Knowledge is
power and sharing it can build even more capability
for the person sharing and the organization. Yet, this
concept can be a hard sell to those who have been
raised on the belief that giving away their knowledge
is surrendering their power.
Changing
Behavior is the Big Challenge
The big challenge is
to mine the tacit knowledge (in
the heads of people
where true knowledge resides) through providing an
access method. The idea behind collaboration is that
sharing knowledge leads to the co-creation of new
actionable knowledge that leads solution development.
The key issue is getting people to think of themselves
as part of a larger, collaborative community. However,
changing people's behavior doesn't come easily,
especially if they've been used to working
independently.
Yet,
when
people are passionate about
something,
they find a way to create a dialogue that can lead to
new knowledge and new possibilities. Applying
technology to provide easy access for societal
dialogue has the promise of peer-to-peer co-creation
of knowledge and rapid consensus solution-building.
Today's technology holds the promise of quickly
connecting problem solvers with problems, converting
actionable
knowledge
into value that transforms the
world.
What are
peer-to-peer networks?
Peer-to-peer
networks are two-way mediums where the user is both
the knower and the seeker. In an interactive sea
of shared knowledge, connections are made between
those seeking information and those that have the
answers sought. By working on this knowledge together,
we co-create new knowledge and come to better
understandings. The peer-to-peer paradigm tends to
shift power, and therefore control, away from
organizations and toward connected individuals. The
network really is the organization or
industry.
Today, we have
shifted from working in a "boxed" disconnected economy
to a completely connected, fully "Network Society." In
network societies, boundaries are more permeable,
interactions occur with diverse others and linkages
switch between multiple networks. Many companies are
reorganizing across the silos into ebusiness units
that are more agile and utilize corporate knowledge
across groups. The separate ebusiness unit ensures a
uniform approach of business strategy and
implementation while coordinating efforts across the
board. Using the Internet, disconnected people can
become connected with others in ebusiness units or
cyberspace communities and through infomediaries who
provide relevant professional content directly to
one's desktop.
The infomediaries
gather material from various sources, package it
according to the targeted market needs and make
delivery in an email newsletter. These knowledge
brokers have direct connection to the knowledge
seekers---to achieve the transfer of tacit knowledge
from one person to another. In other words,
infomediaries
connect individuals so they learn from each
other,
converting tacit knowledge into value. Their
approachability, credibility, broad experiences within
the industry, personal networking skills and
responsiveness characterize successful infomediaries.
Utilizing
technology, infomediaries pull together disconnected
people to share information and help each other
through exercising our general intellectual curiosity.
Professionals know that success is not an individual
matter for them or their clients. Connection and
coordination with others matter. The manner in which
the professional and client are connected matters. The
ability to structure and control the process of
securing productive relationships determines success.
The Internet has allowed people to be joined through
electronic networks that look ahead to where their
clients are going, broadcast what new competencies are
coming to the fore, provide collaboration
opportunities on best business practices and help to
achieve productive relationships with fellow
professionals.
Through
Internet-enabled networks, we are discovering and
inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with
blinding speed. As a result, participants are getting
smarter---and getting smarter faster than those who
are not connected. In the new Network Society, success
doesn't just depend upon what you know and your
reputation but, also, upon whom you know that can help
you obtain the "just-in-time" resources you need.
Check out the
Formula
for Success
in the Network Society.
Signature,
Inc., PO Box 2086, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 734.426.2000
www.CoachedtoSuccess.com
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