Knowledge Management Operations ― FM 6-01.1

The Army embraced knowledge management (KM) as a discipline in 2003. How the Army manages information and facilitates the movement of knowledge has changed dramatically in recent years. This includes the growth of KM within the Army and refinement of associated technology—both hardware and software. Recognizing that the ability to efficiently manage knowledge is essential to effective mission command, the Army authorized the Army Knowledge Management Qualification Course (AKMQ-C), with additional skill identifier (ASI) to prepare Soldiers for KM’s complex challenges. KM sections at brigade through theater army headquarters now work with commanders and staffs to help manage knowledge within their organizations; bridging the art of command and the science of control through KM. KM can be summarized in the phrase “Know, Show, Grow!” Know = tacit “head knowledge”; Show = knowledge that is written down and documented (explicit knowledge) to be shared with others; Grow = collaboration toward innovation which sparks new knowledge. What individuals and small elements know that could help others cannot be widely shared without the means to share it. The sheer volume of available information makes it difficult to identify and use that which is relevant. Knowledge management provides the means to efficiently share knowledge, thus enabling shared understanding and learning within organizations. To do this, KM creates, organizes, applies, and transfers knowledge and information between authorized people. It seeks to align people, processes, and tools—to include information technology—within the organization to continuously capture, maintain, and re-use key information and lessons learned to help units learn and adapt and improve mission performance. KM enhances an organization’s ability to detect and remove obstacles to knowledge flow, thereby fostering mission success. Because collaboration is the key contributor to KM, it is imperative that everyone be involved in the process, from the generating force that trains and sustains the Soldier to the operating force, which ensures Soldiers survive and thrive every day in every circumstance or location. The contributions of everyone are important because anyone may be the source of an idea that may become the catalyst for a solution that accomplishes missions and saves lives. Though the focus of this document is operations, KM can be used by organizations and individuals to accomplish many tasks. This manual and its successors are intended to provide the guidance on how to use KM successfully to benefit Soldiers at the tip of the spear as well as commanders and staff, in present and future operational environments, in an era of persistent conflict. This manual, “Knowledge Management Operations,” provides doctrinal knowledge management (KM) guidance. It provides doctrine for the organization and operations of the KM section, and establishes the doctrinal principles, tactics, techniques, and procedures necessary to effectively integrate KM into the operations of brigades and higher. FM 6-01.1 applies to KM activities in Army headquarters from brigade through Army service component command. (“Brigade” includes brigade combat teams, support brigades, functional brigades, and multifunctional brigades.) It applies to the KM section as well as to commanders, staffs, and Army leaders who will have a role in improving KM effectiveness or implementing KM procedures in their organizations. FM 6-01.1 applies to the Active Army, Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve unless otherwise stated. The Army currently leads the effort to develop doctrine for KM; thus Army headquarters serving as the headquarters of a joint force land component command or joint task force may adapt this field manual with appropriate modifications until joint doctrine or guidance is provided.