Knowledge networking involves building relationships to learn from others and accomplish goals together. It is about sharing knowledge in a reciprocal way to support each other. The purpose is to help businesses work more efficiently and discover new opportunities by connecting people to ideas and each other. Learning is one of the major benefits of knowledge sharing, as it allows people to gain new perspectives and make their expertise more explicit.

1. What is knowledge networking and why is it important?

2. Forms of Networking Social networking to make friends Business networking to sell things Job networking to get a job Knowledge Networking to build relationships in order to learn from each other & to get things done together

3. On Knowledge Knowledge is embodied in people gathered in communities and networks. The road to knowledge is via people, conversations, connections and relationships. Knowledge surfaces through dialog, all knowledge is socially mediated and access to knowledge is by connecting to people that know or know who to contact. Denham Grey

4. What is Knowledge Networking? Its about building relationships with people who you can help and support And in turn who can help and support you!

5. What is Knowledge Networking? Knowledge Networking is sharing with each other learning from each other working together more effectively It is reciprocal about emotional support as well as practical a form of two-way coaching a means of ensuring both yourself and other people get the information they need about connecting yourself and other people to new ideas!

6. The Purpose Knowledge Networking is not an end in itself You must remember the purpose To help you & others get things done that are of value to the business more efficiently, more effectively To help you discover new opportunities that are of value to the business and to act on them

7. Operational v. Strategic Short term creating practical/pragmatic relationships effectiveness at what you and others are already doing Long term building strategic relationships/capability discovering new business opportunities doing new things in new more effective ways

8. Other Benefits Learn what is going on around you other people are your eyes and ears Gain new perspectives other people think differently to you Your blinkers are removed … you get to see the ‘bleeding obvious’ other people see things that you don’t even when they are in your face!

9. Ethics Some people have a problem with networking they think it is unethical! An implicit mutual contract I’ll help you and you’ll help me If contract broken - it is OK to walk away

10. Knowledge Sharing

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

12. 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 Learning to be gained Knowledge is perishable Someone else will make our knowledge productive first

13. Personal Barriers to Sharing An attitude that knowledge is power Fear of job loss Fear of embarrassment Inertia Lack of time People don’t see the benefits and much more ...

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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 TRADE things Two major barriers to sharing lack of TIME! lack of obvious benefit i.e. there is no trade

18. 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 (often implicit):

19. The Desire to Learn By sharing our knowledge with others WE learn we learn from them we make our tacit knowledge more explicit our assumptions are revealed we are forced to simplify things We can often learn more than we teach! If we want to learn we should teach! Stephen Covey

20. 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

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

22. Summary Knowledge networking is about learning from each other and working effectively together Knowledge sharing is more about knowledge trading! Learning is one of the the major benefits FOCUS ON THE BUSINESS VALUE!