I recently received the list of most widely read McKinsey articles over the past year They said that “there was also great interest in articles on technology (including software as a service and Web 2.0) and on the crafting of simple marketing messages.” Here is what they were referring to in their words:

3. MARKETING | How businesses are using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey
By and large, executives are satisfied with their previous investments in Internet technology, and most are investing in trends that promote automation and networking online.

8. HIGH TECH | Delivering software as a service
A new delivery method is shaking the software industry’s foundations. Traditional vendors should take heed.

9. GOVERNANCE | Crafting a message that sticks: An interview with Chip Heath
The key to effective communication: make it simple, make it concrete, and make it surprising.

10. MARKETING | How companies are marketing online: A McKinsey Global Survey
A survey of marketers from around the world shows where online tools are most important, how they’re being used, and on which ones companies plan to spend more.

I included number 9 as I also found it to be a useful primer on how to write a good blog post, as well as communication in general. I would add to the first one, written in March 07, that another major emerging use is the application of web 2.0 principles to workflow applications. There is a new breed of web 2.0 or enterprise 2.0 tools that go beyond blogs and wikis to create workflow applications that incorporate this new transparency. Many of these have been covered in this blog. The transparency these tools offer allows for better team work AND a searchable, archived window into what the organization is doing for all who need to know, should know, and can benefit from this knowledge.

Now, when I say workflow or work process I do not mean the static inflexible workflow of old style content management or project management tools. The advantage of these new tools is that they allow work processes that are more organic and dynamic. They allow the users to control the workflow or process, build it up from tasks and make changes as needed. And, to repeat, they allow for transparency and archiving, and thus KM, to be a byproduct of work, rather than an added requirement. If they are smart at McKinsey this will be a feature for one of their articles or studies in 2008.

BTW, I started thinking about these last thoughts when Stan Garfield asked me to think about what I would say in a KM keynote address today.