ACRIP
Learning to Fly
Book

Learning to Fly

Practical Lessons from One of The World's Leading Knowledge Companies

Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell
Capstone, 2001
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

The knowledge management craze may be passing right before our eyes, but Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell do a good job explaining what’s behind all the hype. Although a bit dry in tone, the authors manage to capture the critical elements of KM and explain the whys and hows as they relate to individual businesses. Despite a somewhat sterile presentation, getAbstract.com recommends this book as a thorough introduction to knowledge management theory and practice.

Summary

Knowledge Management

The primary challenge in today’s business world boils down to this: Deliver more - and do it with fewer resources. Sharing knowledge by using and adapting what others have already learned is a fundamental way to reach this goal. While many individuals and companies recognize how important sharing knowledge is, they often don’t know where to begin or how to implement programs that specifically target the capture, adaptation, use and management of knowledge.

While no one can be an expert on everything, and while people often feel that they can’t know enough to keep up with rapid change inside and outside their organizations, you can start with the assumption that somebody somewhere has already done what you are trying to do. How can you find out who laid this groundwork and learn from that experience?

Knowledge management guides the sharing of such information between individuals and groups. Knowledge management begins by asking everyone in an organization to answer a few simple questions, in particular: What is the main issue you have to deal with? While managers have been learning from other companies’ best practices for many years, the process...

About the Authors

Chris Collison leads British Petroleum’s efforts in knowledge technology and personal productivity. He has written or contributed to many articles in publications and daily newspapers. Chris Geoff Parcell has had a diverse career at British Petroleum, working worldwide in positions from geophysicist to facilitator. He now leads the company’s operations initiative.

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