IBM And Lotus Launch Institute For Knowledge Management
Lotus Development Corp. (Cambridge, MA), and IBM Corp. (Armonk, NY), have formed the Institute for Knowledge Management (IKM), a commercial research consortium open to corporations of all sizes. IKM members will work with experts from Lotus, IBM, and leading academic institutions to conduct applied research on creating and deploying successful knowledge-management solutions.
Chris Newell, director of the Lotus Institute and one of the IKM directors, announced the formation of the IKM on Jan. 19, 1999, at Lotusphere99 (Orlando, FL), Lotus' annual conference for customers and business partners. The IKM was formed in response to the dramatic rise in interest among IT executives in mastering strategies for capitalizing on the knowledge bases within their organizations.
Initial IKM research is focused on identifying ways of encouraging innovation, customer knowledge, and expertise management. The institute's research will also explore ways of optimizing the interactions of teams and communities and identify effective technologies for knowledge management.
IKM's specific research agenda will be set by executives representing its corporate membership. Full IKM membership is available for an annual fee of $75,000; associate memberships are available for an annual fee of $25,000. Full members participate in the IKM executive steering committee and all research studies, help set research direction, and establish special interest groups. Associate members receive all IKM research results but do not attend general or special interest meetings.
Corporate members will participate in the ongoing research as sponsors, test-site hosts, and reviewers. They will receive IKM research reports, access the IKM compendium of knowledge management experience, and collaborate with fellow members on knowledge-management issues and developments.
Initial IKM corporate membership includes such companies as General Motors, Xerox, Buckman Laboratories, and The World Bank. Academic institutions with which the IKM shares its research include Boston University, Stanford University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, The Brookings Institute, University of Texas, and Theseus in France.
In addition to Newell, IKM is managed by Laurence Prusak, managing principal at the IBM Consulting Group in Boston; and David Smith, a knowledge-management consultant in IBM Global Services. The IBM executive sponsor of the IKM is Michael Zisman, Lotus' executive VP of strategy and VP of strategy for the IBM Software Group.
"In the emerging economy, a firm's only sustainable advantage is its ability to leverage and utilize its knowledge. But there has been a distinct shortage of knowledge-management research and resources available to corporate IT executives to date," Prusak says. "While many technology tools and product sets have emerged for knowledge management, basic prerequisites to successful implementations have often been overlooked, including fundamental first steps such as analyzing social context and setting a sound knowledge strategy."
The IKM is a joint Lotus/IBM effort that will draw on expertise from multiple groups including the Thomas J. Watson Labs, the Lotus Institute, Lotus Professional Services, IBM Global Services, IBM Software Services, the IBM Advanced Business Institute, and IBM Global Business Information Systems.
The first IKM seminar, which is open to those interested in potential membership, will be held Jan. 28-29 at the IBM Executive Conference Center (Palisades, NY). The seminar is designed to introduce attendees to IKM programs and research strategies.
For more information on either the seminar or the IKM, call 781-895-2385 or e-mail sdfox@us.ibm.com.