Knowledge management (KM) solutions are now the most important strategic technologies for large companies – beating out CRM and mobile/wireless technology priorities – according to a report of European executives, sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services.

Brought to my attention by the excellent blog Portals & KM by Bill Ives “Know how managing knowledge for competitive advantage” details the findings of asurvey by the Economist Intelligence Unit:

·         67% of companies cite knowledge management/business intelligence solutions as important to achieving their strategic goals over the next three years

·         63% believe CRM solutions are vital over the next three years

·         35% see mobile/wireless technology as critical

Other findings of the report include:

·         Too much information impedes decision–making. Over half (55%) of executives say that IT's failure to prioritize information is the main barrier to effective decision–making. Consolidating information and providing consistent performance indicators are regarded as the most important step firms can take to improve the speed and quality of decision–making.

·         Good customer information remains elusive. Knowledge about customers, their preferences and their behavior is the overwhelming focus for improving the quality of information in large organizations over the next three years. The focus of CRM initiatives is now shifting from automating processes and collecting data to enabling more sophisticated analysis of customer requirements and buying habits.

·         Relevant information is more important than "information anywhere.” When asked where IT needs to improve most to help managers make better decisions, the top two priorities are to make it easier to analyze and drill down into information (40%) and improve the quality of data (31%). Only 12% of executives see ensuring access to information anywhere as a priority for improvement.

·         Corporate culture is as important as IT for effective knowledge management.The biggest obstacles to knowledge sharing in large organizations are organizational, rather than IT–related. Half of executives say that internal barriers between departments hamper information sharing. Ignorance of what knowledge exists, or of where to find it, is another major barrier according to 41% of respondents. In some cases, a simple solution such as keeping a regularly updated record of who knows what can be more effective than throwing IT at the problem, according to the report.

·         Effective knowledge management pays. Executives increasingly see knowledge management as a vital tool for competitive advantage. One case study in the report shows how Schlumberger, an oil services company, achieved a return on investment of $200m in a single year from a recent knowledge management initiative.

It’s important to stress however what I’ve said before: successful KM relies on more than technology. Off-the-shelf solutions are not a silver bullet. Optimal KM depends on participatory employees guided by process and policies and finally supported by the appropriate technology (see No Silver Bullet for Knowledge Management).

 Download the report for free.

Imagine an elite member of the Navy Seals team under fire, without radio, and isolated from his group undertaking a top-secret covert operation in some remote mountain zone in Afghanistan. The Navy Seal is alone with no communications, running out of ammunition, and in a pickle. Not to worry. Both his group, the regional command post and headquarters can easily identify and locate him at all times via a massive interconnected network linking the intranet, all networks and even mobile equipment.

This might be one of the envisioned scenarios and possibilities of the Joint Warfighters/Best Capability project(s) being designed by the U.S. military as we speak.

This incredible network under design is separate from but extends the world’s largest intranet undertaking  jointly by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corp. to network all branches of the U.S. military. This massive interconnected network may only appear to be a far flung notion, but the future combat systems design would connect every single soldier and piece of mobile equipment. However, the network is being designed and is intended to better track and coordinate operations, namely people and equipment.

According to Daniel Zanini, a former Army lieutenant-general now serving as senior vice president and program manager of SAIC (Science Applications International Corp.), one of the U.S. military’s largest contractors, there are about “360 companies and about 6,000 employees” currently working on the Joint Warfighters/Best Capability projects.

Zanini was the keynote address on Day two of the second annual RoboNexus conference. RoboNexus bills itself as the largest robotics event in North America with about 2,000 engineers and robo-geeks in attendance.

Zanini said in his address that the vision is to make "each soldier, each tank, ship and plane, just another node on a huge integrated, interoperational network system."

This interconnected network is in addition to the major intranet undertakings of the Navy, Marine Corp and Army. For those not familiar with the respective projects, EDS was hired on a US$9 billion contract (yes, that’s right, BILLION) to work with the Navy and Marine Corps to build a "comprehensive, enterprise-wide initiative that will make the full range of network-based information services available to Sailors and Marines for day-to-day activities and in war.”

The U.S. Army has a much smaller intranet initiative that weighs in with a very austere price tag of US$152 million.

PCMag.com quotes Zanini (U.S. Military Moves Toward Networked War Model) using the 2003 invasion of Iraq as an example of contrasting the potential of an interconnected armed forces and the inefficiency of a disconnected fighting force:

"We had our best ground force, the 4th Infantry Division, sitting in ships offshore for days, waiting for the signal to land," Zanini said.

"They waited and waited, because the communication about conditions and coordination with other nations' forces was not forthcoming quickly enough. They ended up landing weeks later than planned, leaving the northwestern quadrant of Iraq wide open for far too long."

Zanini said a "connected" force would have been moved into position far sooner and would have made the invasion and trek into Baghdad in less time and with fewer casualties.

During his presentation to RoboNexus, Zanini highlighted a number of other projects underway including those that involve passive reconnaissance and fighting robots including:

·         The ARV (Armed Robotic Vehicle), a 10-ton tracked or wheeled tank-like vehicle to be used in either assault or reconnaissance missions

·         The MAV (Micro Air Vehicle), a small, robot-operated hovering reconnaissance aircraft without wings controlled from the ground

·         The MULE (Multifunctional Utility Logistics Equipment vehicle), an autonomous wheeled tractor-like machine used to automate transport of munitions and supplies

No word yet as to whether the U.S. has plans to send Tamogutchi in fighting action as of yet. Though I wish they would.

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