Eddie has been the major stakeholder championing their knowledge management journey, and they have been on the radar, with Eddie having received an award for Visionary Knowledge Leadership at the 5th Global Emerging Knowledge Organisation (GEKO) last year. The GEKO award provides recognition for organisations that adopt a structured roadmap to pioneer, sustain and innovate the practice of knowledge management.

An established discipline(1) since 1991, knowledge management is recognition that data is not the same as knowledge and likewise, that knowledge does not equal wisdom. Knowledge management is about a having a structured approach and methodology for the capture of data, how we make sense of it, the manner in which we distill key insights and how we ensure that the insights gained can be shared across the enterprise in the manner intended.

What we do know is that there is a huge body of knowledge and insight out there in the practice of knowledge management. It would be very easy to get caught up in the whole management and processes associated with making it a reality at your outfit that you get caught up in doing the work needed, but not necessarily achieving the result. The thing to keep in mind is that knowledge management is not an end unto itself. The results you’re after are important. And what might you argue, are the end results one would typically be after?

According to Eddie, he is looking for satisfied clients and happy employees. He is looking for a sharing learning environment where mistakes are not an opportunity for management to find a scapegoat and point fingers but rather, a chance for all to learn and grow from the incident. A structured approach in managing issues and responding to clients would mean that anyone in the general hierarchy of things could be proactive, would realise the benefits of such an approach and see results from doing what all would agree would be the right thing to do.

Eddie had tea with a business colleague recently at a reputable high-end hotel in the city. He ordered a particular type of tea which never arrived. On checking some time after, the server then informed him that they didn’t have the particular tea he requested. No substitutes were offered. The guest he was with who ordered a drink that they did have, was also not served. The whole tea episode led to confusion and the end result was that Eddie and guest left, unimpressed with the service they received. If diagnosed properly, where is the story-telling here?

What you would want as an employer of this particular server, is for the server to come forward. You would be looking for him to be honest enough to let you know that firstly, he didn’t have the tea and didn’t tell the guest that. Secondly, that he didn’t see fit to offer alternatives. If you had a server who was willing to come forward like this, and you could document and share this, you would be able to point to the specifics of where it went wrong. More importantly, you would have a shared sense of what needs to be accomplished using a real-world example that your peers and subordinates could relate to, understand and could agreed on. You would be relying heavily on the server seeing the value in coming clean on his actions as his line manager may or may not be aware of the situation.

The problem most employers would face however, is that the server would fail to come forward for a variety of reasons, from fear of reprimand, uncertainty as to the consequences through to ridicule. Understanding how to get your workforce to think about the value of sharing and how the rest of the organisation may benefit from his learning experience is far from clear. There is also a gap between knowing what needs to be done and actually executing this. Realisation of the impact of positive action at these touchpoints however, can be positively phenomenal.

This hotel group has of late, embarked on two particular criteria in training and development, one of which is the area of knowledge management. Avoiding an ad-hoc approach, the hotel decided to engage JT Frank, a specialist in this field. The Dorsett Regency Hotel Kuala Lumpur therefore became the pilot project in the hotel group.

“Our focus is not so much on six sigma black or green belts but on knowledge management. We signed up with JT Frank for all the hotels in the group. Due to the size of this particular investment, we’ve rolled this out for the Heads of Department at present with the aim that the managers can then develop a programme to be instituted at the levels below,” Eddie explained.

The plan is for them to take a year to institute this with regular audits by JT Frank and with the placement of champions in all hotels. Phase two would involve bringing this to the next level of leaders and executives.

The initial aim Dorsett had for embracing knowledge management was more to enhance service levels of the staff and it was essentially how the practice was introduced within the group. There are four particular areas the hotel has focused on namely, knowledge development, knowledge sharing, knowledge preservation and knowledge innovation. As Eddie explained, “Like six sigma, knowledge management is a tool to enhance your ability and your judgment in working out the things you need to manage. The most important thing is the mindset’.

Eddie clarifies that you run the programme to enhance the bottom line, not to catch people out. You are effectively looking at a tripartite relationship between a guest, an employee and an employer. An employee well-taken cared of by his employer passes that same level of service and care, on to his guest or client. Therefore, an employer who takes active care of his employees benefits not only from the employee engagement angle but also in terms of their client care.

Driving a change of mindset in self or in others is no mean feat. The first step in getting a change of mindset amongst your workforce could start with something as simple as the rewards system. Use rewards as your motivator. Oftentimes, rewards seem to be the most effective way. But just as well is a pat on the back – recognition works wonders for anyone’s sense of self. Eddie also talked about the voice of the employee. A banquet manager who takes the time to share his views on how a particular function space could be spruced up would be absolutely delighted to find that he has not only been heard but that his suggestions are being put to work. The employee sees that he has made an impact.

But a change of mindset is not the only thing to consider.There are little nuances at play here, for example, the cultural aspects that need to be factored in, when considering how knowledge and insight may be shared and how mindsets are changed. At the risk of generalisation, the Asian culture, as compared to the West, is far more deferential and in the work environment, there is emphasis placed on respect and authority. A thing seemingly simple like cross-sharing information for the purposes of group learning, may not achieve the intended results when viewed through the cultural aspects at play.

However, despite the apparent hurdles in making knowledge and insight sharing across the enterprise a reality, the gains are well worth the time and effort invested and results are immeasurable. This is something the human resources team need to be cognisant of when considering their level of involvement in any knowledge management endeavour.

(1) Nonaka, Ikujiro (1991)."The knowledge creating company". Harvard Business Review 69 (6 Nov-Dec): 96–104.