Starting from the need to make knowledge management [KM] a core of some other function [e.g. HR] people on Tom’s events have suggested going further and linking KM to business processes to technology etc. Good principles, but three challenges to making it a reality- the concepts are abstract, the relationships unkown, and the list incomplete [what about capabilities, resources and finance?] .. precisely the challenge for which I hope strategy dynamics offers a way forward.

Thorsten Huebschen of Microsoft admits we are still not at the point people can instantly find what they want – even inside M’soft! Also, they are working to find ways of capturing information from the ‘long tail’ of people who know small but potentially very valuable information. ['long tail' as originally used refers to very low-volume products in an extensive product range, but I get what he means]

A bit of a disagreement, though – Philip Evans snr VP with BCG offered that customers can tell you what they want, so it’s important to be close to them … but this morning’s speaker, head of Innovation at Deutsche Telecom emphasised that customers often have no idea what they want or what they would do with it until it is actually available. A big, big issue in info-coms of course, but also true at a less intense level in slower-moving markets.