Management Conference was the third we’ve hosted to date and though our crowd continues to dwindle (thanks to aforementioned cuts in spending), the ideas and energy refuse to die.  Many of us work independently, which can be difficult for a group of “people” people, and coming together renewed our sense of purpose, restoked the fires that were fizzling out due to our budget problems and the constant lack of understanding about knowledge management we contend with daily.  It reunited us as a tribe and allowed us to set our ways ahead for this fiscal year and the next.

Click to view the Commander's Opening Remarks Video as shown at PACFLT KMC 2011

We will be posting our conference proceedings (available from government networks only) this week and next, but our notes simply will not capture the true value of what we gained as professionals, and what our organizations stand to gain from the event – vision, a network of experts, a team mentality, know-how, excitement, and a renewed DRIVE to do great things.  I plan to share more thoughts and highlights from the conference over the next few weeks here, but I will leave you with the first of two inspiring keynotes that were delivered (Virtually! Oh yes, we saved money, America!).  Here is Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command sharing his thoughts on the WHY of knowledge management.  Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3uukc_XOVoDZjA0ZTk3MDctOGQ5NS00ZTcxLThmNjEtZDg1NmUwMTRlMjdj&hl=en_US&pli=1

Tags: Adm. Robert Willard, collaboration, PACFLT KMC, Pacific Fleet, Tribes

The Teachable Moment

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to sit with Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, as he recorded a brief message that will serve as the ’opener’ for the 3rd Annual U.S. Pacific Fleet Knowledge Management Conference next month here in Pearl Harbor.  I continue to be amazed at how well perfected his public speaking techniques are, and at his ability to fully understand the value of knowledge management as it relates to how the military does business.  With no notes and no written remarks in hand, he delivered a direct and well formed message that challenges leaders in the Pacific AOR across ALL services to embrace knowledge management and engage the professionals that have been assigned to support them in the effort to organize information for decision making and command and control.

From the Commander's Opening Remarks Video to be shown at PACFLT KMC 2011

I have worked with Admiral Willard for 4 years now, and am continuously humbled by the words he shares about our experiences while working together when he served as the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet.  I am really proud of the work my team has done to support him and advance his vision from a knowledge management perspective, and I appreciate him making mention of the work I did as his KMO. Occassionally, however, I notice that some people tend to focus on the fact that his remarks are about “me” and they don’t focus enough on understanding WHY he chooses to make those remarks and what they teach us about leveraging what APQC’s Dr. Carla O’Dell and Cindy Hubert in their book, The New Edge in Knowledge, call “teachable moments” .

As most professional knowledge managers know, you can’t just walk up to people and easily explain, let alone “sell” them on KM.  While KM is a simple concept, getting people to understand how it applies to what they do, whether they are a second class petty officer or a four star admiral, is tough business.  I would offer to you that what made my experience working with Admiral Willard so mutually effective and beneficial, and why he is now such a strong supporter of KM, is that we happened to cross paths during ‘teachable moments’.  His receptiveness to what I was saying, I believe, was an effect of his frustration after spending several months trying to communicate a vision for how he needed information displayed that others had a difficult time understanding.  My ability to understand what he needed was a result of being present in his meetings and actively listening to what he said after I hit a wall trying to determine why KM mattered in the Fleet.  He had a WHAT needed to be done and a WHY, and I had a HOW. 

The intersection of our efforts and our interactions were not accidents or just “good timing”.  We were both very purposeful in our attempts to learn about what the other did professionally and in discovering how joining forces in a way could benefit us both and benefit the organization as a whole.  It is hard for me to believe that someone so accomplished and in such a senior position could learn anything from me, but by his own account, he did.  The experience taught me that, no matter how junior or senior, individuals will understand and value KM if it is offered to them at teachable moments in the right way, at the right time, and if its principles suit their particular needs.  

Teachable moments occur all the time, and now that I understand that, recognizing them is a skill I work on developing daily.  By my observations, leaders at all levels are often most receptive to learning when they are between duties, when they are about to leave a position or have left a position of command. Most are reflective about what they did in their last jobs, what could have been done better, and how they can improve in their next assignments.  People in general are also primed for teachable moments when something is painful to them, when they are frustrated by something they know needs to be changed, and when they have failed and accepted responsibility for their own failures.  All of these are moments knowledge managers can leverage, not only as opportunities to impart our expertise and our services, but as opportunities to learn about PEOPLE.  So much of our ability to succeed in this business can rest on “personality”, and the more you understand how to tune your personality into the needs of others, the more you will be able to take advantage of teachable moments and make progress in your KM initiatives and in advancing your organization.

When are YOU most open to learning?  What was your own last “teachable moment”?

Tags: Adm. Robert Willard, APQC, Cindy Hubert, Dr. Carla O'Dell, knowledge management, Pacific Fleet, PACOM, people, teachable moments