1. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Mark Jewell Principal Consultant, Shared Learning Addept Solutions Context Management, Putting Content Management in Its Place Presentation Title mark.jewell@addept.com.au

2. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Presentation Objectives To demonstrate:  The importance ‘Context Management’ plays in successful knowledge transfer and re-use of information  How more context can be encapsulated in systems designed to enable shared learning across an organisation  How a knowledge context can be constructed so as to help people gauge the trustworthiness and relevance of knowledge and information

3. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Background  Consultant Project Manager (Mainly UK Construction) Mark Jewell in Context Addept Solutions  Formed in 1987  Information Systems Manager  Knowledge Manager  Released Sigma Connect in 1997  Sigma Connect licensed to 750,000+ users  Sigma Context released - includes Sigma Connect

4. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Key Principle “Knowledge is highly contextual. Attempting to learn from information, or transfer knowledge without its context is like having all the answers but none of the questions.”

5. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Harnessing Knowledge Teams & Individuals Goals Results Knowledge Learn Before Learn After Learn During Information & Knowledge Pool $ $

6. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 People Are The Key Focus For KM “On average, 80% of an organisation’s information is tacit” [Source: IBM research] People Websites / databases / archives / documents Tacit Knowledge Explicit Knowledge In a study of an Australian Government Agency, “Less than 10% of data and information was accessed directly” via the Intranet “People sourced data and information via other people” [Source - above: Laurie Lock Lee – CSC Australia – Practical KM For Government Conference, August 2003] (MIT Studies also back these findings) Why?

7. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Why? Efficiency, Trust and Context  How long will it take me to find the information I need? And…  Will I understand the information and how it applies to my situation?  If I find some information, how will I be sure it is right (current and suitable) information? And…  This is positive and natural human behaviour  Don’t fight it, encourage and support it!  We ‘feel’ before we know

8. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Knowing What We Know, Then Trusting It! Capture Find  If we don’t know what we know, how can we learn and innovate?  If we don’t trust what we know, we will fail!

9. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Information in Context ViewersContributors Contextual Gap Information Capture Context Knowledge Transfer +=

10. Bridging the Gap Content Informal Formal Context Filters Expertise Experience Interests Role Org Positio n Affiliations Politics Objectives Location Culture Viewers Contributors Group Individual Contextual Gap

11. Bridging the Gap Viewers Context Filters Expertise Experience Interests Role Org Positio n Affiliations Politics Objectives Location Culture Contextual Gap Content Informal Formal Contributors Group Individual Expertise Experience Interests Role Org Positio n Affiliations Politics Objectives Location Culture Context Filters

12. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 People like them Who they are & what they know Context Beyond The Contributors ViewersContributors Contextual Gap Information Capture Context Knowledge Transfer += Expertise, experience, interests, affiliations, roles, culture etc.

13. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 So, What is Information to KM? Possibly rich in ‘explicit knowledge’ but context poor and out of date by the time it is published Most information forms a sign post to those that are interested in:  Learning  Continuos improvement  Innovation

14. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 The Importance of Conversation "Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards." [Source Theodore Zeldin, ‘Conversation, How Talk Can Change Our Lives’]

15. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 The Importance ofConversationProper Politicians communicate by using pre-determined responses ‘proper conversation being when you are provoked to say something that had never occurred to you before’ Not to say that knowledge transfer cannot still exist without proper conversation

16. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 When Conversation is Impractical Different Medium  Video Conference  Telephone  Email  SMS  Web sites  Discussion Forum  Instant Messaging  Document Library  Blog  Wiki Knowledge Flows  One to One, One to Many and Many to Many  Peer to Peer  Expert to Novice

17. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Structural Model: CoP’s a DOMAIN of shared knowledge a shared PRACTICE they are developing to be effective in their domain [Source: ‘Managing Organisational Knowledge Through Communities of Practice’: E Wenger, R McDermott and W Snyder] a COMMUNITY of people that care about the domain

18. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Established Learning Groups Query: raised in short hand Short hand response Understood! But how does ????

19. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Learning Group Relationships C 1 C 1.1 G 1 G 1.1 G 1.1.1 G 1.1.2 G 1.1.3 Visibility: Private Group; Context Public C 1.2 G 1.2 G 1.2.1

20. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Pre-requisites for Collaborative Learning Who are you collaborating with:  What do they do  Where are they (Geography, Business, Culture)  What experience do they have  Where are they “coming from” A context for the collaboration:  What are the objectives  Why are people doing this  What is in it for me  Who will see what I say  What has been said in the past

21. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Key Facets of Good Collaboration Control  Content under end user control (not IT)  Membership & Roles  Context Visibility  Scope of visibility  Escalation policies  Avoid info overload => One answer  Reduce duplication of information

22. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 I.T, The Right Perspective?  Behaviours are more important than technology  Re-use rather than re-invent  Outcomes more important than ownership  Mentor not dictate  I’m not saying burn the IT boxes…  Support natural sharing behaviours

23. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Expertise LocationSearch EnginesDocument ManagementContent ManagementSharing Culture KM Processes (LB, LD, LA) Expertise LocationRecords Management Unsustainable KM Approach Too hard tray / Intangibles Easy / Tangible Tray / Vendor Sales Pitch People & Process Technology & Content

24. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Knowledge Flow – Organisational Improvement

25. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Summary  80-90 % of organisational knowledge is Tacit  People prefer to find information by referral  People build trust by understanding context  Information is best viewed as signposts to bridge the contextual gap  Bridging the contextual gap promotes learning and innovation  Proper conversation must be promoted  KM / Learning systems and content sharing systems serve different purposes

26. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Effective KM / Learning System Musts  By linking the people, their profiles and group affiliations to all content / information  By creating safe/trusted domains in which people can collaborate, share and learn.  By enabling people to find each other (expertise location), encourage conversation but provide alternative communication tools that suit the style of individuals and their groups Retain the link between information and the context in which it was created, even after the contributors of the information have left the organisation…

27. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 A Reasonable Conclusion (part 1) A Knowledge Management (or information) Strategy is incomplete without the ability to unlock the organisations tacit / implicit knowledge and harness the potential of informal and formal groups / networks.

28. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 A Reasonable Conclusion (part 2) Avoid getting transfixed by content management (document and records management) systems. Manage the people to people connections and linkages to information context, i.e. 80% of your organisational knowledge. 80/20 Rule

29. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Discussion / Questions? Discussion

30. © Copyright Addept Solutions Pty Ltd 2002-2004 Feel free to contact me: For Further Discussion & Questions mark.jewell@addept.com.au Feel free to contact me: www.addept-solutions.com Email: Web: Phone:0438 633 795