Steering
Committee or Leadership Team
The role of a steering committee is to create purpose and
context, set direction and priorities, and provide resources. Usually a
cross-functional team made up of members of senior management, the steering
committee validates knowledge management and related activities and sets
direction. Steering committees provide support in a myriad of ways, such as
funding, minimizing barriers, approving initiatives, and promoting knowledge
sharing throughout the enterprise. As the bridge between the KM initiatives and
the formal organization, the steering committee links the business units,
corporate, and IT, which ensures that the organizational strategy dictates the
scope and direction of the KM initiatives, instead of the preferences of any one
group.
3M
At 3M, two full-time KM practitioners lead and facilitate
the cross-functional corporate steering team. The KM steering team is composed
of representatives from major areas around the company including Six Sigma, IT,
HR, library and information services, and marketing. The KM steering team is
responsible for developing and deploying KM strategies for 3M, defined through
three objectives:
-
establish and promote organizational awareness of the KM
strategy,
-
work with business units to improve KM practices, and
-
replicate KM tools and processes.
NASA JPL
The NASA executive steering committee—consisting of the
chief information officer, the chief engineer, and the associate administrator
for HR and education— sponsors the cross-agency KM team. The executive steering
committee coordinates with the cross-agency KM team, which includes KM leads in
each enterprise (i.e., business unit) and center (i.e., geographic location such
as JPL). The KM team and leads meets virtually to address issues such as who
will be responsible for the championship of KM at the local level,
implementation of strategic goals, and roll-out of operational processes and
tools.