The nexus between intelligence and Knowledge Management is receiving more attention from scholars and practitioners alike. We all know that the stiffling traditional bureaucratic form of intelligence organisations is not the best option for managing knowledge workers amidst a crisis-driven mandate. But what is? A project team/matrix option?
A new study conducted by Mark E. Nissen and Tara A. Leweling from the US Naval Postgraduate School, USA shows that bureaucratic organisational forms inhibit not only the speed and accuracy of intelligence analysis but also the knowledge and information sharing among analysts. Their Edge organisational form might not yet be the ultimate solution, but it sure beats stofe pipes and rigid channels of command! Read more about Knowledge Sharing as a Contingency in the Design of Counterterrorism Organizations in the The International C2 Journal | Vol 4, No 2
"This elucidates a complex interaction between knowledge sharing and organizational design, one that suggests the contingency factor knowledge sharing is particularly important in a dynamic context, a contingency factor that has received negligible attention to date in the literature...When considering counterterrorism intelligence organizations—which are predominantly hierarchical in nature—noteworthy performance improvements may be achievable through change toward more flexible and agile edge-like forms, particularly where active knowledge sharing is encouraged. Further,results highlight an important trade space between performance in terms of speed and accuracy, as sharing knowledge improves accuracy but reduces speed. "
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