An Overview
September 2000
A Lotus Development Corporation White Paper
Copyright 2000 Lotus Development Corporation. All rights reserved. Not for reproduction or other use without express written consent of Lotus Development Corporation
Table of Contents
The Dynamics of Knowledge Management People, Places & Things The Raven Development Project Implementation Scenario Conclusion
White Paper Description This overview describes the Lotus and IBM strategy for Knowledge Management. It highlights the key elements of Knowledge Management and the benefits that it brings to organizations. This clear, high level vision of Knowledge Management serves as a solid introduction to Knowledge Management and the Lotus and IBM products, services and solutions that enable it.
The Dynamics of Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management will soon pervade business practices in the same way that eBusiness pervades commerce. Similar to eBusiness, this trend started out on the fringe of computing and gained incremental credibility from the successes of early adopters. But what is Knowledge Management and why is its arrival imminent? Today a company’s value centers on its “intangible assets.” This term, which was coined by industry consultant Karl-Erik Sveiby, pertains to the competencies, relationships, and information that exist virtually anywhere within a company, from the minds of employees, to back-end database files, to documented policies and procedures. Knowledge Management technologies essentially capture these intangible assets and provide a context for their application and preservation within the business environment. This process not only strengthens organizational competitiveness and long-term growth potential -- it builds company value. Even though this value may originate from the farthest quarters of an organization, its cultivation can deliver bottom-line results. These results have generated demand for