Knowledge Cafe Masterclass, Pretoria, Nov 2008

1. Gurteen Knowledge Café Gurteen Knowledge Café Masterclass Masterclass Pretoria South Africa November 2008 Gurteen Knowledge

2. The birth of the The birth of the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe Gurteen Knowledge Cafe London, September 2002

3. Begin with the end in mind Begin with the end in mind • Raise awareness of the role of conversation in your business lives • To teach you about Knowledge Cafes and how to run them • Encourage you to create more opportunities in your organization for creative conversation Gurteen Knowledge

4. Agenda Agenda • 08:45 – 09:00 Introductions (15 mins) • 09:00 – 09:30 Business is a Conversation (30 mins) • 09:30 – 10:00 Knowledge Café Process (30 mins) • 10:00 – 10:30 Coffee (30 mins) • 10:30 – 12:00 Run a Knowledge Cafe (90 mins) • 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch (60 mins) • 13:00 – 14:00 Applications of the Café (60 mins) • 14:00 – 14:15 Tips & techniques (15 mins) • 14:15 – 14:30 Coffee (15 mins) • 14:30 – 15:30 Action Cafe (45 mins) Gurteen Knowledge

5. Photographs Photographs Gurteen Knowledge

6. Introductions Introductions Gurteen Knowledge

7. Speed Networking A simple technique that can be used in a variety of settings to bring a group of people together • to start to get to know each other • or get to know each other a little better Gurteen Knowledge

8. Business is a Conversation Business is a Conversation Gurteen Knowledge

9. Business is a conversation Business is a conversation Business is a conversation because the defining work of business is conversation - literally. And 'knowledge workers' are simply those people whose job consists of having interesting conversations. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto • Conversation is central to all that we do Its our job! •

10. Conversation is a meeting of minds Conversation is a meeting of minds Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards. • Theodore in an Oxford Historian Conversation is creative Theodore Zeldin Conversation •

11. KM is about understanding KM is about understanding For all our knowledge, we have no idea what we're talking about. We don't understand what's going on in our business, our market, and our world. KM shouldn’t be about helping us to know more. It should be about helping us to understand. So, how do we understand things? It's through stories that we understand how the world works. • Its about understanding & sense making Through conversation & storytelling • David Weinberger, The Cluetrain Manifesto

12. Conversation Conversation “A mechanistic and unproductive exchange between people seeking to defend their own views against one another” Debate or dialogue? “A frank exchange of ideas or views on a specific issue in an effort to attain mutual understanding” Gurteen Knowledge

13. Dialogue Dialogue • When we engage each other in dialogue – we enter into a conversation with a view to learn from each other – rather than impose our views on the other. The kind of conversation I’m interested in is one in which you start with a willingness to emerge a slightly different person. Theodore Zeldin, Historian Gurteen Knowledge

14. Principles of Dialogue Principles of Dialogue • • • • • • • Suspend assumptions, do not judge Observe & listen to one another Welcome differences & explore them Allow taboo subjects to be raised safely Listen to your inner voice Slow the discussion Search for the underlying meaning Dialogue is based on the work of the physicist David Bohm Gurteen Knowledge

15. Summary Summary • Business is a conversation • Conversation is creative • Understanding is more important than knowing more • Dialogue is the key to quality conversations Gurteen Knowledge

16. Conversation/Questions Conversation/Questions Gurteen Knowledge

17. Gurteen Knowledge Café Gurteen Knowledge Café Process Process Gurteen Knowledge

18. What resources are needed to run a What resources are needed to run a Knowledge Caf Knowledge Café? é? • Not a lot! • A group of people • A facilitator or host • A room with plenty of space • Tables & chairs to seat about five people per table Gurteen Knowledge

19. What do you need in the room? What do you need in the room? • Some formats have special requirements such as round tables, paper table cloths, felt tip pens, flowers on the table and coffee & biscuits – Gurteen Knowledge Cafés need none of these props but of course you could use them if available – Refreshments help • Aim is to create a good ambience • Unthreatening and hospitable environment Gurteen Knowledge

20. How do you run one? How do you run one? • Knowledge Cafés can be run in different ways • I use a simple format • Runs for 90 minutes to a couple of hours • Work best with between 25 and 35 people • Can run a dozen people or as many as 100 – But with some modifications Gurteen Knowledge

21. What's the process? What's the process? • Facilitator takes 5 - 15 minutes to introduce the Knowledge Café and the theme • Purpose of the Knowledge Café is made clear • Facilitator poses an open ended question • Participants form into small groups of 4 or 5 to discuss the subject for 30 - 60 minutes. • Change tables 1,2 or 3 times • The group re-assembles for an exchange of ideas as a whole for 15 - 30 minutes Gurteen Knowledge

22. What subjects are covered? What subjects are covered? • Any subject can be addressed • Explore questions that matter to the participants • Normally explore only one theme • And pose only one question Gurteen Knowledge

23. What’s the role of the facilitator? What’s the role of the facilitator? • Facilitator need not be a specialist – Nor disciplined in facilitation – Simply a good listener and chairperson skills • Facilitator should not take a lead in the discussions • Should wander around and listen into the groups • Should listen out for problems and remind people gently of the rules of ‘dialogue’ Gurteen Knowledge

24. What’s the role of the individual? What’s the role of the individual? • Theodore Zeldin : to be prepared to emerge a slightly different person • To see people with different views not as adversaries but as resources from which we can learn • To enter into open conversation • To listen more than speak • To welcome differences • To withhold judgment • To avoid position taking • To avoid being too politically correct Gurteen Knowledge

25. How do things work within How do things work within the small groups? the small groups? • Don’t appoint a leader or chairperson • Everyone should be equal and fully engaged in the conversation • Don’t appoint a note taker either • Anyone can make their own notes if they want to • People share their perspectives with the group only if they wish to Gurteen Knowledge

26. How does the large group sit? How does the large group sit? • Bring everyone back into a relatively tight group so that every one can easily see and hear each other • Only use microphones if absolutely necessary as they inhibit the natural flow of the conversation Gurteen Knowledge

27. How does the whole group work? How does the whole group work? • Individuals asked to remember that their comments are for the whole group and not for the facilitator. • The objective is to hold a ‘group conversation’ • The facilitator needs to work at encouraging this – Plays a low key role – not the expert – Turn away, even hide! Gurteen Knowledge

28. How does the facilitator work How does the facilitator work with the whole group? with the whole group? • The group should be doing the work with minimal intervention from the facilitator • Facilitator needs to encourage participation • Facilitator needs to ensure that no one person or group dominates the discussion • Connects diverse perspectives Gurteen Knowledge

29. Conversation/Questions Conversation/Questions Gurteen Knowledge

30. Lets run a Knowledge Cafe Lets run a Knowledge Cafe Gurteen Knowledge

31. Knowledge Sharing Knowledge Sharing • Sharing knowledge is not about giving people something, or getting something from them. That is only valid for information sharing. • Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes. Peter Senge Gurteen Knowledge

32. Personal Reasons for Sharing Personal Reasons for Sharing • To help other people & to help ourselves • Other people – To get things done – To build relationships so they in turn help us • Ourselves – To get things done – Learning to be gained – Knowledge is perishable – Someone else will make our knowledge productive first Gurteen Knowledge

33. Barriers to Knowledge Sharing Barriers to Knowledge Sharing 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Resistance to change by managers A silo mentality Knowledge is power Lack of knowledge sharing processes No time allowed No knowledge sharing by executives Managers do not walk the talk Poor IT systems Lack of encouragement Bureaucracy Karl-Eric Sveiby Gurteen Knowledge

34. The Challenge of Knowledge Sharing The Challenge of Knowledge Sharing What prevents us from sharing our knowledge more effectively? How might we overcome these barriers? Gurteen Knowledge

35. Business is a conversation Business is a conversation Here's a definition of that pesky and borderline elitist phrase, 'knowledge worker'. A knowledge worker is someone whose job entails having really interesting conversations at work. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

36. Business is a conversation Business is a conversation The characteristics of conversations map to the conditions for genuine knowledge generation and sharing: they're unpredictable interactions among people speaking in their own voice about something they're interested in. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

37. Business is a conversation Business is a conversation People implicitly acknowledge that they don't have all the answers (or else the conversation is really a lecture) and risk being wrong in front of someone else. And conversations overcome the class structure of business, suspending the organization chart at least for a little while. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

38. Business is a conversation Business is a conversation If you think about the aim of Knowledge Management as enabling better conversations rather than lassoing stray knowledge doggies, you end up focusing on breaking down the physical and class barriers to conversation. And if that's not what Knowledge Management is really about, then you ought not to be doing it anyway. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

39. Café Conversation Café Conversation How do you encourage open conversation in business? Gurteen Knowledge

40. Lunch Lunch Gurteen Knowledge

41. Applications of the Café Applications of the Café

42. What is a Knowledge Café? What is a Knowledge Café? • A knowledge café brings a group of people together to have an open, creative conversation on a topic of mutual interest to surface their collective knowledge, to share ideas and to gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved. • Ultimately leading to action in the form of better decision making and innovation and thus tangible business outcomes. Gurteen Knowledge

43. Why is the Knowledge Caf Why is the Knowledge Café é important? important? • The world is a complex place - it is not always clear what is going on - we need to take more time to UNDERSTAND • We do not find the time to have open conversations, we are under pressure to make quick decisions • KM for example should not be about creating and sharing ever increasing knowledge but understanding more fully the knowledge that we do have! Gurteen Knowledge

44. What does a Knowledge Café What does a Knowledge Café do for the individual? do for the individual? • The Café assumes we have within ourselves a greater level of insight than we are conscious of • The Café helps tease this out • You hear yourself say things in Café conversations that you did not know that you knew • It crystallises our knowledge – New ideas are sparked – Fresh perspectives emerge ... • With increased observation and reflection comes understanding – this paves the way for change Gurteen Knowledge

45. What are the outcomes? What are the outcomes? • Real outcomes are what you take away in your head – A deeper understanding of the issues discussed – A deeper insight into other people’s perspectives – A better appreciation of your own point of view – Better position to make more informed decisions and to take action! Gurteen Knowledge

46. Where might you use the Café? Where might you use the Café? • Surface hidden problems & opportunities • Encourage knowledge sharing & informal learning • Spark action • Improve decision making and innovation • Address disengagement and lack of voice • Help people make sense of the world • Help people feel ownership of things • Retain talent • Reduce dependence on external facilitators Gurteen Knowledge

47. Possible Applications Possible Applications • As part of any presentation • To glean feedback on say a policy document • Replace a series of one-on-one interviews • Collaborative writing effort – Knowledge café – Wiki edit fest • Part of meeting say to present future plans • … Gurteen Knowledge

48. What applications do you see for the What applications do you see for the Knowledge Café? Knowledge Café?

49. Selling to Senior Management Selling to Senior Management • Start with the business problem not the Café • Focus on important business issues • Don’t assume managers will only buy-in if there is a hard business outcome • Find a good reason to run a knowledge café for the managers! Gurteen Knowledge

50. Recording outcomes Recording outcomes • The Café is about the transfer of TACIT knowledge – not about making tacit knowledge explicit! • Café often best as part of a larger process • Avoid disrupting the conversation • Participants should not record group notes • OK for personal notes Gurteen Knowledge