Utilizing knowledge management and knowledge engagement during a new era of flex work

As flexible work arrangements become the new norm, businesses face new operational challenges. Organizations must find new ways to innovate in the office and remotely.  

These new imperatives straddle both technology and cultural transformation and ultimately require businesses to think strategically about how to keep employees engaged with the organization's collective knowledge.

The faster organizations are able to adapt to this new flex work model, the sooner they will gain market advantages.

KMWorld recently hosted a webinar featuring Kate Leggett, VP and principal analyst serving application development and delivery, Forrester Research, and Jordan Slabaugh, vice president of marketing at Bloomfire, who discussed how knowledge management can shape the success and improve employee engagement of remote work.

Customers expect more from the companies that they engage with, Leggett said. They have the expectation that any desired information or service is available on any device, at a person’s moment of need.

The pandemic has changed the urgency of customer interactions. As self-service dominates, human interactions with companies become escalation points, she said. Great customer experiences rest on great employee experiences.

The pandemic has forced organizations to embrace flex work. Flex workers work when, where, and how they need to. This is the future of work, which increases employee productivity and makes companies more agile.

Making flex work successful will take a redefinition of employee structure, culture, and technology, Leggett said.

Knowledge management is a required technology asset for flex work. It democratizes organizational knowledge and helps align teams and goals.

Organizations should choose a knowledge management solution that allows simple content capture, robust content lifecycle management, and democratized access across the organization.

Companies are leveraging knowledge engagement to adapt and thrive in a flex work world, Slabaugh said.

In order to cultivate a supportive flex work environment, Slabaugh suggested creating an action plan that includes:

• Business continuity planning for mid- and long-term operations
• Development of an always-on flex work and/or remote approach
• Creation of processes and communication practices for knowledge collection, curation, and preservation – including distribution
• Considerations and plans for onboarding and off boarding in a flex work world
• Determining /expanding roles and owners for knowledge management, engagement

An archived on-demand replay of this webinar is available here.