Julie Weston, Knowledge Manager and Research Librarian

Interview Description

In 2017 HGA’s Board of Directors included creating “a culture of knowledge networks” in their strategic plan. This decision led Julie Weston to move from her role as the firm’s Research Librarian to become their Knowledge Manager. In this Deep Dive Julie shares how knowledge management became a pillar of HGA’s 2017 strategic plan and how she, as the new Knowledge Manager, implemented changes to create a culture of knowledge networks at HGA.

In this Deep Dive webinar, you will learn about:

Educating the firm about knowledge management
Launching a Learning community on HiP, HGA’s Synthesis intranet
Collaborative tools for working with employees on knowledge management initiatives
Maturing a knowledge management program

Speaker Bio

Julie Weston is a Knowledge Manager at HGA, a full-service firm with eleven locations across the United States. Julie is a founding member of the Research Council at HGA and coordinates internal education, including HGA University. She is an intranet core team member and tireless proponent of Knowledge Management. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Library and Information Science from Dominican University.

Interview Summary

00:03 Welcome!
01:09 Introduction: Julie Weston @ HGA

Getting Buy-In
02:26 Advancing KM at Your Firm
02:59 Introduction to HGA and Julie’s Role
04:02 Assessing the KM Baseline
05:45 Task Force Recommendations to the Board
06:43 Strategic Plan for a Culture of Knowledge Networks
07:39 Being Appointed as the Knowledge Manager

Aligning KM with Firm Strategy
08:06 Setting Priorities
09:21 Introducing KM Language
09:55 Bridging KM Theory + Practice
11:05 Relating KM to Everyday Work Life
12:07 Three levels of Knowledge Capture + Sharing

Creating Visibility
14:41 Creating a Knowledge Sharing System
15:26 Surveying Staff on Learning Opportunities
17:43 Evaluating Content Organization via a Closed Card Sort
19:07 The Learning Site is Born
19:40 Educational Offerings Considered
20:41 Communities Stepping Up Their KM Game

Maintaining a Visible Presence
21:33 The Importance of Maintenance
22:05 Three Altitudes of a KM Approach
22:47 The KM C.A.R.E Maintenance Plan
25:48 Creative Brief for Knowledge Sharing
26:54 Internal Communications Planning
28:08 Firmwide Knowledge Sharing
29:04 Knowledge Nuggets
29:30 Reinforcing Teaching with an 8x8 Program Brief
30:23 Reconnecting Staff with Knowledge Capture
31:29 Closing Thoughts

Q+A
32:31 Where KM Sits in the Organization
34:00 Measuring Success
35:12 Gathering and Sharing Testimonies
36:04 Being a Knowledge Manager as a Non-Architect/Engineer
37:55 Software for Supporting Knowledge Management
39:22 Prioritizing Firmwide Learning Opportunities