To those interested in the discussion about Knowledge Management as a
fad, I suggest that you don't overlook an article in today's Wall Street
Journal. It has some interesting examples to add to the discussion.
"Learning Gurus Adapt to Escape Corporate Axes", Wall Street Journal,
Tuesday, January 7, 2003, pp. B1, B4, by David Pringle. (The
follow-on title to the story is "Chief Knowledge Officers Adapt To
Remain Relevant, Employed")
A few excerpts from the article:
"Where have all the CLOs and CKOs gone? A corporate phenomenon in the
late 1990s, chief knowledge officers, also called chief learning
officers, popped up at companies like Pfizer Inc, Coca-Cola... Then
came the collapsing stock market, corporate belt-tightening... which
prompted many companies to scrap knowledge-management posts."
Steve Andriole, as quoted in the article: "CKOs are like a vitamin
pill. They make you feel good, but in a bear market the only thing that
really sells is painkillers." He was also quoted as estimating that
more than 25% of Fortune 500 companies had CKOs at the height of the
knowledge management boom, but fewer than 20% do now.
The article gives a few examples of how some CKOs have survived by
distancing themselves from the knowledge management "craze" while still
using the concepts of knowledge management. One CKO states that he will
will not abandon knowledge management, which he considers to be common
sense, but that he will not call it "knowledge management." The article
also gives a couple of examples of companies, such as Whirlpool, that
still overtly use the knowledge management label.
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Shane J. Schvaneveldt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management
Goddard School of Business and Economics
Weber State University
3802 University Circle
Ogden, Utah 84408-3802 USA