10 Principles for Successful KM Communities
2 min readJul 9, 2019
Originally published May 17, 2018
In my current book on promoting knowledge management initiatives within the corporate world, I offer a collection of practical tips and techniques that can help your KM program thrive. High performing communities are essential to KM success. I have developed 10 principles for KM practitioners to keep in mind as they build and participate in communities.
10 Principles for Successful Communities
- Communities should be independent of organizational structure; they are built around areas upon which members wish to interact.
- Communities are different from teams; they are based on topics, not on assignments.
- Communities are not sites, team spaces, blogs or wikis; they are groups of people who choose to interact.
- Community leadership and membership should be voluntary; you can suggest that people join, but should not force them to.
- Communities should span boundaries; they should cross functions, organizations, and geographic locations.
- Minimize redundancy in communities; before creating a new one, check if an existing community already addresses the topic.
- Communities need critical mass; take steps to build membership.
- Communities should start with as broad a scope as is reasonable; separate communities can be spun off if warranted.
- Communities need to be actively nurtured; community leaders need to create, build, and sustain communities.
- Communities can be created, led, and supported using TARGETs:
- Types (TRAIL — Topic, Role, Audience, Industry, Location)
- Activities (SPACE — Subscribe, Post, Attend, Contribute, Engage)
- Requirements (SMILE — Subject, Members, Interaction, Leaders, Enthusiasm)
- Goals (PATCH — Participation, Anecdotes, Tools, Coverage, Health)
- Expectations (SHAPE — Schedule, Host, Answer, Post, Expand)
- Tools (SCENT — Site, Calendar, Events, News, Threads).
Lucidea Press has published my latest book, Proven Practices for Promoting a Knowledge Management Program. The above post is an excerpt from Chapter 12: “Use the Keys to Success.” I hope you find it relevant, and that you can benefit from the advice and insights drawn from my career as a KM practitioner.
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