Effecting Better Knowledge Management and Change Management Collaboration

Guiding change in organizations is a multi-layered challenge, and while change management practitioners are well-versed in navigating people dynamics, there is untapped potential in looking to knowledge management (KM) as a vital ally. We are excited to present perspectives from four seasoned KM experts, who share reflections on the potential for cross-disciplinary sharing of knowledge and expertise. They reveal what they know (and don’t know) that could be the starting point for a conversation, collaborative partnership and even allyship within the organizational change eco-system with professionals just like you.

I used to coach inline hockey. It’s like ice hockey, but on rollerblades. Under 12 kids aren’t especially strategic in their thinking and our team included two deaf kids and another on the spectrum. A lot of the coaches would resort to teaching them set plays and set passing lanes. Basically, skate to a position and wait for the puck, or form this shape as you skate into offence.

Instead, I took a complexity theory approach. I told my kids to imagine all of the players in giant hamster balls. You know those clear plastic balls that hamsters climb in and then run around their cages rolling along? Well, I got them to imagine every other player on the rink in a giant hamster ball. They had to pass the puck into their teammates’ hamster balls and avoid passing through the opponents’. If they didn’t have the puck, they moved where they could see the puck carrier without interference from opponents. Other coaches often asked how we taught such complex plays. The truth is, we didn’t. I taught them 3-4 simple heuristics, and they invented complex plays on the fly, instinctively knowing each other’s moves. As an observer, it looked like they were telepathic. Two premierships and two State championships proved it.

In knowledge management, we use these heuristic approaches all the time. We seldom get the luxury of direct communications and directly influencing people to work in a new way. We must create systemic changes that encourage them from one equilibrium to a new, healthier equilibrium. And that often looks very, very different for each individual person, just like it looks very different for each player on the rink because they’re in different locations near different opposing players. We need to find and use a few simple probes to enable a particular change. It might be an intervention with a piece of software, a knowledgebase, or project review process, or a community of practice to see how the context responds. And with this insight we choose the next right steps to manage the emerging nature of change. We implement, then iterate, evaluating and learning the whole time.

If you are implementing change in a complex environment, a knowledge manager might be a great asset to you. They can help design the new state, and which heuristics might help change happen. That said, they aren’t usually trained in change management and would value your guidance and expertise. Sounds like a perfect match.

As the manager of a global skills practitioner community in an international organization, I have encountered limited discussions about change management (CM) within our field.

In a network of approximately 500 internal staff and over 2,000 external subscribers, my mission is to create knowledge-sharing opportunities and foster innovative tools that support colleagues working on operational and analytical skills projects. Our community attracts policy makers, academics, NGOs and development practitioners worldwide, seeking both foundational resources and the latest insights in the skills domain.

Managing and preserving knowledge is essential for the long-term sustainability of any community of practice. As knowledge managers, we act as stewards, responsible for safeguarding one of our most valuable assets: knowledge. We approach this thoughtfully, distinguishing between types of knowledge—especially tacit and explicit—to better serve our diverse audiences.

Explicit knowledge is the easiest to capture and share, often stored in repositories as publications, newsletters, or event recordings. This shared knowledge moves easily among team members and reaches our external network. In contrast, tacit knowledge encompasses the skills and insights gained through experience and context; it’s harder to document and share effectively but often holds the deepest value.

To capture tacit knowledge within the skills community, we’ve implemented several strategies tailored to our members’ needs. For instance, we build and share expert staff lists to connect teams starting new projects with colleagues who have in-depth experience in specific skills areas. These interactions often lead to Q&A posts on our organization’s intranet—editable pages that allow for updates as new insights or experts contribute.
Our ongoing efforts to capture and disseminate knowledge, however, would greatly benefit from closer collaboration with CM practitioners. Their expertise in helping people through change could improve how we organize and present information to different groups, especially during times of transition. By working with CM, we can better understand what our users need and find effective ways to support staff as they adapt, ensuring that knowledge remains accessible and relevant. As we continue to explore and implement best practices, I am eager to work alongside CM practitioners to build adaptable, resilient knowledge-sharing practices that support our common goals.

Twenty years ago, as a newly appointed knowledge manager at a global IT solutions provider, I encountered a familiar organizational challenge: brilliant minds working in isolation, valuable insights trapped in silos, and promising new initiatives struggling to gain traction. This experience led to my discovery of Communities of Practice (CoPs), a revelation that would profoundly influence my approach to knowledge management.

CoPs are collaborative networks that accelerate learning, knowledge sharing, and innovation beyond traditional reporting structures. My first CoP implementation demonstrated its transformative potential when a product launch stalled due to a complex technical issue that multiple teams were addressing independently, without success. By creating a CoP, we brought together programmers with expertise in various coding languages, fostering open knowledge exchange and collaboration. Within weeks, the group successfully resolved the technical challenge. Even more impressive was seeing the CoP take full ownership of a struggling initiative to develop junior programming talent. The CoP members proactively created a wealth of valuable learning opportunities across the organisation, delivering results that traditional top-down approaches had failed to deliver.

Over the years, I have witnessed how CoPs drive collaboration, especially during periods of organizational change. During organizational transitions, CoPs provide stability by fostering psychologically safe environments and accelerating change through established trust networks. By breaking down silos, promoting open dialogue, and preserving critical knowledge, CoPs offer employees a platform to voice concerns and share insights. These networks build resilience and agility, enabling organizations to navigate uncertainty, adapt to new conditions, and drive innovation.

CoPs help bridge the gap between technical and cultural transformation by leveraging deep knowledge in both domains. Their members help ensure initiatives resonate with diverse stakeholders, focusing on practice-level adoption to co-create change from the ground up. This grassroots approach integrates new methods into everyday workflows, making change more sustainable. Change managers can derive significant value from CoPs, as they are uniquely equipped to navigate the intersection of technical requirements and organizational culture.

Organizations that thrive amid disruption recognise change as a continuous journey. By collaborating closely with CoPs, change managers can develop sustainable capabilities as these networks continue evolving long after formal change initiatives conclude, helping organizations remain agile and resilient.

For change managers seeking long-term success, partnering with CoPs offers significant benefits. These collaborative networks enhance an organization’s ability to adapt, preserve valuable knowledge, and foster a culture of continuous learning, all essential elements for effectively navigating change. In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving environment, CoPs will be an indispensable ally for change managers.

There’s a well-known proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This rings true when change management and knowledge management practitioners recognise their shared ground and work in partnership—not just co-existing in the same organization but aligning efforts for broader impact.

Many change management practitioners may already use techniques like Lessons Learned, After Action Reviews, and Best-Known Methods. These are not only useful tools for reflection and improvement—they are also foundational practices in knowledge management. Within KM, they serve to capture critical insights, support decision-making, and embed learning into organizational systems.

When these methods are used with both lenses in mind, they deliver stronger results for both disciplines.

For change managers, applying these practices with a knowledge mindset can extend the reach and longevity of their work. Insights generated during a change process can be preserved beyond the life of a project—turning temporary efforts into lasting resources. Capturing knowledge in structured formats, contributing to shared repositories, and engaging with KM professionals can help ensure that lessons aren’t lost and good practice is easier to replicate.

For knowledge managers, involvement in change management work offers direct exposure to how people adapt, where friction surfaces, and what support proves most effective. Change efforts often bring real-time innovation—workarounds, pilot learnings, behaviour shifts—that KM can gather, validate, and scale across the organization.

Consider how small shifts in routine practice can generate wider organizational value:

• Lessons Learned: Go beyond event-based reflection—think about patterns across multiple projects, and how these could inform enterprise-wide approaches. Mistakes can turn into opportunities for change.
• After Action Reviews: Invite diverse voices into the room and use a consistent format that allows insights to be easily indexed and retrieved.
• Best-Known Methods: Treat these not as static SOPs, but as evolving assets, refined through field use and feedback loops from CM and KM practitioners alike. What capability people gain in changing, can have enduring value.

I believe both fields aim to help people and organizations work differently, more effectively, and with greater awareness. Yet they often operate in isolation. It is my hope that by collaborating intentionally change and knowledge managers can better support lasting behaviour shifts and informed decision-making.

In practice, this might mean co-designing feedback processes, co-ordinating the capture of implementation insights, or simply creating stronger connections between people responsible for learning and those responsible for managing change.

The opportunity is clear: when we share tools, perspectives, and intent, we don’t just go fast—we go far, together.

Collaboration across disciplines can be awkward. Different language, different priorities, different rhythms. But when knowledge management and organizational change management practitioners meet with curiosity and a willingness to learn from each other, we get more than efficiency—we get evolution!

You don’t need to master each other’s field. You just need to start a conversation. Share what you see, what you’re trying, what’s working (or not). That’s where the magic happens—when we choose not to go it alone but instead go further together.

So, who are your colleagues in KM? What’s the question you’ll ask to get that conversation started?