Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 310 – April 2026
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we work with information. It can retrieve, recombine, and present information at speed, often more efficiently than many of the systems we have relied on. But information is not knowledge. And it does not carry responsibility for what we decide or do.
As AI becomes part of how we think, the real challenge shifts to how we question, interpret, and act together. This is where conversational leadership matters.
On 15 April, John Hovell and I are hosting an online Knowledge Café to explore this in practice. Register and find out more here.
Contents
- Where Culture Shifts
How everyday conversations quietly shape what happens in organizations - Every Single Day You Live, You Make a Difference in the World
Jane Goodall - Organizations Are Shaped in Conversation
Ed Schein on dialogic thinking and change - Understanding Anthro-complexity
Why human systems are different from other complex systems - A KM Survey Worth Contributing To
A chance to share real experience and shape future practice - Help Keep My Work Alive
- Coaching
- Unsubscribe
- Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Where Culture Shifts
How everyday conversations quietly shape what happens in organizations
Organizational culture does not change because someone at the top announces a new direction. It is shaped in the conversations we have and in those that never quite take place.
In every organization, there are individuals who influence what happens in subtle but important ways. They bring people together across boundaries. They make space for issues that are usually left unsaid. They help groups work through differences rather than avoid them.
They are practising Conversational Leadership, whether or not they recognise it, and whether or not they have any formal authority.
Such work does not require permission, a programme, or a title. It is a choice about how we engage with others, day to day.
When more of us begin to work in this way, something shifts. Not because anyone is directing it from above, but because we are thinking, relating, and acting together differently.
So perhaps it comes down to this.
What might begin to shift if more of us chose to work this way?
Every Single Day You Live, You Make a Difference in the World
Jane Goodall
There is something in this quote below from Jane Goodall that speaks directly to how I think about Conversational Leadership. Not as a formal role, but as something we practise, moment by moment, in how we engage with others. The difference we make is rarely through grand gestures. It shows up in how we listen, the questions we ask, and the space we create for others.
Every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make.
It is a simple thought, but not a trivial one. It brings responsibility and possibility back to each of us in every interaction.
If you enjoy reflections like this, you can register on my site to receive a quotation of the day. You can choose to receive it once a week or every day.
Organizations Are Shaped in Conversation
Ed Schein on dialogic thinking and change
I recently came across a short video of Edgar Schein discussing dialogic OD, and it resonated strongly with my thinking on Conversational Leadership.
He reminds us that organizations are shaped in conversation, and that change comes less from diagnosis and prescription, and more from creating the conditions for people to think together. Rather than relying on tools or predefined methods, he points us back to inquiry, to not knowing, and to staying open to what might emerge.
That sits at the heart of conversational leadership as I see it, not as a role or technique, but as a practice of engaging with others in ways that allow shared understanding and new possibilities to develop.
I have long been a fan of Schein’s work. He died a few years ago, but his ideas continue to offer clear and practical guidance in a world that feels increasingly uncertain.
You can watch the video and read a short, cleaned transcript here.
Understanding Anthro-complexity
Why human systems are different from other complex systems
Dave Snowden uses the term anthro-complexity to make a simple but important distinction: human systems are not just complex, they are complex in a fundamentally different way.
We are not like ant colonies or algorithms. Human systems are shaped by people with intelligence, identity, and intention. We interpret, reflect, and act toward imagined futures, and in doing so, we change the systems we are part of.
Meaning does not simply emerge. It is created through interaction, experience, culture, and history, shaped by what we notice, what we feel matters, and who we are.
For Snowden, this changes the role of practice. It is not about designing solutions, but about paying attention to what is happening and making small interventions that shift what becomes possible.
This is the starting point for his 5-part series on anthro-complexity.
If you are not familiar with Dave’s work, you may find this a demanding read. But it is well worth the effort.
Conversational Leadership fits naturally here. Conversation is where meaning is formed, where identity and intention show up, and where what becomes possible begins to shift. In that sense, conversation is not separate from the system, it is one of the primary ways the system changes.
A KM Survey Worth Contributing To
A chance to share real experience and shape future practice
I was recently invited by Cory Cannon to take part in the 2026 Global Knowledge Management Survey, run by Knoco International.
It explores how organizations are approaching KM today, including strategy, governance, AI, and business impact.
If you work in or around KM, it is worth taking part. The value of this kind of work comes from grounded experience, not theory.
Help Keep My Work Alive
Sustaining 25 Years of shared learning and conversation
For almost 25 years, I've been sharing the Gurteen Knowledge Letter each month, and many of you have been reading it for five years or more. My Knowledge Café also reached a milestone, celebrating its 20th anniversary in September 2022.
If my work has made a difference to you, I'd be grateful if you could consider supporting it. A small monthly donation or any one-off contribution would greatly help cover some of my website hosting costs.
Thank you to the 50+ patrons who have already supported me - your generosity means a great deal.
Coaching
Bringing Conversational Leadership into your daily practice
If you're curious about how a more conversational approach might shift the way you work with others, whether in leading, learning, or collaborating, I offer one-to-one coaching tailored to your context.
We explore real challenges and possibilities through dialogue, helping you develop your own way of practicing Conversational Leadership in daily work.
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The Gurteen Knowledge Letter
A monthly reflection on Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly email newsletter designed to inspire thinking around Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management. You can explore the archive of past issues here.
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David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
