How do we make people share their knowledge! David Gurteen Gurteen Knowledge Learning, Sharing and Collaboration The Keys to success in the Knowledge based Organization NetIKX 21 st November 2007

How do we make them share their knowledge?

The Question! Assumes US and THEM Assumes THEY need to be MADE to share Assumes we know better A better way to phrase the question How do we better work together? Sally, I’d like to talk with you about how we could better work together. Sally, I’d like to talk to you about how you could improve your knowledge sharing. How do we make them share?

Assumes US and THEM

Assumes THEY need to be MADE to share

Assumes we know better

A better way to phrase the question

Work with People – don’t do things to them! Many of the familiar principles of Quality management amount to an elaboration of this simple truth: an innovative, healthy organization requires that we work with people rather than do things to them . Alfie Kohn

How do we better work together? How do we better work together? How do you make them share? Many of the familiar principles of Quality management amount to an elaboration of this simple truth: an innovative, healthy organization requires that we work with people rather than do things to them . Alfie Kohn

Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge Sharing We do not ‘share knowledge’ in the literal meaning of sharing Not like sharing a cake Synergistic 2 + 2 = 5 More about: Personal Networking Helping each other Working together Collaborating

We do not ‘share knowledge’ in the literal meaning of sharing

Not like sharing a cake

Synergistic 2 + 2 = 5

More about:

Personal Networking

Helping each other

Working together

Collaborating

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

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.

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

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

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

Is Sharing Natural? Some say sharing is human & comes naturally Other say knowledge is power and sharing is not natural

Some say

sharing is human & comes naturally

Other say

knowledge is power and sharing is not natural

Knowledge Sharing Share your Knowledge credit to somebody else passed over for promotion depression alcoholism marital breakdown destitution die a bum Is this really true? Reasons for Sharing ego money reward guilt

Share your Knowledge

credit to somebody else

passed over for promotion

depression

alcoholism

marital breakdown

destitution

die a bum

Reasons for Sharing

ego

money reward

guilt

Do we share? We ALL help each other to a greater or lesser degree Within our department Within our project work With friends and trusted colleagues Within our network

We ALL help each other to a greater or lesser degree

Within our department

Within our project work

With friends and trusted colleagues

Within our network

Why do we share? We share because it is in our interest we have something to gain We do not give our knowledge away We implicitly TRADE things tangible and intangible The major barriers to sharing lack of TIME! lack of obvious benefit i.e. there is no trade

We share because

it is in our interest

we have something to gain

We do not give our knowledge away

We implicitly TRADE things

tangible and intangible

The major barriers to sharing

lack of TIME!

lack of obvious benefit i.e. there is no trade

Trading Knowledge we need to do our job we are afraid of the consequences if we don’t we like them we want to look good we want them to like us we enjoy it we are looking for promotion we are looking for a new job we want them to be indebted to us we want to build a potentially useful relationship they pay us or give us some other tangible reward We help people when they approach us for a variety of reasons - tangible & intangible (often implicit):

we need to do our job

we are afraid of the consequences if we don’t

we like them

we want to look good

we want them to like us

we enjoy it

we are looking for promotion

we are looking for a new job

we want them to be indebted to us

we want to build a potentially useful relationship

they pay us or give us some other tangible reward

The trick to sharing more If we approach someone help make clear the benefits If we are being approached look for the benefits Especially the learning benefits

If we approach someone

help make clear the benefits

If we are being approached

look for the benefits

Especially the learning benefits

Benefit & Time Time Availability Benefit high low high low no brainer Opportunity for learning/ relationship building explore/ escalate suggest an alternative

Summary Knowledge Sharing is not the same as Information Sharing Knowledge Sharing is about ‘trading intangibles’! we need to look for the benefits Learning is one of the the major benefits

Knowledge Sharing is not the same as Information Sharing

Knowledge Sharing is about ‘trading intangibles’!

we need to look for the benefits

Learning is one of the the major benefits

Should organizations reward knowledge sharing?

For Best Results Forget the Bonus! Here is what Alfie Kohn has to say about rewards To the best of my knowledge, no controlled scientific study has ever found a long-term enhancement of the quality of work as a result of any reward system http:// www.alfiekohn.org

Rewards Punish Threats & coercion destroy motivation and so do rewards Rewards are manipulative “ Do this and you will get that” is not much different to “Do this else here is what will happen to you” When people do not get the reward they hoped for they feel punished The more desirable the reward the more demoralizing it is to miss out

Threats & coercion destroy motivation and so do rewards

Rewards are manipulative

“ Do this and you will get that” is not much different to “Do this else here is what will happen to you”

When people do not get the reward they hoped for they feel punished

The more desirable the reward the more demoralizing it is to miss out

Rewards rupture relations Excellence depends on teamwork Rewards (especially if scarce) destroy cooperation Incentive driven employees will not ask for help from their manager when they need it They will conceal problems from their manager to appear infinitely competent

Excellence depends on teamwork

Rewards (especially if scarce) destroy cooperation

Incentive driven employees will not ask for help from their manager when they need it

They will conceal problems from their manager to appear infinitely competent

Rewards ignore reasons To solve problems people must understand the causes They ignore the complexities of the problems Each situation calls for a different response Rewards tend to blindly promote a single solution

To solve problems people must understand the causes

They ignore the complexities of the problems

Each situation calls for a different response

Rewards tend to blindly promote a single solution

Rewards deter risk-taking People are less likely to take risks; to explore possibilities; to play hunches The No. 1 casualty of rewards is creativity

People are less likely to take risks; to explore possibilities; to play hunches

The No. 1 casualty of rewards is creativity

Rewards undermine interest Loving what you do is a more powerful motivator than any goody including money Rewards are controlling! If people focus on getting a reward they tend to feel their work is no longer freely chosen and directed by them If they have to bribe me to do it - it must be something I don’t want to do!

Loving what you do is a more powerful motivator than any goody including money

Rewards are controlling!

If people focus on getting a reward they tend to feel their work is no longer freely chosen and directed by them

If they have to bribe me to do it - it must be something I don’t want to do!

So what’s the solution? How do we make people share? How do we make people do anything?

Alfie Kohn Pay people well Pay people fairly Then do everything possible to take money (rewards) off people’s minds Incentives, bonuses, pay-for-performance-plans and other reward systems violate this last principle by their very nature!

Pay people well

Pay people fairly

Then do everything possible to take money (rewards) off people’s minds

Bob Buckman Our approach to KM is far more than stick or carrot. We say, "Knowledge Sharing is your job. Do it!" As a reward you may keep your job.

How Children Fail Children do not need to be made to learn to be better, told what to do or shown how. If they are given access to enough of the world, they will see clearly enough what things are truly important to themselves and to others, and they will make for themselves a better path into that world then anyone else could make for them John Holt

Change The only way to change is to change your understanding . Anthony de Mello, Jesuit Priest

Changing People’s Behavior We cannot change other people's behavior - only they can do that! Threats, rewards and praise do not work We don't need to be told what to do. We just need to understand the world better and then we will see what needs to be done for ourselves So how do we better understand the world?

We cannot change other people's behavior - only they can do that!

Threats, rewards and praise do not work

We don't need to be told what to do. We just need to understand the world better and then we will see what needs to be done for ourselves

So how do we better understand the world?

How do we understand better? Through being involved and through open conversation !

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 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

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

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

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.

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

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

The Role of Conversation It is through conversation that we communicate, co-ordinate & collaborate surface our tacit knowledge share our tacit knowledge learn & gain insights & new perspectives our blind-spots & assumptions are revealed Conversation is central to all that we do It is key to understanding the world!

It is through conversation that we

communicate, co-ordinate & collaborate

surface our tacit knowledge

share our tacit knowledge

learn & gain insights & new perspectives

our blind-spots & assumptions are revealed

Conversation is central to all that we do

It is key to understanding the world!

Conversation 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 How do we better work together? How do you make people share? Better understanding through open conversation Rewards and Praise

Questions?

Knowledge Cafe

Knowledge Sharing How do we make people share their knowledge?

www.gurteen.com David Gurteen Gurteen Knowledge Tel: +44 1252 812 878 Email: david.gurteen@gurteen.com