FORT KNOX, Ky. – A team of Soldiers and civilians from the 1st Theater Sustainment Command completed the Army Knowledge Management Representative Course taught by members of the Combined Arms Center from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, July 18-20.
Students were given an overview of Knowledge Management as detailed in the Army Technique Publication 6-01.1, which provides doctrine for the organization and operations of the KM section and establishes the doctrinal principles, techniques, and procedures necessary to effectively integrate KM into the operations of a brigade and higher.
Everetta Davis, knowledge management chief, 1st TSC, requested the mobile training team come to Fort Knox to provide training to 1st TSC personnel who attend her KM working group, so that they could learn the value of KM.
“They provided this training in order to jump start our KM working group and to assess our KM maturity level. We also wanted to explore how our unit could enhance our organizational performance using techniques for effective knowledge management,” Davis explained.
“The training consisted of the fundamentals of data literacy and the people, processes and tools components of knowledge management,” Davis added.
Davis received some insightful advice and specific points of contact to help refine processes currently in place, as well as create processes that could benefit the 1st TSC in the future.
“This will benefit the 1st TSC, because it provides us with a roadmap so that we can successfully assess, design, develop, pilot, and implement systems that work better for us,” she added.
“The KM process creates, organizes, applies, and transfers knowledge and we will use this process based on our requirements and the requirements of our mission, Davis explained.
Sgt. Akoh Bagoudou, senior information technology specialist, 1st TSC, attended the three-day training. “One of the benefits of this class is that it showed participants that KM is more than just tools, but it is part of Army Doctrine and involves all of us at all levels,” he explained.
“The biggest thing I got out of this training is that a significant part of KM involves capturing tacit knowledge, knowledge residing in people's minds, and converting it into explicit knowledge, documents, databases, and more,” Bagoudou said.
As an IT Specialist, Bagoudou uses and understands most of the KM tools to complete daily tasks, but his overall KM knowledge was low prior to completing this course.
After completing the training, he said, “I am fully equipped and loaded to perform my duty as KM.
“Overall, this KM training equipped me with the knowledge and tools to effectively manage knowledge within my section, my unit, or organization. It empowered me to drive the implementation of KM strategies that enhance productivity, innovation, and decision-making processes,” Bagoudou shared.
Davis hopes to have the training team return in a year to conduct another assessment. “I believe that the value of this class and an honest look into our people, processes, tools, and organization can only benefit us in our future endeavors,” she concluded.
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