Knowledge Cafe Workshop May 2008

Gurteen Knowledge Café Workshop May 2008 David Gurteen Gurteen Knowledge

Begin with the end in mind

Raise awareness of the role of conversation in your business lives

To teach you about Knowledge Cafes and how to run them

Encourage you to create more opportunities in your organization for creative conversation

Agenda

09.00 - 12:00 Basics + Knowledge Cafe

12:00 - 13:00 Lunch

13:00 - 15:00 Advanced

Basics (morning)

09:00 – 09:15 Introductions (15 mins)

09:15 – 09:45 Business is a Conversation (30 mins)

09:45 – 10:15 Knowledge Café Process (30 mins)

10:15 – 10:45 Coffee (30 mins)

10:45 – 12:00 Run a Knowledge Cafe (75 mins)

Advanced (afternoon)

13:00 – 13:15 Review of morning (15 mins)

13:15 – 13:45 More on the process (30 mins)

13:45 – 14:00 Other Formats & Uses (15 mins)

14:00 – 14:15 Coffee (15 mins)

14:15 – 15:00 Café review of the day (45 mins)

Introductions

David Gurteen

Independent knowledge advisor and facilitator

Knowledge Website

Knowledge Community/Letter

15,000 people

154 countries

Knowledge Café Communities

London, New York, Adelaide, Zurich

Speed Networking

A simple technique that can be used in a variety of settings to bring a group of people together

to start to get to know each other

or get to know each other a little better

How do you Speed Network?

Break into pairs

Find someone you don’t know

Two minutes to chat then move on to another person

Tell your partner something unusual about yourself

When I blow my whistle once - move on

When I blow my whistle twice - its all over!

Business is a Conversation

Business is a conversation Business is a conversation because the defining work of business is conversation - literally. And 'knowledge workers' are simply those people whose job consists of having interesting conversations. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

Conversation is central to all that we do

Its our job!

Conversation is a meeting of minds Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards. Theodore Zeldin Conversation

Theodore in an Oxford Historian

Conversation is creative

KM is about understanding For all our knowledge, we have no idea what we're talking about. We don't understand what's going on in our business, our market, and our world. KM shouldn’t be about helping us to know more. It should be about helping us to understand. So, how do we understand things? It's through stories that we understand how the world works. David Weinberger, The Cluetrain Manifesto

Its about understanding & sense making

Through conversation & storytelling

Conversation “A mechanistic and unproductive exchange between people seeking to defend their own views against one another” “A frank exchange of ideas or views on a specific issue in an effort to attain mutual understanding” Debate or dialogue?

Dialogue

When we engage each other in dialogue

we enter into a conversation with a view to learn from each other

rather than impose our views on the other.

The kind of conversation I’m interested in is one in which you start with a willingness to emerge a slightly different person. Theodore Zeldin, Historian

Principles of Dialogue

Suspend assumptions, do not judge

Observe & listen to one another

Welcome differences & explore them

Allow taboo subjects to be raised safely

Listen to your inner voice

Slow the discussion

Search for the underlying meaning

Dialogue is based on the work of the physicist David Bohm

Dialogue Suppose we were able to share meanings freely without a compulsive urge to impose our view or conform to those of others and without distortion and self-deception. Would this not constitute a real revolution in culture. David Bohm, Physicist

Summary

Business is a conversation

Conversation is creative

Understanding is more important than knowing more

Dialogue is the key to quality conversations

Gurteen Knowledge Café Process

Background

Coffee Machine talks

Chairing conferences

My dislike of ‘chalk & talk’ presentations

My desire for people to engage with the subject and to learn through conversation

What is a Knowledge Café?

A knowledge café brings a group of people together to have an open, creative conversation on a topic of mutual interest to surface their collective knowledge, to share ideas and to gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved.

Ultimately leading to action in the form of better decision making and innovation and thus tangible business outcomes.

What are the outcomes?

Real outcomes are what you take away in your head

A deeper understanding of the issue discussed

A deeper insight into other people’s perspectives

A better appreciation of your own point of view

Better position to make more informed decisions and to take action!

What is the history?

The term Knowledge Café has been around for the last 7 years or so

Only in the last 2 or 3 years has the term come into common use

Roots in work of David Bohm, William Isaacs, Juanita Brown

Roots in Open Space Technology which goes back to 1989

Is it a talking-shop?

No its NOT a talking-shop. A talking shop is normally used pejoratively and implies no useful outcome other than the airing of ones own ideas

A Knowledge Caf é is different in that everyone leaves enriched by a deeper level of understanding of the subject in question and is often inspired to act

Why is the Knowledge Caf é important?

The world is a more complex place than it used to be - at times even chaotic - it is not always clear what is going on - we need to take time to UNDERSTAND

We do not find the time to have open conversations, we are under pressure to make quick decisions

KM for example should not be about creating and sharing ever increasing knowledge but understanding more fully the knowledge that we do have!

What does a Knowledge Café do for the individual?

The Caf é assumes we have within ourselves a greater level of insight than we are conscious of

The Caf é helps tease this out

You hear yourself say things in Café conversations that you did not know that you knew

It crystallises our knowledge

New ideas are sparked

Fresh perspectives emerge ...

With increased observation and reflection comes understanding – this paves the way for change

What resources are needed to run a Knowledge Caf é?

Not a lot!

A group of people

A facilitator or host

A room with plenty of space

Tables & chairs to seat about five people per table

What do you need in the room?

Some formats have special requirements such as round tables, paper table cloths, felt tip pens, flowers on the table and coffee & biscuits

Gurteen Knowledge Cafés need none of these props but of course you could use them if available

Refreshments help

Aim is to create a good ambience

Unthreatening and hospitable environment

How do you run one?

Knowledge Cafés can be run in different ways

I use a simple format

Runs for 90 minutes to a couple of hours

Work best with between 25 and 35 people

Can run a dozen people or as many as 100

But with some modifications

What's the process?

Facilitator takes 5 - 15 minutes to introduce the Knowledge Caf é and the theme

Purpose of the Knowledge Caf é is made clear

Facilitator poses an open ended question

Participants form into small groups of 4 or 5 to discuss the subject for 30 - 60 minutes.

Change tables 1,2 or 3 times

The group re-assembles for an exchange of ideas as a whole for 15 - 30 minutes

What subjects are covered?

Any subject can be addressed

Explore questions that matter to the participants

Normally explore only one theme

And pose only one question

A Knowledge Caf é is not a debating forum

It is NOT about decision making

What is the role of the facilitator?

Facilitator need not be a specialist

Nor disciplined in facilitation

Simply a good listener and chairperson skills

Facilitator should not take a lead in the discussions

Should wander around and listen into the groups

Should listen out for problems and remind people gently of the rules of ‘dialogue’

What’s the role of the individual?

Theodore Zeldin : to be prepared to emerge a slightly different person

To see people with different views not as adversaries but as resources from which we can learn

To enter into open conversation

To listen more than speak

To welcome differences

To withhold judgment

To avoid position taking

To avoid being too politically correct

How do things work within the small groups?

Don’t appoint a leader or chairperson

Everyone should be equal and fully engaged in the conversation

Don’t appoint a note taker either

Anyone can make their own notes if they want to

People share their perspectives with the group only if they wish to

How does the large group sit?

Bring everyone back into a relatively tight group so that every one can easily see and hear each other

Only use microphones if absolutely necessary as they inhibit the natural flow of the conversation

How does the whole group work?

Individuals asked to remember that their comments are for the whole group and not for the facilitator.

The objective is to hold a ‘group conversation’

The facilitator needs to work at encouraging this

Plays a low key role – not the expert

Turn away, even hide!

How does the facilitator work with the whole group?

The group should be doing the work with minimal intervention from the facilitator

Facilitator needs to encourage participation

Facilitator needs to ensure that no one person or group dominates the discussion

Connects diverse perspectives

How do you record the outcomes of a Knowledge Café?

If you record things you should avoid disrupting or influencing the conversation in anyway

You could make audio or video recordings but I would advise against it

Participants should not be burdened with recording as they need to be fully engaged in the conversation

Best to appoint an external person to take notes

Discussion

Coffee

Lets run a Knowledge Cafe

Knowledge Sharing

Sharing knowledge is not about giving people something, or getting something from them. That is only valid for information sharing.

Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes.

Peter Senge

Personal Reasons for Sharing

To help other people & to help ourselves

Other people

To get things done

To build relationships so they in turn help us

Ourselves

To get things done

Learning to be gained

Knowledge is perishable

Someone else will make our knowledge productive first

Barriers to Knowledge Sharing

A silo mentality

Knowledge is power

Lack of knowledge sharing processes

No time allowed

No knowledge sharing by executives

Managers do not walk the talk

Poor IT systems

Lack of encouragement

Bureaucracy

Resistance to change by managers

Karl-Eric Sveiby

The Challenge of Knowledge Sharing What prevents us from sharing our knowledge more effectively? How might we overcome these barriers?

The Role of Conversation What is the role of conversation in our business life and why is it important?

Lunch

Afternoon Agenda

More on the process

Uses of the Cafe

Discussion circle

More on the process

The theme

Topic that everyone feels passionate about

Complex issues

Only ONE question

Open ended question

The conversation

The question is only a seed

OK to go off topic

Conversation as close to a conversation at the pub or over dinner

The speaker/facilitator

Speaker and facilitator need not be the same

Facilitator: involved/not involved

Speakers can be controlling or dominant

Often run over time

Need to brief and handle carefully

The facilitator

Important to be yourself

Do not control

Experiment a little

Take some risks

Don’t be afraid of silence

If you let people talk and leave them alone you cannot go far wrong

The venue

Need not be a room

Boat on Thames

Canal Boat (long boat in Amsterdam)

Knowledge Walk/BBQ (Greenwich)

Pub (Stavanger)

Outside under sunshades (Scottsdale)

An actual café (London & Barcelona)

The room

Important

Small, cosy

Paper/toys on tables

Small round tables

Good acoustics

Lecture theatre?

Holding in a lecture theatre

Difficult but not impossible

Problem of moving between groups

Problem of whole group conversation

reporting back

Need for microphones

Using microphones

Avoid if possible

Will need them if group is larger than 40

Maybe less if poor acoustics

People hold on to them

Kills the flow of conversation

One for yourself and at least 2 roving mikes

Avoid fixed mikes (Jakarta)

Knowledge circles

Greenwich Story

KM World

Jakarta Workshop

Not as difficult as it seems

Small group

Ask people to sit with others they do not know

Change groups once, twice at most 3 times

People do not like changing groups

Don’t force them!

Kuala Lumpur story

Whole group

Where you need facilitation skills

People will report back out of habit

Or ask you questions

In some cultures best to let them

Even for some groups let them

Central bank librarians story

Unless in expert mode do not join in too much

Tolerate silence – pause and wait

Culture

I have run the Cafes in many different countries

UK, Spain, Norway, Moscow

USA

Singapore

Hong Kong

Kuala Lumpur

Thailand

Australia

UAE

Cultural issues

Jakarta

Open Café

Workshop

Kuala Lumpur

Won’t change tables

Won’t go for coffee

Bangkok

Flee, video

Dubai

Report back

Scottsdale

Intense group

Hong Kong

Iranians

Language issues

Ideally one common language

Let people speak in their own language in small groups

Can’t listen in!

Common language (English) in whole group

Even own language in whole group

Use of translators

Serial or concurrent

Listening in

If expert mode then join in

If facilitation mode then try not to

Wander around and actively listen

Observe for issues

Watch, think, be prepared to adapt

Wrap up

No need to summarise at length

Keep it short and simple

Thank people

Other Café Formats and Conversational Tools

Other Conversational Tools

Gurteen Knowledge Café

Traditional Knowledge Café

Flip charts, capture, report back etc

Conferences

Speak, conversation, Q&A

Reverse Café

Conversation Dinner

World Cafe

Open Space

Anecdote Circles

Appreciative Inquiry

How is the Cafe different from Open Space Technology?

Process is more complex

Used other than to gain mutual understanding

e.g. problem solving and defining agendas

Meetings tend to be larger

often 100s of people compared to dozens for the Café

Meetings tend to last longer

often days rather than hours

Uses of the Cafe

When would a Knowledge Café be run?

Surface and share knowledge

Surface problems & opportunities

Get networking going

Gain new perspectives

Gain new ideas

Help form a team or community

Gain insight into a complex problem

Better understand an issue

Obtain buy-in for a new project

Where is it used?

I use it in public forums such as conferences and within companies to explore complex issues

The Royal Society for the Arts uses a form of Knowledge Cafe in conjunction with Starbucks in the UK to discuss social issues relevant to the societies aims

Many organizations quietly use it especially in SE Asia.

ISN Knowledge Café The knowledge café has led to a dramatic improvement in terms of inter-team dialog, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Many internal work processes are now being overhauled for the better as a result of these knowledge cafes and we have seen an explosion of new ideas and initiatives on the part of staff at all levels of the organization. Simply put, the knowledge cafe format has empowered all our staff to speak up and take the initiative in ensuring the successful development of the ISN. Chris Pallaris, Chief Editor ISN, Zurich

Café for a UK government body