Networked knowledge - implementing a system for sharing technical tips and expertise

In a sales and service environment, business is mostly driven by employees at the customer interface. By virtue of their intensive contact with the customer, sales representatives and service technicians are not only one of the major sources of knowledge and experience in these organizations, but also a source ofinformation
about future customer needs.
This case study considers the effect of a dynamic market environment on the opportunities for implementing a knowledge management program. After a short introduction to the organizational context, we discuss the market shift that created a need for the systematic management of knowledge. The study then gives an overview of a knowledge management initiative - its approach, relevant factors, and
some of the underlying design principles.
A detailed description of KN Service Knowledge - an initiative for generating organizationalknowledge for technical services - is provided, illustrating the activities involved in redesigning the work processes, IT architecture and collaboration with other departments. The human dimension is discussed, including the design of an incentive system used to bring about the necessary changes in behavior. For the innovative and customer-oriented conduct that resulted from the repositioned linking of Knowledge Management and service, the knowledge networking initiative "KN Service Knowledge" was awarded the 2001 Service Management Award.