Posted by Karen Wieckert on February 12, 1998 at 18:33:37:

In Reply to: Knowledge Management vs. Learning Management posted by Chris Schuller on February 03, 1998 at 22:19:02:

Learning and knowledge are so intimately entwined that it would seem that you cannot have a
knowledge management strategy that does not explicitly encompass a learning management
strategy. And, to learn individuals as well as organizations need resources to foster learning.

Although an old term, I believe one of the important resources for learning is "organizational slack."
We no longer seem to design our organizations to allow for individual, group, or organizational
slack. It seems that an emphasis on a wicked environment that can make mince meat out of an
organization or a start-up mentality that focuses on producing today or early tomorrow at all costs,
winnows away the slack required to reflect and consider, chat and structure, assess and teach.

The emphasis in this discussion on knowledge as process rather than object should signal that
processes need resources for their effective running.

As an aside, what I see that is most detrimental to appropriate knowledge creation, dissemination,
retention and utilization within organizations is the need to train on or learn new IT technology or
best practices (techniques). Learning by using a technology or best practice, be it entirely new or an
upgrade or modification, is not the same as learning by doing with the technology or technique, nor
doing your job having internalized the technology or technique. Such a learning trajectory needs to
be undertaken by anyone who must adopt new technology or techniques. However, technology and
techniques are changing so rapidly that an individual can be trapped in the learning by training or
learning by doing phases, and never get to doing (!) their job.

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