DISCUSSANTS The Role of Tacit Knowledge in Group Innovation The Concept of “Ba”: Building a foundation for Knowledge Creation If Only We Knew What We Know: Identification and Transfer of Internal Best Practices

The Role of Tacit Knowledge in Group Innovation Creativity & Social Interaction “Creative ideas do not arise spontaneously from the air…” Study: People refer consistently to interactions with others for creativity / innovation Divergent thinking leads to convergent thinking

3M’s KM Innovation 60,000 products due to their innovation process Balance creativity & conservatism Encourage learning & risk taking Managers required to link continuous learning to revenues

Encouraging Innovation (3M) Knowledge Management and Innovation at 3M by Adam Brand Environment that encourages innovation Technology: videoconferencing, intranet, Lotus Notes, IT based databases, etc 30% of sales must be from products not in the product line four years ago (Sustains Innovation) Lifetime employment, promotion from within Average service at 3M is decades, employee turnover is low

Encouraging Innovation (3M) Dr. Hans Selye, ‘altruistic egotism’ “Helping others for one’s own benefit” Total Company Involvement (Managerial Effort) Can’t just hire one or two KM officials and expect revelation Top managers & middle managers should work cooperatively for KM linkages as a whole Flat Organization Structure Allows important decisions to be made at all levels Tolerance of mistakes - (Barriers of Innovation) The Post-it Notes adhesive developed from a mistake

Encouraging Innovation (3M) Recognition Programs One could be promoted to vice-president level without having to have any management responsibilities Inventors are known and recognized through articles and presentations in company Focus Cultural KM focus rather than technical “3M’s record proves it is open to new ideas and it will continue to incorporate the best of the Knowledge Management approaches into its strong culture to ensure it achieves its mission to be ‘the most innovative’ company in the world.”

The Concept of Ba Design of Ba for successful KM – how enterprises should design the places of interaction to gain competitive advantage By Takahiko Nomura (Knowledge Dynamics Initiative, Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd.) Journal of Network and Computer Applications (2002) 25,

Design Discipline of Ba from perspective of Knowledge Dynamics Design of Ba should follow the strategy of utilizing knowledge Design of Ba should apply to the work style of participants at Ba Design of Ba should be synthetically developed where not only specific divisions such as IT and facilities but also managers responsible for Corporate Planning, Structural Design, and Human Resources participate

Communities of Practice – Etienne Wenger Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor: a tribe learning to survive, a band of artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar problems,. In a nutshell: Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better.

Knowledge Work Pattern Model Nomad Type Workers: Work highly autonomous and focusing on interaction with others Analyst Type Workers: Do creative work mainly inside their offices Agent Type workers: Do routine type work with frequent interaction with others Keeper Type Workers: Do routine type workers with little interaction with others

If Only We Knew What We Know C. Jackson Grayson Jr., D.B.A. Founder and Chairman Carla O'Dell, Ph.D. President

What does APQC do? An internationally recognized benchmarking authority, APQC offers access to best-practice research, metrics, measures and more. Has a Knowledge Sharing Network to access best-practice information, metrics, and benchmarking tools and templatesKnowledge Sharing Network

Founders of the American Productivity & Quality Center Authors of the book: If Only We Knew What We Know : The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice

Methods suggested by APQC Communities of Practice Research shows that it’s the locus of knowledge sharing, creation & reuse Lack of common design processes have given uneven results & failures Provide design guidelines & consulting help

Factors determining success of CoPs Alignment to the organization’s business strategy Proper Leadership Proper structuring of the community

References 3M Article 489/cl=19/nw=1/rpsv/cgi- bin/linker?ini=emerald&reqidx=/cw/mcb/ /v2n1/s3/p /cl=19/nw=1/rpsv/cgi- bin/linker?ini=emerald&reqidx=/cw/mcb/ /v2n1/s3/p17