Peter Heisig

Benchmarking Survey Results

Knowledge management is an emerging field for research and business. Therefore we decided to base our research on a comprehensive survey of the German TOP 1000 and European TOP 200 companies, because large companies could usually affort the investments and effort required to develop and introduce new management methods.

Integrating business-process re-engineering with human-resource development for continuous improvement

The integration of business-process re-engineering and human-resource development enhances the performance of a companys business processes due to the integration of the process knowledge and empowerment of employees. This integration could serve as a basis for continuous-improvement processes. It also helps to overcome the deficits of business-process re-engineering concerning aspects of the quality of working life. A general framework is outlined. Methods and tools are described. A short case study reports on the first practical results of a participative BPR approach.

Knowledge Management in a Global Company — IBM Global Services

IBM is one of the world’s leading information technology companies. In 2001, IBM employed 320,000 persons and had revenue of

Wissensbilanzen — „Made in Germany“ Ein Praxisbericht aus dem Mittelstand

88,3 billion. IBM Global Services, IBM’s business segment responsible for IT services, employs 149,000 persons in 160 countries and had sales of

Measuring Knowledge and Generating Knowledge about the Future — Skandia AFS and Skandia Lebensversicherungen AG

33,2 billion. In 2001, it was the world’s leading provider of information technology services.

Measuring Intangible Assets for Sustainable Business Growth — Celemi AB, Medium-Sized and Fast Growing

Die wichtigste Saule der wirtschaftlichen Starke der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist der Mittelstand. Mittelstandische Unternehmen, also jene mit bis zu etwa 500 Arbeitnehmern, beschaftigen mit Abstand am meisten Mitarbeiter und sind ein verlasslicher Motor fur Innovationen und bestandige Qualitatsverbesserung. Fur das Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Arbeit (BMWA) stellt sich daher die Frage, wie dieser Mittelstand, der durch seine direkten und indirekten Steuerleistungen auch den wichtigsten Beitrag zum Wohlstand des Landes leistet, optimal fur die Herausforderungen der Wissensgesellschaft unterstutzt werden kann. Das langfristige Ziel der unter der Uberschrift „Fit fur den Wissenswettbewerb“ laufenden Initiative ist die Sicherung und Entwicklung des Innovationsstandortes Deutschland (BMWA 2004). Das Institut fur Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik der grosten deutschen Forschungsanstalt, der Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, wurde beauftragt, gemeinsam mit erfahrenen Experten aus dem Ausland zu uberprufen, wie mit dem Instrument der „Wissensbilanz“1 diese Ziele unterstutzt werden konnen. Drei Uberlegungen spielten bei der Auswahl der Wissensbilanz als mogliches Instrument eine besondere Rolle: Wie kann der Unternehmenswert einer Organisation durch Erhohung der Produktivitat und klarere Entscheidungen verbessert werden?

Knowledge Management: The “One Company Platform” — Arthur D. Little, Inc.

Skandia is an international financial services and insurance group that was founded in Sweden in 1855. The company operates in 24 countries and has its head office in Stockholm. Today, Skandia is the fourth largest supplier of unit-linked insurance in the world. 3,000 of the firm’s 11,000 employees work for Skandia AFS, the parent company of the German Skandia Lebensversicherung AG. Skandia operates with a universal fund management system that is adapted to country-specific conditions.

Knowledge management in Europe — results from a European survey

Celemi International AB, “Celemi” is a medium-sized consulting company for change management with approximately 80 employees. Its headquarters are in Malmo and it has offices in Sweden (Stockholm), Belgium (Brugges), the UK (Guildford), the USA (Simsbury and Chicago), Australia (Melbourne), New Zealand (Auckland) and Finland (Espoo). In 1997, Celemi International AB had gross sales of about SKr 98 million. In that year, Celemi was recognized as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe. Since 1993 the number of employees has increased eight-fold. During the same period, sales have almost quadrupled (from SKr 23 million in 1993 to SKr 98 million).

Knowledge Management: The Holistic Approach of Arthur D. Little, Inc.

In 1886, Arthur Dehon Little, a chemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded the company with the same name. His goal was to advise companies on how to develop more efficient production processes and organizational forms. Today, the company is one of the world’s five premier consulting firms, with 3400 staff members based in 51 offices and laboratories around the globe. In 1999, Arthur D. Little Inc. had an income of € 670 million.

Knowledge Management and Customer Orientation Hewlett Packard Austria

This paper presents some empirical results from the first German Benchmarking Study on Knowledge Management with the survey of the TOP 1000 German and TOP 200 European companies. Cost and time reductions are reported as improvements from KM activities. Companies mainly start in R&D with KM. Critical success factors are corporate culture, processes and structures, human aspects and information technology.