Last Update
22 October 2003
11 September 2001
Lead story 6 November 2001
In his article Performance Support Engineering: Building Performance-Centered Web-Based Systems, Information Systems, and Knowledge Management Systems in the 21st Century, EPSS pioneer Barry Raybould says, "Only by having a performance-centered interface built on to the knowledge base is the knowledge rendered useful to achieving business goals." Since performance support is a confluence of disciplines, one should consult the knowledge management experts on Barry's opinion. Consider KM guru Yogesh Malhotra, who says (in Knowledge Management and Virtual Organizations) that there are three essential Knowledge Management myths:
Myth #1: KM can deliver the right information to the right people at the right timeMyth #2: KM systems can store human intelligence and experienceMyth #3: KM technologies can distribute human intelligenceMalhotra's context is business model innovation. How can you, for example, deliver the right information to the right people at the right time if the right information must be derived from here-and-now parameters that change daily? His point is that the content repositories and rules through which such "right" delivery allegedly takes place are couched in conventional wisdom and past successes - most of which will not yield good business results today . Further, "Dialog that surfaces meaning embedded in information is an intrinsic human property, not the property of the technology that facilitates the process." In other words, knowledge attributes are about human activities, not about information or technology. As Douglas Weidner - another KM expert - says, "Knowledge is what you do with information." (See The Case For Creative Abrasion.)
How are these KM myths reconciled? The answer lies in Barry Raybould's views on the role of a performance-centered interface to the knowledge base, and also within Gloria Gery's attributes and behaviors of performance-centered systems. Malhotra may be correct in his observation that you cannot get the right information to right person at the right time if the right information is not available or current information is irrelevant. But a performance-centered system can provide the right stimulus for what Malhotra calls "creative abrasion" and thus enable knowledge and performance.
An information processing model is all wrong if knowledge is the goal. We cannot simply deliver existing information from a database based on search criteria and expect business performance to happen. Instead, the right context has to be created whereby the decision-making process is brought to the performer, where decision-making tools are provided at the time of need, where examples of synthesis (i.e., past knowledge) are provided, and where human intelligence is brought to bear on the business problem at hand. Indeed, knowledge is information in action. Performance-centered systems maximize knowledge creation. It is the performance-centered interface - providing process support, content support, and embracing human attributes - that fosters creative abrasion and thus creates the equation human + information = knowledge.
PS Yogesh Malhotra has edited several books on this exciting subject, including:
In his words, "Having spent last 20 years or so in the design of technology-based systems, I believe that technology is the easier part of the KM equation... the more challenging parts are keeping technology, as well as the business processes and business models built upon it, aligned with the radically changing business environment. Important questions that most enlightened CEOs, CIOs and CFOs have been asking their delegates include: 'How are investments in new KM technologies justified?' 'Why our KM systems do not deliver the expected business performance outcomes?' 'What are the critical success factors necessary for technology based KM systems to deliver the expected business performance outcomes?' 'How can KM systems facilitate adaptability of business models and business processes to radical discontinuous change to prevent business failure?' This work in progress would hopefully help you carefully track these 'vital indicators' before, while, and after you implement the technology based KM systems to ensure that they do not get relegated to the heap of 'project failures' and 'missed targets' that often characterize the realm of information technology based KM systems implementation."
In addition to his 2000 PI article Performance Support Engineering Barry Raybould's views can be found in his workshops and books PS Engineering Key Concepts and PS Engineering Handbook. About the PS Engineering handbook:
The Performance Support Engineering Reference Handbook is a 350-page manual that describes in detail a state-of-the-art process and methodology for building knowledge management systems that capture and integrate corporate knowledge directly into the business systems people use to do their work. Written by Barry Raybould, a leading pioneer in performance-centered knowledge management systems, this manual captures over a decade of research and project experience and provides detailed techniques, process flow charts and tools to guide project teams through the methodology and build systems for “day one performance”. The Performance Support Engineering Reference Handbook is useful to anyone building e-business applications, web-based training, or any technology-based system to help improve performance in the workplace. Gloria Gery says this of the Performance Support Engineering Reference Handbook: “Finally…. an articulation of exactly what it takes to get performance and business results from software. Barry Raybould is really one of the only people who could have written this book due to his experience, perspective, and expertise. We should all be happy that he did.”