© copyright addept solutions pty ltd 2002-2004 mark jewell principal consultant, shared learning...

© Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004

Mark Jewell Principal Consultant, Shared Learning

Addept Solutions

Context Management, Putting Content Management in

Its Place

Presentation Title

[email protected]


Presentation Objectives

To demonstrate:

The importance ‘Context Management’ plays in successful knowledge transfer and re-use of information

How more context can be encapsulated in systems designed to enable shared learning across an organisation

How a knowledge context can be constructed so as to help people gauge the trustworthiness and relevance of knowledge and information


Background Consultant Project Manager (Mainly UK Construction)

Mark Jewell in Context

Addept Solutions Formed in 1987

Information Systems Manager

Knowledge Manager

Released Sigma Connect in 1997

Sigma Connect licensed to 750,000+ users

Sigma Context released - includes Sigma Connect


Key Principle

“Knowledge is highly contextual.

Attempting to learn from information, or transfer knowledge without its context is like having all the answers but none of the questions.”


Harnessing Knowledge

Teams &Individua

ls

Goals ResultsKnowledgKnowledgee

LearnBefor

e

LearnAfter

LearnDurin

g

Information & Knowledge PoolInformation & Knowledge Pool

$$$$


People Are The Key Focus For KM

“On average, 80% of an organisation’s information is tacit” [Source: IBM research]

People

Websites / databases / archives / documents

Tacit Knowledge

Explicit Knowledge

In a study of an Australian Government Agency, “Less than 10% of data and information was accessed directly” via the Intranet“People sourced data and information via other people”[Source - above: Laurie Lock Lee – CSC Australia – Practical KM For Government Conference, August 2003]

(MIT Studies also back these findings)

Why?


Why? Efficiency, Trust and Context

How long will it take me to find the information I need? And…

Will I understand the information and how it applies to my situation?

If I find some information, how will I be sure it is right (current and suitable) information? And…

This is positive and natural human behaviour

Don’t fight it, encourage and support it!

We ‘feel’ before we know


Knowing What We Know, Then Trusting It!

Capture

Find

If we don’t know what we know, how can we learn and innovate?

If we don’t trust what we know, we will fail!


Information in Context

ViewersContributorsContextu

al

Gap

Information Capture Context

KnowledgeTransfer+ =

Bridging the Gap

Content

Informal

Formal

Context Filters

Expertise

Experience

Interests

Role

Org Positi

onAffiliations

Politics

Objectives

Location

Culture

ViewersContributors

Group

Individual Contextual

Gap

Bridging the Gap

Viewers

Context Filters

Expertise

Experience

Interests

Role

Org Positi

onAffiliations

Politics

Objectives

Location

Culture

Contextual

Gap

Content

Informal

Formal

Contributors

Group

Individual

Expertise

Experience

Interests

Role

Org Positi

onAffiliations

Politics

Objectives

Location

Culture

Context

Filters


People like them

Who they are &

what they know

Who they are & what

they know

Context Beyond The Contributors

ViewersContributorsContextu

al

Gap

Information Capture Context

KnowledgeTransfer+ =

Expertise, experience, interests, affiliations, roles, culture etc.


So, What is Information to KM?

Possibly rich in ‘explicit knowledge’ but context poor and out of date by the time it is published

Most information forms a sign post to those that are interested in: Learning

Continuos improvement Innovation


The Importance of Conversation

"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."

[Source Theodore Zeldin, ‘Conversation, How Talk Can Change Our Lives’]


The Importance ofConversationProper

Politicians communicate by using pre-determined responses

‘proper conversation being when you are provoked to say something that had never occurred to you before’

Not to say that knowledge transfer cannot still exist without proper conversation


When Conversation is Impractical

Different Medium

Video Conference Telephone Email SMS Web sites

Discussion Forum Instant Messaging Document Library Blog Wiki

Knowledge Flows

One to One, One to Many and Many to Many Peer to Peer Expert to Novice


Structural Model: CoP’s

a DOMAIN of shared knowledge

a shared PRACTICE they are developing to be effective in their domain

[Source: ‘Managing Organisational Knowledge Through Communities of Practice’: E Wenger, R McDermott and W Snyder]

a COMMUNITY of people that care about the domain


Established Learning Groups

Query: raised in short hand

Short hand

response

Understood!

Understood!

Understood!

Understood!

Understood!

But how does ????


Learning Group Relationships

C 1

C 1.1

G 1

G 1.1

G 1.1.1 G 1.1.2 G 1.1.3

Visibility: Private Group; Context Public

C 1.2G 1.2

G 1.2.1


Pre-requisites for Collaborative Learning

Who are you collaborating with:

What do they do Where are they (Geography, Business,

Culture) What experience do they have Where are they “coming from”

A context for the collaboration:

What are the objectives Why are people doing this What is in it for me Who will see what I say What has been said in the past


Key Facets of Good Collaboration

Control

Content under end user control (not IT)

Membership & Roles Context

Visibility

Scope of visibility Escalation policies Avoid info overload => One answer Reduce duplication of information


I.T, The Right Perspective?

Behaviours are more important than technology

Re-use rather than re-invent

Outcomes more important than ownership

Mentor not dictate

I’m not saying burn the IT boxes…

Support natural sharing behaviours


Expertise LocationSearch EnginesDocument ManagementContent ManagementSharing CultureKM Processes (LB, LD, LA)Expertise LocationRecords Management

Unsustainable KM Approach

Too hard tray / Intangibles

Easy / Tangible Tray / Vendor Sales Pitch

People &

Process

Technology &

Content


Knowledge Flow – Organisational Improvement


Summary

80-90 % of organisational knowledge is Tacit

People prefer to find information by referral

People build trust by understanding context

Information is best viewed as signposts to bridge the contextual gap

Bridging the contextual gap promotes learning and innovation

Proper conversation must be promoted

KM / Learning systems and content sharing systems serve different purposes


Effective KM / Learning System Musts

By linking the people, their profiles and group affiliations to all content / information

By creating safe/trusted domains in which people can collaborate, share and learn.

By enabling people to find each other (expertise location), encourage conversation but provide alternative communication tools that suit the style of individuals and their groups

Retain the link between information and the context in which it was created, even after the contributors of the information have left the organisation…


A Reasonable Conclusion (part 1)

A Knowledge Management (or information) Strategy is incomplete without the ability to unlock the organisations tacit / implicit knowledge and harness the potential of informal and formal groups / networks.


A Reasonable Conclusion (part 2)

Avoid getting transfixed by content management (document and records management) systems.

Manage the people to people connections and linkages to information context, i.e. 80% of your organisational knowledge.

80/20 Rule


Discussion / Questions?

Discussion


Feel free to contact me:

For Further Discussion & Questions

[email protected]

Feel free to contact me:

www.addept-solutions.com

Email:

Web:

Phone: 0438 633 795

© copyright addept solutions pty ltd 2002-2004 mark jewell principal consultant, shared learning...

Documents

information slide

knowledge context

context addept solutions

copyright addept solutions

information knowledge

transfer knowledge

organisations information

suitable information