Gurteen Knowledge Letter: Issue 282 - December 2023

Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 282 – December 2023

I have been investigating the potential impact of generative AI like ChatGPT and Claude on Knowledge Management. In particular, I see two powerful yet largely overlooked applications.

First, using chatbots as thought partners to stimulate critical thinking. Conversing with an AI system can highlight gaps in our reasoning, surface alternative perspectives, and strengthen arguments.

Second, using chatbots to analyze transcripts of conversations and presentations to identify key ideas, insights, and relationship dynamics. This functionality can potentially deepen understanding and extract greater value from these events.

You can view my ongoing work documenting these uses here: Chatbots as Knowledge Management Tools.

1. The Age of the Explorer
   Why curiosity and collaboration are the new leadership competencies
2. KM Summit Indonesia
   Grand Hyatt Bali, Indonesia, 9 -11 January 2024
3. May You Live in Interesting Times
   An old Chinese curse?
4. We Are All Stardust
   Our intimate connection with the universe
5. ECKM 25th European Conference on Knowledge Management
   5-6 September 2024, Veszprém, Hungary University of Pannonia
6. When Coffee Chats Become Catalysts for Change
   What makes a conversation strategic?
7. Please support my work
8. Unsubscribe
9. Gurteen Knowledge Letter

I recently read an insightful article by John Hagel about shifting leadership models from credentialed experts to passionate explorers. As traditional institutions struggle to adapt, we need leaders who can guide us into the unknown with a spirit of collaboration, trust, and discovery.

Rather than top-down control, explorers empower teams to frame inspiring questions and uncover creative solutions. Seeking diverse perspectives, they build networks that generate exponential value. While experts apply existing knowledge efficiently, explorers are energized by the new.

This explains why we need to embrace an explorers’ outward-looking, opportunity-seeking mindset to thrive in times of unprecedented change.

You can read the full article here.

Discover the KM Summit Indonesia at the Grand Hyatt Bali, Indonesia, from January 9-11, 2024. It's a fantastic venue – I wish I could be there!

I have always enjoyed the quote, May you live in interesting times.

Initially, I believed it to be a well-wish, but I later read it was an old Chinese curse. However, extensive research conducted by Quote Investigator suggests that there is no substantial evidence to support the claim that this saying originated as an ancient or modern Chinese curse.

The expression can be traced back to the British diplomatic service in China around 1936. Austen Chamberlain, the earliest known person to label the saying a Chinese curse, played a crucial role in its initial dissemination. However, he credited an unnamed member of the British Foreign Service who had served in China.

Regardless of its Chinese origins or lack thereof, I still appreciate the saying, especially considering the current state of world affairs, which many would consider "interesting" times.

May you live in interesting times.

Credit: Unknown

In a recent blook post, I explore how we are connected to the universe. Our very bodies are made of stardust created in ancient stars.

We rely on Earth's ecosystems for our survival. No firm boundaries separate us from the rest of existence.

We're small parts of the big story of the universe. Realizing this can inspire deep humility and care for our shared home.

Listen to Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" and reflect on how we are genuinely made of stardust.

You can read the full post here.

The 25th European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM) will be held in Veszprém, Hungary, at the University of Pannonia on 5-6 September 2024. You can join physically or virtually.

Veszprém, as the European Capital of Culture 2023, is using culture and community-building tools to seek answers to major societal challenges, while the University of Pannonia is using science and education to explore their business and societal impacts.

Under the theme of Organizational and Social Management of Societal Challenges, the conference welcomes researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and all those who can contribute to the knowledge of this topic to participate in ECKM 2024.

What makes a conversation strategic? At its core, a strategic conversation has the potential to influence the future direction of an individual, organization, community, society, or even the world.

Strategic conversations are not your average meeting or brainstorming session. They go beyond addressing short-term operational issues to tackling vital challenges or shaping strategy.

These critical dialogues can arise spontaneously, through a casual chat over coffee or in the hallway. The trick is to recognize the strategic potential in these unplanned conversations and follow up concretely, whether scheduling a more in-depth discussion or putting actions in place.

Strategic conversations may also intentionally address a pressing issue or create a strategy. Often, a "conversation architect" plans these sessions. They may be one-off or ongoing.

The key is that strategic conversations need not be confined to structured discussions between managers. They can happen between anyone at any level. But it's critical to act on the insights that surfaced to shape the direction you, your organization, or society are heading in some way.

So, next time you're chatting with a colleague or friend, listen for those moments of strategic potential. Follow up on those ideas that could truly create change. Recognize and act on the power of strategic conversation.

I expand on this idea in my blook if you want to learn more. You can read the full post here. Let me know your thoughts.

Please help support my work.
I have been publishing the Gurteen Knowledge Letter every month for over 20 years, and most of you have received it for five years or more. My Knowledge Café also recently had its 20thth birthday in September 2022.

If you find my work valuable, please consider supporting me by donating $1 (or more) a month to become a Patron or making a small one-off contribution. Your assistance will help cover some of my website hosting expenses.

I have over 50 patrons so far—thanks to you all.

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Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly e-mail-based newsletter. Its purpose is to stimulate thought about Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management. You can find back issues here.

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David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom