Success in the future will depend very substantially on the Internet. That means understanding what Bill Gates calls the digital nervous system (DNS). At the same time, you must develop your ability to work in a "knowledge company" in which "knowledge management" is the key activity.
Understanding and using the DNS
The main benefits of the DNS are that it allows the same data to be used by teams simultaneously and provides up-to-the-minute information about customers and sales, thus enabling fast and appropriate response to customer needs and competitor challenges.
With the help of the DNS, Gates forced a massive shift in strategy at Microsoft, from sidelining the Internet to making it absolutely central to everything the company does and sells. Unquestionably, this is the kind of flexibility you will need in the years ahead.
Understanding the DNS and knowing how to apply its hardware and software to your management and business needs does not demand a high level of technical proficiency. If yon can operate a typewriter keyboard and use a telephone, then you have the basic skills needed to exploit the DNS and manage knowledge.
Develop knowledge skills
There are four key skills that you will need to become an efficient and effective knowledge manager. They are all concerned with the handling of information.
The Four Key Skills of the Knowledge Manager
1 Understanding information
2 Processing information
3 Communicating information
4 Correlating information
Think of yourself as a one-person company and set out to become an effective practitioner of knowledge management. In other words, put into action on a personal scale the principles and practices of a knowledge company. Encourage everyone in the company to develop their full capacity as individuals. Learn from each other — and the DNS — so the corporate intelligence increases.
