Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Knowledge Sharing Open University Library Seminar 9th May 2007 David Gurteen Gurteen Knowledge

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Begin with the end in mind Take a look at knowledge sharing Introduce the concept of knowledge trading Look at the importance of trust Encourage you to think about why we share and how we can improve our sharing Introduce you to the Gurteen Knowledge Café Run a Knowledge Café

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Sharing We do not share knowledge in the literal meaning of sharing Not like sharing a cake –Synergistic = 5 More about: –Personal Networking –Helping each other –Working together –Collaborating

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Knowledge Sharing Sharing knowledge is not about giving people something, or getting something from them. That is only valid for information sharing. Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes. Peter Senge

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Personal Reasons for Sharing To help other people & to help ourselves Other people –To get things done –To build relationships so they in turn help us Ourselves –To get things done –Learning to be gained –Knowledge is perishable –Someone else will make our knowledge productive first

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Barriers to Knowledge Sharing 1.A silo mentality 2.Knowledge is power 3.Lack of knowledge sharing processes 4.No time allowed 5.No knowledge sharing by executives 6.Managers do not walk the talk 7.Poor IT systems 8.Lack of encouragement 9.Bureaucracy 10.Resistance to change by managers Karl-Eric Sveiby

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Is Sharing Natural? Some say –sharing is human & comes naturally Other say –knowledge is power and sharing is not natural

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Knowledge Sharing Share your Knowledge credit to somebody else passed over for promotion depression alcoholism marital breakdown destitution die a bum Is this really true? Reasons for Sharing ego money reward guilt

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Do we share? We ALL help each other to a greater or lesser degree Within our department Within our project work With friends and trusted colleagues Within our network

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Why do we share? We share because –it is in our interest –we have something to gain We do not give our knowledge away We implicitly TRADE things –tangible and intangible The major barriers to sharing –lack of TIME! –lack of obvious benefit i.e. there is no trade

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Trading Knowledge we need to do our job we are afraid of the consequences if we dont we like them we want to look good we want them to like us we enjoy it we are looking for promotion we are looking for a new job we want them to be indebted to us we want to build a potentially useful relationship they pay us or give us some other tangible reward We help people when they approach us for a variety of reasons - tangible & intangible (often implicit):

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 The Desire to Learn By sharing our knowledge with others we learn –we learn from them –we make our tacit knowledge more explicit –our assumptions are revealed –we are forced to simplify things We learn when we teach! If we want to learn we should teach! Stephen Covey

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 The trick to sharing more If we approach someone –help make clear the benefits If we are being approached –look for the benefits Especially the learning benefits

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Benefit & Time Time Availability Benefit high low highlow no brainer Opportunity for learning/ relationship building explore/ escalate suggest an alternative

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 The Role of Trust When trust is high - communication is: –easy, instant, effective When trust is low: –like walking in a mine field –politicking, ass covering, tension –communication is difficult at times impossible Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It is the life-blood of an organization. When people have a high degree of trust in each other - they work together extremely effectively Stephen Covey Trust is the bandwidth of communication Karl Eric Sveiby

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Summary Knowledge Sharing is not the same as Information Sharing Knowledge Sharing is about trading intangibles! –we need to look for the benefits Learning is one of the the major benefits It is important to build and maintain trust

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Business is a Conversation

Business is a conversation Business is a conversation because the defining work of business is conversation - literally. And 'knowledge workers' are simply those people whose job consists of having interesting conversations. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto Conversation is central to all that we do Its our job!

Conversation is a meeting of minds Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards. Theodore Zeldin Conversation Theodore in an Oxford Historian Conversation is creative

KM is about understanding For all our knowledge, we have no idea what we're talking about. We don't understand what's going on in our business, our market, and our world. KM shouldnt be about helping us to know more. It should be about helping us to understand. So, how do we understand things? It's through stories that we understand how the world works. David Weinberger, The Cluetrain Manifesto Its about understanding & sense making Through conversation & storytelling

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Two forms of Conversation A mechanistic and unproductive exchange between people seeking to defend their own views against one another A frank exchange of ideas or views on a specific issue in an effort to attain mutual understanding Debate or dialogue?

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Dialogue When we engage each other in dialogue –we enter into a conversation to learn from each other –rather than impose our views on the other. The kind of conversation Im interested in is one in which you start with a willingness to emerge a slightly different person. Theodore Zeldin, Historian

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Principles of Dialogue Suspend assumptions, do not judge Observe & listen to one another – look for the meaning Welcome differences & explore them Allow taboo subjects to be raised safely Dialogue is based on the work of the physicist David Bohm

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Summary Business is a conversation Conversation is creative Understanding is more important than knowing more Dialogue is the key to quality conversations

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 The Gurteen Knowledge Café

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 What is a Knowledge Café? A knowledge café is a means of bringing a group of people together to have an open, creative conversation on a topic of mutual interest to surface their collective knowledge, to share ideas and to gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved.

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 What are the objectives of a Knowledge Café? To gain mutual understanding of a complex issue To gain a deeper understanding of other peoples perspectives To gain a deeper understanding of ones own views To discover issues which need exploring

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 What resources are needed? A group of people people (or more!) A facilitator/speaker A room with tables & chairs - ideally round tables to seat about five people Time 60 – 90 minutes

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 What's the process? Facilitator takes 10 minutes to introduce the Knowledge Café and the subject under discussion Purpose of the Knowledge Café is made clear Facilitator poses 1 or 2 key open ended questions Participants from into smaller groups of 5 or 6 to discuss the subject for say 30 minutes The group re-assembles for an exchange of ideas as a whole for another 30 minutes

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 What is the role of the facilitator? Facilitator need not be an expert –Nor disciplined in facilitation –A good listener and chairperson skills Facilitator should not take a lead in the discussions Should wander around and listen into the groups Should listen for problems and remind people gently of the rules of dialogue

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Whats the role of the individual? To see people with different views not as adversaries but as resources from which they can learn To enter into open conversation To listen more than speak To welcome differences To withhold judgment To avoid position taking To avoid being too politically correct

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 How do the small groups work? Dont appoint a leader, chairperson or note taker Anyone can make their own notes if they wish Everyone is equal Engage as little or as much as you wish

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 How does the whole group work? Objective is to hold a group conversation –Not reporting back to the facilitator! Facilitator plays a low key role –not the expert –helps facilitate the conversation

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 What are the outcomes? Normally nothing is recorded Real outcomes are what you take away in your head A deeper understanding of the issue discussed A deeper insight into other peoples perspectives A better appreciation of your own point of view Better position to make more informed decisions

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Where can I learn more? My website contains a lot of material – The World Café –Book The World Café: Shaping our futures through conversations that matter –Website :

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Lets run a Knowledge Cafe

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 The Challenge of Knowledge Sharing What prevents us from sharing our knowledge more effectively? How might we overcome these barriers?

Gurteen Knowledge 2007 Questions & Discussion

Gurteen Knowledge David Gurteen Gurteen Knowledge Tel: