Nancy Dixon is a researcher and consultant who focuses on the people side of knowledge management. Nancy is a good friend and we are working closely together along with John Hovell to develop the concept of Conversational Leadership. Sharing Tacit Knowledge – the story about Xerox Copy Repair Technicians | Nancy Dixon WebsiteCommon Knowledge AssociatesLinkedinNancy DixonBlogConversation Continue reading Nancy Dixon Researcher and consultant
Our most effective knowledge management tool is conversation. The words we choose, the questions we ask, and the metaphors we use to explain ourselves are what determine our success in creating new knowledge as well as sharing that knowledge with each other. | Nancy Dixon Continue reading Our Most Effective Knowledge Management Tool Is Conversation Nancy Dixon
Knowledge Management has evolved since the mid-90s, shifting from managing information to building collective knowledge. The challenge lies in adapting KM practices to meet today’s complex needs. A four-level framework can provide a structured approach, helping organizations move from information management to supporting agency and communityship. Continue reading The Four Levels of Knowledge Management The relation between Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management
What Is a Community of Practice Conversare Events 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 Relationships shape how we work together. Too often, tasks take priority over connection, making collaboration difficult. Building relationships first—connection before content—creates trust, engagement, Continue reading Connection Before Content Without relatedness, no work can occur
Conference Breakfasts and Dinners Peter Block’s Four Ownership Questions 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 At the end of each and every presentation at a conference, there is the obligatory question from the chairperson to the audience Continue reading Are There Any Questions? Q&A is not interaction
Speak with less conviction: We often think persuasion comes from speaking with confidence. In practice, strong conviction can shut conversation down. When ideas are stated as certain, others have little space to engage, question, or learn. Continue reading Speak with Less Conviction Speaking with conviction inhibits learning
Peer Instruction Vs. Peer Learning Learn by Talking 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 How can we effectively share knowledge, particularly tacit knowledge, which cannot be easily encoded into information or implicit knowledge that is not consciously Continue reading Sharing Knowledge Through Conversation Knowledge isn’t there the way ore is buried
Sharing Knowledge Through Conversation Collective Sense-making 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 Learn by talking: We learn when we talk. You might think that you don’t learn when talking but learn when listening. It is not as Continue reading Learn by Talking When speaking we organize cognitively what we know
Workshops often end with each group reporting back to the whole room. This routine can create anxiety, dampen conversation, and shift focus from learning to performance. In a Knowledge Café, there are no report-outs; instead, everyone joins a shared conversation where insights emerge naturally and participation feels genuine. Continue reading Knowledge Café: No Report-outs There is nothing more boring than a report-out
Learn by Talking Introduction: Conversational Learning 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 How do we make sense of the world so we can act in it? Collective Sensemaking How do we make sense of the world? Sense-making: Continue reading Collective Sense-making The Knowledge Café is a powerful collective sense-making tool
There is a problem when talking about organizational life: our use of language. Managers are called managers, and their so-called subordinates — the people who report to them — are called employees. As an aside, I’m not too fond of the word subordinate. I find the word demeaning as it is usually defined as a person of lower rank or position or under the authority or control of another within an … Continue reading Managers Are Employees Too ** They can be hired, fired and appraised just like everyone else