Creating "buy-in" for KM solutions in your association
Posted by Cindy Farris Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:10:00 GMT
Just because you offer awesome KM solutions, it does not mean that your members and staff will use them. To make your association’s KM initiatives successful you will need to get “buy-in” or support both externally and internally.
Approach for Building Member “Buy-In”
- Ye old knowledge management proverb “tell me, I forget; show me, I remember; Involve me, I understand” source: The Power of Six Sigma by Subir Chowdhury
- Use your SME’s and focus groups as champions of your KM solutions. Have them participate in your needs assessments and give them periodic updates on the progression of your development. Make them feel like they are part of the development team.
- Include SME’s, focus group participants, BOD in your tool testing. Let them be the first ones to try out new KM tools. Champions are a great resource for getting the word out when something excites them. They also like being the first to know about something new.
- Ask for input from your testers on the value and usability of your KM solutions. Their input can be invaluable in developing a user friendly tool that members will find helpful. Being involved gives them the opportunity to truly understand the process of becoming a learning organization.
- As the ye old KM proverb states “involve me; I understand.” This applies to staff as well as members.
- Encourage staff to get involved with KM projects for members. Use them for product testing and conduct “train the trainer” sessions with them so that they are able to show members how to get maximum value out of the tool.
- Find internal areas within your association that would benefit from KM and encourage staff to develop solutions. These activities could include finding ways to automate a manual process and documenting the new process for other staff members to use or creating a FAQ to help staff better answer complex member questions.
- Consider reward or incentive programs to spark the staff member’s “creative juices.” Encourage them to create new ways to get members excited about the value added KM tools that you’ll be offering to members. Everyone likes to be “cutting edge.”