^The APQC Blog

Every few years, I lead the effort here at APQC to update the State of Benchmarking research effort. This is where we look at the discipline and activity of benchmarking. We examine how it is being conducted, which areas of the organization are being benchmarked, and how the results are used throughout the organization. Here is a link to the last report from 2009.

For those of you who missed APQC’s 2012 knowledge management conference, you missed a great time. Nearly 250 KM experts and professionals came together in Houston to network and exchange ideas about the future of KM as a discipline, the effectiveness of different knowledge-sharing approaches, and how new technologies impact the KM landscape. I was happy to see how much of the conversation focused on taking KM to the next level and leveraging knowledge to impact key performance indicators.

Think about a time when you were treated with disrespect while at work. Most, if not all, of us have had this experience. Whether in the form of texting during meetings, gossiping about co-workers, withholding information, or taking credit for others’ work—bad manners and uncivil behaviors are a common and arguably unavoidable part of working life.

Is your supply chain running ahead of the competition? APQC’s supply chain Tune-Up Diagnostics can help you find out. This popular series give you the ability to evaluate your organization’s performance throughout the entire supply chain.

The series includes the following diagnostic tools:

A scary thought for many finance professionals is utilizing cloud computing for finance functions. Benefits of cloud computing are clear: documents can be modified from anywhere at any time by anyone (with access) on any device. Though less of a new concept for other parts of an organization, some finance people cringe at the thought of storing sensitive, business-critical documents such as financial forecasts on third-party servers. A major concern is, “how secure is this?”

At APQC we’re finalizing our product development/innovation best practices research agenda for the year. But we want your input to make sure the study topic we choose is what you most want to know about.

Take our short Web-based survey at https://www.apqc.org/surveys/hottopic/pdinno2012 to let us know which topics interest you most. Potential study topics include:

I am always looking for mentions of knowledge management in popular media, and this piece from a recent New York Times caught my eye: Crowd-Sourcing Expands Power of Brain Research. In it, Benedict Carey describes a large scientific study in which multiple research centers around the globe shared their data to create a single, more comprehensive database.

Over the past several years, high levels of unemployment pushed the topic of work/life balance to the HR sidelines. With hiring in the United States reaching levels not seen since 2008 (as reported by the Gallup Job Creation Index), the time has come for HR to revisit work/life balance.

During the global recession, workers assumed heavy workloads and worked long hours in an effort to remain employed. As they gain more employment options, they will seek to restore balance between their work and personal lives.

Many organizations have multiple software systems supporting their supply chains. Warehouse management systems, ERP systems, and other software used for procurement, inventory, and transportation processes can have conflicting data.

In a survey conducted in March 2012 by APQC and IEG, 65 percent of finance organizations have some strategy for talent development, either with a coherent, continuous strategy or intermittent attempts. However, an alarming 52 percent of those same respondents who are making an effort to develop talent believe they will suffer from talent flight once the economy truly picks up.