Neil Foley - Knowledge Manager

Aligning Information with Organisational Objectives

In this blog you will read about both Competitive Intelligence and Knowledge Management. The two should be linked for in order to fully access the valuable information gathered from external sources by CI, it is necessary that internal processes should be embedded in the culture of organisations via their KM. Therefore, by integrating the two complementary approaches, companies and other organisations will accrue long-term benefits.

Subscribe to Blog

Reinventing the Wheel

26/3/2020

0 Comments

 
One would truly have to be living the life of a hermit without any means of contact with the outside world to not know that something was quite significantly wrong with the world. Of course, I'm talking about Coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19. Pandemics happen regularly but the strength of this one is that it is well,......... strong.

There seem to be two key elements of anxiety - one about health and the other about finances, both at the personal level and indeed the macroeconomic level.

As the video illustrated highlights our modern sophisticated methods of payment, it also reminds us that it all started out with barter. Looking at one of the characters in this video animation of a boy exchanging cards brings back memories of me trading football cards during a World Cup.

Why all this talk of barter in the
​context of COVID-19? ​
​I may be right or I may be wrong but I will say here that I predict that at some point in the coming weeks and months (and possibly in the long-term aftermath of COVID-19) notwithstanding governmental support, that, to some degree economically, we will revert back to basics and the practice known as bartering will re-present itself.

​
Underpinning the bartering process is knowledge of what you have to offer and what you know the other person has to offer, so that you can negotiate a mutually-agreed exchange. Essentially, it is market knowledge in its basic form. Historically - and now, information and knowledge is the lifeblood.

One of the absolute basics of survival is food. Taking this as an example, possibly on account of people stockpiling food, I  can foresee that other people who are experiencing difficulty in accessing food from food banks may revert to the barter system: What can I offer the marketplace in terms of my knowledge, skills and experience? For example,  decorate a room in exchange for a week's food;  the application of one's transferable skills in the marketplace.
​
Barter-related Documents on the British Government's Website:
Picture
Subscribe to feed:
Picture
​Underpinning the bartering process is knowledge of what you have to offer and what you know the other person has to offer, so that you can negotiate a mutually-agreed exchange. Essentially,  it is market knowledge in its basic form. Historically - and now, information and knowledge is the lifeblood.

​It all started out with barter. Perhaps we will end up reinventing the wheel, to some degree at least.
​
0 Comments

Let’s Talk

17/3/2019

0 Comments

 
It is so easy to assume, particularly in the context of knowledge management, that information should come via the ICT route. However, the power of the face-to-face conversation should not be overlooked as a means of acquiring organisational information, information which perhaps may only exist in people's heads.
​
This was the subject of a previous blog post, the key points about which have been highlighted in the video below.
Read the original blog post
0 Comments

The Film Producer as Knowledge Manager

21/2/2019

0 Comments

 
If you asked the average person in the street: What does a film producer do? the average person probably wouldn’t know. They’d know what the Director does, what the Editor does and what the Director of Photography does but they’d very likely draw a blank when asked exactly what the producer does.

To be honest, without a producer, a film almost certainly wouldn't get made in the first place. The film starts and ends with the producer…………
​
Picture
In this blog post, I’m going to write about the parallels between Knowledge Management and the role of the film producer.
A film producer is the person who oversees the production of a film from beginning to end. It is he or she who may have had the idea for the film in the first place (self-starter). Alternatively, he will be responsible for commissioning and approving any script or assessing a script received on a speculative basis; with edits as required.

Once a script is completed, the producer will be the key person involved in securing the financial backing, without which the production wouldn’t go ahead. Thereafter, he appoints key people such as the Director of Photography, the Production Designer, the Editor and the Director and actors.

The producer will plan the production shooting schedule and importantly, the budget. Planning is a key point of the role. Throughout, the producer will be in constant contact with the key creative team members. For example, in post-production, the producer will work closely with the Editor.

Once the film is released, based on prior agreed contracts, the producer will oversee the sales, marketing and distribution rights of the film.
​
Finally, he will archive the film for future marketing, adapting to whatever formats have yet to emerge.
Summarily, within the production process, a producer can oversee, arrange and manage every single aspect of the different stages of the overall production process:
  • Pre-Production
  • Production
  • Post-Production – Including formatting of the finished product to suit the different aspects of the marketplace.

​There is no average day for a film producer, as production tasks change from day-to-day. Therefore, the producer will experience change management and must be adaptable to change. 

Take a look at the Information Lifecycle diagram opposite and you'll see the commonality with the work of a film production.

Picture
Information Lifecycle
Picture



​​
Look at the videos below to hear what some Hollywood producers say about the producer
​skill-set.

I think a lot of it has to do with know who you’re speaking to …really engaging …do the research, know who you’re going to talk to and what their business is, do as much information search as you can and then listen to them and figure out what they need in their business to grow it …an agent, an actor, a financier, a sales agent. Knowing their history and knowing their business and how you can complement their business is really effective. So, it’s research, it’s knowledge.
Video at specific point
Get your first project done. Get a group around you that you believe in. Get a group of people that have the amount of passion that you have. ………Don’t sit around and say one day or when this is perfect …..You get the project under your belt because there is no better education …than to do it. Find out what you did wrong, find out what you did right and then gather your forces up to do it again.
​
Video at specific point 
​
Producing is such a large, encompassing word that it’s really whatever you make it and as long as you are creating an environment for people to be creative in and flourish and tell a story, you’re producing a product and you’re producing an arena for people to play in; you don’t need to go to film school for that. 
​
Video at specific point
​

Whatever appears on the screen (large or small) reflects in many ways what is happening in the real world and the information / knowledge that knowledge managers organise, like blood flowing through a body, relates to the whole body.

The routes by which people come to be film producers are many and varied; the same can certainly be said of knowledge managers. Historically, the most successful economies have benefited from diversity. To restrict oneself to only one lake, or even one sea, is self-limiting when there is a whole pool of talent out there.
​

Although the perception of a Hollywood film is largely associated with the director and the star actors, in reality it is the producer(s) who have to work with the mentality of ‘sleeves rolled-up’ and getting the job done, before (pre-production), during (production) and after (post-production). Essentially, the producer has to be very well organised with well-developed prioritisation skills.
​

One of the producers in the featured videos above said: “Everyone who says that you can’t get it done, ignore them immediately. You have to believe in yourself, you have to believe in the project itself.” That observation of positivity goes hand-in-hand with requiring resilience, providing sustenance when things don’t go according to plan – films or knowledge projects.

It is via my association with Southport MovieMakers that I have achieved the realisation of the interconnection between film production and KM that is the subject of this post. With this group, I have:
​
  1. Worked as Sound Operator on a drama production
  2. Edited and provided the voice-over for an animation
  3. Worked on the pre-production planning of a drama
  4. Produced a documentary alone: Inward and Outward
  5. Worked as part of a production team on a documentary
Picture
From a Knowledge Management perspective: Film Catalogue.
​
​My active involvement with Southport MovieMakers, an amateur film production club, highlights my working as a producer and other production roles where team work is essential to the finished product.
Picture
YouTube Channel
One of the producers featured in the videos above said: “Get a group of people that have the amount of passion that you have.” I’m very pleased to say that I have that passion for INFORMATION and ITS ORGANISATION. 
​
0 Comments

In the Know

18/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Knowledge Managers are often responsible for writing knowledge base articles for publication on organisational intranets for use by colleagues. In this respect, Knowledge Managers are quite comparable with journalists. In this post, I will be looking in detail at the common ground between journalists and information professionals. As you'll read, that common ground is really quite striking.
​

What is Appropriate?

​Journalists know, or should know, how to write in a style that is appropriate to their target reader/publication. Just as a public speaker would cite examples (of whatever) to make their material relevant to their audience, the same is true of the journalistic written word. For those words to “reach” their audience, the likelihood of “hitting home” is greatly enhanced if the material is carefully selected for its relevance or appropriateness.
​

​How to Absorb Information Quickly

​Journalists must have the ability to absorb information quickly; and discern what information is important and what is incidental. This capacity is directly related to satisfying a deadline. Although, knowledge managers may not have to “go to press” or “report live”, they nevertheless have information users whom they have to satisfy in terms of delivering the required information in an agreed format and by the required time. Therefore, for both professional groups, time management is a key consideration.
​

​How to Talk to People

Writing

​It’s struck me on those occasions when I’ve found myself in conversation with journalists how easy it is to talk with them. That shouldn’t be surprising as it is a key requirement of a journalist that they talk with people, in order to acquire information. Of course, journalists try to make people feel relaxed, as people will almost certainly be more forthcoming if they are relaxed.

Asking Questions

Essentially, in talking to people, journalists are asking questions; they know how to dig through the information in a variety of ways and in the process find new or creative sources.

The transferability of this point is clear. For example, knowledge managers conduct interviews with users to identify their information needs – and then set-up information systems to satisfy those needs, or deliver researched information in a format that will support their users’ needs.

The area of investigative journalism is particularly akin to the work of competitive intelligence (information) professionals, where the verification of information via multiple reliable sources is required.
Writing is probably the most obvious skill when people think of journalism, particularly when print journalism is considered; although, obviously, broadcast journalists write but their writing is less evident, being more visually/verbally orientated.
​
As an information professional, there are many occasions when writing is required – not just writing-up notes but writing in a way that is fluid and intelligible. For example:
  • Project reports
  • After Action Reviews
  • Newsletter articles
​It is when writing-up research/editing that the linking or associating of ideas takes place. At times, it may be required to write a concise summary, absorbing the key information. This is another parallel between the two professions.

Presentation

​As mentioned, broadcast journalists work in the realm of the visual/verbal. However, even in this environment a parallel may be drawn. For example, in some working situations, information professionals may be required to deliver a presentation of their research findings.
​All of the above-mentioned journalistic skills are relevant to the work of a practicing Knowledge professional. Indeed, I would argue that one of the most important skills for an information professional to have is the skill of journalism. 

Related Blog Posts

  • Transcripts – Hear the Words, Read the Words
  • Let’s Talk
  • Shut Up and Listen
  • Conferences and Competitive Intelligence
  • Reading Beyond the Promotional Text
  • Is that One Question or Two?
​I would argue that one of the most important skills for an information professional to have is the skill of journalism. 
Picture

My Journalistic Experience

  • ​Editor of ICLG News - Industrial and Commercial Libraries Group
  • Edited in-house journal Grapevine (NHS Finance staff in the North West)
  • Written articles for in-house newsletters throughout career
  • Southport MovieMakers – Blogger
  • Southport MovieMakers - Press Officer
  • Radio Royal Hospital Broadcasting Service - Programme Controller, broadcaster and interviewer 
​Publications
0 Comments

Tips for Managing Successful Knowledge Management

2/4/2018

0 Comments

 
In a past blog post, I looked at reasonable factors to take into account when implementing a KM project. In the video below, I have reprised the same points I made earlier but in a very concise format:




You can read the original blog post.
0 Comments

What is Knowledge Management?

30/5/2017

0 Comments

 
Having had something of a hiatus in posting on this blog, I thought that it would be an opportune moment to pose the question: What is Knowledge Management?

In answer to that question, I've chosen to highlight the video presented by Chris Collison. In the late '90's, Chris worked as part of BP's acclaimed knowledge management team, a team was accredited with generating over $200m of value through knowledge management. He is now an established knowledge management consultant.
In the video, Chris highlights the fact that knowledge management is a "broad church" of techniques and approaches, including:
  • Exploring tools to identify and support the networks in an organization; networks or communities of practice.
  • Mapping how people are connected, ways of improving these connections, looking for who talks to who, who trusts who and how you can optimize that.
  • How good an organisation is at learning before activities, learning after activities. How do you ensure that the lessons you capture after the projects are meaningful, are full of recommendations, useful action points for somebody?
  • Encourage teams to learn continuously, during activities rather than waiting until the end of a major project before they take the time to pause and reflect and learn.
You can read more about Chris and KM at ​​http://www.chriscollison.com.
0 Comments

STOP the Brain Drain

18/8/2016

0 Comments

 
​Employees of a company are nearly always the biggest item of expenditure on the balance sheet. Correspondingly, they are considered to be an asset of the company, in the broad sense of the word. Indeed, the term "human resources" is often applied. Therefore, when a company is about to lose part of its resources, this can, potentially, reduce its competitiveness in the marketplace. Therefore, when employees in a company are approaching retirement, it is essential before they leave the organisation that interviews are conducted with those people. 
Picture
​The purpose of conducting interviews is to draw out from their memory their knowledge and experience of working in the organisation. Of course, a certain degree of knowledge may be documented in the organisational systems, whether physical or electronic – but not all. Conducting interviews at this time whilst the employees are still active in the company maximises the likelihood of them accurately recalling information. On the other hand, if this exercise were to be left until after the employees had retired then it is quite likely that their recall may not be as accurate, nor as complete, as with every week that passes, memories of work could well fade into history. 

Pre-existing Documentation

As I mentioned, some of the processes and related knowledge may well be documented. So, a good starting point, as a preliminary step, is to review this pre-existing documentation. When was the documentation written? How many years have passed? What changes have taken place in the intervening time? Having a good understanding of the work of the person to be interviewed will inform the development of appropriate questions. At the same time, as with a film director being interviewed about his latest production, appreciating that the journalist interviewing him had at least seen the film being released and was perhaps familiar with some of the director's previous work, so, too, a person who has retirement in his/her sights, would very likely similarly appreciate the respect accorded by proper preparation. 

An assessment of the relevant documentation highlights the need of an eye for detail, particularly if there are subtle distinctions between different aspects of the interviewees’ work.
The preliminary assessment would also familiarise the interviewer with relevant jargon, both from an industry perspective and from a company-specific perspective. Therefore, the interviewee would be free to speak using the relevant jargon, without the potentially tiresome impediment of having to stop and explain to a non-industry specialist. The preparation therefore could well contribute to a fluid, productive interview.

​It would be advisable to establish that the documentation being consulted was the most up-to-date, in the first instance. However, depending on the time available, having assessed the current documentation, an appreciation of previous lessons learned may well be forthcoming by comparing the up-to-date documentation with any previous versions. It is feasible, that the interviewee could have been involved in a change of methods in the business.  

​A key factor in the success of the interview is the ability of the interviewer to establish a good rapport with the interviewee. This is not specific to this type of interview; it is a tenet of good interviewing. 

This is a subject to which I will return in the future.
Picture
Interviewing David Alton when he was a Member of the House of Commons and who today is an Independent Crossbench Life Peer.
​Related Blog Posts
Shut Up and Listen 
Is that One Question or Two?
0 Comments

Hedge your Bets

31/7/2016

0 Comments

 
I’m sure you’ve heard of the expression Hedge your Bets; in other words, spread your risk. In the context of researching on the web that could be interpreted as using more than one search engine. Of course, use Google. However, there are other search engines out there and as no one search engine can cover the entire web, you will find that, although there may well be common ground between different engines, equally, you are likely to have different results using different sources. 

In this post, I’m going to take a look at a search engine named DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo started in 2008 and asserts that they do NOT collect or share any of your personal information. They do not track your searches. 
In the settings, you can specify a range of options:
  • Opening results in new windows/tabs. This means that your original page of results stays intact and you don't have to click back to retrieve the page of results.
  • Limit your results to come from a particular country. This can be useful if you’re focusing your search on a particular part of the world.
  • Change the background colour across the entire site. Applying the psychology of colour, some people may wish to actively influence their thinking in a particular way.
  • Specify preference in units of measurement - Metric (Kilograms, Metres, Celsius) and Traditional (Pounds, Feet, Fahrenheit).
  • Video Playback – If you’re wary of clicking on a video uncertain as to where it will take you, you have three options: Prompt me, Open on third-party site and Always play on DuckDuckGo.
Conducting a search on the subject of the Charity Commission, produces a summary (right-hand side of screen) of core information: date formed, superseding agency, jurisdiction, headquarters, employees, annual budget and executive. This information is taken directly from Wikipedia.
​
If a search facility within a particular site is perhaps lacking, you can use DuckDuckGo to focus a search on a specific site. For example, searching for funding on the Charity Commission’s blog:

funding site:https://charitycommission.blog.gov.uk
Picture
Picture
​There are plenty of other features to DuckDuckGo which I’ll let you explore for yourselves. 
Picture
0 Comments

Transcripts – Hear the Words, Read the Words

19/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Today, I am going to talk about transcripts. It is easy to think of the media, particularly radio and TV, as being “of the moment” in which they’re broadcast. However, when conducting research, transcripts of past programmes can be a useful source of information.

Broadcast transcript sources can be useful in locating people who have appeared on television and radio programmes. These people may be experts or authorities in their field, which is just why they may have been sought by the programmes’ producers. 

If you are looking for a person who has written a book, if they have been publicising their work, it is very likely that they will have been interviewed by the media and a transcript would be available.

If an individual is acting as a spokesperson for a company or organisation, it signals the status of that person within the organisation; not necessarily a director or publicist. The person being interviewed may be a subject specialist and not a professional communicator. Nevertheless, information gathered via transcripts may provide evidential support in court proceedings.

Transcripts can be used for reputation management monitoring – what has been said about someone. Examining multiple sources can help identify consistencies and/or inconsistencies in what any one person/organisation is saying. This comment has particular relevance to politically-sensitive issues.

Using transcripts can make research more time-efficient. In the first instance, you may listen to a radio broadcast and mentally note the key points of interest. Then, you can quickly scan the transcript of the programme, without the necessity of writing notes at the time of listening, presuming that you’ve verified beforehand that the transcript was going to be available. 

Searching for Transcripts

As well as searching on broadcasters' websites, you can also check the web pages of individual programmes. Results may appear on individual pages but not necessarily appear when searching at the top level of a site. Be flexible when searching; if nothing appears under script or transcript, try manuscript, record or transcription. Think about alternative terms.
​
In addition to individual broadcasting organisations making transcripts available, transcripts are also available via dedicated premium transcript databases. For example, ProQuest.
Picture
Via ProQuest, you can access:
  • Meet the Press, 1957-1986
  • Canadian Business & Current Affairs

Publicly Accessible

Picture
National Public Radio
Picture
​BBC: The Andrew Marr Show
​An interview in a printed publication will have gone through the filtering process of writing and editing, whereas a distinctive quality about broadcasts is that they can often be "live" and unrehearsed, sometimes providing additional insight into a subject.

Broadcasters may not always have transcripts for every programme broadcast.
0 Comments

Website Evaluation

8/4/2016

0 Comments

 
It is very important when searching for information on the web that any information retrieved via websites should be viewed with a critical eye and NOT taken at face value. Here is a short presentation Website Evaluation Checklists highlighting some of the key points to take into account.
​
There are more points to consider on this subject, to which I will return in the future.
Foley Information Services - Website Evaluation Checklists from Neil Foley
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    Neil Foley

    ​Author

    I am a highly-skilled Information Professional, with over twenty years’ experience  in the construction and water industries, together with the NHS and academic sectors; and consultancy. Latterly, I have been working with membership-based organisations in promoting their web presence. 

    Archives

    March 2020
    March 2019
    February 2019
    April 2018
    May 2017
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Archive
    Capturing Knowledge
    Communication
    Conferences
    COVID-19
    Culture
    Customers
    Film
    Interviewing
    Journalism
    Libraries
    Marketing
    Methodology
    Monitoring
    People
    Sharing Knowledge
    Software
    Sources
    Storytelling

    My Web Site
    www.neilfoley.info
    Memberships
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.