About us

Our purpose

Knowledge management (KM) is a management discipline that seeks to sustainably improve the effectiveness of organisations and social systems. KM does this through deliberate and planned systems interventions that aim to facilitate improvements in the creation, sharing, and use of knowledge.

As has already been happening in the overall field of management and also other management disciplines such as HR, better evidence-based practice is vital for the future of KM. Organisations cannot be expected to embrace KM unless proven processes and practices are used, but sadly the management arena abounds with fads and fixes that are little better than snake oil.

However, as KM is a comparatively new field, the evidence base for what processes and practices work effectively is constantly evolving. Compounding this situation, busy KM practitioners often find it difficult to keep up to date with the findings of new research in KM and related disciplines such as communications, marketing, psychology, biology, sociology, and management.

RealKM Magazine closes that gap, bringing managers and KM practitioners the findings of high-value knowledge management research through concise, practically-oriented articles. The types of articles we publish include:

• Evidence summaries that are typically based on recently published systematic reviews in academic journals, or sometimes individual research papers. Systematic reviews produce a more reliable knowledge base through accumulating findings from a range of studies.

• Feature articles and series that synthesize a range of research in regard to a topical KM issue.

• Article serials that present large research reports and dissertations in more readily digestible parts over a period of time..

• News items that announce events, book releases and reviews, or other significant developments in KM.

The articles and article series are also published in six different categories:

• In the news – Announcements of events, book releases and reviews, and other KM-related issues or developments considered newsworthy by the editor.

• ABCs of KM – Articles backed by sound research on accepted or emerging KM practice, or that describe a real and specific case scenario, and editor-selected articles on key issues for the KM community.

• Brain power– Articles backed by sound research on individual and collective thinking and behaviour (both of the human and artificially intelligent kind), or that describe a real and specific case scenario.

• Systems & complexity – Articles backed by sound research on organisations and social systems (including complexity theory, organisational change, and culture), or that describe a real and specific case scenario.

• Tools & tech – Articles backed by sound research in regard to tools and techniques that support knowledge management outcomes.

• Opinion – Editor-selected articles, videos, and podcasts that endorse a particular conclusion or course of action without evidence of sound research being supplied.

Our achievements

The founding objective of RealKM was to share “high-value knowledge management research through concise, practically-oriented articles” to a knowledge management (KM) practitioner and broader management audience that is often time-poor and lacks exposure to research evidence.

As reported in the RealKM Impact Story, RealKM has resoundingly achieved its founding objective, and continues to do so. RealKM has also gone well beyond its founding objective to support other important aspects of KM capability improvement. This includes leadership and support in regard to emerging initiatives that are shaping the future of KM.

Pivotal to RealKM’s ongoing success are the continuous commitment and efforts of its directors and the financial support of the passionate and generous RealKM Patrons.

Our awards

RealKM Magazine has now received two significant international awards.

In December 2020, RealKM Magazine honoured to receive a Platinum Award in the 2020 Australian Society for Knowledge Management (AuSKM) Awards. The award recognises excellence in sharing high-value knowledge management research through concise, practically-oriented articles for knowledge management (KM) practitioners and a broader management audience.

In December 2018, we were very excited to learn that RealKM Magazine had been the winner of the Knowledge and Information Award in the 2018 CILIP Knowledge and Information Management (K&IM) Awards, which were presented in London.

Our organisation

RealKM was established in August 2015 as an initiative of founding editor Stephen Bounds, who is Executive, Information Management at Cordelta, a professional services firm based in Canberra, Australia. Stephen was supported in this by consultant and project manager Bruce Boyes, who was recruited as editor and lead writer. Bruce is currently based in China.

In early 2019, Stephen formally transitioned RealKM to a community-owned model, with the RealKM Cooperative Limited registered in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on 2 May 2019. This followed an inaugural meeting on 8 February 2019, at which Stephen Bounds, Bruce Boyes, and Dr Arthur Shelley were elected as directors. Dr Arthur Shelley is Director of specialist consulting firm Intelligent Answers, which is based in Melbourne, Australia.

RealKM is made possible by the very generous contributions of its greatly valued patrons. Stephen Bounds and Dr Arthur Shelley are RealKM Platinum-level Patrons, our highest supporter level.