Chapter 3

Knowledge leaders play an important role in building effective knowledge communities by ensuring the knowledge vision and concepts are translated into real activities and practice. They take on strategic, motivating, communicating, and coaching roles. Knowledge teams and networks rely on different forms of leadership over time, including self-managed and virtual teams. Organizations must recruit and support knowledge leaders by accommodating their work styles and identifying core competencies.

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Chapter 3

Uploaded by

A. Saeed Khawaja

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Chapter 3

The Knowledge Leader

1
Introduction

• Knowledge leaders play an important role in

building effective knowledge communities
• They ensure the knowledge vision and
concepts are translated into real activities
and practice
• There are many different knowledge leaders
within a knowledge community

2
Generic Attributes of the Knowledge
Leader

• Strategic visionary
• Motivator
• Communicator
• Change agent
• Coach, mentor, model
• Learning facilitator
• Knowledge executor

3
Roles of Strategic Knowledge
Leaders
Roles of Core Leaders

• Manage staff and resources within local

operational units
• Put the strategic vision into practice
• Act as gatekeepers
• Need to see the value of knowledge
management
• May experience conflicting loyalties

5
Knowledge Teams (1/3)

• Knowledge teams rely on interaction,

communication and the sharing of expertise
to achieve a common goal
• Each knowledge worker operates as both
leader and collaborator / contributor
• Teams require different forms of leadership
at different stages of their development

6
Knowledge Teams (2/3)

Self-managed knowledge team

• Share the leadership, depending on stage of
development
• Dynamics of group need to be fluid and open
• Scope and timeliness of project need to be
carefully controlled

7
Knowledge Teams (3/3)

Virtual knowledge teams

• Geographically, temporally or
organizationally separated teams
• Rely on technology to communicate
• Critical success factors include technology,
member training, team and organization
processes, leadership, leader and team
capabilities

8
Knowledge Network

• Knowledge networks are important forms of

knowledge activity
• Enable access to expertise
• Assist in building more advanced knowledge
across the community
• Voluntary involvement
• Transient leadership roles

9
Recruiting and Selecting Knowledge
Leaders

• Knowledge leaders need to be recruited

• Organizations need to accommodate the
different ways in which knowledge leaders
work
• Organizations may also need to consider the
core competencies it requires of all
employees as knowledge workers/leaders

10
Concluding Points

• Knowledge leadership should operate

throughout the organization
• Each knowledge worker will provide
leadership at some point or other
• Different forms of leadership will operate in
different contexts and times
• Organizations will be strongly influenced and
changed by these practices, as new ways of
working and interacting occur
11
Today’s focus questions:

• What do knowledge leaders do?

• How does leadership affect a knowledge
community?
• How does leadership support knowledge
teams and networks?
• How can good knowledge leaders be
identified and supported?
• Are you a potential knowledge leader?
– Lecture reference: Debowski, Chapter 3
12