On why human resource management has been a major disappointment

One of my greatest annoyances is the failure of human resource management (HRM) to adequately utilise knowledge management practices and experience in developing and nurturing the human capital of organisations. HRM seems more interested in staying bounded by payroll, employment law, and offering some training courses than actively trying to heighten the capacity and capability of the workforce [...]

On knowledge management and human resources

Some of you may already know that I am a great believer in the interplay between knowledge management (KM) and human resource management (HRM). I consider both KM and HRM as catalysts and facilitators for developing and enhancing an organisation’s intellectual and social capital. I believe KM is more than just managing databases and HRM is more than just [...]

On the telephone

I have just been speaking with Matt Moore on the telephone. It was good to chat since Matt and I used to spend a lot of time chatting in a coffee shop just off Pitt Street in Sydney. Now that I am in Canberra, that opportunity is no more.
Strange as it might seem, I have [...]

On the road to knowledge management

I regard myself as a knowledge worker and integrally involved within the information sector. Over the last ten years I have increasingly been involved more on the knowledge management side of things than on the library-side.
When I first entered the information sector in the 1980’s I was physically based in a library. I worked in [...]

On what I’ve been doing

It has been about two months since my last post. In that time I have been busy at my new workplace (AusAID) understanding how things are done, going to meetings and internal courses, and managing a library and information service that is quite specific to the internal needs of the organisation. Certainly, working in a [...]

On my new job

Today I started my new job as Thematic Knowledge Services Manager at AusAID, Australia’s overseas development agency.
At the same time, I am still waiting on Optus to supply my ADSL modem so that I can access the internet from home. It took two weeks and one fault report before Optus got my telephone working so [...]

On a new city and a new job

It has been a while since my last post. I have been finishing up my work at the Fred Hollows Foundation and preparing for my move to Canberra with a newjob at AusAID. AusAID is the Australian federal government’s overseas development agency.
I am in the midst of the move fom Sydney to Canberra, with limited [...]

A new year

As I count down the last couple of hours until midnight and the beginning of a new year I am reminded of the opportunity to review, assess, and commit to new things (and maybe not so new) in the coming year.
And as I think about the past twelve months and contemplate the future, I am [...]

Merry Christmas

It has been a busy month for me and some changes are looming. More news in the New Year.
But for now, I would like to post a Merry Christmas to everyone and hope that the festive season is kind and safe to you all.
I will be back in the New Year, full of new resolutions [...]

On Information Online, London

Firstly, apologies for the late posting since mid-November. I am actually overseas (on holidays) at the moment for a few weeks and didn’t get around to updating the blog!
Nevertheless, I refocused some attention on information and knowledge management at the Information Online Conference in London today. The keynote speaker was Clay Shirky and he had some [...]

On why marketing and communication matters

Via my latest Working Knowldge newsletter from the Harvard Business School, I found my way to this blog post from John Quelch about how marketing won Barack Obama the recent Presidential election in the US. The key message for me was that marketing matters – big time.  And the news isn’t lost on me in terms [...]

On communities of practice – an example

A workplace initiative at a former workplace that I am really proud of was the introduction of communities of practice (CoP’s) - I named them ”Pubs”. The pubs connected people with a common interest and a common workplace need across three key business units (and some others), and across geographic space in Australia and New Zealand. I have elaborated on this before so [...]

On innovative thought and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

During the week I listened to the first series of The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy on CD. I have listened to the series hundreds of times before, the first time being the original radio broadcast on 2JJ when I was at school in Sydney. The radio series never fails to make me laugh or [...]

On conference presentations and workshops

I promised to report on the act-km conference (day 2) that I attended on the 15th October. The papers from the conference are up on the web site.
I won’t go through my notes on this one because I want to focus my thoughts on a broader discussion around conference formats. In particular, I want to discuss [...]

On good experience – not

I am currently sitting at a computer in the QANTAS Club lounge at Melbourne airport. My flight is scheduled to board at 7.45pm but the flight is delayed and it’s unlikely we will be leaving before 9pm. Other flights are delayed as well – an aircraft fault here, a cleaning issue there.
Mind you, the 5.30pm flight [...]