Do You Need a Certificate in KM?
 

Are you thinking about obtaining a certificate or a diploma in knowledge management? What competencies can you obtain from institutions that offer these educational programs?

In KM Competencies: Is Certification the Way to Go?, Patrick Lambe, principal of Straits Knowledge, explains why certification programs may not be the right way to go. Lambe states: "It seems clear then that a short certification programme couldn't possibly cover all the competencies required for knowledge management. Nor would you want it to." " . . . [Y]ou need to have a clearer understanding of the competencies you want to build."

Lambe cites Angela Abell and Nigel Oxbrow's (from UK consulting and recruiting firm, tfpl) study of the competencies required from knowledge and information professionals a few years ago. Their study was subsequently published in book form under the title Competing with Knowledge: the Information Professional in the Knowledge Age (for a preview of the study, see tfpl's Knowledge and Information Management Competencies).

Over the years, I've considered obtaining a certificate or post-graduate diploma in legal knowledge management. In 2003, Nottingham Law School in the UK launched its post-graduate diploma in know-how management for legal practice. A new entrant in the field of law firm management education is Stony Brook University's executive MBA program for law firm managers.

But then I think about the issues raised in An Evaluation of the Legal Manager’s Role in Coordinating and Developing an Organisation’s Resources and Capabilities, by Susan Stokeld of the University of Aberdeen Business School.

Stokeld's paper evaluates the range of managerial skills and competences exhibited by legal managers in both private law firms and in public and private sector organisations and determines the level and type of managerial training deemed appropriate.

Any thoughts, suggestions? e-mail me.

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