Trusted Knowledge in a digital and fragmented world of work

Please go to www.trustedknowledge.org

Available on Amazon in hardback, paperback and as ebook.

(in your own/country market on Amazon, search on ‘Trusted Knowledge in a digital and fragmented world of work’ by Dr Richard William Erskine)

I spent 30 years providing strategic advice and practical implementation in the field of enterprise information and knowledge management, working for leading global consultancies, alongside many colleagues and clients to whom I am indebted.

The work took me to many countries and to almost as many sectors, enabling me to see many of the common issues that arise in organisations of all shapes and sizes. Since my retirement in 2016 I have spent time reflecting on my experiences. I have now written a book Trusted Knowledge in a digital and fragmented world of work that provides a synthesis of the ideas and methods developed and deployed over the years.

The term ‘trusted knowledge’ is not intended to imply some immutable truth on a topic, even within an organisational context, but knowledge whose provenance is clear and can be challenged and refined over time, to enrich and improve an evolving body of knowledge.

The book is concerned with ‘communities of practice’, typically within some organisational or collaborative setting. It  addresses the fundamental question: How is knowledge captured, shared and acted upon by practitioners in a field of work?

The reality is that few organisations have achieved mastery in answering this question. Too often silos are the reality, and lessons are neither captured nor learned. Information does not flow seamlessly through the value chain. Wheels are reinvented. Access to information that a practitioner needs is often too hard to find, whereas confidential information is carelessly released.

The book sets out the principles, practices and capabilities needed for enterprises to enhance the value of an evolving body of knowledge in what is an increasingly digital and fragmented world of work.  This is in part about putting in place a consistent information management platform, but that is only the start. It is also about creating a culture where there is respect for the curation of knowledge, and its take up, which becomes embedded into a ‘learning organisation’.

To enable past colleagues and clients internationally who I have worked with to have easy access to the book, it is published as an eBook and as Print on Demand book on Amazon KDP. Others are encouraged to take a look and if they like what they see, to pass the word on.

The book starts by covering the current state of affairs as it exists in many organisations, then sets out the foundations required of a sound approach to information management. For example: finding the right balance between accessibility and confidentiality; ensuring there is a shared language in use across the value chain; enabling effective reuse of intellectual capital – to name just a few. The book then brings the elements together by setting out an approach to creating an architecture of knowledge, and illustrates this with reference to the healthcare sector.

The book includes many anecdotes from client experiences (suitably anonymised), and nearly 100 figures I have used during my consulting career to help in articulating ideas and recommendations to assist clients.

In the Afterword, I conclude the book with the following reflections:

There is a lot of debate about the failure to improve productivity, in the UK at least. As we now live in a knowledge economy, I am convinced that adopting the approaches set out in this book would have a huge impact on personal and organisational productivity. Done well, it could also have a transformative effect on trust in the organisation. Trust in the knowledge curation, and as used by the enterprise and its partners. We have to stop imagining that the management and take-up of knowledge can be fixed by yet another silver bullet (the latest being AI). It will require sustained effort from management and a diversity of disciplines, with technology playing its part, but not dominating the conversation. There will be lots of achievements to celebrate and gain benefit from along the way; this is not about a big bang transformation. It will be a journey of continuing improvement, with numerous opportunities for innovation along the way. I feel privileged if you have accepted me, through this book, as a guide and mentor on that journey.

(c) Richard W Erskine, 2024

The two pages from the book listing the chapters/ sections are reproduced below to give you more of a teaser for what is covered.