Re: Is learning the missing emphasis of knowledge management? #learning
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Matt Moore <innotecture@...>
Steve, A few thoughts: - You have to be a bit careful using the word "learning" with managers. Many of them will hear the word "training". - Jay Cross wrote a good if slightly chaotic book called "Informal Learning" a few years ago. Many of the techniques he describes would be familiar to knowledge managers. I think that those KMers who are not solely involved in document management are often engaged in learning activities. There is a growing interesting among training folks in this "informal learning" stuff. I would hope that KMers can cooperate with them on this (that's a major theme in my own writing). - The contents of David Garvin's book "Learning in Action" (thanks for the lead, Tom Short) would also seem familiar to many KM
folk - e.g. the use of AARs by the Army. Much of what KMers do is really collective learning (or "social learning" as Tom Barfield is putting it). There are a few challenges with this learning & knowledge nexus: 1. In general, individuals & organizations only learn when they have to. The challenge for KM folk would want to be more than document managers is to identify when learning can occur and to be ready to support it. This happens less frequently than we would like. 2. As noted previously, learning is often confused with training. This is unfortunate. 3. Learning & improvement for individuals & organizations is messy - many disciplines have something to contribute. One challenge for KM folk is to be aware of these other disciplines and i. work with them & ii. steal their good stuff,. 4. The current buzz around "Enterprise 2.0" seems to be missing a learning
perspective. The focus is on blogs/wikis/social networks RIGHT! NOW! Now, to give Andrew McAfee his due, his book actually touches on organizational learning at the end & there is nothing wrong with collaboration in the present but I worry that we focus on the tools and assume that learning will magically happen. 5. Which brings me to my last point. A lot of the work on experiential learning has highlighted the importance of reflection (esp. the work of David Boud). And yet we are really bad at it, e.g. http://mission-facilitators.com/Articles/Organizational%20Development/Articles/Is%20Yours%20a%20Learning-Organization.pdf (I refer you to page 10, which subcomponent is ranked the least?) I suspect that the greatest challenge for KMers is to create opportunities for productive reflection in their
organizations. Anyways, this is an important topic & I am glad that you are writing about it. Cheers, Matt
From: Steven Wieneke To: sikmleaders@... Sent: Sat, 19 June, 2010 1:17:28 AM Subject: Re: [sikmleaders] Re: Is learning the missing emphasis of knowledge management? Tom,
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