Preparing
for Conversations
with John McQuary
Knowledge
Leadership
John
McQuary
Vice President of Knowledge Management and Technology Strategies
Fluor Corporation
Houston, Texas, US
 Introduction
John McQuary is
Vice President of Knowledge Management and Technology Strategies
at Fluor Corporation. With 26 years of proven leadership skills,
his current role requires the ability to drive organizational
change from a global perspective, to establish a clear vision
of future possibilities, to create a strategy to achieve goals,
and to deliver business-focused results.
As the leader of
the Knowledge Management Team, McQuary has led the KM program
from initial concept to cross-industry recognition for Fluor
as a leader in the field of Knowledge Management. External recognition
has included three Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) awards
and recognition by the American Productivity and Quality Center
(APQC) twice for excellence in creating communities of practice
and knowledge retention and transfer. Nu merous publications
have also cited Fluor's knowledge management capabilities.
The current focus
of the Technology Strategies Organization is the Next Generation
Execution Platform project which will define how Fluor will execute
projects in the future. This global, cross-functional initiative
will establish a new 3D CAD platform for Fluor as well as an
integrated project execution environment. Work process and organization
changes to improve project execution performance are a primary
focus of this initiative.
McQuary's career
began in piping and material engineering and soon led to various
strategic change initiative roles including: leadership of the
Computer Integrated Engineering department, leadership of the
Information Services Department, leadership of the Global Automation
Team, and instrumental roles in transforming Fluor into a knowledge-based
EPC&M services organization and in defining Fluor's next
generation project execution platform.
In addition to his
Fluor responsibilities, John sits on the FIATECH Board of Directors
and is a member of the Advisory Panel for Harnessing Information
Technology in the Engineering and Construction Industries. He
is also frequently invited to be a keynote speaker at various
knowledge management and technology conferences. McQuary's education
includes a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Arkansas, and leadership studies at the Thunderbird Graduate
School of International Management and the University of South
Carolina.
Back
to top
IK
Case Report
Fluor: Connecting
people
Whether self-selecting
or handpicked, a community of practice (CoP) often creates a
new version of the corporate silo - a virtual silo. Topic, subject
matter, location, purpose, educational background, choice, social
mores, bias and many other factors determine the composition
and character of a typical community. Some are subtly skewed,
others appear like gated communities. Indeed, some are virtually
estranged from the greater community.
Hence, CoPs can
be as limited as the silos they are intended to transcend. It
is, therefore, not often you find a company with a true, open,
enterprise wide, inter-disciplinary knowledge sharing system
that really works.
But at Fluor, staff
anywhere in the world, in any unit or function can log on and
have access to corporate-wide content, experts, discussion forums
and more. They only have to be a member of the greater Fluor
community.
See
PDF for the complete report.
Back
to top
Opening
Topic
Measuring
Knowledge Leadership
"A key to KM
quality," John McQuary says, "is an organization's
knowledge leadership."
At Fluor, KM capability
is built around communities of practice and those CoPs depend
on the leadership of community leaders and knowledge managers.
"Throughout
our KM journey, McQuary says, "we have observed a direct
correlation between active and involved leadership and high levels
of community performance."
In his recent column
in IK magazine, McQuary discusses a tool he's developed to gauge
community performance. The evaluation consists of 12 characteristics
including "measurable progress against community objectives"
and "active and involved leadership.
See PDF for the
full story. Then join John in the August STAR Series Dialogue
where he will open his discussion with a conversation on the
topic "Measuring Knowledge Leadership." Be prepared;
he'll ask you this: "What are you doing to encourage,
recognize and reward knowledge leadership?
Back to top
|
