In simple terms, a chief knowledge officer is someone who is a resource
person in charge of identifying, examining and distributing all kinds of new
knowledge and information to other people in the company.
Another part of the CKO's job is to find new and interesting ways to turn
that information into something from which the company can benefit.
Yogesh Malhotra is a CKO for an online knowledge management company. Malhotra
says CKOs try to make sense of everything that is out there.
"The key issue is trying to get complex issues across once you have analyzed
them," says Malhotra. "It's all about creating and using strategies and being
creative to get those ideas across."
Most CKOs are employed by big corporations like Coca-Cola or General Motors.
That is because these companies have a lot of competition, and they rely on
their CKOs to keep them one step ahead of everyone else when it comes to the
latest in everything from computer systems to programs.
Knowledge manager Jo-Anne Raynes says that while this job is on the leading
edge in business, it definitely has its time commitments.
"It's a senior executive role in the company, so a set number of hours
in a week isn't really realistic," says Raynes.