Posted by Michael on September 07, 2002 at 23:14:12:

In Reply to: Innovation in Knowledge Exchange posted by Douglas King on September 05, 2002 at 18:09:36:

Your assessment of the human mind is inarguably accurate. On the down side our cognitive capacity is indeed limited and “the breadth of information being thrown at us” is immense. It is also true that in our current state of being there is little hope that we can condition ourselves to “attend to everything with the same passion and energy”. On the other hand, it is to our credit that we are capable of reasoning that fact and that we are aware of our individual limitations. Were it not for this we would be doomed to fail in the management of knowledge beyond the limit of which the most intelligent of us is “independently” capable of processing.

What is the best way to overcome this and make KM more appealing? The answer is clear. Consider the old adage: “There is power in numbers”. This is a fundamental concept and there is really nothing innovative about it at all. At times, in fact, we are guilty of blinding ourselves with innovation when common sense and logical approaches would more easily suffice. In the very near future the success (or failure) of knowledge management within an organization will be dependent upon a specialized group of participants; each equally skilled in his or her individual area of responsibility and each recognizing and trusting the capabilities of the other members of the management group. In this way no single member will be bogged down by information irrelevant to his area of expertise. The group must form a intellectual microcosm whose sole purpose it is to “think-tank” and brain-storm for the greater good of the organization. As new technology or concepts outside the range of the groups’ aptitude are developed, new members can be added who will bring new information to the table in order to help bolster the intellectual power of the group. As you can see, the future focus of the student will not hinge upon how much he learns in a single lifetime because, as you so aptly pointed out, information is coming in faster than it can be processed. The future focus of the student, and indeed the goal of any professional, will be to know his or her selected field with near flawless proficiency.

You were correct when you said that our cognitive capabilities are limited. We cannot compose music for an orchestra that uses instruments that we cannot fathom, for example. I liken KM to an ant that is looking up at a skyscraper; he can only process the meaning of the first brick (the only brick that the ant can see) and so he misses the enormous structure altogether due to the overwhelming obstacle posed by this one brick. In time, the infant stage of knowledge management that you and I currently struggle with will pass into history and the more advanced “Collective Knowledge” will undoubtedly take it’s place.

What is so appealing about this? Simple. One has new hope that knowledge management is not only possible but also conceivable, even in today’s seemingly unmanageable storm of information. One has new incentive to study a specialized field and to learn it in its entirety, rather than risk appearing inadequate by studying everything and excelling at only part of it. This concept would also provide new previously unknown intellectual and professional goals, to be part of and organization’s “Collective Knowledge Management”. To be sought out for his specialized talent and recruited into an organizational collective in order to be consulted about his expertise. Above all, one has reassurance that knowledge management is indeed possible despite the exasperating fact that there is simply too much knowledge for one person to manage alone. But alas, these things will not come to pass until organizations employ the collective knowledge approach, create policies that allow this form of management to work unimpeded by chain of command, and place their trust and faith in the groups abilities. When these become the trend, and the “CKM” concept is born, the PR portion will take care of itself. Colleges and Universities will bulge at the seams with single field over-achievers who can actually afford to get a degree or certification in a single area of expertise and who are chomping at the bit to grab that sheep skin and sprint into the work force so they can jockey for positions.

I apologize for the length of my reply. I could probably write a dissertation in this issue (and I almost did, didn’t I?)

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Follow Ups:

• Re: Innovation in Knowledge Exchange Joe 14:13:02 09/10/02 (1)
  • Re: Innovation in Knowledge Exchange Mike 23:28:32 09/10/02 (0)
• Re: Innovation in Knowledge Exchange Joe 13:46:36 09/10/02 (0)
• Re: Innovation in Knowledge Exchange Douglas King 04:11:15 09/09/02 (0)

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