The following is an excerpt from “How Generational Differences Are Redefining Knowledge Management: A Look at Honeywell UOP’s KM Strategy.” You can download a copy of this exclusive white paper here.
Technology is important, but it cannot be the only aspect of a knowledge management strategy. An ideal approach considers the intersection of technology with both business and cultural trends impacting the organization.
For Honeywell UOP, a global provider of process technologies for the oil and gas industry, information services and information technology are about making sure that the right content and people are connected in the right ways.
When UOP’s knowledge management team set out to develop “The Connected Scientist” strategy for R&D, it began with a large KM needs analysis across many internal customer groups. From that analysis, it further studied the needs of early-career employees (digital natives), recognizing them as the growing majority that will drive the strategy in the future.
The team learned that early-career employees identified the same top needs as every other demographic. They want:
- Smarter discovery
- A more connected architecture
- Easier ways to document
- Content to be captured as it is created (rather than having to specifically write reports and record separately)
The differences, however, were in the priority that digital natives placed on physical environment and cultural needs.
Download “How Generational Differences Are Redefining Knowledge Management: A Look at Honeywell UOP’s KM Strategy” to see how Honeywell was able to create a strategy that met the needs of its multigenerational workforce.