DTIC ADA562159: Operational Knowledge Management: Signaleers Share Front Line Experiences

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by  Defense Technical Information Center

What the
commander
needs to
know now
Wading through mounds of data to extract useful, timely knowledge is a continuous process for operational units.
By LTC Roberta Samuels staff duty, but you have another year “knowledge management” thrown
before your PCS, and the XO says, around at NTC or JRTC, and usually
You’ve successfully fi nished you’ve done such a great job for us, from your previous perspective it
Signal Company Command, BCT the commander recommended for you involved sharing fi les, or maybe ‘The
S6, or maybe even corps or division to be the division KMO. You’ve heard Portal’ and technology. It’s no big
deal, right? Servers, routers, ABCS,
laptops –-you’ve been dealing with
it all of your Signal career…and then
your fi rst task is to review the battle
rhythm…what does that have to do
with technology?
You check the division’s MTOE
and fi nd out the authorizations are
for an 02A, Branch Immaterial O-5/
LTC as the KMO and a FA 57A Battle
Command Systems Operator O-4/
MAJ as the deputy KMO. Then you
start to research the fi eld of KM and
fi nd FM 6-01.1 Knowledge
LTC Roberta Samuels, knowledge management offi cer for Regional Command
(East)/Combined Joint Task Force 101 in Bagram, Afghanistan, shares (Continued on page 28)
information with a staff member.
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Operational knowledge management
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U.S. Army Signal Center,ATTN: ATZH-POM (Army REPORT NUMBER
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(Continued from page 27)
In reality, 70-80% of KM application
Management Section, MilSuite’s Army
involves people and the process of
Knowledge Management Forum, and
CALL’s KMNet. You sign up for an how something is done to make new
account on KMNet, look around the
or innovative changes to the creation
site, and fi nd a lot of information,
including a paper by MAJ Michael or distribution of knowledge within
McCarthy, “So you’re going to be a
the organization.
KMO?” Plus you fi nd several books on
KM when doing a search on Amazon.
But where do you start and what do
you need to know?
to make new or innovative changes the KMO works for the chief of
FM 6-01.1 defi nes Knowledge
to the creation or distribution of staff, or in a brigade task force, the
Management as the art of creating,
knowledge within the organization. deputy commander or executive
organizing, applying and transferring
Technology is a supporting element. offi cer. Advantages exist for working
knowledge to facilitate situational
However, the Commander’s within a staff section because you
understanding and decision
understanding of KM execution can build a support base and have an
making. Signal offi cers provide
directs how the KM section supports ally in promoting a course of action.
communications support to the right
the command. This varies greatly The downside of working inside a
people, at the right time, to support
across commands. One of the fi rst staff section is you tend to look at a
the mission. KM is comparable, in that
questions you should ask your boss problem through a different lens; if
it’s often looked upon as helping the
is, “What are your expectations of working for the G6, you are more
commander get timely information
KM integration and support to the likely to initially apply a technical
within a context to make a better
staff and subordinate units?” Prior solution; if working for the G3 or
decision. In KM, the components
to asking this question, I recommend G2, the solution is likely to focus
to make this happen are dependent
that you have researched the resources on operations or intelligence, while
upon people, process and technology,
listed above and have a draft KM potentially missing involvement of the
while taking into consideration the
strategy, because your boss may reply support staff.
unit’s culture, structure, and content.
back to you with, “What is KM and A KMO that works directly
Typically your fi rst inclination is to
what can it do for us?” for the chief of staff promotes the
focus on technology because it’s easy
Since you are talking to your ability to support the entire staff
to see, and to describe. It readily
boss, who exactly is that person… without pressure of loyalty to
provides measurable results.
the G6, G3, G2, chief of staff, or another primary staff section. The
In reality, 70-80% of KM
someone else? Chances are it varies chief of staff maintains visibility of
application involves people and the
from unit to unit, but doctrine states and collaboration across the staff,
process of how something is done
Coordinating multiple streams of information into
useful knowledge requires vigilant analysis, both on
the collection side and the recording end.
28 Summer - 2011
and most KM solutions will require in-depth understanding of KM and culture strongly infl uences practices.
support from multiple staff sections. the skills needed to be successful? And just as in Signal operations,
Plus, with the chief of staff serving Several organizations on Fort working across multiple networks,
as the unit’s chief knowledge offi cer, Leavenworth provide KM training with various classifi cations, while
he/she is your champion. The chief and coursework for the Army. Army depending on unreliable connectivity
of staff enforces KM best practices, Knowledge Management Proponent is a challenge for good knowledge
such as ensuring transparency across provides training for basic KM, management.
the command by directing mega-large content management, assessment, at For a Signal offi cer serving as
reads-ahead be posted on the portal no cost to the unit other than travel the knowledge management offi cer,
site instead of e-mailing them to a and per diem expenses. A KM elective the challenges prove to be more than
select list. The provides situational is also available at the Command and just maintaining ‘the network,’ or
awareness to the entire command General Staff College’s Intermediate managing ‘the Portal.’ Serving as a
instead of a select few. Level Education course. AKMP also KMO will expand your understanding
Now that you’ve identifi ed your supports an annual three day Army of staff processes and the impact
KM support system and references; Operational Knowledge Management of information and knowledge
know generally what KM is, what its conference, which provides a unique management on decision making. And
components are; and who you work opportunity to meet peers, higher as with any duty position, whether
for, what skills will you need to be HQs KMOs, and military KM experts coded for a Signal offi cer or not – in
successful as a KM? As a Signal offi cer, who have signifi cant experience and the role of the KMO, you get out of it
you can start with the technology expertise. This conference is typically what you put into it.
skills. You are probably comfortable held the third week of October in For more information on KM refer
with the technology component, Kansas City, Kan., and shares current to the following links:
especially if you are familiar with military KM practices and experiences. 1) KMNet https://forums.bcks.army.
the full capabilities of MS Offi ce, Commercial KM courses are available mil/secure/CommunityBrowser.
SharePoint, InfoPath, Adobe Connect, through various civilian KM aspx?id=341623
and Army Knowledge Online. Your organizations, where ‘certifi cations’
DKMO as a FA 57A should have a can be earned. However be aware of 2) MilSuite – Army Knowledge
good understanding of the ABCS KM certifi cations – currently there Management https://www.milsuite.
capabilities, connectivity and support is no industry standard established. mil/book/groups/army-knowledge-
to operations. But to be successful Several graduate programs offer a management?view=overview
as a KMO you will need to establish KM degree and a careful examination
personal relationships – with the of the courses will indicate if the 3) https://wkb.bcks.army.mil/
division staff, with other unit KMs, degree is process oriented, technology Search/MetadataSummary.aspx?f=/
with KM contractors, with the garrison oriented, a combination, or possibly content/live/bcks/a963_km_white_
staff – as you will interface with a even business focused. Before taking paper_20091229.pdf (NOTE: When I
variety of people to solve problems. any course, review the course content fi rst wrote this paper, the link listed
Sometimes it will be you bringing to ensure your expectations are met. above worked. On 15 April 2011 the
people together to solve a problem Finally, what are some of the link did not work. Here is information
or improve a process. This is where challenges in KM that you will face? on the resource that you may want
the ability to facilitate collaboration, KM is a ‘soft’ fi eld, meaning often it to explore: “So you’re going to be a
run an effective meeting, identify is diffi cult to defi ne the metrics to see KMO? - A Competency Model for a
and assign responsibilities comes the ‘return on investment.’ It’s often Knowledge Management Offi cer,” 15
into play. Being able to serve as that diffi cult to measure better decisions Dec 2009 by MAJ Michael McCarthy).
‘outside observer’ to the group and and processes improved, even when
not get personally involved in the you ‘know’ that the unit is working LTC Roberta K. Samuels served
problem is another important skill to more effectively. Your commander’s as knowledge management offi cer for
have as a KMO. Finally, a skill that guidance towards KM is often Regional Command (East)/Combined Joint
you likely already possess as a Signal personality or experience based, which Task Force 101 in Bagram, Afghanistan,
offi cer is leadership. Just as in any means your work may or may not June 2010 – May 2011. Her previous
leadership position, you will make match Army doctrine. When operating Signal Corps assignments include Kuwait,
recommendations to execute a COA in a joint or coalition environment, Fort Carson, Korea, Fort Campbell, Ky.,
that is unpopular, but results in a doctrine is mostly non-existent and Panama, Saudi Arabia and Fort Hood,
higher performing unit. best practices may not be similar Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science
Where can you develop a more across services or countries, where degree from Northeast Missouri State
University and a Master of Science degree
from the University of Central Texas.
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