Self-assessment guide

Overview

The self-assessment guide contains two elements: the knowledge management capability model and the maturity matrix.

The knowledge management capability model provides an overall framework for assessment, including good practice statements and some general questions to help organization’s identify potential areas for improvement.

The maturity matrix, whose elements and good practice statements mirror the capability model, provides a means for organizations to gauge their level of maturity in managing knowledge.

We recommend that this guide be reviewed prior to taking the interactive self-assessment.

The self-assessment guide is based on several similar tools designed by successful public and private sector organizations and has been developed with feedback from across the BC public sector. However, no single method can be applied in all contexts. Because the nature of work varies from organization to organization, certain elements may be more important for some agencies than others. Customization of the self-assessment tool is also appropriate.

For example, if a work group does repeatable, predictable work that lends itself to standard operating procedures, emphasis on documentation, storage and retrieval of information is important. If work in another unit is complex and relatively unpredictable, involving many interactions and systems, peer-to-peer and community approaches will be effective. And in another unit, a specific program may not have control over all elements within the matrix, so it will be important for the unit to focus on the elements that fall within its span of control.

Thus, each organization will have its own distinctive path that unfolds as success is experienced and supported, counter-productive activity is discouraged, and learning occurs as a result of setbacks and failures.