Check out consultant and blogger Euan Semples latest post, Why HR, Comms & IT should be really excited about the social web.

A past speaker at KMWorld, Euan hits on a theme for KMWorld 2009 — People, Talent & Knowledge.   He says, “People are starting to do it for themselves. Increasingly staff are using web-based tools to perform some of the functions that have ostensibly been the responsibility of these departments. They are writing CV’s and finding jobs for themselves, even within the existing organisations, using Linkedin; they are using social sites like Facebook or blogs of to communicate with each other; and they are increasingly using flexible tools such as Google Documents and calendar to provide basic platforms for working together. They are showing imagination, energy and a willingness to do with it takes to get their job is done. These are qualities that organisations keep telling us they want their staff to have.”

I like the theme of this article about finding better solutions — 16 strategies for doing less with less, but I’m not so sure about some of the suggested strategies!

1. Lay it out in black & white
2. Focus on short-term wins
3. Slay your service level agreements
4. Max out your storage
5. Go open source
6. Consider refurbished equipment
7. Get virtual, but pick your spots
8. Clean out cobwebbed apps
9. Revoke unused licenses
10. Join the cloud crowd
11. Cover your SaaS (software as a service)
12. Slash your development cycles
13. Curb your email addiction
14. Reward your employees with vendor freebies (like training)
15. Give your staff a virtual raise (casual dress, more telecommuting)
16. Buy bagels (for staff)

Interesting that the last three strategies have to do with people, employees (why are they at the end?) — and I like them!   Our KMWorld 2009 theme is Resetting the Enterprise: Focusing on People, Talent & Knowledge. People are important to strategies, new ways of doing things, creativity, productivity, and so much more.  I say focus on the people first — involve them in creating better solutions.