maybe we can reconcile the statements this way

• Firstly, as a leader you need to make it very clear if you are expecting people to start to take responsibility

• Secondly, you have to give people the information they need to be able to take responsibility

• Thirdly, you need to check that they’ve taken the responsibility, to reinforce the ones who have, and support the ones who haven’t

You ask, if KM is part of the day job, does it need governance?

Yes, it does. Any job needs governance. Governance is not control or micromanagement; its not the opposite of empowerment, its the opposite of anarchy. How would you manage your finances without governance? Probably a lot like Enron. How would you manage risk and safety without governance? Probably in a risky way!

And if KM is your dayjob, it falls under the governance of the day job. In BP Projects, for example, KM is embedded in the Major Projects Common Process, and KM governance is part of the MPCP governance system.

KM goverenance is not about controlling information, its about maintaining culture. Often I cite Bob Buckman as a good example of governance. He makes it clear what he expects of the company, he gives them the tools, the IT, the information and the knowledge, and he knows who is complying and who isnt. And if you aren’t complying with the company expectation, he has a stick rather than a carrot.

That, for me *is* goivernance, and Bob is the guv’nor (as we say in the uk)

Hope this clarifies