Stephen,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I agree that culture is important – both organizational culture and the mix of cultures an organization might host. The themes, both in your definition of culture and the consensus on how, why, and what, and in your excellent set of questions, offer useful catalysts for stepping back to take on, deliberately, the fascinating act of discussing how the consensus positions might be reached.

I’m finding that it’s helpful to interweave, over time, the more theoretical questions, like “When is the right time to share?” with those that are more directed towards personal experience, like “Do you value when other people share their own experiences and knowledge? Why? How?...”, especially when they are illustrated with examples. We can then talk about the examples, explore other questions within that context, and build consensus that, hopefully, can then be applied more broadly.

And Endro Catur, thanks for your comment about supply and demand – some of the more effective cementing of a knowledge-sharing attitude has come with the steadfast insistence that without application/action, a lesson has not truly been learned. Building a knowledge-sharing culture must be coupled with building the expectations of a knowledge-demanding one.

In the May presentation by Rocio Sanz and John Hovell, they had some great quotes illustrating points of view in a slide on challenges and barriers to sharing knowledge (and building consensus) reminding me of your questions, like “I already know everything,” “I have nothing to learn from you,” and “Will I lose my job if I share?” These plus your trust questions: “Do you trust your leaders? Your peers? The overall functioning of your organization?...” add another dimension I’m finding so important to keep in mind – that agreeing in principle does not mean applying in reality.

Through repeated discussion of these ideas and questions (and having so many on hand, as you and others have offered, is wonderful), we’re surfacing the obstacles to sharing lying with individuals (for example, who might be stuck in the notion that they are the only ones who know anything useful and that others don’t know how to recognize or share). In surfacing these biases, we’re helping to expunge them – a wonderful learning process in itself – and building that consensus that will enable others to participate and share.

There is always much to discuss and explore in considering how to share and build knowledge, and I appreciate the time and attention you paid to considering my questions.

Cheers to you,

Eve