One of the preconceptions people have about managing knowledge is that they do not want to be stuck in the past. They are afraid, somehow, that sharing the past will keep them from moving towards new ideas. I continue to talk about informing future decisions by understanding the past, not to be stuck there but to simply learn from the experiences.
Meet Olive, a 107 year old Australian woman who has her own blog. http://www.allaboutolive.com.au/
Olive shares her memories and stories of the past, and does so in dialogue with current family members. She is a fascinating woman. As interesting as her blog might be, the fact that she is doing it should be an inspiration to us all. We say we can not share our organizational contextual history because we do not have time. Olive shows us that in doing so, we make sense of the past, learn to understand ourselves better, and hopefully apply the learning to create a better future. I applaud Olive and I am sure her family has benefited from this woman's intelligence and spunk for the past century.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
From the Mouths of...
Dottie, my favorite technology futurist, provides a great deal of insight into what others, especially educators, are doing on the web. One of the neat things I saw today made me realize that kids are learning to manage knowledge in new ways, even as they do their school work.
This site http://wiki.woodward.edu/hannalee/doku.php?id=hannalee
has been created by a Woodward Academy educator as a space for a book report. Yet, when you review the contents and organizational structure, you see it is all about managing knowledge. Dottie wanted me to review the site to look at how the cluster map works. The cluster map tells the kids who is viewing their site from all around the world. Can you imagine how much fun it is for a child to see that someone in Asia or Africa or China is interested in reading what they have written? It is a small world.
Yet when I saw this site I also realized that if you translate the organizational structure to knowledge to be shared inside an organization, there are great similarities. The structure is clean, simple, and well considered. Never stop looking at what is being done by those around us, young or old, in academia, profit or not for profit organizations, in entertainment or just for the enjoyment of the individual posting. There is much to learn simply by considering how people are thinking when organizing information to share. In this case, the example is very positive. In some cases, we learn from negative examples and from what does not work. The important thing is to keep learning.
This site http://wiki.woodward.edu/hannalee/doku.php?id=hannalee
has been created by a Woodward Academy educator as a space for a book report. Yet, when you review the contents and organizational structure, you see it is all about managing knowledge. Dottie wanted me to review the site to look at how the cluster map works. The cluster map tells the kids who is viewing their site from all around the world. Can you imagine how much fun it is for a child to see that someone in Asia or Africa or China is interested in reading what they have written? It is a small world.
Yet when I saw this site I also realized that if you translate the organizational structure to knowledge to be shared inside an organization, there are great similarities. The structure is clean, simple, and well considered. Never stop looking at what is being done by those around us, young or old, in academia, profit or not for profit organizations, in entertainment or just for the enjoyment of the individual posting. There is much to learn simply by considering how people are thinking when organizing information to share. In this case, the example is very positive. In some cases, we learn from negative examples and from what does not work. The important thing is to keep learning.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Social Network Analysis and the Like
Many of my colleagues are talking about social network analysis and how to best utilize the tools available. I keep coming back to the basics however. Companies are running lean, our time is more in demand and we have little room on our plates for anything extra. Before we put in place tools to analyze our networks, we must also consider how we use the information which will result.
I have great respect for SNA, and realize now that SNA technology is built into many of the tools we use on a regular basis, such as Amazon.com. Can we, within our organizations, truly understand how to leverage this technology to our best advantage?
I think we must first consider what we are trying to accomplish. If we are trying to locate experts within our organizations-- what we will do once we locate them? Do we want to have everyone call to ask their questions, no matter the question they have? Do we want to create opportunities for group questions and discussions to ensure more people learn from the individual questions? What is our objective and how can we enhance our ability to meet it?
If we are considering SNAs for other purposes, the same issues arise. Once we decide to put a tool in place, it is late to retrofit the behaviors/culture to leverage those tools. Instead, begin with the end in mind. What is it you are trying to change, create or reinforce in your organization via SNA? What do you need to do to make that happen, including the introduction of new tools? We are often guilty of the cart before the horse way of thinking and that leads to less then optimal outcomes from our endeavors. Consideration before hand generates great discussion and dialogue. Look to your goals, create a plan, don't let up and communicate. But do look to your goals first.
I have great respect for SNA, and realize now that SNA technology is built into many of the tools we use on a regular basis, such as Amazon.com. Can we, within our organizations, truly understand how to leverage this technology to our best advantage?
I think we must first consider what we are trying to accomplish. If we are trying to locate experts within our organizations-- what we will do once we locate them? Do we want to have everyone call to ask their questions, no matter the question they have? Do we want to create opportunities for group questions and discussions to ensure more people learn from the individual questions? What is our objective and how can we enhance our ability to meet it?
If we are considering SNAs for other purposes, the same issues arise. Once we decide to put a tool in place, it is late to retrofit the behaviors/culture to leverage those tools. Instead, begin with the end in mind. What is it you are trying to change, create or reinforce in your organization via SNA? What do you need to do to make that happen, including the introduction of new tools? We are often guilty of the cart before the horse way of thinking and that leads to less then optimal outcomes from our endeavors. Consideration before hand generates great discussion and dialogue. Look to your goals, create a plan, don't let up and communicate. But do look to your goals first.
Monday, March 12, 2007
A History Teacher's View of KM
Meeting Dottie, the technology futurist I mentioned earlier, has heightened my curiosity about how schools are using technology to help kids learn to manage knowledge. In my wanderings I found the following site:www.ahistoryteacher.com/wordpress
Well worth the read my friends. Discussions of wikis, social networking and the like are intertwined with thoughts about what kids are really learning, and why. We, as future employers of these young students, need to know how their minds work and their approach to learning, to sharing and to the world.
Some of my clients express fear of the future, fear of not knowing how to work with this young population. I imagine that to be a normal reaction, one each generation has had. Even as students are now gaining experience with technologies we only dreamed of, we can use that same technology to help us get to know them. Start with this blog. I think you'll be quite impressed.
Well worth the read my friends. Discussions of wikis, social networking and the like are intertwined with thoughts about what kids are really learning, and why. We, as future employers of these young students, need to know how their minds work and their approach to learning, to sharing and to the world.
Some of my clients express fear of the future, fear of not knowing how to work with this young population. I imagine that to be a normal reaction, one each generation has had. Even as students are now gaining experience with technologies we only dreamed of, we can use that same technology to help us get to know them. Start with this blog. I think you'll be quite impressed.
Managing Knowledge Virtually
Recently a colleague told me about the virtual reality site 'Second Life'. It's an online world in which you create an 'avatar' or a virtual self. Of course the new you does not have to look like you or sound like you, but can be any alter ego you wish. The colleague asked how I might approach Knowledge Management in this new world.
http://secondlife.com
As I thought about that and began to explore 'Second Life', I also witnessed a virtual team here in this reality experiencing communication breakdowns and a lack of ability to manage and share their knowledge. The 'real' team struggled to keep each other up to date and in sync while working from various coasts and on varied projects. The storming, forming, norming and performing that is natural for any team was causing breakdowns large enough to threaten their ability to survive as an effective group. They somehow could not make time to meet, keep each other updated on progress, or create shared visions around projects. Things were going awry.
Yes, there are interventions to be put into place, and behaviors which can be enhanced for this team. But if we are challenged still to manage knowledge and behavior across a living, breathing group of individuals, imagine how we might be challenged to do so in a virtual world.
'Second Life' might sound like nothing more than a pipe dream or a new fad, however major companies are exploring this virtual reality world to see how business can be done. In fact, business is already being done, if in a small way. More will come of this, even if it does not replace global commerce. Tools like this may well enhance it. I simply wonder how ready we are. We have not yet mastered the discipline needed for communication across offices, geographies, cultures, generations....and now we are considering doing so across realities.
http://secondlife.com
As I thought about that and began to explore 'Second Life', I also witnessed a virtual team here in this reality experiencing communication breakdowns and a lack of ability to manage and share their knowledge. The 'real' team struggled to keep each other up to date and in sync while working from various coasts and on varied projects. The storming, forming, norming and performing that is natural for any team was causing breakdowns large enough to threaten their ability to survive as an effective group. They somehow could not make time to meet, keep each other updated on progress, or create shared visions around projects. Things were going awry.
Yes, there are interventions to be put into place, and behaviors which can be enhanced for this team. But if we are challenged still to manage knowledge and behavior across a living, breathing group of individuals, imagine how we might be challenged to do so in a virtual world.
'Second Life' might sound like nothing more than a pipe dream or a new fad, however major companies are exploring this virtual reality world to see how business can be done. In fact, business is already being done, if in a small way. More will come of this, even if it does not replace global commerce. Tools like this may well enhance it. I simply wonder how ready we are. We have not yet mastered the discipline needed for communication across offices, geographies, cultures, generations....and now we are considering doing so across realities.
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