Contents
- Introduction to the August 2016 Knowledge Letter
- The Myth of Thamus and Theuth
- Why we need to talk
- Seth Godin thinks compliance is quite different from contribution
- Legal KM Mini-Interviews with Ginevra Saylor
- What is the meaning of Shared Meaning?
- There is Something Different in London
- Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: August 2016
- Upcoming Knowledge Events
- Subscribing and Unsubscribing
- The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Introduction to the August 2016 Knowledge Letter
When I think about the problems of the world, I recall the game from my childhood (based on the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp) where you are told to pretend that a Genie has granted you three wishes, and you have to say what you would wish for. As children, you compete to see who can come up with the most creative or bizarre wishes.
In the past, when I thought about that story, I would fantasize about having three wishes to help fix some of the world's problems. But on reflection, I realized there were just far too many problems to put right.
If we took them one, by one, there was no way we would stand any chance of fixing them especially as they are all complex adaptive problems. They are all intertwined and as fast as we fixed one problem, we would break other things that were working well or we would create entirely new difficulties.
But remember the thrill as a child when you realized that one of your wishes could be “to wish that all of your wishes came true.” In this case, you would only need one wish!
So the question arises in my head: “If you had only one wish that gave you the power to do just one thing that in its turn would solve all the problems of the world, what would it be?”
Idealistic wishes such as “make everyone love each other” or “create world peace” are not allowed.
What is the one thing that we could do that would maybe not directly help improve the world but would create a vastly easier playing field?
This is a genuine question, I'd really appreciate your thoughts. You can comment here or email me :-)
The Myth of Thamus and Theuth
Have you ever considered the invention of writing to have been a bad thing?
But Thamus replied that, as the “father of writing,” Theuth's affection for writing had kept him from acknowledging the truth about writing.
In fact, Thamus asserted, writing increases forgetfulness rather than memory.
Instead of internalizing and understanding things, students will rely on writing as a potion for reminding.
Moreover, students will be exposed to many ideas without properly thinking about them.
Thus, they will have an “appearance of wisdom” while “for the most part they will know nothing” (Phaedrus, 275a-b).
...
Socrates used the illustration to point out that writing alone has no understanding of itself and “continues to signify just the same thing forever” (Phaedrus, 275d-e).
Nor does it discern its audience nor offer self explanation. Socrates instead favoured conversation, “the living, breathing discourse of a man who knows, of which the written one can be fairly called an image” (Phaedrus, 276a)
Credit: The Myth of Thamus and Theuth
Think again - what a fascinating view point of Socrates :-)
Why we need to talk
Problems in organizations tend to get labelled as lack of information.
It feels more professional to try to solve a knowledge management problem that is called lack of information than a problem that is called confusion.
The same event means different things to different people and just getting more information will not help them.
Credit: Esko Kilpi
In this article by Esko Kilpi he explains why we need to talk - not because we lack information but to resolve ambiguity and confusion.
Seth Godin thinks compliance is quite different from contribution
I think I have said it before, I love Seth Godins blog. His posts are frequent, short and insightful.
Organized bureaucracies thrive on compliance. It makes it easier to tell people what to do .
But contribution is the only way that tribes thrive, the best way to make change happen and the essence of being part of a community.
It's a shame that we spend so much time teaching our children (and our employees) to comply. Far better to seek out contribution instead.
Credit: Seth Godin
This recent post resonates so strongly with me that I have included it in my blook in a post Create ownership - not buy-in.
Legal KM Mini-Interviews with Ginevra Saylor
eClerx Services in India have been conducting mini-interviews with KM experts from across the world for the last few years. Take a look at their YouTube Channel.
They have recently added a number of interviews to their video library focusing on KM in law firms, in a series of short Q&A clips with Ginevra Saylor, head of KM at Denton's.
- Improving Knowledge Management Adoption in a Law Firm
- Making Knowledge Management Client Facing
- Knowledge Management Focused on the Business of Law Than Practice
- Benefits of Knowledge Management for Small Law Firms
- Benefits of Knowledge Management for Large Law Firms
- The Right Department for KM in a Law Firm
- New Knowledge Management Practices for Law Firms
- Use of Social Media in Law Firms and Its Benefits
- Impact of Culture on Knowledge Management in a Law Firm
- Differences and Similarities in Approach to KM
- Knowledge Management Needs of Lawyers
- Leveraging Tacit Knowledge in Law Firms
If you delve back 6 years ago you will even find a few interviews with me :-)
What is the meaning of Shared Meaning?
As I write my blook and research and reflect on various topics, I frequently need to think through and define what things mean to me:
- What is leadership?
- What is meant by "shared meaning"?
- What is the difference between responsibility and accountability and how do they relate to commitment?
- What is a complex adaptive problem?
- What is meant by serendipity?
Here are my current thoughts on shared meaning - a phrase bandied about a lot but rarely defined.
Let me know what you think, is this what it means to you or have I missed something?
There is Something Different in London
If you live in London or visit occasionally, I think you may love this website: Something Different in London.
The aim of the site is to provide a platform for you to discover new and exciting things to do in London, geared towards alternative and unusual experiences, which as a general rule, don't cost a fortune.
It's an amazing website put together by two of my children - my twins Jonathan and Sally Gurteen (they are in their 30s now - so no longer children) who live and work in the Capital.
Even if you never get to London, take a look - its amazing the quirky things you can find to do in a large metropolis.
I have not visited it yet but this is one of my favourite places Board game cafe.
Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: August 2016
Here are some of my more popular recent tweets. Take a look, if you are not a Tweeter, you will get a good idea of how I use it by browsing the list of micro-posts.
- We don't understand AI because we don't understand intelligence http://buff.ly/2bkUJCb /I could not agree more :-)
- Decisions Are Emotional, Not Logical: The Neuroscience behind Decision Making http://buff.ly/KEloGW
- Videos on KM in Law Firms http://buff.ly/2aY7guJ #KM #KMers
- Don't fix knowledge problems with information tools http://buff.ly/2bfes1A /Good stuff from Nick Milton #KM
- Was Germany to blame for World War 1 http://buff.ly/2bunYyX /if you like history this is rather fun :-)
- In times of massive change & transformation, leaders need to be radically open-minded https://t.co/AfYr3Uk2Pb Via @IXchat
- Why Your Creative Mind Works The Best In The Cafe http://buff.ly/2a2U9ng
- When Do Others Help Us Make Better Decisions, and When Does the Influence of Others Hurt Us? http://buff.ly/2awx8cf
- Growing your business through hallway conversations http://buff.ly/2aKgI5L
- To have a conversation, you have to be comfortable being human -- David Weinberger http://buff.ly/2amo7CV
- The Science Behind Effective Teams at Google http://buff.ly/2apfJX7
- Everyone believes they are the good guy. http://buff.ly/1tq7sr1
If you like the Tweets then subscribe to my Tweet stream.
Upcoming Knowledge Events
Here are some of the major KM events taking place around the world in the coming months and ones in which I am actively involved. You will find a full list on my website where you can also subscribe to both regional e-mail alerts and RSS feeds which will keep you informed of new and upcoming events.
17th European Conference on Knowledge Management
01 - 02 Sep 2016, Belfast, Ireland
13th International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organisational Learning
14 - 15 Oct 2016, New York, United States
8th International Conference on Innovation and Knowledge Management in Asia Pacific (IKMAP 2016)
23 - 24 Oct 2016, Kobe, Japan
KM World 2016
14 - 17 Nov 2016, Washington DC, United States
KM Asia 2016
30 Nov - 01 Dec 2016, Hong Kong, China
I'll be speaking again at this event this year. NOTE THE DATE CHANGE.
KM Legal Europe 2017
18 - 19 Jan 2017, Amsterdam, Netherlands
9th European Conference on Intellectual Capital
06 - 07 Apr 2017, Lisbon, Portugal
5th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2017
26 - 27 Apr 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
You may subscribe to this newsletter on my website. Or if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter or if you wish to modify your e-mail address or make other changes to your membership profile then please go to this page on my website.
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge-Letter is a free monthly e-mail based KM newsletter for knowledge workers. Its purpose is to help you better manage your knowledge and to stimulate thought and interest in such subjects as Knowledge Management, Learning, Creativity and the effective use of Internet technology. Archive copies are held on-line where you can register to receive the newsletter.
It is sponsored by the Henley Forum of the Henley Business School, Oxfordshire, England.
You may copy, reprint or forward all or part of this newsletter to friends, colleagues or customers, so long as any use is not for resale or profit and I am attributed. And if you have any queries please contact me.
David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
