Pose yourself the following questions:

• Are certain tasks performed better/more quickly by a more experienced employee?
• Do different employees in a different manner/with a different result perform identical tasks at different times?
• Do different employees in a different manner/with a different result perform identical tasks at different locations?
• Does the organization “know” significantly less after business hours, than when all the employees are present?
• Is valuable knowledge lost if some employees would leave the company?
• Does the notion exist that now and then the wheel is reinvented?
• Can the tasks, performed in your company, mainly be characterized as thinking processes?
• Does the impression exist that knowledge is being developed, that is also being developed at other companies?
• Can errors/risks be pinpointed to lack of knowledge?

If you have answered “yes” to several of these questions, it is advisable to continue reading. If not, just continue your daily activities and compliment yourself. You’ve been doing a great job for years!

Knowledge management and Square

Knowledge management is no longer a hype, but a must. Knowledge has become an important production factor.

Square Consulting Group has years of practical experience with knowledge-intensive organizations and has experienced the processes, stumbling-blocks, successes and changes that typified the early days of knowledge management from up close. The knowledge consultants of the Square Consulting Group provide consulting services in the area of knowledge management, keep close track of knowledge developments and design knowledge instruments, tools and software to support the entire knowledge process. 

The knowledge consultants will be happy to help and support you in formulating your knowledge policy, in adapting the structure and culture of your organization where necessary, in introducing a knowledge center, in the examination of information flows and lines of communication, in setting up procedures, etcetera.

In short, the knowledge consultants of the Square Consulting Group would like to advise you on all aspects of knowledge management.

The knowledge consultants have developed a Knowledge Blueprint (KBP), which is used to examine the organization from a knowledge point of view. In fact, the organization is tested on a large number of knowledge aspects. The result of the KBP is a blueprint that provides you with an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your organization in relation to knowledge management.

Square Consulting Group

Information management is closely related to knowledge management. Since information management forms the basis of knowledge management (because knowledge isn’t knowledge until it has been interpreted based on one’s own experience), Square Consulting Group has decided to share her experience with regard to information and knowledge management with other organizations. For that reason, Square Information Systems has decided to establish the Square Consulting Group which tasks include consultancy in the area of knowledge management.

The Square Consulting Group is made up of knowledge and information specialists who, based on their experience, reference cases, their sound education in the field of business administration and their constant monitoring of knowledge management developments, are professionals in their own field.

One of the major strengths of the knowledge consultants of the Square Consulting Group is the practical experience they and the organization have acquired in various knowledge-intensive organizations. Knowledge management is carried out differently by each organization, but the stumbling blocks and problems that our knowledge consultants come across are often the same.  

An in-house knowledge manager... why Square knowledge consultancy?

When an organization wants to improve its results, it is advisable to call in an independent third party that examines the business processes. When a couple has problems, they go to a marriage counselor. This counselor looks at the relationship from a different and independent angle, which, together with his experience, allows him to help the couple improve their relationship. 

The same applies to knowledge management!!

Knowledge management and company culture are closely related. A knowledge manager is “in the middle” of this culture and therefore views the organization from a different angle than the knowledge consultant of the Square Consulting Group.
The knowledge manager has a lot of knowledge about the company and knows the organization through and through, while the knowledge consultant possesses knowledge based on experience and has access to various km-instruments, tools and products. The information background of both is probably the same, but by linking the “extra’s” of both specialists the knowledge base for the management of knowledge is extended.

In addition, a number of the consultants within the Square Consulting Group possess expert knowledge in areas like HRM, ICT, communication, change management and project management. Each of which are fields that are strongly connected to, and have great influence on, the management of knowledge.

Knowledge consultancy

The knowledge consultants of the Square Consulting Group can advise you on all aspects of knowledge management. The starting point of the knowledge consultancy process is the Knowledge Blueprint.
The results of the Knowledge Blueprint are outlined in a report that also includes recommendations. After discussing this report, a project plan for the further development of knowledge management can be drawn up.

The aim is that the organization can continue on its own after receiving the advice from the Square Consulting Group. A strong organization does not continue to be dependent on external consultants.

The following results can be reached by working on knowledge management together with the Square Consulting Group within your organization:

• Improvement of processes and process results through the employment of knowledge management;
• Reduction of the time employees spend on research by making knowledge more readily available;
• Improvement of the quality of the service;
• Continuous availability of the explicit knowledge and information within the organization;
• Reducing the workload, because the wheel isn’t reinvented;
• Development of the competencies and expertise of the staff by means of knowledge development and knowledge sharing;
• Pleasant working environment for employees because co-operation and personal and joint development allow for a better HRM policy;
• Shorter lines of communication because everybody knows exactly what others are working on;
• The possibility of directly assigning the right person to the right project because everybody is aware of each other’s competencies, skills and expertise;
• Competitive advantage, because the organization is instantly aware of the latest market developments (external know-how).