Smoothing out the friction from knowledge management

Legal tech can bring about significant efficiencies, but it takes people to meet, share, interact, exchange and bring perspective to the data and its context – says Jenny Hotchin, legal practice lead at iManage.

A recent article in Artificial Lawyer offered an interesting perspective on what we mean by efficiency and how we achieve it with tech is interesting. Taking processes down to their constituent and ‘mechanical’ parts may help reduce friction points, and those may ladder up to incremental financial, time, or ‘time is money gains. Still, it can also dial up risk and shift friction or complexity elsewhere. A cautionary tale.

Perhaps, to get to efficiency and streamlining knowledge workflows – or better still, from data to decisions – we must use what we have in abundance within our organisations and make informed and confident business decisions. A core facet of this much data is whether it is available firm-wide and allows others to act upon it. By encouraging a culture of knowledge sharing, we enrich the available information and are seen to be making knowledge work for our clients.

Content with the human touch?

Knowledge management is at a crossroads, says Alex Smith, in Briefing. With a proliferation of new automation tools opening the possibility of better user experiences and more efficient knowledge sharing, firms should be cautious not to lose sight of where and how they apply those tools and always keep in mind the role of knowledge professionals and their key outputs. Let us celebrate and elevate the human component of knowledge – the content creators, curators and activators – in tandem with the tools they drive to orchestrate and make knowledge work.

And if not for humanity, then what else?

The inescapable truth is that the war in Ukraine and the knock-on effects of a humanitarian crisis are desperate. As an industry, we can make a positive impact, and some examples of using legal tech and smart people to do some good have been heartening to be a part of and witness. One example is Law School 2.0, which recently held Support48 – an idea sprint for solutions to legal challenges arising from the war in Ukraine and positive, progressive use of knowledge ideation that is now converting into functional outcomes for those that need it most.

And so, as we seek efficiencies, solutions, and better outcomes for our organisations and our clients or those in need, let’s keep the conversation about people, processes, and the tools that enable bigger and better outcomes collaborative yet focused.