Case 6.1: Applying the DIKA Model

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to design the strategy and tactics to help an insurance company manage information and knowledge.

Situation:
The organization's management of knowledge and "best practices" frustrates the new CEO of a large insurance company. She has a Ph.D. in engineering and has extraordinary "people" skills. She systematically thinks through problems and demands well-reasoned arguments before implementing any changes. You are on a task force charged with recommending a strategy to better manage information. She tells your task force:

We have fax, e-mail, computer conferences, voice mail, employee publications, quarterly meetings, and just about any other media you can think of … but we still can't seem to get our message across. Employees tend to hoard information. They share it, but only when asked. We generate reams of data and yet it rarely informs our decision-making. There is so much information out there in so many forms (much of which is redundant) that I'm confused half the time. We need to learn from each other but we don't. What we need is a strategy that will coordinate all this information, the people and the communication media. We need to get people talking about the things that solve our real problems, add value to service and improve productivity!

Objectives:

1. Specify your communication strategy
2. Develop the tactics necessary to implement the strategy.
3. Provide an evaluation mechanism for the process.