Independent Consultant in Knowledge Management

This facilitator is an independent, UK based consultant in Knowledge Management. He was one of the very early proponents of the subject and is a leading trainer and lecturer.

After studying mathematics and logic at University, he began his career with ICL in 1962 as a computer programmer but quickly moved through systems analysis to sales. By 1968 however, it became evident that the more interesting future lay with the software companies and he moved to one of the very early software house/consultancies in the UK, now a part of EDS. After two successful years as Sales Manager for the North of England, he was promoted to the newly created post of Market Planning Manager with responsibility for market research and analysis. It was this function that started him thinking about the nature of information, its role and its use.

In the mid seventies, He joined a company in the then relatively new area of ?office computers? as Marketing Manager, responsible for both communications and market analysis. In this period he was able to follow closely the changing style of computing with the introduction and subsequent development of the personal computer. The technology base for information systems changed dramatically, increasing He?s interest in the nature of information management. In 1989, the sale of the company prompted him to become an independent consultant.

Using the facilities of the British Library, just ten minutes from home, He was able to research the emerging ideas of information management and in particular, Information Resource Management (IRM). He was a founder member of the Aslib IRM Network in 1992 and is currently secretary of the Network. In a paper published by Aslib in 1993 he put forward a generic agenda for resource management which has since become known as the Willard Model.

In 1996 it became evident that the ideas of several leading management thinkers were coalescing around the topic ?Knowledge Management?. After further study, He became totally supportive of the new concepts and in particular, the manner in which it resolves the issue of the relationship between people, information and action. With interesting developments in Change Management, He is now of the view that Knowledge Management is one of the essential toolsets for change alongside EFQM, Risk Analysis, Stakeholder Analysis and others.

Over the past ten years, He?s clients have included many of the leading organisations in the UK. He established and continues to run the highly successful series of Knowledge Management seminars for Aslib and has recently introduced a new series of workshops. For the last six years He has been part of the team that present the three day Knowledge Management courses at the Civil Service College in the UK and has been appointed Course Director. His association with the Knowledge Management team at ICI lasted for over two years and his relationship with BNFL led to his involvement in an exciting Knowledge Mapping project. Seminars for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Vickers Defence Systems (now part of British Aerospace) together with projects for the London Underground and the European Investment Bank have helped to sustain an active pursuit of the subject.


Client projects have included the following.
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1. National School of Government (previously known as theCivil Service College). I am Course Director with a small team delivering the 3day courses at Sunningdale. Now into the seventh year.

2. Aslib. (Aslib is the ?Commuinity of Interest? for Library and Information Science personnel). I initiated and organised the first Aslib Knowledge Management Seminars, and they continue to be very successful. In addition to the timetabled seminars, I have given on-site presentations to MoD, University of Iceland, John Innes Centre and Group 4 Security.

3. ICI. I worked with the ICI KM Group for 2? years. I was part of the small team that developed a strategic process for KM planning and included, for example, time in America on a very successful project for an ICI subsidiary.

4. BNFL. I first became involved when I was asked to give the key note presentation at an in-house workshop. After this, I worked with them as a KM coach, and became closely involved with an exciting Knowledge Mapping project.

5. Vickers Defence Systems. I was initially invited to give two ? day seminars to the IS team in September 2000 and then asked to repeat the exercise, December 2001, in view of the major changes in personnel.

6. London Underground. A very interesting project focussed on approaches to embed Lessons Learnt in the working practices and culture.

7. The European Investment Bank. Working with a friend and colleague, our task has been to support the development of a bank-wide file plan (ontology), a taxonomy and thesaurus.

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Your query about Nick W. to The Knowledge Brokers

Knowledge Management Assessment - to gauge your current performance against world-class practice and to identify critical areas for improvement.

Knowledge Innovation? Assessment (in association with ENTOVATION International) - a systematic analysis of the capability of your organization to create and move ideas into the marketplace profitably and expeditiously.

Knowledge Strategy Development - identifying opportunities for improving organizational performance through better knowledge management.

Knowledge Audit - identifying, analyzing and mapping vital knowledge resources, as a baseline for improving their business contribution.

KM Planning and Implementation - successfully introducing knowledge management to deliver significant business benefits.

Knowledge Advisory Services - providing expert advice and counselling to CKOs, knowledge managers and knowledge teams to help them achieve their organizational and personal objectives.

Knowledge Trends Analysis - identifying the opportunities and barriers for different tools, techniques software solutions.
Knowledge Commercialization and Trading - identifying opportunities for packaging and marketing knowledge assets to create additional revenue streams.

Enterprise Internet/intranet Strategy Development - an integrated framework for enhancing your Internet presence and intranet to achieve your business aims
Internet Marketing and Commerce - a strategic marketing approach to market more effectively online

Website/Portal Development - a ten phase methodology for designing and implementing a web site, with particular emphasis on user needs, information architecture and content management processes.  

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