Gurteen Knowledge

Blog Post: UPDATE 1: David Gurteen's visit to Australia in Oct 2010

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:17:14 +0100

By David Gurteen

To: Gurteen Knowledge Community Members in Australia

This is a reminder that I will be visiting Australia (Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne) again this year from 11 - 23 October before spending some time in New Zealand and then in Singapore.

I will get back to you in a week or so with my full agenda but for now there are two events I wish to tell you about. They are two workshops I am running in Sydney that are being hosted by the Ark Group:

Implementing the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe, 12 October 2010
An interactive forum on what needs to be done to drive KM within your business, 13 October 2010

My Gurteen Knowledge Cafes have been a big success over recent years and I have taught many people how to run them. I have a process that is different in some of its basic principals to other forms of Knowledge Cafe that people agree are what makes it successful.

My KCafes and other formats are increasingly being adopted by organizations around the world and are being used for clear business purposes such as to surface issues in an organizational merger, to transfer tacit knowledge from retiring workers to younger ones; to identify business problems and opportunities within an organization and as a management training tool to name but a few. In other words they are not just talking shops!

So come along to my Implementing the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe on October 12th if you want to learn more.

Over the last 10 years I have seen many KM projects fail and KM teams disbanded. I don't think that is inherent in KM but due more to the fact that KM projects are frequently poorly conceived and implemented. In my second workshop I take a look at some of the many reasons I see for this and focus on four key imperatives:

Focus your KM projects on critical business outcomes
Think for yourself about KM and avoid the many pitfalls
Sell your KM projects to senior management
Get buy-in and engagement from people in your organization

The day will be very interactive. When you sign up, you will have the opportunity to submit what you are looking to have addressed on driving KM within your organisation and the hurdles you have to overcome. I will then work through some of the most common challenges that the you have submitted.

Come along to this Interactive forum on October 13th.

As members of my community there is a 15% discount on both events.

That's it for now! :-)

Best wishes David

David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom

Tel:       +44 1252 812 878
Mobile: +44 7774 178 650

Call me on Skype: dgurteen
Send me an Email: david.gurteen@gurteen.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidGurteen
Visit my Website: http://www.gurteen.com
Subscribe to my RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GurteenKnowledgeUpdate

PS. If you would like to continue to receive my monthly knowledge-letter but would rather not receive these occasional updates then please see here

Link: Positive Deviance Initiative

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:36:34 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

The Positive Deviance Initiative (PDI) is a network organization which is dedicated to amplifying the use of the Positive Deviance (PD) approach to enable communities worldwide to solve seemingly “intractable” problems which require behavioral and social change. By offering workshops, trainings, and convenings, as well as technical support and online resources, the PDI collaborates with many different organizations in various sectors to improve the lives of vulnerable people around the world.

Quotation: On engagement by Richard Pascale, Jerry Sternin and Monique Sternin

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:33:08 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

The real objective isn't just "knowledge" or getting an 80--20 understanding of the situation. The overriding objective is engagement, creating a buzz, mobilizing people to take action.

Media File: Dilbert going home early

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:21:09 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Dilbert going home early

Dilbert going home early!

Media Information:

Quotation: John Cleese on open and closed thinking�modes by John Cleese

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:20:14 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed.

The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous.

The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned.

Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode. Not that the closed mode cannot be helpful.

If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time for considering alternative strategies.

When you charge the enemy machine-gun post, don’t waste energy trying to see the funny side of it. Do it in the “closed” mode.

But the moment the action is over, try to return to the “open” mode - to open your mind again to all the feedback from our action that enables us to tell whether the action has been successful, or whether further action is need to improve on what we have done.�

In other words, we must return to the open mode, because in that mode we are the most aware, most receptive, most creative, and therefore at our most intelligent.

Quotation: On outward and inward courage by Lao Tsu

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:17:37 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

A man with outward courage dares to die. A man with inward courage dares to live.

Blog Post: David Gurteen is speaking at the KnowTech Conference In Bad Homburg 15 - 16 September 2010

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:05:39 +0100

By David Gurteen

To: Gurteen Knowledge Community Members in Germany

I am sorry for being late in letting you know but I will be speaking at the KnowTech Conference In Bad Homburg 15 - 16 September. It looks a great conference and I am very much looking forward to participating.

I will also be running a pre-conference tutorial on the 14th: The Gurteen Knowledge Caf� Masterclass. Do register for this if you are interested in my Knowledge Cafes.

They are increasingly being adopted by organizations around the world and are being used for clear business purposes such as to surface issues in an organizational merger, to transfer tacit knowledge from retiring workers to younger ones; to identify business problems and opportunities within an organization and as a management training tool to name but a few. In other words they are not just talking shops!

Unfortunately I will be flying in on evening of the 13th and home on the evening of 15th and so will have no spare time to meet anyone other than at the conference. Let me know if you will be there and I will look out for you.

Its a long time, since I was last in Germany - a Lotusphere event in Berlin 1998 - if I recall - far too long. Next time I intend to stay longer :-)

Best wishes David

David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom

Tel:       +44 1252 812 878
Mobile: +44 7774 178 650

Call me on Skype: dgurteen
Send me an Email: david.gurteen@gurteen.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidGurteen
Visit my Website: http://www.gurteen.com
Subscribe to my RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GurteenKnowledgeUpdate

PS. If you would like to continue to receive my monthly knowledge-letter but would rather not receive these occasional updates then please see here

Event: Knowledge Translation Professional Certificate, 17 - 21 Jan 2011, Toronto, Canada

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:33:02 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 17 - 21 Jan 2011
Organizer: Hospital for Sick Children
Location: Toronto, Canada

This decade marks an important time in the development of the Knowledge Translation profession. Many public sector organizations are developing positions in the KT field, while at the same time, there is an absence of formalized training, educational programs, competency standards, or remuneration benchmarks. The Learning Institute is in the process of developing a Knowledge Translation Professional Certificate (KTPC™).

The KTPC is aimed at individuals holding a first degree, who wish to specialize in Knowledge Translation/Knowledge Management and secure positions in this field in either the public or private sector. The program offering also serves as an opportunity for professional development among practitioners, scientists, and business professionals.

This one week course is currently scheduled for January 17 through January 21, 2011.

Event: Scientist Knowledge Translation Training, 15 - 16 Nov 2010, Toronto, Canada

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:32:27 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 15 - 16 Nov 2010
Organizer: Hospital for Sick Children
Location: Toronto, Canada

A well developed knowledge translation (KT) plan is emerging as a proposal requirement for health research in Canada and abroad, and there is greater attention to research utilization and research impact in many aspects of health practice and research. The SKTT training course was developed on the premise that scientists, educators and knowledge translation specialists are the agents of change in creating research impact, promoting research utilization, and ensuring research findings reach the appropriate audiences.

Quotation: Being powerful is like being a lady by Margaret Thatcher

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:26:38 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.

Media File: Banner Ad: KM Iran 2011

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:43:07 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Event: Kunnskapstinget 2010, 28 Sep 2010, Oslo, Norway

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:48:11 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 28 Sep 2010
Organizer: The Norwegian Computer Society (DND)
Location: Oslo, Norway

Knowledge-intensive businesses will recognize themselves in a number of challenges related to safeguard, disseminate, share and develop knowledge. The goal is to make the knowledge public. Actors in both public and private sectors to establish professional network, analyses the interaction processes and using social media to establish dialogue and cooperation with customers, audiences and partners. Best practices for some unknown practice for others.

Event: actKM Conference 2010, 18 - 19 Oct 2010, Canberra, Australia

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:54:04 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 18 - 19 Oct 2010
Organizer: actKM
Location: Canberra, Australia

Blog Post: Travel update for 2010

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:39:47 +0100

By David Gurteen

I am about to enter a busy travel period between now and the end of the year, including what is starting to become an annual event: five weeks in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand-Singapore.

ECKM: Portugal 1-3 September
Know-Tech Conference: Bad Homburg; Germany 14 - 15 September
KM Egypt;Cairo: Egypt 20 - 24 September
Singapore, 8- 10 October
Sydney, 11 - 15 October
Implementing the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe; Sydney 12 October
Gurteen Learning: An interactive open forum on what needs to be done to Drive KM within our business; Sydney 13 October
ActKM: Canberra 17- 19 October
Melbourne, 20 -23 October
Christchurch, 24 -26 October
Nelson Principals Association Conference, Nelson, 27 - 29 October
Wellington, 30 October - 3 November
Auckland, 4 - 5 November
Singapore, 6 - 14 November

If you would like to meet with me, get in touch!

Blog Post: August 2010: Major KM Events over next 12 months

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:12:14 +0100

By David Gurteen

This section highlights some of the major KM events taking place around the world in the coming months and ones in which I am actively involved. You will find a full list on my website where you can also subscribe to both regional e-mail alerts and RSS feeds which will keep you informed of new and upcoming events.

Masterclass: Implementing a Knowledge Cafe
25 Aug 2010, London, United Kingdom
Yet another opportunity to learn how to run and apply Knowledge Cafes.

11th European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM 2010)
02 - 03 Sep 2010, Vila Nova de Famalic�o, Portugal
I will be attending this event for the seventh year in succession.

KnowTech Pre-Conference Tutorial with David Gurteen
14 Sep 2010, Bad Homburg, Germany
This is a Gurteen Knowledge Cafe Masterclass - my first in Germany.

KnowTech 2010
15 - 16 Sep 2010, Bad Homburg, Germany
I will be giving a keynote talk at this conference and running a pre-conference workshop.

KM Singapore 2010
16 - 17 Sep 2010, Singapore City, Singapore
I will not be at KM Singapore this year.

KM Egypt 2010
21 - 22 Sep 2010, Cairo, Egypt
I will be speaking at this event. My first trip to Egypt!

Implementing the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe
12 Oct 2010, Sydney, Australia
I will be running this workshop during my October trrip to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

Gurteen Learning: An interactive open forum on what needs to be done to Drive KM within our business
13 Oct 2010, Sydney, Australia
I will be running this workshop during my October trrip to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

actKM Conference 2010
18 - 19 Oct 2010, Canberra, Australia
I will be speaking at this conference on "What Km practitioners can learn from Positive Deviance".

7th�International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organisational Learning (ICICKM 2010)
11 - 12 Nov 2010, Hong Kong, China

KMWorld & Intranets 2010
16 - 18 Nov 2010, Washington DC, United States
This event will be in Washington DC this year but I won't be attending.

KM Asia 2010
23 - 25 Nov 2010, Singapore City, Singapore
I will not be at KM Asia this year.

Online Information Conference 2010
30 Nov - 02 Dec 2010, London, United Kingdom

3rd Iranian Knowledge Management Conference
08 - 09 Feb 2011, Tehran, Iran
I will be speaking at this conference in Tehran

Henley Knowledge Mangement Forum Annual Conference
16 - 17 Feb 2011, Greenlands, Henley on Thames, United Kingdom

Online Information Asia-Pacific 2011
23 - 24 Mar 2011, Hong Kong, China

Blog Post: Don't Call Me a Guru, Dammit!

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:44:46 +0100

By David Gurteen

I occasionally get called a "KM guru". I appreciate the compliment but I don't like the term and I don't like being labelled a guru. I usually laugh it off by objecting that I am not a "Kangaroo". Say KM guru fast enough and it sounds like KM guru. LOL.

Given this, I rather liked this blog post by Rick Ladd Dont Call Me a Guru and Peter Drucker's observation that the only reason people called him a guru was that they did not know how to spell the word "charlatan".

Oh and one other pet peeve. If you call yourself an expert then you are most likely not one. To my mind only other people can bestow that honour on you. And even then, like the word guru, I am not so sure I like it. Both words smack of elitism and marketing hype.

Blog Post: Hot tweets: August 2010

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:04:48 +0100

By David Gurteen

Here are some of my more interesting Tweets for the month of August 2010. Take a look, if you are not a Tweeter, you will get a good idea of how I use it by browsing the list of micro-posts. And if you like what you see then subscribe to my Tweets.

On knowledge, pizza and osmosis http://bit.ly/aCojAQ #km
Fri Aug 20 06:44:15 +0000 2010
RT @knowledgetank: Don’t Call Me a Guru, Dammit! http://bit.ly/92jh9M #km
Thu Aug 19 21:24:42 +0000 2010
Teachers are no longer central to their students' learning http://bit.ly/aKoE24
Thu Aug 19 21:22:00 +0000 2010
RT @knowledgetank: The authentic voice of Experience http://bit.ly/bKAcAx #KM
Thu Aug 19 09:36:57 +0000 2010
Half the Sky: how the trafficking of women is on a par with genocide http://bit.ly/9loiM6 /shocking!
Thu Aug 19 07:51:07 +0000 2010
John Cleese on Open And Closed Thinking Modes � Steps & Leaps http://bit.ly/at8yzH @davidpottinger #KM
Wed Aug 18 10:15:37 +0000 2010
Without a strategy to deliver growth or increase margins information systems will be unfocused and unused http://bit.ly/bUYNwe #KM
Wed Aug 18 08:39:51 +0000 2010
90% of knowledge needed to get work done is not supported by enterprise software or learning departments http://bit.ly/dmQl3b #KM
Tue Aug 17 16:32:21 +0000 2010
BIll Gates nails the future of education - why change is so hard too http://bit.ly/9PQUMO
Mon Aug 16 19:58:51 +0000 2010
RT @MarkRaganCEO Are community coffee shops the newsrooms of the future? I love this concept: http://bit.ly/dilDll /so do I
Mon Aug 16 14:21:52 +0000 2010
Putting stories to work is more than storytelling http://bit.ly/cYgNCF #km
Mon Aug 16 12:07:38 +0000 2010
Resilience and the incredible power of slow change http://bit.ly/8ZVjzh
Sun Aug 15 16:59:28 +0000 2010
The Importance of Connecting with Colleagues http://bit.ly/cWeFWN
Sat Aug 14 21:48:28 +0000 2010
Video:Think of an idea to change our world -- and put it into ACTION. http://bit.ly/csxnQx #socialgood
Sat Aug 14 13:02:09 +0000 2010
Why Groups Fail to Share Information Effectively http://bit.ly/aXO54c #KM
Sat Aug 14 11:15:20 +0000 2010
RT @GautamGhosh: RT @AkankshaHR: RT @PsyBlog How Other People’s Unspoken Expectations Control Us http://bit.ly/4zUNqr
Sat Aug 14 11:03:40 +0000 2010
Embracing the Chaotic: Cynefin and Humanitarian Response http://bit.ly/clcByw #KM
Sat Aug 14 10:49:24 +0000 2010
Photos: Pakistani floods http://bit.ly/d1N4SP /a taste of things to come?
Thu Aug 12 06:52:16 +0000 2010
Rethinking Fundraising http://bit.ly/aZHts6 #socialgood
Tue Aug 10 21:33:35 +0000 2010
The Demise Of The Internet Generation? http://bit.ly/b6WM2x /agree!
Tue Aug 10 16:59:40 +0000 2010
Forget Brainstorming http://bit.ly/bMEPuo #KM
Mon Aug 09 10:05:41 +0000 2010
Why Online Education Needs to Get Social http://bit.ly/b6qvkS
Fri Aug 06 09:34:06 +0000 2010
We should shift our focus from what we should be doing to what we are doing http://bit.ly/dfBX15 #KM
Fri Aug 06 09:28:30 +0000 2010
Understanding in context http://bit.ly/9w2c7u
Fri Aug 06 06:51:19 +0000 2010
Statistics and abstractions don’t make people act, stories do. http://bit.ly/9Sbd2d #KM
Fri Aug 06 06:32:57 +0000 2010
RT @BillGates: Great momentum for Giving Pledge – families announce commitment to give majority of their wealth http://bit.ly/cX6Fsg
Fri Aug 06 06:00:14 +0000 2010
Thinking Hotel: a chain of places for thinking in every city around the world http://bit.ly/9WiMpO #KM
Tue Aug 03 09:54:40 +0000 2010
British Industrial Revolution was dependent on child slavery. http://bit.ly/blLcTZ via @snowded #KM #socialgood
Tue Aug 03 07:28:35 +0000 2010
Charles Jennings: Why focus on informal and social learning http://bit.ly/dykUlN
Sun Aug 01 17:28:58 +0000 2010
A short walk in France with her camera by my daughter Lauren http://bit.ly/9C6hDF
Fri Jul 30 14:40:42 +0000 2010
Video: Jeff Bezos: What matters more than your talents http://bit.ly/bZZ0Lx
Wed Jul 28 12:57:52 +0000 2010
What would you like to change? http://bit.ly/bqPodg /love the kids ideas!
Tue Jul 27 13:43:10 +0000 2010

Blog Post: More Knowledge Cafe conversations

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:35:20 +0100

By David Gurteen

I was talking with my friend David Pottinger the other day over a beer or two. David has attended a number of my London Knowledge Cafes, including the last one at Arup. He was particular interested in the conversations that took place before and after at the Arup event and had blogged about them.

As we talked we came to realise that there were up to eight quite distinct phases of the Cafe were different types of conversation took place. This was something I had not seen before. Here are eight potential conversations:

Conversation with a friend at a pre-Cafe meeting and on way to Cafe on the tube
Conversation during the pre-Cafe networking session
Speed networking conversation at the start of the Cafe
Conversation in small groups as part of the Cafe
Conversation in whole group as part of the Cafe
Conversation during the networking session after the end of Cafe as people are leaving
Conversation at a local pub after the Cafe
Conversation on the tube or train on the way home

Not everyone gets to experience all eight of these conversations but many do. I for one, often meet up with someone before the Cafe and travel with them to the venue. There is conversation down the pub and I frequently travel home to Fleet with David as we live in the same town and of course the conversation continues.

That's a lot of conversations and each one is quite different. David's particular interest was the post-Cafe conversations as he felt this was the most interesting and productive phase. People are at their most relaxed and unfocused and thus the conversations often took an unexpected direction. People were also more likely to be themselves and not act out their job role.

Quite a fascinating insight. Its got both me and David thinking about how the nature of all of these conversations might be improved.

Media File: Video: Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:49:24 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Video: Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world

Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world

Media Information:

Book: Here Comes Everybody (28 Feb 2008) by Clay Shirky

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:52:58 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Welcome to the new future of involvement. Forming groups is easier than it’s ever been: unpaid volunteers can build an encyclopaedia together in their spare time, mistreated customers can join forces to get their revenge on airlines and high street banks, and one man with a laptop can raise an army to help recover a stolen phone. The results of this new world of easy collaboration can be both good (young people defying an oppressive government with a guerrilla ice-cream eating protest) and bad (girls sharing advice for staying dangerously skinny) but it’s here and, as Clay Shirky shows, it’s affecting … well, everybody. For the first time, we have the tools to make group action truly a reality. And they’re going to change our whole world.

Credit: Amazon

Book: Cognitive Surplus (Jun 2010) by Clay Shirky

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:43:37 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

For decades, technology encouraged us to squander our time and as passive consumers. Today, tech has finally caught up with human potential. In Cognitive Surplus, Clay Shirky examines the changes we will all enjoy as our untapped resources of talent and good will are put to use at last. Since the postwar boom, we’ve had a surfeit of intellect, energy, and time - a “cognitive surplus.” Shirky argues persuasively that this cognitive surplus - rather than being some strange new departure from normal behavior - actually returns our society to forms of collaboration that were natural to us up to and through the early 20th Century. He also charts the vast effects that our cognitive surplus - aided by new technologies - will have on 21st Century society, and how we can best exploit those effects, and how the choices we make are not only economically motivated but driven by the desire for autonomy, competence, and community.

Credit: Amazon

Blog Post: Update: Gurteen Knowledge Community Group on Linkedin

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:49:06 +0100

By David Gurteen

I talked about the Gurteen Knowledge Group on LinkedIn recently and how I was making it the central discussion forum for the Gurteen Knowledge Community.

Since then, over 120 people have registered and we are now up to 1,120 members or thereabouts. A few new discussions have started also.

If you are not a member, you can find more information here and register. Please join-up and start to use the forum, as apart from Facebook, it is the best place to meet and have discussions with other members of the community.

And if you would like to connect with me personally on LinkedIn please do so.

Media File: Dilbert on Small Group work

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:10:35 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Dilbert on Small Group work

A 2010 Dilbert Comic Strip on Small Group work

Media Information:

Media File: Dilbert on Collaboration

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:07:33 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Dilbert on Collaboration

A 2000 Dilbert Comic Strip on Collaboration

Media Information:

Job: Content Manager, Knowledge Management Department

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:34:20 +0100

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

The Carbon Trust’s mission is to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions now and develop commercial low carbon technologies for the future.

Content Manager, Knowledge Management Department

Salary:On application • Based: London • Ref: CMK/G

Reporting to the Head of Knowledge Management, you will actively support our company-wide knowledge management (KM) approach to improve access to information, increase the usage of the intranet and facilitate knowledge transfer and learning across the company.

Managing the day-to-day operations of the intranet, you will use your knowledge of content management and site publishing/editing processes to assist with the advancement of the KM framework, identify cost-effective enhancements based on business requirements (predominantly using off-the-shelf functionality/tools of SharePoint) and advise and guide departments with their site developments.

You will support a key planned Corporate Document Management initiative including standardising file planning and improving collaboration, best practice capture, knowledge capture and learning. You will manage user satisfaction on the intranet by collecting, assessing and distributing usage performance statistics on a quarterly basis.

The successful candidate will require first class content and business administration/ management skills (including experience of MS SharePoint 2007) and first-hand knowledge of how to create, edit and customise sites with a user-focused approach. Your experience of defining and prioritising business requirements will be invaluable, as will your communication and interpersonal skills in order to relate to, and support, staff and business users at all levels.

The Carbon Trust

Please visit our website http:www.carbontrust.co.uk/jobs for a full job description and person specification. To apply send a CV of no more than 2 pages in length to human.resources@carbontrust.co.uk

Closing date: 3 September 2010.