Inefficient data-retrieval systems can be a midstream operator's worst nightmare. Gathering internal and external midstream-industry data is a time-consuming and costly process. Yet, once the data is captured, correctly managing it for use when it is needed can be just as challenging.

"We are all inundated with information," says Lisa B. Austin, manager of Knowledge Management for Tulsa-based Williams Cos. "We store documents in repositories, shared drives and on our hard drives. Data is captured within systems that don't talk to each other from one location to the next. Sometimes, it is tempting to do this because we have so much information and activities hitting us that we want to just dump the information somewhere, not caring where it ends up."

That's where investing time and effort in a knowledge-management strategy (KM) can make a difference, she says. Based on a study by the Association for Information and Image Management, employees spend, on average, up to four hours per week trying to find the information they need to do their jobs.

“So often, the reason there are so many complaints about finding knowledge and information is because the people that own and create the content will store and manage it the way they want to work with it.” Lisa Austin, manager of Knowlege Management, Williams Cos.

KM actions

Trying to adequately define KM is "an exercise in futility," she says. "When you 'do' KM, you break down knowledge silos, tear apart and reorganize content hairballs, enable knowledge retention and promote knowledge creation. Which one you choose to 'do' is your definition and must drive toward your corporate strategy."

Austin focuses on the "pain points" within the organization. Wherever there is pain, related to management of information, the dissemination of knowledge, or accessing knowledge and information, there are multiple opportunities to create a new and improved way of working, and, at the same time, improve the way knowledge and information flow through an organization.

"An individual without information cannot take responsibility; an individual who is given information cannot help but take responsibility," she says, quoting Jan Carlzon, former head of Scandinavian Airlines, who used it to drive its corporate strategy to be the most on-time airline in Europe within a year.

"That statement is what a good KM strategy should do, provide the knowledge and information an employee and leader need to do their job and to get it done safely, efficiently and have a positive economic impact."

Although that maxim might sound easy to implement, the actual formation and use of KM can be tricky. Problem solving for KM management is a skill unto itself.

"To determine the best way to solve a KM problem, you must look at two variables. First, look at the degree of human interaction you want or need. Second, look at whether you are dealing with explicit or tacit knowledge transfer."

The graph in Figure 1 shows the relationship between human interaction and type of knowledge transfer.

Two types

Knowledge transfer includes explicit information or tacit knowledge, Austin explains. Explicit information represents the thousands of data and documents that are stored in applications, systems, repositories, file cabinets, folders and other collections. It is a tangible commodity that can be measured. Tacit knowledge, on the other hand, is the knowledge inside people's heads and the totality of their life experiences.

In the extreme, tacit knowledge is what is known "in the gut," but can't be easily verbalized. It is the type of knowledge that is very difficult to turn into explicit information and can only be accessed in the moment of need.

Over time, some tacit knowledge can be turned into explicit knowledge. However, when learning how to a ride a bike, there's just so much that can be learned from a book or diagram. A cycler must get out there and ride it to really know how to ride a bike.

"The degree of human interaction is very straightforward. Do you need or want low or no human interaction as the information or knowledge is transferred, or do you want or need more human involvement in the transfer?" she asks.

Once the level of human interaction and knowledge transfer involved is understood, the types of KM solutions used to solve a KM problem can be identified. Examples of the types of solutions that can be implemented are shown in Figure 2.

KM processes

When working with explicit transfer and low interaction, solutions include portals, repositories, blogs, wiki's and other media deemed to be self-service information and knowledge transfer. "So often, the reason there are so many complaints about finding knowledge and information in self-service solutions is because the people that own and create the content will store and manage it the way they want to work with it. That system might not be the way the person who needs it would want it," she says.

“Micro-blogging (Twitter) and social networking inside the firewall can break down many of the barriers that prevent employees from connecting and solving problems quickly and efficiently,” says Lisa B. Austin, manager of Knowledge Management for Williams Cos.

"A good example within Williams Midstream was with our system integrity plan (SIP). The SIP is a critical part of how Williams drives safety and reliability throughout our operations. The information and documentation is well managed, accessible and organized."

However, the organizing structure is based on the person whose expertise is required to maintain the knowledge (the experts), rather than the activity that the field technician is going to perform, she notes. Williams Midstream is in the process of revising how field techs access the documentation they need to perform their job. As a result, it will be a quicker, easier and more intuitive process to get the information they need to perform their work in the safest and most reliable way and within their user context—not the content manager's context.

After-action reviews and lessons learned are the most common solutions for process-based KM problems, she says. And, in a heavy project-management-driven organization, it is one way that some tacit knowledge gained from a project can be turned into explicit information stored and made accessible to anyone in the organization for reuse.

Network-based KM solutions are what many people associate with KM in the industry today. Communities of practice have been around since the 1990s and have been successful in supporting cross-geographical, cross-organizational knowledge transfer. Enterprise 2.0 technologies play a key role in expanding the ability to connect people to people, which is the point of networks-based KM.

"Micro-blogging (Twitter or Yammer) and social networking inside the firewall can break down many of the barriers that prevent employees from connecting and solving problems quickly and efficiently," says Austin.

Figure 1: This diagram shows the relationship between human interaction and type of knowledge transfer.

Meanwhile, the transfer of best practices is playing a key part in Williams Midstream's growth strategy. As the company expands into new basins, the best way to transfer its best practices is to establish a team of experts and highly experienced employees to work directly with the new employees to ensure they understand the Williams Midstream way of working.

"The combination of peer assists, coaching and mentoring reduces the time it takes for a new Williams Midstream operation to be integrated," she explains. "This is the only way for the high level of human interaction and the transfer of tacit knowledge to occur in the most effective manner."

"It's very difficult for companies to address all knowledge problems at once. Focusing on one or two problems, and identifying the right solutions for those problems, is the best option."

At Williams Midstream, the company focuses on "content hairballs and knowledge silos" and zeros in on self-service KM through improved user-centered design and the ability to easily find information within its systems. Knowledge silos are being addressed by focusing on the sharing of lessons learned and knowledge-sharing networks.

Implementing KM strategy

To implement a KM strategy, it is not enough to purchase technology or establish a process around it, although these two pieces are very important, she says. Rather, embedding a knowledge-sharing culture into an organization will ensure a KM strategy is sustained.

Bob Buckman, former president and chief executive of Buckman Laboratories, said it best: "Our approach (to KM) is far more than stick or carrot. We say, knowledge sharing is your job. Do it! As a reward, you may keep your job."

"Culture will eat any strategy for lunch," says Austin. "You can have the best strategy, but if the behaviors you recognize and reward work counter to the behaviors required for a knowledge-sharing organization, then all the money expended for technology and all of the effort expended on establishing good KM processes will go down the drain."

"Implementing a KM strategy won't create change overnight, but if the right solution for the KM problem is chosen, everyone in the organization benefits."

The types of solutions that can be implemented require various amounts of human interaction, based on the type of knowledge transfer desired.