Legal Technology Insider alerted me to a survey of Australian law firms sponsored by PA Consulting Group and CCH. The survey results are based on responses of one-third of the managing partners or CEOs of Australia’s largest firms. The survey also offers comparisons to a similar survey PA conducted in the UK.
On knowledge management, the survey found that only 38% of Australian and 32% of UK firms have been successful in managing their knowledge. The report identified problems with both knowledge capture and access, noting that fewer than one-half of firms provide easy access to the information and in fewer than one-half is knowledge capture a formal part of everyone’s job. PA comments that “it is processes, not the information repositories on their own, that deliver value.” These findings are especially interesting given that most KM professionals acknowledge that Australian and UK firms are ahead of US firms on KM.
On IT investment generally, the survey found that 85% of respondents believe that they could get more value from IT investments. This result is consistent with the finding that fewer than one-quarter of respondents think that existing IT investments have reduced costs and fewer than one-half think client satisfaction has improved as a result of IT spending.