Eric L. Lesser Eric Lesser is an Executive Consultant and a Research Manager with IBM’s Institute for Knowledge-Based Organizations. Mr. Lesser oversees a number of research initiatives at the Institute and has led multi-client studies focusing on knowledge strategy, communities of practice and customer knowledge issues. As a consultant, he has worked with customers in the financial services, legal, technology and public sectors on developing knowledge strategies, enabling communities, and implementing knowledge management solutions. He has taught education sessions for senior executives across a range of industries. Mr. Lesser has spoken frequently on the topic of knowledge management and has recently edited Knowledge and Social Capital and co-edited Knowledge and Communities, both published by Butterworth-Heinemann. He has also written several articles, including: “Preserving Knowledge in an Uncertain World” in the Sloan Management Review (Fall, 2001) “Communities of Practice and Organizational Performance” in the IBM Systems Journal (Winter, 2001) “Using Communities of Practice to Manage Intellectual Capital” in the Ivey Business Journal (March/ April 2001) “Managing Customer Knowledge” in the Journal of Business Strategy (Nov/Dec, 2000) “Communities of Practice, Social Capital and Organizational Knowledge,” in Information Systems Review (April 1999) “Managing Organizational Knowledge in a Revenue Agency” in Government Finance Review, (February, 1999) “Using Organizational Knowledge to Redesign Work” in Knowledge Management Review (May/June, 1998). He has been quoted in a number of publications including the Financial Times, Knowledge Management, Government Executive, Training, Knowledge Management Review and Beyond Computing. Mr. Lesser has also written extensively on the subjects of organization change and employee communications. Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Lesser was a consultant with Mercer Consulting Group, where he worked for Mercer Management Consulting and William M. Mercer’s Health Care Provider Consulting practice. While at Mercer, he served as a project manager and lead consultant on a number of assignments, including reengineering, new product development, organization strategy and design, and change management efforts. Prior to joining Mercer, Mr. Lesser worked as a consultant for Andersen Consulting in its Change Management practice Mr. Lesser received his MBA from Emory University, where he was a Robert W. Woodruff Fellow. He graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University in Economics. Mr. Lesser has also studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma. Mr. Lesser is a visiting instructor at Simmons College, Graduate School of Information and Library Sciences.

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