We asked Leaders in Knowledge & Information Management in professional services firms where responsibility for Knowledge Management sits.

Surprisingly, almost 20% of professional services firms have no KM strategy, according to our recent survey.

Our survey indicates no clear picture or consensus as to where KM sits and where responsibility ultimately lies, with a lot of variance between firms. Nearly 40% have separate KM departments, but most generally, it sits separate from, but adjacent to, both IT and the Information departments.

This suggests a possible a vacuum either in service delivery or firms’ internal information and data policies. It also indicates that in many firms – generally smaller ones – the importance of developing a comprehensive knowledge management strategy needs to be strongly advocated at a senior level to gain buy-in.

Knowledge and Information professionals are more than capable of being that advocate, having the experience, knowledge and understanding of why this is such an important element for firms. It may not be an easy task in some cases, but the effort should reap rewards for both the firm and the Knowledge and Information team.

To learn more about our Survey of Knowledge & Information Management, please do get in touch with  david.comins@tfpl.com.