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Searching For Knowledge

Alex Vorro October 2007

Have you ever had to find a stud to hang a picture? You knew the stud was there ... somewhere ... beneath the surface, but you just couldn't find it without exhaustive searching. Finding studs is like locating knowledge management and knowledge personnel in today's insurance industry: You know they're there, but at first glance they're always hard to find.

Around the time of the dot-com boom, knowledge management was one of the buzz-worthy trends infiltrating business and insurance circles. Formally established as a discipline in 1995, knowledge management, and the inception of the chief knowledge officer, had gained steam throughout the late 1990s, but fell off the radar almost completely once the bubble burst.

"If we look back about seven years ago, it was the role du jour, and knowledge management was a big-name topic," says Richard Cantor, knowledge management team manager with Warren, N.J.-based Chubb Commercial Insurance. "Around that same time with the dot-com bust, many practices and ideas got a bad rap. Knowledge management was one of them; it got lumped in with the rest."

And, despite what some sources told INN - that knowledge management is vital, alive and growing - at least an equal number of sources admitted being unsure of what knowledge management is, let alone whether or not it is employed in any form in their company. But, from sources currently working in knowledge roles, apparently knowledge management, and the utilization of the knowledge officer, is back on the rise.

"What I'm seeing now is a resurgence and a heightened interest in knowledge management," Cantor says. "I don't know of too many chief knowledge officers, but I know of a number of middle management personnel and grass roots positions. These roles are on the rise."

THIRSTING FOR KNOWLEDGE

Traditionally, knowledge management is thought of as the range of practices used by organizations to identify, create and distribute knowledge for reuse, awareness and learning. And the chief knowledge officer's role, according to Cantor, is to maximize the return on investment on people-their knowledge assets-and develop and refine processes that support knowledge sharing while strategically using technology. While INN was unable to locate any chief knowledge officers in the industry, insurers are still staffing roles to accomplish these tasks.

"I don't think the concept of chief knowledge officer was widely used," says Tom Hilgart, vice president, knowledge and learning group for Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. "We certainly don't use that term. We do have a role for knowledge management, but we don't use that term."

Despite not employing a chief knowledge officer, knowledge management is of the utmost importance at CNA.

"My role as leader of the knowledge management area is to make certain the company has the right tools, the right information and the right processes in place to share information," says Jay Kostrzewa, assistant vice president - knowledge management, knowledge and learning group, CNA. "This ensures the different departments across CNA have common tools, and that we can centrally manage either the technology or the processes to accomplish our goals."

"The idea of a role like Jay's is to centrally manage a contemporary knowledge base, and the access and improvements to it. Therefore, I think the role of the knowledge officer is not only viable, but is increasingly needed in organizations," Hilgart adds.

At State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., Bloomington, Ill., knowledge management is a serious, companywide undertaking.

"We feel at State Farm that everybody's role is in some way, shape or form about managing and transferring knowledge," says Carol Csanda, director of knowledge management, State Farm strategic resources.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:


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Data Management

Insurance Network

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