The document discusses the 7 C's of knowledge leadership: Context, Competency, Culture, Communities, Common Language, Communications, and Coaching. Effective knowledge leadership requires considering these domains and adapting to the new economic world order focused on intellectual capital rather than financial capital. Key aspects of knowledge leadership include developing an innovation culture, collaborative communities, shared language, strong communication, and coaching skills. Leaders must understand different contexts around financial versus human capital and adapt their approaches accordingly.

1. The 7 C’s of Knowledge Leadership:
Innovating our Future
Artur Gonçalves
Sepideh Haeri

2. 2
New economic world order
• Mainly based on the flow of intellectual not
financial, capital.
• Profound changes everywhere in the way human
talents are managed.
• The effective leadership is not having the most
knowledge, it is to know how to use it.

3. 3
Innovation: the key to survival
• Real value is created when connections are made
among seemingly isolated elements
(Innovation).
• Innovation need several sub components, all of
which rely greatly on proper knowledge
leadership.

4. 4
Seven domains to (re) consider for the
implication of knowledge management
• (C1) – Context
• (C2) – Competency
• (C3) – Culture
• (C4) – Communities
• (C5) – Common Language
• (C6) – Communications
• (C7) - Coaching

5. 5
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT
(Financial capital and Human capital orientations)
• Both orientations are necessary to ensure
optimal flexibility, adaptability and agility
• However, new world economic order pushes
towards going Human Capital orientation more
and more.
• Why? Tremendous speed of change in multiple
interdependent variables that brings high levels
of uncertainty.

6. 6
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT Characteristics of
Financial Capital Orientation (Traditional/Industrial)
• Performance measures are static and financial, $$$ are
the main asset.
• Structure/culture is Competitive, based on market share
and there is a distrust of boarders
• Leadership concerns: Costs/expenses, profitability
• Processes: Independent (isolated islands), Cause/effect
• Technology : Information processing, data/information,
things/warehouse

7. 7
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT Characteristics of
Human Capital Orientation
(Knowledge, Innovation)
• Performance measures are dynamic and comprehensive
(measuring intangibles). Relationships are main assets.
• Structure/culture is collaborating, value-adding and
based on sets of alliances.
• Leadership concerns: Revenue/Investment , Sustained
Growth. (more insight into future)
• Processes: Inter-dependent , value system
• Technology : Knowledge processing, tacit/explicit
knowledge, Flow/Process

8. 8
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT
What today’s leaders must do?
• Lead by example
• Inspire passion for the work
• Walk and talk
• Ensure that teams are well prepared for decision making
under fast changing, information flooding conditions of
today’s world.
• Help others stay focused and balanced as they establish
priorities.
• Convey context and meaning in ways that enable others
to leverage their own talents.

9. 9
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
COMPETENCY
• Innovation is believed to be the one competency needed
to manage into the future.
• It is the key to survival of any being that is going to be
sustainable.
• BUT ….
• There are many Sub-Components
• In fact innovation is a compound of several different
competences. The individual competencies are %70
generic and %30 field or industry or case dependent.

10. 10
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
COMPETENCY (2)
• Competency Map:
is an assessment tool that outlines the skills and
behavior required to successfully undertake a
position or role.
• Banff Centre for management has conducted a
research on the subject.

11. 11
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
COMPETENCY (3)
• The research identified 35 competences organized in the
following categories:
▫ Direction setting
▫ Change Leadership
▫ Critical Thinking
▫ Organizational development and diversity
▫ Personal/Organizational Balance
▫ Quality
▫ Knowledge and Innovation
• Each indicates four levels of apptitude.

12. 12
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of COMPETENCY (4)
Leadership Training
• It is almost impossible to be taught LEADERSHIP.
• In fact it can be done in a 5 step LEARNING process:
▫ Step 1: Competency Profiling of the learner.
▫ Step 2: The Learning Contract (customized plan for
individual).
▫ Step 3: The Learning Process (hands-on, interactive,
feedback, re-focus, real environment and applications, knowledge
circle).
▫ Step 4: Re-entry Planning (it is not as simple as teaching -
takes a lot of listening exercise, identifying language, motivation
and talents in others ready to be nurtured) .
▫ Step 5: Measurement of Impact : Successful
DEMONSTRATION of the desired skills and learning
competencies is ESSENTIAL.

13. 13
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
CULTURE
• Corporate culture is very important.
• Over the long term, culture does more to
influence the impact of corporate leadership
than any other factor.
• Innovation is defined as the number-one
advantage of the knowledge program, the main
obstacle however is the development of
knowledge sharing culture!

14. 14
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
CULTURE(2)
• Two greatest obstacles to successful knowledge
Leadership :
1. Lack of trust
2. Inadequate communications
Specifically regarding values, mission and critical
success factors.
These 2 elements combined with lack of vision
seem to be the root of management duress.

15. 15
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CULTURE(3)
• Creating and sustaining a culture where knowledge is
valued is one of the most difficult challenges in
practice.
• Appropriate culture are those that:
1. Engender change, innovation, openness and trust
2. People are recognized and rewarded for their
knowledge contribution
3. Flexible, networked organizational structures, multiple
teams and a climate of intensive and purposeful
networking.
4. ….

16. 16
Communities
• Various disciplines started converging in responsibility
and practice.
▫ Integrating core principles from the domains of others.
▫ Convergence of functional perspectives and common
agendas are emerging.
▫ Growth of circles and networked organizations ( harness
creativity and promote cross-fertilization).
• (…)The need to know what each other knows ( Brown
and Gray, 1995).
▫ Provides insights into how the entire operation may
effectively led.
▫ Leaders, will not operate only based on competition.
▫ Collaborate and contribute to the success of one another.

17. 17
Conversation and Common Language
• Innovation Language
▫ Language that does not focus on a particular function.
▫ Encompass industries, sectors , regions….universal scope
• Knowledge language with a glossary of terms ( Skandia and Ericsson in Sweden )
▫ On-line capability to add terms( more that 400)
– Appling heritage, purpose, mission and strategy of the enterprise
▫ Spheres of influence ( Once connections are made among internal and external constituents)
▫ Structured conversation and dialog
▫ Flow of meaning
– Quality and level of conversations
– Network of conversations ( Ray Stata, Chairman of Analog Devices of Nortwood
Massachusetts)
▫ Common Language and shared vision
▫ Encourage
– Employers to become a community of inquirer’s not advocates,
– Managers to understand the knowledge, skills experiences of one another

18. 18
Communication
• Dramatic increase in computer and communication technology.
▫ Explosion of www, e-commerce
▫ strategy of how best leverage the technology
▫ Taking advantage of internal and external mechanisms( group-ware,
multimedia, cyberspace ) to optimize results
▫ Communication not always technical
▫ Apprise organization and stakeholder of priorities, changes in direction,
success stories
▫ Simple but not simplistic communications
▫ Integrate plans with human capital ( knowledge of all stakeholders in the
innovation process.)
▫ External messages must be consistent with internal culture, values and
vision
▫ How companies are perceived in the marketplace,
Platform Knowledge type advertising campaigns
▫ Knowledge economy, not only designed for market products and services
▫ External stakeholders and a motivation tool for employees
▫ Importance of the right words in the right context
▫ Communication strategy as a learning process and also as a dissemination
tool

19. 19
Coaching
• Tow parties – Both responsible.
▫ Forward looking, change oriented, and developmental
▫ Enable client success, productivity, growth, stakeholder value
▫ More about ‘Being’ than ‘doing’
– Involves trust, support and shared values.
• The coaching relationship enables people to work out issues and find answers through their
own effective discovery process.
• Successful leaders values others and have a need to ‘know what the other know’.
• Ability to coach and be coached.
▫ Value of Mutual talent
• Important to have others – motivate their own innovation process.
▫ Personal coaching success fact!

20. 20
Measure Leadership
• Principles have been around for decades
– Few organizations have implemented them
– Fewer have discovered a systematic way to measure the results
– In recent times, with the significant research being done, institutes began to
comprehend,
“the power of the intangible value of the enterprise.”
• Measure what we can measure
▫ “ I’d rather be roughly right than precisely wrong!” (Leif Edvisson, Chief
Knowledge Officer )
▫ Major research project
The intangibles agenda, as a priority!
▫ Best practice guidelines( Skyrme and Amidon, 1999):

21. 21
Measure Leadership
• Large gap between management expectation and
actual achievement of results
– Most important but the least understood
• Traditional accounting mechanisms did not provide
reliable ways in measuring the intangibles.
• Investing executives
▫ Effective in understanding the past and present
▫ Not very effective in predicting the future directions
that companies should take

22. 22
A Knowledge Leadership Litmus Test
• Knowledge Innovation Assessment
▫ Innovation Strategy is leadership
• How innovative is your organization?

23. 23
Global Knowledge Leadership map
• ENTOVATION network invited to participate in
the Global Knowledge Leadership Map.
• Variety of disciplines, a wide range of functional
responsibilities and representing 50 nations.
• They are all playing a role in shaping our new
economy.

24. 24
• Admire those who are considered
innovation genius
• Value of collective
• Common language
• Value communication process
• Coach and be coached
• Shared vision
• Embrace innovative mechanisms tools
and methodologies