an online book by David Gurteen
In this chapter, I examine several stories and examples of how various organizations have utilized or adapted the Knowledge Café.
If you are looking for specific, detailed ways to adapt the Knowledge Café for different purposes, go to the Knowledge Café Applications chapter.
The summit brought people together to explore fresh ideas through open conversation. Formal sessions often leave little room for reflection or shared sense-making. The Knowledge Café offered a simple structure that allowed people to slow down, think together, and uncover insights shaped by real dialogue. Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at the Knowledege Summit Dubai 2025
Knowledge Cafés at the Knowledege Summit Knowledge Cafés at Johnson & Johnson Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close I ran a series of Sales Cafés a few years ago in SE Asia, for IBM as part of Continue reading IBM SE Asia Sales Cafés Ditch the pitch
Large organisations often struggle to connect early career managers and share knowledge across departmental boundaries. Large meetings rarely engage everyone or lead to clear, practical outcomes. Four concurrent Knowledge Cafés, each linked to a strategic pillar, enabled focused conversations that generated concrete ideas while keeping energy and participation high. Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at Johnson & Johnson Running four Knowledge Cafés concurrently
In 2012, I hosted a Knowledge Café with 20 senior telecom leaders in Kuwait to explore the future of the industry. A lack of regulation emerged as a key challenge. Together, they agreed to form a union to push for a regulatory body, turning competition into collaboration for shared progress. Continue reading Viva and Telecoms in Kuwait How Kuwaiti telecom leaders turned conversation into collective action
Viva and Telecoms in Kuwait Knowledge Cafés at ING Bank, Netherlands Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close I ran a Sales Café a few years ago for a small, UK based, technology consultancy to introduce a new Continue reading Groucho Club Sales Café Ditch the pitch
Groucho Club Sales Café Knowledge Cafés at NASA Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close In 2011, I came across an article in Forbes magazine Is the Traditional Corporate University Dead? by Karl Moore and Phil Lenir. In Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at ING Bank, Netherlands Connect, connect, connect
You can adapt the Knowledge Café process in a variety of ways and put the Café to a multiplicity of different purposes. This series of Knowledge Cafés ran by NASA was used to identify risk issues and how to mitigate those risks. Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at NASA Identifying risk issues, and meaningful mitigation approaches
The Knowledge Café is often at its best when it is used to convene conversations to give people “a say” in topics and issues that are relevant to them. Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Give people a voice
Knowledge Cafés at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Passion at the Gurteen Knowledge Café Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close This is a story written by Alison Jones, a Knowledge Manager at PSMA Australia, in which she Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at PSMA Australia Using the Knowledge Café process to run a Knowledge Management Forum
Knowledge Cafés at PSMA Australia Conversation in Hong Kong Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close I have been running regular Knowledge Cafés in the evenings in London since September 2002. These events are entirely free and are Continue reading Passion at the Gurteen Knowledge Café Blog post by Mathew Rees
Passion at the Gurteen Knowledge Café Gurteen Knowledge Café: Entrenched and Entrained Thinking Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close In 2011, I participated in the Hong Kong Knowledge Management Society’s annual conference at the Langham Place Hotel Continue reading Conversation in Hong Kong A Knowledge Café with eight speakers
Conversation in Hong Kong The Huawei Break the Book Community Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close On 16th March 2017, I ran a Knowledge Café in London for NetIKX (The Network for Information and Knowledge Exchange) – an independent community Continue reading Gurteen Knowledge Café: Entrenched and Entrained Thinking A blog post by Conrad Taylor
Gurteen Knowledge Café: Entrenched and Entrained Thinking Knowledge Cafés at the European Patent Office Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The Huawei Break the Book Community is a Reading Group Café – a simple but powerful example of peer Continue reading The Huawei Break the Book Community A powerful example of peer learning
This story about a Personal Growth Community (PGC) was written by Jan Hellberg, a Patent Examiner at the European Patent Office in the Hague. A PGC is an adaptation of the Knowledge Café process that encourages free dialogue on various personal development topics. Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at the European Patent Office The Personal Growth Community
In 2006, I ran a knowledge-sharing workshop for an international organization in Zurich. As part of the workshop, I ran a Knowledge Café. The experience transformed my understanding of the power of the Café process. Continue reading Knowledge Café in Zurich, Switzerland The Knowledge Café has empowered our staff to speak up and take the initiative
An interview with Valarie Walters of the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago on how they run the Knowledge Cafe. Shot at KM World & Intranets, San Jose, November 2007. Continue reading Knowledge Cafés at National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Turning traditional talks into Cafés
In November 2011, I spent an enjoyable two days in Turin with the European Training Foundation (ETF) where I ran a Knowledge Café in three languages, English, French, and Russian. It wasn’t as difficult as I first thought. Continue reading A Knowledge Café in English, French and Russian Knowledge Cafe’s can be run in multiple languages
A Knowledge Café in English, French and Russian Equinor Management Training Cafés Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close This is an article written by Joanna Goodman about a Knowledge Café, I ran in August 2009 that was Continue reading Sugar Rush at the Knowledge Café How conversation is bringing KM back to the people
Background At one time, the Norwegian oil company Statoil (now Equinor) innovatively employed the Knowledge Café in their management training. I find this application quite impactful and have outlined the process below. They illustrated the use of the Café by aiding a group of young managers in comprehending the challenges of terminating an employee. A similar approach was applied to various … Continue reading Equinor Management Training Cafés You learn when you converse
Equinor Management Training Cafés Blog Posts About the Gurteen Knowledge Café Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Wednesday 7th February 2024 at 6 pm to 9 pm Regents University London The last face-to-face London knowledge café facilitated Continue reading Knowledge Café at Regent’s University February 2024 What Are the Strongest Motives for Creative Endeavour in Your Life?
Here are a few articles and blog posts from around the web about the Gurteen Knowledge Café. Why conversation is the best way to share knowledge This is a blog post by David Wilcox about a special Knowledge Café I ran for the UK Cabinet Office in September 2013, where I invited Civil Servants from a range of Whitehall departments to The Treasury for a couple of hours to address the question: “How … Continue reading Blog Posts About the Gurteen Knowledge Café A selection of Knowledge Café blog posts, articles and papers
