Gurteen Knowledge

Event: The International Freedom of Expression Forum, 28 Feb - 02 Mar 2012, Berlin, Germany

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:23:26 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 28 Feb - 02 Mar 2012
Organizer: Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Location: Berlin, Germany

The Cultural Diplomacy News team and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy are pleased to introduce you to the annual “International Freedom of Expression Forum”. The Forum is an annual conference on the issue of “Freedom of Expression”. The aim of the conference this year is to reflect on the concepts of “freedom” and “censorship” and look at both past and potential challenges to realizing complete “freedom of expression”. Focusing on the role of the media, “The International Freedom of Expression Forum” will evaluate the tools with which freedom of expression can take place. The program will consist of lectures, seminars, debates and panel discussions that will feature leading figures from the media, international politics & diplomacy, academia, civil society, and the private sector. To apply, please click here: http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/gphr/index.php?en_rifef-2012_application-form Conference Agenda The goal of the International Freedom of Expression Forum is to induce new momentum in the debates surrounding the concept of ‘Freedom of Expression’. With such prominence in discussions about democracy, human rights and inter-state relations, ‘Freedom of Expression’ is a vital tool within Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations. Founded loosely on the 1776 American Declaration of Independence, in which “liberty” is regarded as an inalienable right, the academic field of International Relations has explored the many arguments surrounding “freedom”. In today’s rapidly globalizing world, the meaning of “Freedom of Expression” and the consequences it has on personal, national and international relationships, however, is becoming more and more significant and as such The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy regards the issue as one of much importance. In discussing the issues that surround the concept of “Freedom of Expression, issues such as freedom as an inalienable right, the consequences of such freedom and the right to censorship, The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy hopes to facilitate new tools to promote international relationships and cooperation in a globalised world. The Conference seeks to achieve a deeper understanding of the complexities and the importance of “freedom of expression” in an expanding international system. The following issues will be mentioned and explored: Disparities and Trends in Press Freedom across the World Inspired by the annual reports of global organizations active in the field of ‘freedom of press’, one focus of the conference will be on the concept of freedom and censorship in areas where free speech is traditionally respected and where it is not. As the Copenhagen Criteria affirms, the EU makes press freedom one of the main criteria for accession; but still, since six of its countries occupy very low positions in the Reporters without Borders ranking, the European Union is not a homogenous whole regarding media freedom. Still, the conference is aimed at answering the question: Is international cooperation or international pressure the key to support freedom of expression? The EU and press freedom: a double-standard strategy? (Focus: press freedom as one of the main criteria to access the EU and lack of homogeneity among the 27 member States) Supporting press freedom through International Cooperation, or International Pressure? (Focus: what is the role of international organizations and democratic states in supporting the promotion of free expression in the non-democratic countries) Anti-democratic traditions: the evolving situation of traditionally anti-democratic governments in the field of freedom of expression (Focus: case studies on governments traditionally limiting the freedom of expression: China, Iran, Zambia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Cuba) Democracy and censorship: limitation of free expressions in the so-called democratic governments (Focus: case studies on European countries with low position in the ‘Reporters without Borders’ ranking: Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria) Freedom of Expression and Technology (Technological implications: freedom enhancement and control) Whilst traditional methods of publishing, broadcasting and communicating exist, these are quickly being surpassed by modern methods using modern technology. This transition is arguably ‘enhancing’ freedom of expression for many people, allowing quicker and higher production and flow of information to larger audiences, with more ease than ever before. However, with that enhancement new matters arise. Governments and other bodies continually have to re-think their methods of surveillance and control as technology improves., Has the quality of information being ‘expressed’/published deteriorated or improved as a result of the thousands of Internet ‘bloggers’ and media organisations publishing and the ease with which they can do so? When digital cameras were introduced, arguments arose of deteriorated quality in the field of photography because of the new camera’s ease and speed of production compared to the traditional analogue one. Where in the past it was usually only people interested in certain fields who had the sufficient knowledge and resources to access the relevant information, now many more people from different, non-specialist backgrounds can easily do the same because of technological development. Is the quality of information inversely proportional to the ‘democratic’ access to information? ‘Democratic’ access is defined by the quantity of people from different backgrounds (e.g. intellectually, financially, geographically) that are able access this information. Cyberjournalism, blogging and the Right to access Information (Focus: the changes of the concept of journalism in the era of the new media: bottom- up information and its implications on enhancement, quality, access) The New Role of Social Media in Civic and Political Protests (Focus: Arab Spring, Twitter and Facebook, bloggers as new political leaders, the trendy concept of “netizen”, Occupy Wall Street and Puerta del Sol protest as example of demonstrations organized through new media with big eco on traditional media) The Wikileaks case: spreading information without permission: privilege o damage for citizens� lives (Focus: a new way to make journalism, respect of the traditional rules of journalism, world implications of this new trend) Government control and its adaptability to the changes in act in the field of information (Focus: governmental reactions, capacity of adaptation to the technological changes and internet, attempts to limit internet�s flow of information) Freedom of expression, journalists� work ethics and the nature of information as filtered process The nature of the journalistic profession is not objective in itself. There are different models and different ethics in the field of information all around the world. At the same time, there exist different schools of journalism: the British impartial information school and the tie between politics and journalism, for instance. There are many dissimilar ways to see the role of the information provider around the world and many diverse criteria to judge it. The role of journalists as a filter between the happenings and the perceptions of the citizens gives a lot of space for discussion over what journalists� ethics should be; equally, what their relationships with the governments and other big powers are. Especially in the case of conflict, the role of the reporters is fundamental in creating public opinion on an issue that is often far away from the public itself. With this backdrop, cultural diplomacy is also an actor very much involved in a process: the relationship between citizens of different countries and cultural stereotypes is often the result of ‘information propaganda’. However at the same time, information has an important influence on the promotion of mutual understanding. Nevertheless, sometimes freedom of expression can be reason enough for diplomatic clashes between countries, like in the case of the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, Nobel Prize winner for peace and reason of frictions between China and Norway. Journalism and Power: does a general ethic in journalism exist? (Focus: relation between journalism and power, different models of journalism, objective journalism vs. partisan journalism) Role of journalism as filter of information (Focus: how to minimize the impact of objectiveness in the role of reporter) The War reporter and his importance in the global political perception of the citizens (Focus: war reporter creating fears and hopes, manipulating public opinion and helping power in establish policies: the case of the Iraq war) Ethic of journalism and the safety of the journalist (Focus: cases of journalists� life safety in the exercise of their profession) Cultural Diplomacy and the importance of Media in the propaganda against cultural diversity and in the construction of cultural stereotypes (Focus: information as a tool of cultural diplomacy or as foe) Freedom of Expression and diplomatic clashes (Focus: when freedom of expression causes diplomatic clashes: the case of Liu Xiaobo and Salman Rushdie)

Event: IADIS International Conference Information Systems Post-implementation and Change Management 2012, 17 - 19 Jul 2012, Lisbon, Portugal

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:22:51 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 17 - 19 Jul 2012
Organizer: IADIS
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Event: 'Knowledge is Power- Improve Your Performance' -seminar, 26 Apr 2012, Helsinki, Finland

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:22:22 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 26 Apr 2012
Organizer: NIVEUS LUX
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Event: IADIS International Conference Collaborative Technologies 2012, 19 - 21 Jul 2012, Lisbon, Portugal

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:21:26 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 19 - 21 Jul 2012
Organizer: IADIS
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Job: Knowledge Manager

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:19:54 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Knowledge Management practitioner is required by our client, a first rate professional services brand, to fill a newly created position during a time of growth and investment.

This is a market-facing role, ideal for a KM expert with strong project management skills, real commercial awareness and proven experience in managing mechanisms for sharing insight among special interest groups.

To apply you should have demonstrable experience in knowledge management, preferably gained with the financial services, consultancy or professional services sectors.

This role will suit a proactive and diligent professional with a customer- and solution-oriented approach. We are looking for an able communicator who can build strong relationships with the industry group practitioners. You will collaborate and create rapport with varied stakeholders in the organisation to develop a KM strategy aligned with their business objectives, and be the champion of KM best practise throughout the business.

You will have a flair for delivering clear messages over electronic media and the potential to take on a highly visible role, gathering the best insight and resources for your team's needs.

If you have demonstrable experience as a Knowledge Manager and the desire to further your career within a prestigious and innovative environment please contact us for more details.

TFPL operates as both an employment agency and an employment business.

If you do not hear back from us within 2 working days, then unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful.

Quotation: On the cause of unhappiness by Anthony de Mello

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:57:33 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.

Book: Proactive Reviews (09 Jan 2012) by Ditte Kolb�k

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:10:36 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Book Description:

This book is for practitioners.

The target group is employees and managers in knowledgebased organizations such as pharmaceutical companies, engineering consultants, and IT businesses, and I feel quite convinced that public sector organisations such as hospitals or the police could benefit from adopting the methods introduced here as well.

The size of the organisation is not crucial; however what is crucial is the need to learn from experience.

The more the organisation depends on information and development, the more important it is that the relevant employees are able to create this knowledge as fast as possible. Managers who are looking for a method for knowledge sharing and knowledge creation can just read chapters one and two.

The remaining chapters go into more details and are aimed at employees and managers who are to run the process of Proactive Reviews within their organisation.

David Gurteen, Director, Gurteen Knowledge: The Proactive Review is the one of simplest and most effective of all knowledge sharing tools. The is book is a highly practical handbook that explains the review process in detail. If you wish to help the people in your organisation to more effectively share their knowledge with each other then read this book.

Wayne Watters, Vice President for Organizational Development, Oracle EMEA: The structured process of a Proactive Review - in which a facilitator guides the discussion reveals information, challenges, and observations that otherwise may not have been explicitly understood or addressed during the actual activities.

Event: The Leadership Challenge - Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, 18 Sep 2012, London, United Kingdom

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:17:50 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 18 Sep 2012
Organizer: Benchmark For Business
Location: London, United Kingdom

In their presentation Jim Kouzes and Bary Posner will examine The Leadership Challenge. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership� resulted from an intensive research project to determine the leadership competencies that are essential to getting extraordinary things done in organizations. To conduct the research, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner collected thousands of "Personal Best" stories—the experiences people recalled when asked to think of a peak leadership experience.

Despite differences in people's individual stories, their Personal-Best Leadership Experiences revealed similar patterns of behaviour. The study found that when leaders are at their personal best, they:

■ Model the Way
■ Inspire a Shared Vision
■ Challenge the Process
■ Enable Others to Act
■ Encourage the Heart

For more details please visit the website www.benchmarkforbusiness.com

Job: Head of Technology

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:02:18 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

We have an excellent opportunity for a Head of Technology. This role is integral to the running of a new and innovative journal covering life and biomedical sciences. The role is to be based in Cambridge and has a salary range of £70,000 - £90,000.

This role will suit a flexible, enthusiastic, creative problem-solver who is a great team player.

The successful candidate will be a member of our client's senior team and will have overall responsibility for the technology strategy, development and ongoing implementation.

Duties for this role include:

-Select, develop, maintain and monitor the technology infrastructure
-Establish and manage relationships with external vendors/suppliers including work with third party developers
-Manage the relationship between our client's online products and the community of users
-Participate in the strategic long-term planning for the new project as a whole, including new product development

Required candidate skills:

-Substantial relevant experience in STM online research journal publishing or equivalent, including experience as a senior executive
-Broad and deep knowledge of technology developments in research communication, including multiple formats (including rich media) and mobile platforms
-Recognized achievements as a technology innovator
-A “hands-on” technologist, as well as a technology strategist
-Substantial and successful management of technology development partnerships and collaborations
-Outstanding communication skills (both written and oral)
-Strong organizational, process and project management skills
-Several years experience of successful staff management
-A passion for scientific and medical research communication

TFPL operates as both an employment agency and an employment business.

If you do not hear back from us within 2 working days, then unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful.

Job: Knowledge Manager - Enablement

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:01:11 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

We are looking for a proactive and idea generating Knowledge Manager - Enablement to join our client at its London office.

If you are a candidate that is able to see the big picture, move things forward and have ambition this role will very much suit you.

The purpose of this role is to design, develop and project-managing a range of knowledge management measures to enable knowledge sharing. This will include looking at people and change management.

Candidate requirements include:

-A bachelor's degree or experience in project management, change management or behavioural change management
-Ability to work with minimal direct supervision
-Excellent oral and written communication skills
-Highly organised with good prioritisation skills
-Proven track record with providing effective knowledge management solutions
TFPL operates as both an employment agency and an employment business.

If you do not hear back from us within 2 working days, then unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful.

Job: Health Care Analyst

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:00:20 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

We are looking for an exceptional Analyst, Health Care to join our client, a global consultancy at its London office. This is an excellent opportunity that works closely to support the organisation's consultants on a wide variety of health care topics.

The successful candidate will be working on complex research requests; providing analysis (including: benchmarking, primary market sizing and usage of practice proprietary tools; produce results including Excel data manipulation and PowerPoint presentations); proposal work and marketing activities.

Candidate requirements:

-Minimum of 2 years professional experience as an analyst focusing on health care
-Excellent analytical and conceptual skills
-Experience of working in a corporate strategy and M&A is advantageous
-Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
-Multi-tasking and prioritisation skills
-Proactive and self motivated nature
-A university degree

This role has a competitive salary range, please ask for further details. TFPL operates as both an employment agency and an employment business.

If you do not hear back from us within 2 working days, then unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful.

Media File: Banner Ad: Workshop: Implementing Knowledge Cafes with David Gurteen in London

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:43:15 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge

Event: Workshop: Implementing Knowledge Cafes, 02 May 2012, London, United Kingdom

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:37:12 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 02 May 2012
Organizer: Gurteen Knowledge
Location: London, United Kingdom

My Knowledge Cafe workshops in 2011 were a great success and I will be running another on Wednesday 2nd May 2012, at the RSA in central London.

This cost is £495 plus VAT.� Discounts are available.

Or Click here to Register

The Gurteen Knowledge Café Workshop

This Workshop is designed to help you:

Understand the role and importance of conversation in your business
Design and run Gurteen Knowledge Cafés and other forms of Cafe
Solve specific business problems and challenges using Knowledge Cafes
Use other conversational tools and techniques to address business issues

About the workshop

The most widespread and pervasive learning in your organization may not be happening in training rooms, conference rooms or board rooms but in the cafeteria, the hallways and the cafe across the street.

Credit: Juanita Brown and David Isaacs

Knowledge Sharing is a key issue for Knowledge Management and for organizational success. But real Knowledge Sharing requires an open mindset and continues to be a challenge for many organizations. In fact, it can be difficult to even get people to talk openly to one another other about their specific corporate interests, opportunities and responsibilities.

One way of energizing an organization to take real advantage of conversation and consequent tangible business benefits is the use of Knowledge Cafés. A Knowledge Café is an effective vehicle for opening up conversations and discussions that lead to a deeper understanding of the business world that is turn leads to improved decision making, new ways of working and innovation.

A Knowledge Café is a tool that is used to share tacit knowledge. It can be used within teams, Communities of Practice or across silos to question entrenched assumptions, to help facilitate learning from others and gain a deeper collective understanding of a subject – through conversation.

It is not just about talking and networking though these are secondary benefits but allowing people to engage each other in "dialogue" with the aim of learning from each other rather than entering into unproductive debate and attempting to impose their views on the other which invariably end in failure and frustration.

Knowledge Cafes can be used for many business ends. Here are some specific examples:

turn a traditional chalk and talk, death by PowerPoint presentation or meeting into an engaging learning event
transform an internal conference from a series of boring lectures into an exciting day
transform traditional management training courses where younger managers learn from more experienced ones
as a powerful sales tool to engage customers in conversation and thus better understand their needs for and them to better understand your product or service
surface hidden problems and opportunities that exist in the organisation or in a department or project - especially ones caused by lack of communication
break down organizational silos
encourage knowledge sharing and the creation of a knowledge sharing culture
give people a voice so that they feel heard and are thus less cynical and more engaged in their work
bring managers and technologists together after a merger to build relationships, surface new opportunities and address cultural issues
build and improve relationships
improve business networking and make new connections
solicit input and obtain buy-in for a new project or initiative
as part or replacement for a paper survey or interview (the problem is that until people talk - their knowledge fails to surface)
as a stimulus to innovation: Knowledge Cafes connect people to people; people to ideas and ideas to ideas; they challenge people to reflect on their thinking; surface new ideas and make new connections

In effect the Knowledge Café is an easy, low cost way to make Knowledge Sharing really work for you and your organization.

In this workshop you will get to understand the desired outcomes, fundamental principals and benefits of the Knowledge Café process. You will go on to participate in a Knowledge Café; to experience the benefits first hand and to reflect on and discuss the experience within the session.

You will leave the workshop understanding the power of the Knowledge Café and with sufficient knowledge to run to one.

Who should attend

The workshop is designed for anyone who is tasked or involved in developing a knowledge sharing or more innovative culture within their organization or looking to encourage and faciliate more purposeful, constructive and creative conversation in their teams or organisations. Including:

Facilitators
Project Leaders
Trainers
Community of Practice Leaders

and professionals in

Change Management
Human Resources
Knowledge Management
Learning and Development
Organization Development

About the workshop leader

David has over 30 years’ experience working in high technology industries. Today, he works as an independent knowledge management advisor, facilitator and speaker, helping people to innovate and to work together more effectively.

He is the founder of the Gurteen Knowledge Community - a global learning network of over 17,000 people in 160 countries. Community members receive his free monthly Knowledge Letter that is now in its 11h year.

David publishes the Gurteen Knowledge Website – a resource website that contains book reviews, articles, people profiles, event calendars, inspirational quotations, an integral weblog and more on subjects that include knowledge management, learning, creativity and innovation

He is a frequent speaker and facilitator and presents on various aspects of knowledge management and social learning. He is well known for his Gurteen Knowledge Cafés and Knowledge Café Masterclasses that he runs regularly in London and in other cities around the world.

In June 2010, David won the Ark Group’s lifetime achievement award for services to KM For most of his career David was a professional software development manager and in the late 80s worked for Lotus Development as "International Czar" where he was responsible for ensuring that Lotus products were designed for the global marketplace.

Registration

This event costs £495 plus VAT. To register - please click the button below and complete the registration form.

Gurteen Knowledge Cafe: SMARTlab at the University of East London	Knowledge Cafés as KM Tools. KM India 2010	Gurteen Knowledge Cafe at KMPAP 2006 in Hong Kong
Introduction to the Knowledge Cafe, Greenwich 2006	KM Egypt, Cairo, 2010	About the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe, 2009

Event: Manchester Knowledge Cafe - 'CHANGE', 06 Feb 2012, Gatley, United Kingdom

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:05:10 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 06 Feb 2012
Organizer: Knowledge Cafe 0151
Location: Gatley, United Kingdom

Even if President Obama hasn’t managed it, we’re confident that we can lay the foundation for change from our very own ‘White House’ located in a small suburb of Cheshire.

In this Manchester Knowledge Caf� we’re going to give Obama’s endeavour a helping hand - albeit with some presumptions. That change, because of its unknown nature can cause unsettlement, act to stifle collaboration and innovation and ultimately be rejected.

But what if change is well thought-out, sincere and value adding? Is it enough to overcome resistance?

This particular Knowledge Caf� will be split into two halves. The first will follow the standard Caf� format, asking the following question…

‘What are the barriers to change? And can these barriers be overcome?’

The second half will give the chance to take part in an exercise to create a strong message for change that participants may want to practically communicate.

Unfortunately, the venue doesn’t have the same capacity as the Presidents Palace and places are limited to the first 8. There is a £5 admission fee to be paid in advance. This will include coffee and more importantly a commitment to be there. Please follow the link for more information and a chance to register.

Venue: BOSSco Business Design Store, The White House, 118 Gatley Road, SK8 4AD

Event: 9th Annual Text Analytics Summit Europe, 23 - 24 Apr 2012, London, United Kingdom

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:24:49 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 23 - 24 Apr 2012
Organizer: Text Analytics News
Location: London, United Kingdom

Event: Landscape of the Mind Facilitator Training, 27 - 28 Mar 2012, London, United Kingdom

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:06:40 +0000

Link: Gurteen Knowledge
Date: 27 - 28 Mar 2012
Organizer: Inner Skills Consultancy
Location: London, United Kingdom

Great Minds don't think alike - they think divergently.

Do you want to be able to offer your clients something very special? Something that will put you at the forefront when they are considering their options?

Our new Facilitator Training Course will position you at the leading edge of management and organisation development.

Focusing on practical ways to enhance individual and organisational effectiveness in turbulent times, it offers unrivalled relevance to today’s challenges—plus the evidence that Landscape of the Mind makes a difference.

For coaches, trainers and consultants who work with commercial, public sector, social enterprises and not-for-profits, particularly those who pride themselves on being in a position to offer their clients the best possible service.

Book now to take advantage of the Early Bird rate of £499.

Please contact info@innerskills.co.uk for further information and a booking form.

Blog Post: Announcing a Virtual Knowledge Cafe on Social Artistry

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:54:56 +0000

By David Gurteen

Michele Martin and Brent MacKinnon�are organizing a 9-week Knowledge Cafe that they plan to run online, starting February 20, 2012.

It's open to anyone who's interested in learning with them about the skills and talents of social artists and who want to explore how social artistry might fit into their professional practice.

I am delighted to learn that they will be adapting my Gurteen Knowledge Cafe model and Bo Gyllenpalm,s Virtual Knowledge Cafe as a learning framework. If you do nothing else take a look at Bo,s Virtual Knowledge Cafe concept. It's a very powerful adaptation of the Cafe model to an online environment.

If the term social artistry is new to you then here is a simple definition but click through to Micheles blog post to understand the term better. Its one of those concepts that's hard to pin down and define in one or two sentences.

Social artistry is about creating space for change and transformation, which is what learning is really all about. How do we create the space for people to be together, to learn from their experiences and connections and to move them to make a difference in their part of the world? How do we help people grow into their possibilities?

Credit: Learning, Careers and Social Artistry by Michele Martin

This looks like a great experiment and although I don't have time to take part myself I am looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Blog Post: The role of Creative Commons Licences in a KM environment

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:51:22 +0000

By David Gurteen

Paul Corney sent me this email recently:

Dear All,

In a couple of week's time I am going to be in Sudan at a KM event for Africa and one of the discussions is going to focus on the role of Creative Commons Licences in a KM environment.

In the development arena some organisations publish under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licences and I was wondering how successful the use of these licences are in other industries in fostering collaboration.

I considered whether to post this on various km lists but thought some people might not want to respond in public so could I therefore ask you to respond to a few simple questions (I will not attribute your response unless you ask me to):

Have you published works under a creative commons licence and if so which one?
What was the work about and why did you publish via a creative commons licence?
Can you give a personal example that illustrates the benefit from publishing in this way?

Thank you for taking the trouble to look at this.

And finally every best wish for a healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2012.

Paul

Paul J Corney l Managing Partner
Sparknow

This was my reply:

Dear Paul

I have been publishing almost all of my work under a creative commons license for five years or more.

For example. here is the slide that I have at end the end of all of my presentations.

This license says you are free:

to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
to make derivative works
to make commercial use of the work

Also:

Attribution: you must give the original author credit.
Share Alike: If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a licence identical to this one.

I do this for several reasons:

I am building on the shoulders of others, I have no legitimate claim over most of my material
If they really want to, people are going to take and use my material whatever I say (and am I really going to take them to court over it!)
My business strategy is to give most of my written material away as marketing material and to charge for me in person
I want to encourage people to take my material and remix it and attribute me where appropriate

But more than anything I do it to encourage others to do the same and to share freely.

Do I have a personal example of the benefit of using the licence? No nothing specific, other than people do take my material, reuse it and remix it and thus help spread some of the messages I am keen to spread.

best wishes David

You will find more thoughts on this subject in an article of mine: Raising all the ships on the sea where I talk about the tangible and intangible "commons".

Blog Post: Challenging Minds with Knowledge Cafes at the ING Bank Academy

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:10:58 +0000

By David Gurteen

I recently came across this article in Forbes magazine Is the Traditional Corporate University Dead? by Karl Moore and Phil Lenir.

Imagine my delight when I learnt that the ING Business School in the Netherlands had adapted my Knowledge Cafe process and were using it as part of their Challenging Minds programme.

I immediately contacted Mireille Jansma and Jurgen Egges to congratulate them on their work and the article. This instigated a conversation with Mireille where I discovered that she had learnt about my Knowledge Cafe over four years ago through my website and then experienced one that I ran at an ECKM conference in Barcelona in 2007. In fact, I recall sitting outside the conference in the courtyard having a long conversation with her.

Mireille and Jurgen have adapted the Cafe format and are using it in two ways. The first way is described in the Forbes article that I summarise here:

They gather articles and reports about relevant trends in management, banking, and finance
They then broadcast "Research Alerts"
When an Alert deserves serious attention, they host a Knowledge Café
The KCafes are targeted at specific groups or open to anyone
Sometimes the KCafe is triggered by a video
They follow through with online discussion groups

These types of initiatives focus on topics that are highly relevant and in-the-moment for managers and workers, and where the sharing of ideas and exchange of opinions lead to creativity and innovation. Is the Traditional Corporate University Dead?

Credit: Is the Traditional Corporate University Dead? by Karl Moore and Phil Lenir, Forbes Magazine September 2011

They are also using the Knowledge Cafes in a second way as part of their Challenging Minds programme as described in the document below. Unfortunately they did not win the EFMD award but its an innovative approach to teaching nevertheless. It shares a lot in common with Flip Teaching that I blogged about recently.

Connect, Connect, Connect
Creating a New Approach to Leverage Social, Collaborative, and Emergent Organizational Learning

Application for the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Excellence in Practice Award 2011

Executive Summary

This case study describes an ongoing partnership between ING Business School (IBS) recently renamed the ING Bank Academy and CoachingOurselves (CO) that began in January 2010. It focuses not on a single learning intervention but rather on the evolution of a continually and broadly expanding application of CO learning philosophies and materials to a wide range of IBS development programs that serve all of ING's leaders, managers, and employees.

CoachingOurselves provides a library of topics intended for 6 to 8 managers to read and discuss in group sessions. IBS partnered with CO initially to use a few topics, but the success of CO as a tool that fosters social, collaborative, and emergent learning that leads to meaningful improvements in management performance and engagement, along with its low-cost, modular topics, and immediate relevance, has led IBS to broadly incorporate CO into many of its learning initiatives.

Connect, Connect, Connect Creating a New Approach toLeverage Social, Collaborative, and Emergent Organizat...

Video: Interview with Mireille Jansma and Jurgen Egges of the ING Business Academy in Amsterdam

This is a short video interview with Mireille Jansma and Jurgen Egges of the ING Business Academy in Amsterdam in November 2011 where David Gurteen asks them how they learnt about his Knowledge Cafe concept and how it has played a role in their "Challenging Minds" programme.

Media Information:

Video: Interview with David Gurteen at the ING Business Academy

This is a short video interview with David Gurteen by Mireille Jansma of the ING Business Academy in Amsterdam in November 2011 where she asks him what he thinks of their "Challenging Minds" programme having just experienced one of the sessions

Media Information:

Blog Post: Is Knowledge Management Losing Sight of the Bigger Picture?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:49:17 +0000

By David Gurteen

In this recent article by Waltraut Ritter she says:

Knowledge management practices are often narrowly focusing on internal operations and not addressing larger questions about the nature and sustainability of the knowledge driving the organization. There seems to be a separation of KM from the overall business strategy, a general neglect of addressing the larger questions about an organization's knowledge and how such knowledge may create societal value beyond a company's financial gains.

Credit: Is Knowledge Management Losing Sight of the Bigger Picture? by Waltraut Ritter

And concludes the article by saying:

How can we, as knowledge management professionals, engage in a deeper conversation and exchange about value creation through knowledge, allow more critical questions about existing practices which only touch the surface of real knowledge challenges, in organizations and society?

Credit: Is Knowledge Management Losing Sight of the Bigger Picture? by Waltraut Ritter

To my mind, Waltraut is spot on here. This is what KM should be about. And of course, its one of the aims of my Knowledge Cafes "to engage in that deeper conversation".

Blog Post: Henley KM Forum Conference and Positive Deviance

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:28:12 +0000

By David Gurteen

Those of you in the UK may be interested in attending the Annual Henley KM Forum Conference on Wednesday 29 February and Thursday 1 March 2012 at the Henley Business School in Henley on Thames. There is a great line up of speakers, including Hubert Saint-Onge, Chris Collison, David Griffiths, Victor Newman, Elizabeth Lank and Nick Milton.

I have attended this conference almost every year for the last 12 years and I highly recommend it. The Henley KM Forum brings together business practitioners, industry thought-leaders, experts and academics to help organisations tackle the challenges presented by the knowledge economy. It's this rich blend of people and the interactive, engaging style of their events that I enjoy.

I love to spark conversations and at the conference dinner, I will be speaking for 10 minutes before we eat on one of my favourite topics Positive Deviance

Positive Deviance is an approach to behavioural and social change based on the observation that in every community there are individuals or groups of people (so called Positive Deviants) whose behaviours and strategies enable them to find better solutions to problems than their peers even though they have access to the same resources and face similar challenges. In this talk, David will take a look at some of the principals that underlie Positive Deviance and what he thinks KM practitioners and leaders can learn from the approach

Credit: Positive Deviance by David Gurteen

I will then ask everyone to spend a little time during conversation over their meal to discuss my talk. We will then spend 20 mins or so at the end of the evening sharing our thoughts with each other.

It should be a fun, engaging two days.

Blog Post: Visionary knowledge management: Trends and Strategies

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:49:04 +0000

By David Gurteen

It's not very often I get called a KM visionary and I am not so sure that I am one but its good to be included in this German article on Visionary Knowledge Management: Trends and Strategies

The authors of this article go to the question of how organizations in 2020 to deal with knowledge. For this they have analyzed in a first step, national and international knowledge management conferences, publications and Internet publications to locate knowledge management visionaries. There are four visionaries are noticed because of your keynotes and their publications on knowledge management trends: David Griffiths, Dave Snowden, David Gurteen and Norbert Gronau. They are presented here together with their theories and visions for dealing with knowledge. At the end of these theories are compared and discussed.

Credit: Wissensmanagement-Visionäre: Trends und Strategien by Ingo Frost and Kathrin Frank

Google Translate does quite a good job of translating the article from German into English.

Blog Post: Gurteen Knowledge Tweets: January 2012

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:34:31 +0000

By David Gurteen

Here are what I consider some of my more interesting Tweets for Dec 2011 - Jan 2012. 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.

Virtual Knowledge Cafe on Social Artistry http://bit.ly/wn5acM�#KCafe #TheWorldCafe�#WorldCafe
Six Reasons Why You Should Give Employees a 4-Day Week http://linkd.in/xOpdF0
Seth Godin on 2012: 2 must-watch videos. The industrial age is over. Take risks. http://bit.ly/zdyj91
A simple test for your strategic initiatives http://bit.ly/yGOADW
Conversations That Share Tacit Knowledge http://bit.ly/xcSmSh #KCafe
Knowledge management in the age of social media http://oreil.ly/x1sE8r #KM
Social Learning - Is there really any other way? by @kgreenes http://bit.ly/t3Kdfz #KM�#SocialLearning
The Ten Most Annoying Management Terms Of 2011 http://read.bi/svv06s

If you like the Tweets then subscribe to my Tweet stream.

Mail Post: Invite to Gurteen Knowledge Cafe in Singapore or Jakarta

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:48:45 +0000

By David Gurteen

To: Gurteen Community Members in Malaysia

I am writing to let you know that I will be visiting Jakarta from 28 Jan to 12 Feb and Singapore for a few days from 13 - 15 Feb.

During my trip I will be running two knowledge cafes:

Both events are free and if by any chance you are in Singapore or Jakarta on those dates please register and come along.

Once again, I am sorry I will not be visiting Malaysia this visit but if you would like to invite me during a future trip to the region then please get in touch. I would love a good reason to return as I have not been to Malaysia for a few years now.

Best wishes David

David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom

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

PS. If you would like to continue to receive my monthly Knowledge Letter but would rather not receive these occasional e-mail updates then please see here.

Blog Post: Knowledge Menu a la Carte in Turin

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:19:13 +0000

By David Gurteen

You can see the language banners on the tables and the three translation booths overlooking the room.

In November last year, I spent an interesting two days in Turin with the European Training Foundation (ETF). The ETF is an EU agency that helps transition and developing countries to harness the potential of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems in the context of the EU's external relations policy.

During my time there, I ran two knowledge cafes.

The first was part of a two day workshop for around 90 participants from ETF member countries where they discussed the role of evidence in "governance and effective Vocational Education and Training (VET) policies".

Member countries included Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Kosovo.

So quite an ethnic mix.

This was the more challenging of the two knowledge cafes given the large number of people and the fact that three languages were being spoken: English, French and Russian.

This meant that each table needed to be labelled with the language intended to be spoken at that table and when people changed tables they needed to move to a table where their language was spoken. My introduction to the KCafe and explanation of the process was simultaneously translated into French and Russian.

Then where as normal, I would have brought everyone together in a circle at the end of the KCafe, I simply asked for a few people to share with the rest of the group what they had learnt from their conversations. This was done by handing around a couple of stick mikes. Not the perfect way to run one of my KCafes but a reasonable adaptation in the circumstances.

Several people, found me after the event to say how much they enjoyed the KCafe and I was pleased that two of them told me they were already using the process in their own organisations

I even had a woman from Kazakhstan ask through an interpreter if I had a description of the KCafe process In Russian. I don't but it has prompted me to think about writing a short document that could be translated into multiple languages to explain the process. I may be asking for help on this at a later date :-)

The conversation menu.

And then on the second day I ran a Knowledge Cafe for a much smaller group (about 20) of KM managers. This was a more regular KCafe. What was interesting though was the meal the evening before.

Ian Cumming who had attended one of my Knowledge Cafe workshops in London a few weeks before had heard me talk about Theordore Zeldins conversation dinners. Inspired by this he had created a conversational menu for the evening. Not quite along Theodore's lines but interesting nevertheless. My first reaction was that no one would select a conversation from the menu as the questions were far too work related.

I was proven wrong in part. There were three tables in the dining room, each seating about 6 people. My table was the only one that drew some of our conversation from the menu (and that was not my doing).

What surprised me was how well it worked. Given it was a social evening, we did not stick too closely to the questions and there was a lot of laughter and banter but the conversation was to my mind interesting and valuable nevertheless.

If you get the opportunity try it.