Rosenbluth International, a Philadelphia-based travel services firm where I was chief communications officer, has an open meeting policy. With few exceptions, everyone can attend any meeting. Meetings are announced daily to make it easy, resulting in faster sharing and cross-cultivation of knowledge and ideas. At Hewitt Associates, an HR consulting firm based in Lincolnshire, Ill., KM is practiced in ways both symbolic and real. Conference rooms all have round tables, so no one can sit at the head and dictate discussions.
Nobody has a corner office, and there are no titles.
Everyone has access to Lotus Notes databases, and associates share what they know across practice, office, and geographic boundaries. Politics, turf, and implementation responsibilities can squelch ideas in traditional communication channels. Alagasco, a North Birmingham, Ala.-based natural gas company, provides a direct link to CEO Mike Warren via cards posted throughout the organization. Employees jot down questions and ideas, with no signature required. Rosenbluth has a toll-free hotline to CEO Hal Rosenbluth.