Knowledge Management Strategy Using Activity Theory for a Law Firm

Abstract

The practice of law is one that has been associated with the practice of knowledge and skills which invariably requires objective use of information. Law firms are now being challenged by the need to better manage their collective knowledge as an asset to their business. Traditional methods of managing human capital, innovation, and learning within law firms, have proven ineffective as they more often than not fail to contribute to a firm’s success. In an ideal setting, having a good knowledge management initiative in place may offer the opportunity for a practising lawyer to experience a better work or life balance. Some legal firms are on the threshold of embarking on comprehensive knowledge management strategies aiming to improve the way they manage their knowledge. However, such strategies are far more complex as one would imagine. Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives should not merely be seen as an attempt to alleviate some of the problems of poor control and poor use of knowledge and information resources in the face of increasing complexity but also as a means for organisations to have better leverage on what it does best. A holistic implementation of a KM initiative is deemed necessary so that such an initiative does not disrupt existing work processes, but adds value to a legal setup leading to improved productivity and better clientele services. Such an initiative should not only make a lawyer’s job easier but perhaps also result in greater work satisfaction for a lawyer over time. This case study based research dwells into embedding law firms with a holistic implementation of KM. It proposes a KM initiative for legal establishments albeit to one firm. The aforementioned legal establishment would need to remain anonymous due to the nature of the research and will hereafter be referred to as AP.