Adoption doesn't equal satisfaction
We all probably know this, but just because an organization has bought a given methodology, they may not be satisfied with it. Why?
I'm guessing there are quite a few answers to this. James Darrow points to my friend Ron Friedman with
Interesting comment from a "a senior and long-tenured KM director of a large law firm" who answers the "dichotomy between corporate knowledge management adoption and satisfaction" (that being, adoption high but satisfaction low):
"one possible explanation might be that the users of those KM resources are much more likely to be the people working for the executives than the executives themselves, and that therefor the value of the tools isn't apparent to those executives."
This is an interesting take on this problem. Executives approve the spending, so they know the given methodology has been paid for. But, as they are not actively using the methodology, they don't necessarily see the direct benefit of it.
But this leads me to another question. Why did they approve the expenditure in the first place? If they were keeping up with the Joneses, it is no wonder they are not feeling satisfied - they didn't know what they were getting. If it was to cut expenses, I would guess they aren't terribly happy with the results either. But if it is to increase net profits (or patients treated, clients served in non-profits), they had better be paying attention to the results.
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Jack -
Three reasons for the dichotomy at law firms.
First, many lawyers pride themselves on being part of a medieval guild, with quill in hand and general disdain for technology. This position tends to be truer as you look in the higher ranks and higher in the age of the lawyer. Obviously, the front of most KM systems is some computer screen and not a fancier quill.
Second, the work of a junior lawyer is generally very different than the work of a more senior lawyer. The junior lawyer is doing research and looking for forms and precedents. The more senior lawyer is trying manage the case, manage the client and bring in more business. The junior lawyer's tasks are easier to address with knowledge management than the senior lawyer's tasks.
Third, lawyers are generally not good business managers. There is a lot of keeping up with the Joneses. Big law firms are competing for the same law school graduates and the same lateral hires. There is a fair amount of undertaking of initiatives just because someone else is doing it. There is general lack of methodology for approving expenditures.
Doug