Mathemagenic

The document starts with introducing a general change management approach which defines what change management is with respect to KM. The document then gives an overview about e.g. human factors, change management methods (23 method descriptions avaiable), process in change management, and a look on the people. A KM classification and her analysis is given. Guidelines and tutorials round up this document.

In some ways, I've begun to believe that as important as the tools of knowledge management are, the most important (and most challenging) hurdle to jump is getting a "knowledge worker" (someone whose job it is to filter complex arrays of information, extract relevant chunks, combine them with other chunks (or new ideas) to create "value") into the mindset that any knowledge management tool requires.

You can't make people smarter against their will. Joseph Kessels

I can't see how organizations are going to progress with knowledge management unless the individuals in those organizations learn how to unpack what they know. Jim McGee 

Let's think about ideal KM case, an organization where knowledge is created, shared, captured and used to add value to the business. In this case we would expect knowledge processes to be an integral part of business processes and communication flows. For people it will appear as natural behavior embedded into daily routines.

We are not there yet. Why? I assume that mechanical embedding of KM steps (e.g. read previous reports as part of the project procedure) doesn't work; I believe that the whole magic is in the people. I also believe that learning, sharing and creating is something very natural for human beings, but I see that this is not happening in many companies. Some of us forgot or never experienced the fun of being a knowledge worker, fun of growing next to doing our work. Others are struggling to find a company that builds on our growth.

I'm thinking in terms of:

• What do people need to work as knowledge workers?
• What environment will support it?
• How an organization can move from now to tomorrow to make sure that employees are knowledge workers?

Naive?

vexed by jill/txt (btw, this is one of the blogs that have inspired my blog)

Oh, why I felt awful? I'm utterly terrified of finishing my PhD. I'm supposed to have the same opinion for 200 pages! And I'm supposed to defend that opinion staunchly! See, I love blogs (I must be better) because the process and the movement of thoughts shows and is (for me) even encouraged by the format. I'm trying to remember that

a) I will have 30 years as an academic or professional whatever I want to be after this. My PhD thesis is a drop in the ocean in this time frame and will not determine my entire life.

b) Søren Kjørup said that "Your thesis only has to be 150 pages long and it doesn't even have to be very good." And even though the lit. professors scowled at that, he's right.

c) There are more important things in life.

d) I will survive. I even have a manual on How To Survive A PhD.

I'm a weird mix of confidence (of course I can do it) and utter terror.

Nice to know where I'm heading to :)

Column Two: Knowledge management in instructional design (via Serious Instructional Technology)

Personally, I don't think this article goes far enough. Instead of KM being seen as a supporting technology for implementing instructional design, the two should be treated as one. The activities and processes are so similar, it should be possible to both improve the knowledge of an individual (instructional design) and meet organisational goals (knowledge management) at the same time.

One day we will find enough people thinking this way and then instructional design will turn into knowledge sharing design.

See also ideas of James Robertson about holistic assessment.

Jim McGee in Weblog as my backup brain (bold is mine):

The notion of personal knowledge management hasn't been explored enough. Maybe I'm sensitized to it because of my aging brain cells and general absent-mindedness. But I can't see how organizations are going to progress with knowledge management unless the individuals in those organizations learn how to unpack what they know. Think back to the heyday of expert systems in the mid 1980s. The show-stopper was not the limitations of the AI technology (although that was an issue). It was the huge challenge in getting experts to figure out what they were expert at and make it accessible.

Adds to my rethinking of my PhD ideas: I knew that I was passionate about getting people smarter (=creating an environment there people are learning), but then went on a bit wrong track.

Now I'm trying to approach the same thing from another side: embedding KM into daily routines.

From conferences and talks around I've got an impression that often people don't share knowledge or don't learn not because they don't want to, but because they don't have time or it doesn't fit their way of working. I think about several conditions that would enable "good KM behavior" (which is learning+sharing+creating). So far I will call it personal KM, but I'm not sure that it exactly what I mean.

I suggest that people would learn themselves, share their knowledge with others or innovate if they have:

Need or motivation. It seems from informal learning studies that learning is quite natural for people. And, it's often triggered by tasks we have to do. Learning "ahead", for the future, as well as knowledge sharing (=articulating) and innovation (=reflection and critical thinking) are more tricky processes: motivation is not necessary will be there.

Space and time. KM behavior often comes on the top of our existing tasks, and perceived as "extra". Only those with high motivation and priorities can make time for it. (BTW, if you write job-related blog, how much of your free time it takes?)

Low threshold instruments. I think "instruments" in a broad sense: ways to do it. It's easy to talk with a colleague in a corridor, so this is our common way to share knowledge. Blog is an example of easy "articulating/sharing/finding". I believe that finding own "low threshold" way of doing personal KM can help doing it much better.

Skills. Follow-up thinking from several discussions: you need certain skills to be able to learn, share or reflect effectively. E.g blog is nice tool for knowledge articulating, but you need blogging literacy to do it well.

I wonder if someone has already invented this or it still worth further exploring in a PhD?