When managers adjusted workloads and added support, morale and productivity improved. Sun says it's found a direct link between the chances that customers will recommend it as a favorable place to do business. Likewise, AC Nielsen studied the link between employee and customer satisfaction data over a period of three years. When employee satisfaction rose, financial results increased. AC Nielsen goes as far as matching managers' bonuses in part to employee satisfaction.
Knowledge management can mean different things to different companies.
It can mean anything from tracking an organizations' skills and competencies to sharing knowledge through Intranets and forums. Within too many organizations, knowledge disappears into a black hole. A survey of 100 leading companies found that 43 percent of executives said that a relationship with a key client or supplier had been damaged by a lack of knowledge transfer. More than 10 percent said their company had lost significant income as a result. Buckman Laboratories, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is a prime example of how knowledge management can work.