Valdis et al.,
I completely agree, conversations that matter are the beginning of
most great thinks. I would argue that behind every successful leader
there is continuous flow of open conversations.
In my time at Cadbury I would (only semijokingly) reply to "What do
you do?" with one of two comments:
1. I manipulate people's minds or
2. I'm the corporate dating service
The base level of how we (KM'ers) create value is to get people
together and engage them in open conversation in an environment where
they feel safe. From there good things start to flow.

Arthur
Www.organizationalzoo.com

On 28/08/2009, at 12:25, Valdis Krebs <valdis@...> wrote:

> Glad to see your #1 item Arthur. Without conversations that matter,
> etc., the rest of knowledge work doesn't happen not matter how much we
> "capture" and "transfer" and "store". Without #1, your #2 and #3
> don't happen.
>
> Valdis Krebs
> http://orgnet.com
>
>
> On Aug 27, 2009, at 9:43 PM, Arthur Shelley wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> My top three "services" of knowledge management takes a slightly
>> different perspective.
>> 1. Stimulating "Conversations that Matter" (as opposed to general
>> conversations or those without intent- which is different to "with
>> purpose"). It is fine to have conversations without intent and these
>> assist our social frabric and relationships. Conversations that
>> matter have a purpose and a desired outcome (in general), but the
>> specific outcome and may not be known in advance since the nature of
>> the ideal conversation is emergent rather than predetermined (to
>> enable the incorporation of unpredicted opportunities).
>>
>> 2. Build effective decision making capabilities through generation
>> of experiential learning opportunities - predominately projects
>> because this is how we change the world through the injection of new
>> (applied) knowledge (and hopefully decommission some old knowledge
>> at the same time. Projects are the ultimate knowledge transfer
>> vehicles and a very much overlooked capability development
>> opportunity for individuals, teams and the organisation as a whole
>> (when strategically managed).
>>
>> 3. Enhance the performance of the organisation in tangible and
>> intangible ways whilst shifting focus on the future. Knowledge
>> workers influence best when they can engage participation and get
>> people to understand the link between what people know and do with
>> desired future outcomes. Sometimes this can be measured, but many
>> times it can't be objectively assessed or directly attributed from a
>> "cause and effect" perspective. When we embed the principles of
>> knowledge management (loosely i mean generating of benefit from the
>> knowledge assets we have access to (directly and through our
>> networks) we are doing our best work. This is because we effectively
>> get everyone to "do KM" without them realizing it. In effect we
>> invisibly, but effectively, enhance the value created by all those
>> around us.
>>
>> Arthur
>> Www.organizationalzoo.com
>>
>> On 28/08/2009, at 10:03, Mark May <mdmay@...> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> What are the top 3 services offered by the KM Group in your
>>> organization?
>>>
>>> We don't really have a KM group in the IBM Integrated Technology
>>> Services business unit where I work.
>>>
>>> But we do have KM-related areas of emphasis in ITS:
>>>
>>> • Repository of reusable IC for our standard services offerings
>>> (sales and technical content)
>>> • Methods and tools to support pre-sales and delivery
>>> • Centers of excellence to provide hands-on SMEs and to build
>>> and
>>> transfer skills and knowledge
>>> • Global communities of practice
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>> Mark May
>>> Program Manager
>>> IBM Global Technology Services
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>