Organizations are complex systems composed of people who come and go, much like biological organisms are made up of individual cells that die and regenerate. But unlike biological systems, where each cell carries the organism’s full genetic code, institutional knowledge in organizations is fragmented: No single individual has the complete picture. For this reason, organizations invent mechanisms to capture, retain, and transmit knowledge, ensuring continuity, even as individuals cycle in and out. Lew Platt, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, was right to lament: “If only HP knew what HP knows, we’d be three times more productive.”
It is no surprise then that the “knowledge management” market is projected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030. This explosion in prospective value is due, in part, to the potential and progress of generative AI as a tool to excavate buried data and tacit knowledge, recontextualize it, and offer organizations not just a better understanding of their past, but a more coherent strategic vision of their future.
