Posted by Martyn R Jones on February 16, 1998 at 02:45:27:

In Reply to: theories .vs. metaphors as creators and disseminators of knowledge posted by Ramesh on February 08, 1998 at 02:47:10:

Both metaphors and theories are also valid mechanisms for enabling the learning process and the transfer of knowledge.

As with virtually anything that can have a positive effect they do have their drawbacks - I feel like I'm stating the obvious here but ...

Metaphors are only as good as the shared understanding of the basis of the metaphor. If we create metaphors without a good understanding of the context of the metaphor, or maybe a weaker understanding of the context of the metaphor than the receptor, then we may just be providing the catalyst of confusion in an attempt to be rationale, clear or clever.

So metaphors, cannot be flawed, if they are not to loose validity in the knowledge dissemination process.

I feel that using theories as the basis for knowledge-transfer, only works with certain groups who are receptive to this approach. In certain cases I find that incomplete and contradictory theories have a negative impact in situations that demand fast and accurate knowledge transfer.

Although I feel comfortable as a KM person with the idea of hypothesizing and testing ideas within a peer group as a means of validation and discovery - I would be not, for example, as a
hypothetical politician, take to kindly to this approach in the context of interaction within and between government and the civil service.

Martyn Jones
HP GCC

@ibm.net

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