Knowledge sharing

Knowledge Management at work

The Olympic Games- a fine example of Knowledge transfer at work!

The successful conduct of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London has left everyone with a feeling of satisfaction. Did you know that in a recently released report (July 2012) by valuation specialist Brand Finance, the Olympic Games is worth USD 47.5 Bn? This puts it second only to APPLE (USD 70.6 Bn) and ahead of Google (USD 47.4BN)?

I have always been in awe of the manner in which the Olympic Games runs with clockwork precision every four years. It is amazing, considering the fact that the Olympic Games is held in a different country. The Local Organizing Committee changes completely every Olympiad. The challenge is immense since the culture of the country too, varies from one Olympics to the next. Look at the variation since 1998- Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and next- Rio.

So how do the new set of organizers ensure that the Games lives up to its reputation and gives consistent value to the participants, viewers, paying public and sponsors? While there is the (small) permanent administrative body- the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organizing and running of the games is left to the Host Country.

The secret is Knowledge Management. The IOC has a powerful formal Knowledge Management initiative- Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM) program- to transfer knowledge from one local organizing committee to the next. This is possibly one of the finest Knowledge Transfer programs one can come across, considering that the minutest of details have to be captured, shared, understood and acted upon. The level of difficulty is high when one factors in the challenges of language and more importantly – culture. Also, a lot of the knowledge is tacit and not explicit. There is inherent complexity considering that the knowledge transfer includes domains like accommodation, transportation, scheduling, catering, medical facilities etc, for 10,000+ athletes, 5,000 officials & marshals, 20,000+ accredited media personnel and so on. Any mis-step in any of the one of the arms can have a cascading disruptive effect on the games, marring its experience and reputation.

The Knowledge Transfer does not depend on just a portal- it includes Games Time Observer programs (personal on site observation), Games debriefing presentations given by one Organizing Committee to the next (London Olympics debriefing will be held in November 2012 in Rio) and a number of other knowledge transfer techniques. It may come as a surprise that the Knowledge sharing program in this shape was initiated only as recently as the late 1990’s. It was designed in conjunction with a university and the program was acquired by the IOC in 2002.

Organizations can learn and take lessons from this finely crafted program that is the backbone of the Olympics, especially when complexity and fine execution is involved. No doubt, much of the Olympics success has to do with the motivation of the people entrusted with the execution and the resources provided to them. For most organizers, National Pride motivates them to learn as much as they can in order to execute well. Almost unlimited resources are placed at their disposal to ensure the success of the games and the honour of the country.

Can organizations build up similar pride in the company, such that employees learn and execute on time within the resources provided? This is one of the key challenges that Knowledge Management programs should address. What do you feel? Let me have your views.