Adding a fourth chief to its management council, the General Services Administration last week created a new chief knowledge officer (CKO) position.
Executive powwows at GSA will now include the CKO, the chief information officer (CIO), the chief financial officer (CFO) and the chief people officer (CPO).
GSA's current CIO, Shereen Remez, will become CKO and pass the CIO baton to Bill Piatt. Piatt is currently the CIO at GSA's Public Buildings Service.
"The CKO will be the focal point for learning, teaching and for making sure the right information is provided at the right time to the right people," Remez told GovExec.com.
The CKO position is a new one in government. Many companies, particularly consulting groups, have had CKOs for several years. The concept of "knowledge management," which the CKO embodies, holds that successful organizations develop structured ways of tapping the knowledge of their employees and customers to improve their products and services.
Remez said she will work closely with the CPO and CIO. While the CIO aligns information technology investments with business goals and the CPO makes sure GSA has the right people to perform its mission, the CKO will use information technology to both share knowledge among workers and increase workers' knowledge, Remez said.
"Our people are our most important asset, and the gray matter between their ears is the most important asset they have," Remez said. "Think how much the average government worker knows, think how much people who have been around awhile know, and how much knowledge you lose when they leave the organization. This is a chance to capture that knowledge."
Web-based technologies will be a primary tool for improving GSA's knowledge base, Remez said. For example, GSA has created a Corporate Information Network to improve communication among its 14,000 workers and with customers.
Remez also plans to use just-in-time training techniques.
"We know people just don't have time to sit in a classroom for five days," she said. "That's not today's model of learning. It's better to learn something just when you need it, and take what you've learned and apply it to what you're doing. Technology is going to be a great tool for that kind of learning."
In addition to the four chiefs and GSA Administrator David Barram, GSA's executive leadership includes the heads of four business units and 11 regional offices. In that management structure, the CKO will be a catalyst for improving the agency's knowledge management, Remez said. Barram came up with the idea to create a CKO position, and he has given the position the authority it needs to have an impact on the agency's operations, Remez said.
"If you take information, people and knowledge, those are the three ingredients to bring GSA to a new level," Remez said. "Each one cannot exist independently without the others."