Why is a Call to Action necessary?

Managing knowledge bases proactively through collaborative knowledge sharing with the aim of continual improvement in all aspects of work is not something most people are accustomed to. They need to do so. A sense of urgency has to be created for such a transformation to manifest.

Manage existing knowledge base from a reactive mode ( as and when needed ) to a proactive mode ( used as a basis for analysis and decision making ) requires a transformation of the way people think. This transformation is necessitated to survive in the new economy that hinges on being agile.

People do not change unless they realize that there is no other option. This is possible only through a convincing narrative that is loosely termed as a Call to Action, which prompts people with diverse experiences to reassess their assumptions and initiate the desire for transformation.

For this to happen, it is necessary to create a sense of urgency to develop a conduit of commonality that integrates the importance and urgency associated with proactive knowledge management. By doing so, employees at all levels of the organization gradually become increasingly supportive of the efforts undertaken to transform the way knowledge is managed.

Creating a sense of urgency

Call to action to initiate a sense of urgency to transform the way knowledge is being used reactively to deal with problems as they arise to one that is used proactively to identity and resolve emerging issues before they become problems. This transformation occurs from a current state where knowledge is managed in an ad hoc basis where knowledge is managed reactively to a future state in which knowledge is managed proactively.

Aligning experiences and perceptions

People tend to pull the handbrakes on discussions surrounding knowledge management because they falsely assume it is a fancy name for something they already are familiar with. They do not see it as a tool that can help proactively identify issues and collaboratively by aligning experiences to resolve them even before such issues morph into major problems.

Making people supportive

With a well-structured call to action, people tend to become more supportive and lead the initiative. Without a call to action, people tend remain unaware and neutral. Now, if you have the right call to action that resonates with the people who you're talking to, then only they can be supportive, and they can lead the efforts towards managing knowledge bases better.

Oftentimes people develop a sense of urgency to change and it dismiss the urgency as being  a figment of imagination. So, whenever we talk of call to action, we must integrate the viewpoints regarding the change and regarding km, evaluate the experience and then develop this.

For example, a need for an engineer to be provided with necessary details required for designing an equipment required by the production team to minimize rejects. For a marketing executive, a need for clarity on what the target market will require in future for the product or service being developed to be attractive. For a software systems developer a need for understanding the benefits a certain feature that is being develop will bring about to the end user.

The call to action should be crafted in such a way that it creates a sense of urgency for people to become supportive of it by aligning their experiences and perceptions towards realizing a common goal. For this to happen, the call to action must be customized in a way that addresses a need that has yet to be fulfilled.

In your opinion, is a call to action important ? If so, what considerations should be made to develop a call to action that generates a sense of urgency for organizations to begin to give knowledge management the importance it deserves ?

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts with the others. Only by doing so, our understanding of how we can leverage on knowledge better can emerge.

By,

Dr. Rumesh Kumar