The Improvement and Development Agency’s online resource describes knowledge management as an essential component or ‘building block’ on the journey to improvement Effective KM is becoming the council’s ‘competitive’ weapon in the drive to improve services to individuals and local communities. A council that can tap into the vast amount of knowledge available within the organization and share it between employees will have a huge advantage over a council that never discovers or seeks to identify what it’s people know. This overview of KM seeks to provide an explanation behind the concept, theory and definitions of KM. It outlines the steps needed to get started and emphasizes the importance of aligning existing business projects with KM ideals. It also deals with the more intangible questions of culture, commitment, motivation and involvement to ensure that knowledge sharing and mutual learning is accepted widely across the organisation.The resource is available at: http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=75065