Companies that isolate knowledge management in functional departments like HR or IT risk losing its benefits.
That coordination requires the leadership of the general manager. When CEOs and general managers actively choose a knowledge management approach—one that supports a clear competitive strategy—both the company and its customers benefit. When top people fail to make such a choice, both suffer. Customers may end up paying for a customized solution when a standard solution would have worked perfectly well. Or they may get paint-by-the-numbers advice when they really need help with a unique problem. Within the organization, employees will be confused about priorities. The issue will quickly become politicized, and people will battle for resources without seeing the whole picture. Only strong leadership can provide the direction a company needs to choose, implement, and overcome resistance to a new knowledge management strategy.