Posted by Rob Patzig on February 26, 1998 at 10:03:54:

In Reply to: Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations posted by Robbert Northolt on February 26, 1998 at 03:03:42:

Rob,

I think that I have to agree with Don that knowledge sharing does exist. 
True, there is a lot more information sharing going on in the world, such
as in most classroom environments, in the authoring of white papers, training
sessions and such.  But your claim that the transfer of knowledge
only occurs through the transmission of information assumes, I think, that
knowledge is little more than meta-information.  For example, it appears
from your posting that knowledge exists only through the application of
the intellect to information: that knowledge is the results of information
analysis.  But such knowldge would only be an internalized/tacit form
of information.

Perhaps I've misread your posting, but I think that knowledge is a much
richer thing than as described above.  Knowledge transfer or sharing
occurs in a good classroom, in conversations and in mentoring programs. 
In the above, the medium (information) appears to be the message. 
Knowledge sharing occurs through interaction and negotiation.  Of
course, knowledge cannot be handed over in a piece of paper, a web page,
or in a statement, but these forms of expression allow us to exchange and
contest ideas. This site is, I think, a prime example of knowledge sharing. 
Through reading and posting I have found my own views changing about intellectual
capital.  How this happened is that I disagreed with several postings,
recieved elaborations on those postings, reflected upon what was said,
modified my views and posted anew and waited to see how these postings
were recieved, refected again, and came away with a position different
than where I began.  None of the information exchanged in any one
or even all of those postings is reflective of my current position on IC,
but they led me to this position.  Technically, yes, only information
was exchanged.  But the context of the responses, my existing experience
with the other minds posting to this site, the style of the responses led
me to understand, I think, the positions of others and the reasons for
these positions, even though their positions were never made entirely explicit. 
The intangibles that came through the exchange of information, the interaction,
led me to new knowledge.

Sorry to have run on for so long, but I really do think that knowldge
sharing is something much more than just the exchange of information. 
It is interactive, unpredictable and most importantly, requires the presence
of others.

Rob

---

Follow Ups:

• Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations Robbert Northolt 10:54:28 2/26/98 (9)
  • Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations Mezei 20:53:41 2/26/98 (5)
    • Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations Robbert Northolt 03:23:28 2/27/98 (4)
      • Bits/Bytes and data/information/knowledge management Mezei 14:41:23 2/28/98 (3)
        • Re: Bits/Bytes and data/information/knowledge management Robbert Northolt 09:23:06 3/02/98 (2)
          • Re: Bits/Bytes and data/information/knowledge management Mezei 20:46:47 3/02/98 (1)
            • Re: Bits/Bytes and data/information/knowledge management Robbert Northolt 02:00:16 3/03/98 (0)
  • Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations Rob Patzig 13:43:19 2/26/98 (2)
    • Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations Robbert Northolt 02:27:39 2/27/98 (1)
      • Re: Knowledge Management and Learning Organizations Rob Patzig 09:29:23 2/27/98 (0)

---

Click Here to Post Follow Up in New Forums

    Knowledge Management Think Tank (New)

  

 Subject: 

Message: