Matt Mower has suggested “business journal” in preference to the terms k-log and k-logging for Knowledge management. I commented and that sparked Matt into a heap of thoughts on the topic. Matt emailed me personally and requested that I enter a conversation with him on the topic which I willingly agreed to do.
“I would be really pleased, if you wanted to, for you to blog a response. It would be nice to get one of those conversation thingy’s going ;-)”
Matt wrote a a detail response to my comments and this is my own response to his in turn. I’m interested in both the topic and also how we are able to converse over the blogging medium. Please join with us as we explore this issue.
The Original Post
Here is the text of Matt’s original post. I’m quoting it here to set the context and also to amend my original comments. Matt posted:
“In talking with [Ross](http://radio.weblogs.com/ 0114726) the other day we more or less agreed that the terms k-log and k-logging should be abandoned. They are pretty horrible but I’ve kept using them as the defacto terms. Not any longer. I want to find new terminology. I’d like to offer up my current favourite: Business Journal. What do people think?”
And my response was:
“I don’t think that “Business Journal” is any better. To me it is even less specific and I think of magazine first. K-logging sounds awkward I agree but so is ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’. People know what it means though ;-)”
I first thought of “Business Journal” in the magazine sense and not at all in the diary/journal sense. I now assume that latter was the intention and like it. People know what diaries and journals are. K-log and K-logging are only meaningful if you know what weblogging or blogging are. And then you still have to identify the meaning of ‘K’.
More than just a name
This conversation however is about more than a name although I agree the right name is fundamentally important. Matt has raised two important points:
“I think that there are at least two problems which we must solve for business journalling to be a widespread success. I’d be interested in hearing about other problems people have specifically identified.
The first problem is what I would describe as: knowledge as a separate activity and the second as lacking a voice. I think that the solution to both of these problems lies in finding contexts that enable people to journal more easily.”
Knowledge as a Separate Activity
Matt suggests people do not love their jobs the way KM enthusiasts do, they do not see themselves as knowledge workers and they have a view that learning is a discrete activity. My assessment is similar to Matt’s. I am enthusiastic about knowledge in my work. This is because I recognise how enabling it is for me. But as an enthusiast that comes with the territory. If you enjoy doing something you will by your nature enjoy any employment where you can do so. We see a fundamental difference with knowledge however. It is a mindset that can be applied to any job. That’s because we are all knowledge workers. I’m sure many will have heard the corporate statement “People are our most valuable resource”. Why? Because of what they know. Your effectiveness at tapping into your knowledge and that of others dictates your effectiveness and enjoyment of your work. The final point is that learning is a discrete activity. That’s what school/work teaches us. Learning is continual. I can’t convince you otherwise however. You need to learn that for yourself.
I have just been involved in a leadership development programme in which more than 50% was KM directed. It was very pleasing to hear the CEO say on Wednesday that “knowledge” was one of the landmark items they will use to steer the team’s development and improvement. They are beginning to think in terms of what they know or don’t know and that is helping them attack many of the standard corporate problems.
I think there is an “awakening” process that must happen before you begin to see how knowledge & learning are intertwined into everything you do. Until then, I think that they are considered to be separate activities practiced in specific contexts (e.g. I am going on a training course).
Absolutely. I suggested to Matt that it would be great if we could think of a story describing how we awoke to the benefits of knowledge and learning. Now I don’t think there will be one particular moment. For me it was a becomming. A gradual change rather than a complete shift in a moment. (Aside: when I say learning I’m speaking of fundamental changes in behaviour and thought).
For the unawakened I think that a business journal is a big blank page that is quite scary and you need to be pretty bold to venture off without a map. In these times of “Axes in the corridor” boldness isn’t the first thing on everyone’s mind.
Journaling will require a trusting environment and there aren’t many of those around. The twist is that by becoming a learner you put the trust in yourself and can become bold. That’s not to say that people will not need to be shown how to journal and that it is safe.
Lacking a Voice
Matt writes:
“I think most people are conditioned to not say anything they don’t have to.
In school we are taught to be silent and only speak when questioned directly by an authority figure. This process of conditioning is continued right the way through education and into work. Hierarchies support this type of behaviour.
Business journalling turns this don’t speak until your spoken to ideology on it’s head. Now you’re given a blank page and told to say whatever you think you should say (within limits). I think that the evidence so far supports the conclusion that people are not comfortable with that.”
It’s interesting that Matt included “(within limits)” in his statement. This is the difference between what is said and what we believe. And that belief can be very limiting. Much human suffering at an individual level is caused by us responding to problems and threats that we believe are there but never bother to ground in truth.
Do you know somebody that doesn’t like you and do you respond to that? Is it somebody you haven’t met yet? What have you done to check the truth of the matter? Do you know there are limits to what you can write about in your journal or do you just think you know?
A connection must be made between the blank page and what an individual knows. Don’t force people to journal outside of their experience but do everything to encourage them to write about what is inside their experience. I’m happy contributing this today (on a global stage and know others will read it) because I am comfortable with what I know. There are other topics where I am very uncomfortable and so I don’t write.
Contexts
Matt suggests After action reviews and Communities of practice as good contexts for journalling. I agree completely. In both cases you are journalling for people who are not so far removed from yourself. That builds a lot of trust. Trust is needed for sharing. Journaling is also a way of “thinking out loud” and getting your thoughts together. There is benefit in that alone.
Anything else?
As supporters of knowledge and the benefits it brings I think we often sell ourselves short on the value. We will quite comfortably sit and say “Yes the value is there but I can’t quite measure it. Oh, and it can take years before you see it”. That is simply not what business owners want to hear.
I believe the value is there now. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing this myself right now. There will also be value in years to come. Journaling creates communities of practice, transcribes a corporate history so that the company can learn, makes people think and builds networks. These are all valuable right now.