While the knowledge management processes section dealt with the general ways knowledge can be managed, this section tackles long-term knowledge management strategy. Strategic investments represent the company’s choices/options so as to enable and enhance the processes outlined earlier (e.g. knowledge sharing) and to offer help define which knowledge is relevant (i.e. in line with strategic objectives) and which is not.

This section is based on the strategic part of the integrated knowledge management model, which includes:

• Knowledge management strategic initiatives:
• Invest: Support of existing structures, competencies, knowledge retention mechanisms, culture, external network, and knowledge management systems
• Invest: Implement changes to structures, competencies, knowledge retention mechanisms, culture, external network, and knowledge management systems
• Divest: Remove obsolete knowledge

The articles that follow are based solely on the points under "invest". Based on that we arrive at the following headings:

• KM and Organizational Structures
• KM and Organizational Culture
• KM and Knowledge Retention
• KM and Core Competencies
• KM and External Knowledge Network
• KM and Knowledge Management Systems
• Summary: Knowledge Management Best Practices

As many of you might realize, many of the strategic initiatives deal with aspects that extend into different branches of management. I will endeavor to stick to the scope of this subsection and, for the most part, limit my discussion only to aspects relevant to knowledge management strategy. Furthermore, at all stages of the following discussion on knowledge management strategy, I will also refer to different knowledge types and to IT systems, whenever necessary. However, the subsection dealing with knowledge management systems will be the first that focuses specifically on IT. It will discuss the general implementation issues, leading to the subsequent section that looks at some specific systems and tools.

At the end, I will present a summary of all the conclusions and recommendations made throughout this section and the one on knowledge management processes, in a subsection titled Knowledge Management Best Practices.This will serve as a way to provide a quick overview of knowledge management strategy, and could be read on its own by readers who are not interested in a more detailed account.