KNETMAP^TM provides a visualization of the information exchanges between people in an organization. Taken from the perspective of a stock vs. flow view of knowledge capital, KNETMAP^TM through its Question of the Week^TM feature is able to provide a snapshot of the flows of the intangible assets of the organization (its employee relationships, its customer relationships, its supplier relationships and the knowledge artifacts that are a by-product of these relationships.)

Process

Data is collected by sending a Question of the Week^TM to employees. An embedded hyperlink calls up a form where contacts are indicated; external contacts can be added if required. As users submit data, a knowledge network map is generated in real time. A series of Questions of the WeekTM over the course of a year will build an informative and relevant profile of an organization. Question of the Week^TMinstitutionalizes information about expertise. (See the FLASH Overview.)

Facts

The Case for KNETMAP^TM

Professional networks, particularly large ones, don’t handle concrete information or codification of 'tacit knowledge' well.

KNETMAP^TM gets at the first level of tacit information i.e. "who knows what".

An "Expert KNETMAP^TM" is superior to 'lists of experts' and superior to any data mining efforts because

• Results reveal peer-evaluated expertise and are further weighted for significant metrics like "reach" and "influence"
• Gets around ego-self-gratification of self-reporting
• Self-deployable (for sourcing expertise)
• Accessible 24/7 because it is Web-based
• Archiveable - all networks can be retrieved for JIT problem-solving
• Solves "internal email spam", whereby questions are broadcast, prompting reply broadcasts which diminish any benefit of efficient, collaborative problem-solving

KNETMAP^TM Benefits

• Encourages networking
• Excellent feedback system
• T-metric is a useful indicator for both intra-company and inter-company relationship building
• New employees integrate faster
• Higher awareness of extended expert network
• Re-Use of knowledge artifacts is improved

KNETMAP^TM Applications

• informal leadership of the group
• influencers on products/processes/services
• product/process experts (hubs and authorities)
• fragmentation and ‘structural holes’
• communities of practice/interest
• the use and re-use of knowledge artifacts
• the “reach” of people and the organization

Question of the Week^TM (Examples of...)

Task Network With whom do you work on a daily basis to accomplish the majority of your tasks?

The Expert/Learning/Innovation Network Who do you go to (both inside and outside our organization) for expertise on [state]? (expert network)

Value Network Who best exemplifies the corporate value of [state] in the organization? (value network)

Customer/Supplier Network List the customers that you have been most frequently in contact with over the last sixty days. (customer relationship network)

Advice/Mentoring Network With whom will you seek opinions on best practices in requirements analysis and writing requirement specifications? (expert network)

Innovation Network Whom would you recruit to support a proposal of yours that could be unpopular/unusual? (innovation network)

About Us

Valdis E. Krebs is a management consultant with fourteen years of experience in network analysis. Clients include members of the Fortune 500, top tier consulting firms, and innovative non-profits. In addition to knowledge networks, he has applied these methodologies to mapping, measuring and molding strategic alliances, communities of interest, emergent structures on the WWW, and internet works. His work has been referenced in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Corporate Leadership Council's Best Practices Reports, Knowledge Management, Business Week, Business 2.0, FORTUNE, and Esther Dyson's influential information technology newsletter, Release 1.0. He writes a regular column, "Working in the Connected World," for the IHRIM Journal. The Krebs Toolkit (available first quarter 2002) is the companion e-learning product to KNETMAP^TM.