publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/550988
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JULY 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 19 LPI reduces costs and improves profitability. By linking the efforts of non-fee-earning KM lawyers to these initiatives, the firm can ensure KM lawyers focus their time and effort on areas that most benefit the firm. LOOKING FORWARD: COLLABORATION AND INTEGRATED KM I've been intentionally — and likely notably — silent on collaboration as an element of KM. Collaboration might be an obvious goal for KM and seems easy to do, at least on the surface. But collaboration is difficult to achieve in most law firms. Many technologies support collaboration — from bulletin boards to blogs to social networking — and implementing them is relatively simple. Still, lawyer adoption remains low for anything more collaborative than email. Collaboration will likely be more fully embraced when millennials and Gen Xers, for whom collaboration is natural, dominate as both consumers and providers of legal services. This will transform KM and traditional approaches to capturing, organizing and sharing knowledge. It will also be one of the greatest challenges for the next generation of KM leaders. The "Internet of Things," where every Internet- capable device is interconnected, is the subject of much discussion today. Our lives will become easier as devices anticipate and provide for our needs. The next generation of KM could be a corollary: the "KM of Things." Imagine a future where KM is not done ARCHITECTING KM: BLUEPRINTS FOR NOVICES TO EXPERTS by others for others, but rather is an integral part of a firm's DNA — it is everywhere and nowhere. KM is part and parcel of the institutional air, embedded pervasively in the way people think, the way they work, the work they do, the information they have and the tools they use. In this future, the "KM organization" (if it could be said to exist) would be the center of excellence tasked with building KM competencies in every other internal unit (including fee-earners). It would lead, coordinate and direct, but would be measured primarily by how successfully all others work together to capture and share knowledge. If this seems unrealistic or utopian, consider that this approach has been adopted successfully by consultancies and other professional services organizations that understand they, like law firms, are knowledge-intensive businesses. Monetizing their knowledge is the foundation of their financial success. Knowledge is not work that should be delegated to others. To maximize benefit, knowledge must be fully integrated into everyone's daily work.