Disqus - Latest Comments for VMaryAbraham

Re: Mind Reading

VMaryAbraham — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:26:54 -0000

You're right, Jack. The frequent requests for a Google-like search often
masked a desire for simplicity (and good results, of course) in the face of
embarrassingly bad search tools within the enterprise. However, the folks
asking for Google at work didn't always understand exactly what it took
Google to deliver simplicity and good results -- millions of dollars spent
keeping their algorithms state of the art. That's an investment most firms
are unwilling to make. Nonetheless, the insistence on having Google at work
has led several in the law firm world to work with vendors to create search
tools that provide amazing results via a simple interface. I suspect that
the lawyers in the firms that have adopted this approach don't ask for
Google anymore.

Once services like Pulse become more common, I expect users within the
Enterprise will begin to insist that they receive work related information
in the same intuitive way. Search tool vendors will have to deliver.

- Mary

Re: 100 and Counting

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:16:46 -0000

Thanks, Dave. So perhaps she has discovered the true Elixir of Life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life

- Mary

Re: Dating a Beautiful Model

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:53:50 -0000

Thanks for your kind words, Ann.

- Mary

Re: Dating a Beautiful Model

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:02:40 -0000

Thanks so much for your comments, Ann. It looks like your firm has done
exactly what it should -- adapt the best of KM thinking to improve the
practice of law. It's only when we get past a simplistic view of KM =
models/document collections that we can think holistically and creatively
about what a firm really needs to become more effective and efficient.

Good luck with your KM efforts!

- Mary

Re: KM’s Worst Enemy

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:34:45 -0000

Swan -

Given the "soft benefits" of KM, it may be hard to actually quantify the
full cost of ownership. Nonetheless, knowlege mangers are not off the
hook. We just have to work harder to be sure we have a defensible way of
explaining and substantiating the costs and benefits of KM. But even if we
can't nail down every last item, I suspect that simply making the effort
will prove beneficial.

- Mary

Re: KM’s Worst Enemy

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:21:45 -0000

Doug -

You're right that a fixed fee billing structure makes the benefits of model
documents more intuitively obvious. Nonetheless, my point about checking
premises remains. We won't know for sure that a model has been helpful
unless we can actually identify and measure the impact of that model.
Alternatively, we'll need solid and consistent anecdotal evidence that a
particular model was helpful. Are firms ready to do that kind of due
diligence review?

- Mary

Re: Thought Experiment #1: The KM R&D Budget

VMaryAbraham — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:40:28 -0000

Delete.

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0000

Dave -

Active moderation appears to be the key. Without some judicious weeding and
guidance, the group discussions get smothered by poor quality content.

- Mary

Re: Just Tell Me What Works!

VMaryAbraham — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:20:23 -0000

Phil -

As you can see, my blog posts reflect my ongoing internal conversation on these topics!

I like your nomination for the best of best practices (i.e., do the hard work of thinking for yourself). It's guaranteed to work, assuming one's thinking is sound!

- Mary

Re: Are Law Firms Ready for Mobile and Social?

VMaryAbraham — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:42:16 -0000

That's a fair question, Doug.

When I saw that announcement about the WordPress plugin the other day, I
realized that it was time to do some housekeeping/maintenance on my blog.

What is it they say? It's the cobbler's children who go without shoes!

- Mary

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:46:46 -0000

Jordan -

Don't worry about your "rolodex view" of LinkedIn, You're in excellent company!

On the issue of contacts, I've heard that there is an alternative theory according to which our LinkedIn contacts shouldn't be limited to just friends and acquaintances, but should stretch to people who are within our sphere, albeit it around the edges. This theory suggests that in an era of weak ties, the more such ties you have, the better. The downside is that once you let everyone into your circle, you may have to make difficult decisions about which requests you will fulfill and which people you will ignore.

Thanks for being such a diligent moderator of a LinkedIn group. I wish the others were as diligent. I've found that the presence of low-quality discussion topics, shallow consultant opinion pieces, and cheap ploys by folks trawling for contacts has greatly diminished the usefulness of Groups for me. It's a shame there isn't a rating system for groups. Perhaps that might clean things up a little.

Finally, the issue of LinkedIn's value proposition is important. If all you're doing is keeping your own contact information up to date and surfing for news occasionally, then the value proposition is positive. But the moment you start wasting time on difficult requests or dead-end discussions, LinkedIn becomes expensive because it starts costing too much time. That's the challenge LinkedIn poses for me.

- Mary

Re: Just Tell Me What Works!

VMaryAbraham — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:35:21 -0000

Phil -

You raise an intriguing question. Are there ANY best practices in any disciplines that may safely be followed blindly? If not, what's really a best practice?

- Mary

Re: Resting on Your Laurels Ruins Best Practices

VMaryAbraham — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:27:08 -0000

Rick -

You're right that knowledge by itself is insufficient. What we need is
judgment (born of experience) that allows us to determine how much of that
knowledge is applicable to our own situation. (I am a little skeptical of
the urge to adopt another's best practice wholesale.) At the end of the
day, it's that judgment that helps us identify practices that are best for
us and improve them as necessary.

- Mary

Re: Just Tell Me What Works!

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:05:07 -0000

Thanks, Phil.

It's possible that some disciplines (for example, medicine?) actually have best practices that work in most contexts and should be followed scrupulously -- at least until research shows that they shouldn't be. However, I wonder if this is the exception rather than the rule? How many other disciplines can make a similar claim?

- Mary

Re: Just Tell Me What Works!

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:49:34 -0000

Nimmy -

I like your idea of distilling the core concepts derived from best practices
and then adapting them for our own environments. In that way, we learn from
others, borrow the best from them, but still create a solution that actually
works for us. It's a win-win all around.

- Mary

Re: Just Tell Me What Works!

VMaryAbraham — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:06:26 -0000

Thanks very much, Gerard.

You and your team are famous for thinking creatively about how to improve the practice and business of law. It appears that the starting point is innovating sufficiently to make the inevitable mistake or two. Then, the key is to respond quickly. You've mentioned the need to listen carefully and adapt rapidly. Both of these essential behaviors are too frequently ignored when we are fixated on implementing best practices.

Good luck with your e-mail transparency project!

- Mary

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:48:01 -0000

Dave -

70% is a pretty good proportion. It sounds like you've found the right groups for your interests. Do you use a particular process for identifying productive groups?

- Mary

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:32:45 -0000

John -

It sounds like some of the value is simply in showing up and being present. It will be interesting to see if lawyers are able to convert that mere presence into engagements by paying clients.

- Mary

Re: The Transparency Switch

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:29:33 -0000

John -

Thanks for the reminder that even the most pedestrian e-mails might have future value under the right circumstances. Since it's hard to predict what is going to be important later, it appears that we'll have to save everything and invest heavily in finding and sorting tools. The search engine vendors must be delighted.

- Mary

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:30:29 -0000

Thanks, Jack. To be honest, I haven't explored LinkedIn answers before. However, based on your testimonial, I just might give them a try.

- Mary

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:29:15 -0000

Thanks, Lars. So the secret is to limit our expectations? It's a shame since LinkedIn has such potential.

- Mary

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:28:20 -0000

Doug -

It sounds like we belong to some of the same LinkedIn groups! What should we (or LinkedIn) do to improve this situation? Or do we just give up and be grateful for an operating rolodex?

- Mary

PS: Yes, my Outlook address book is a little out of date...

Re: Is LinkedIn Working for You?

VMaryAbraham — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:26:15 -0000

Dave -

In your estimation, what's the proportion of marketing to non-marketing articles? How much weeding do you have to do to find the good stuff?

- Mary

Re: People Power

VMaryAbraham — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:59:43 -0000

Thanks so much, Doug. This makes for interesting reading. My only regret is that we didn't discover her work years ago!

- Mary

Re: People Power

VMaryAbraham — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:35:51 -0000

Thanks very much, Rick. It's interesting that knowledge management has only
recently come to the understanding that command-and-control is not always
(or even usually) the best approach. Elinor Ostrom's work indicates that
ordinary people are quite capable of doing the right thing. Now, those in
authority need to trust people to deliver superior results.

- Mary