Mapping and auditing organisational knowledge assets using the interactive STOCKS methodology

Most Knowledge Management (KM) fails not only because of the failure to identify the critical knowledge assets that need to be retained and developed, but also because the ways in which the information is collected, analysed and presented can be highly subjective and political. A systematic, contextual and action-oriented methodology called STOCKS (Strategic Tools to Capture Critical Knowledge and Skills) has been developed and successfully used in a large business unit in a utility company in Hong Kong to map out their knowledge assets. Input came from both structured questionnaires and interactive workshops conducted in an open and participative manner. Output from the STOCKS included critical knowledge, including its level of diffusion and codification; a list of critical workers; and corresponding recommendations for KM. The inquiry process used gives transparency to the process of data collection, facilitates knowledge sharing and helps to build consensus among group members especially when constructing the knowledge inventory of the organisation.