What makes corporate KM initiative work

From an article in the Harvard Business Review on Innovation, Networks and KM at Procter & Gamble:

Procter & Gamble’s development and implementation of connect and develop has unfolded over many years. There have been some hiccups along the way, but largely it has been a methodical process of learning by doing, abandoning what doesn’t work and expanding what does. Over five years in, we’ve identified three core requirements for a successful connect-and-develop strategy.

• Never assume that “ready to go” ideas found outside are truly ready to go. There will always be development work to do, including risky scale-up.
• Don’t underestimate the internal resources required. You’ll need a full-time, senior executive to run any connect-and-develop initiative.
• Never launch without a mandate from the CEO. Connect and develop cannot succeed if it’s cordoned off in R&D. It must be a top-down, companywide strategy.

This applies to all corporate KM initiatives, regardless of the domain.