ENKE (Enhancing Knowledge Management in Enterprises) is a research project partly funded by the European IST-Programme (http://www.ist-enke.com or look at Cordis ).

ENKE focuses on the definition and application of a comprehensive framework for introducing and enhancing knowledge management (KM) in organisations and the development and implementation of two IT-based KM applications for two entirely different industrial sectors. The ENKE team decided to co-operate with the European KM Forum and selected the EKMF Framework Model Version 1.4 currently being developed by the European KM Forum in IST Project 2000-26393 for use in ENKE. Analysis of this and other KM models showed that the EKMF appears to include all the aspects considered necessary by the ENKE partners for successful implementation of KM.

The project places a particular emphasis on the human issues that need to be addressed in order to ensure the success of these complex KM applications. ENKE is now in a stage of getting first results on applying the EKMF Framework and installing KM procedures and applications.

Lessons learned
One lesson ENKE had to learn to successfully implement KM was to get support and acceptance from the management and the employees especially in SMEs.
In dynamic phases in a company's life with restructuring, setting up new departments and closing others, the fluctuation of employees is unintended higher than normal. Especially in this situation we learned that the management of SMEs is aware of the lost of knowledge of people leaving or being shifted. ENKE learned to attenuate this threat by applying KM gathering methods before people leave their position and the management was ready to give the needed support.

Read the public report where ENKE described how it defined the general KM framework and the related organisation, management and methods.
ENKE schedules to publish its final reports in autumn 2003 and is interested to share practical results with other members and projects of the European KM Forum.

For more information get in contact wiht Hermann Boehling