Excuse me, what’s the direction to the Knowledge?
If you started your career in one of the big four, you’ve definitely experienced the driving with the map on the seat of your car, looking for the address of your new client. I still remember the nights spent studying the trip before every new assignment. I didn’t have a car during the university, therefore my experience in driving was extremely limited at the beginning of my career in PwC.
Buying the first “Tom Tom” was indeed a great investment. Less nights spent studying the roads to reach the client and definitely less stress.
The “Tom Tom” was a cool new technology, but bringing that ugly device in all trips with the high risk of theft was not the best user experience. But indeed a gift for my productivity and self-confidence. Thanks Tom Tom!
And then it came..Google Maps has silently entered in our life and it got so quickly embedded in our routine that we don’t even remember when this has happened.
Google Maps has found the most effective way to organize millions of data about places. They combined data with customers’ needs and by leveraging artificial intelligence, Google delivered one of the best experiences for users that have to go to locations.
But this is not enough. Google Maps is maintained by millions of users that use the app every day and help to keep the data up-to-date. Not only for the directions, but also for information such as traffic, speed limits, restaurants, gas stations..
The positive impact on our life is tangible. You can be 100% accurate when you tell your mother-in-law at what time you will be there for lunch. There is no price for such a benefit!!
To summarize what Google has done well:
- Easy-to-use application
- “Every thing you need to move” in the same place
- Real time update on duration and roads blocks
- Attention to customers’ needs (the app is not only for car driver, but also for walkers or bicyclers)
- Leveraging data already available on the web (e.g. restaurants)
- Partnership with other providers (e.g. Uber)
- Possibility to share real time your locations
This in case you still wonder if knowledge management can lead to productivity and happiness..

