REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 22, 1999 — In a survey of Fortune Global 500 CEO’s, Microsoft was rated number one in knowledge management efforts. The survey rated the top 20 companies in the world based on their knowledge management efforts that led to their superior performance.
“Microsoft has revolutionized the way that people use technology to create and share information. The company is the clear winner in the knowledge management business,”
said Rory Chase, managing director of Teleos, an independent knowledge management research company based in the United Kingdom. Teleos performed the 1999 Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) survey in association with the KNOW Network, a group of leading knowledge-based organizations dedicated to sharing best practices leading to superior business performance.
“Microsoft is honored to be recognized as a leader in knowledge management,”
said Bart Wojciehowski, Microsoft’s group product manager for knowledge management scenarios.
“Our focus in this field is on knowledge workers and how technology can enhance their familiar work environment to improve information and knowledge flow. Our commitment to using the Microsoft platform for our own knowledge management efforts has contributed to our innovation and responsiveness in the market as well as insight into developing better technologies and solutions for our customers.”
Knowledge management, as defined by Teleos in the MAKE survey, is
“achieving organizational goals and superior performance — organizational creativity, operational effectiveness and excellence in products and services — through the leveraging of new knowledge and existing organizational knowledge.”
Microsoft was ranked first in three of the eight knowledge performance categories: success in maximizing the value of the enterprise’s intellectual capital; success in establishing a culture of continuous learning; and ability to manage knowledge to generate shareholder value categories.
Microsoft’s knowledge management strategy combines four major initiatives that will be delivered over the next year through a combination of new technologies, services and collaborative efforts with industry partners.
Microsoft’s Digital Dashboard, a customized knowledge-management solution based on Office 2000, consolidates personal, team, corporate and external information with single-click access to analytical and collaborative tools. This integrated solution helps users quickly process information that is relevant and critical to their particular responsibilities, and then focus on details or take action. In September, Microsoft announced the availability of three technology updates as part of its digital dashboard initiative — the Digital Dashboard Starter Kit, Outlook 2000 Team Folder Wizard, and Team Productivity Update for BackOffice 4.5.
In addition to the digital dashboard, Microsoft’s initiatives include Web Store technology, which will open applications to knowledge sources of all kinds; mobility and wireless solutions, which will provide access to information from any location and at any time; and intelligent interfaces, which will make it as easy to interact with PCs as it is with people.
In October, Microsoft announced the availability of a new developer tool for knowledge management solutions. The Access Workflow Designer for SQL Server, enables developers to easily design and build Web-based workflow and tracking solutions that can also be used offline. As part of Office 2000 Developer, the Access Workflow Designer is Microsoft’s first developer tool optimized for building workflow solutions and automating business processes that lend a competitive edge.
To conduct the knowledge management survey, Teleos established a framework of eight knowledge performance attributes that are visible drivers of knowledge-based organizations: success in establishing an enterprise knowledge culture; top management support for managing knowledge; ability to develop and deliver knowledge-based goods and services; success in maximizing the value of the enterprise’s intellectual capital; effectiveness in creating an environment of knowledge sharing; success in establishing a culture of continuous learning; effectiveness of managing customer knowledge to increase loyalty and value; and ability to manage knowledge to generate shareholder value.
The MAKE survey is based on the Delphi research technique, in which a group of experts is asked to answer a series of questions using their expert knowledge or
“insider”
information. According to Chase, the MAKE survey is a
“perception”
survey, which identifies those organizations the experts believe are at the forefront of creating, sharing and using knowledge in pursuit of becoming a knowledge-based organization.
**MAKE and The KNOW Network are service marks of Teleos.
