Developing Organisational Know How - The Need For An Integrative Approach


Developing Organisational ‘Know How’ – The Need For An Integrative Approach

Given the renewed interest in the social dimension of learning, organisations need to consider adopting ‘. . . an integrative training approach which focuses on practice and seeks “points of leverage” to support learning’ (Wenger, 1998). These leverage points, according to Wenger, can come from learning through everyday practice, as well as by encouraging shared learning through communities of practice.

In the race to get a handle on managing knowledge many organisations have come unstuck by investing too much energy in developing formal systems to encourage the dissemination of knowledge, at the expense of capitalising on the benefits that come from informal processes. What seems to have been overlooked is that knowledge creation doesn’t always flow from formal structures and systems, but instead is often the by-product of day-to-day interactions.

Dave Snowden, Director of the Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity, IBM Global Services, argues that organisations need to consider the dimensions of space and time when choosing appropriate learning approaches to maximise opportunities for knowledge transfer.

In his learning and knowledge transfer model[4], Snowden sets out four different learning approaches together with their relationship with the knowledge transfer process. The first of these he refers to as the Apprenticeship Model. This is where individuals learn by working alongside a knowledge expert, observing firsthand how a particular task is carried out. The opportunities for knowledge transfer in this learning scenario are high as individuals are proximate in both time and space to the knowledge expert. In addition to building skills needed in the modern workplace and passing on ‘know how’ from generation to generation, the Apprenticeship Model is increasingly being seen as a way of building the ‘reflexive capacity of the workforce’ (Fuller and Unwin, 1998).

A variation of the Apprenticeship Model is that of Virtual Observation where, facilitated by technology, individuals can observe an expert in action where the expert is in a different geographical location. So although the learner is spatially separate the opportunity for real-time leaning is high because of the proximity to the knowledge source. The third learning approach involves the use of Manuals and/or Online Learning. Here the learner is separate in time and space to the knowledge source, making it difficult for an individual to ask questions to check out his or her understanding. The fourth learning approach is that of the traditional Training Course. While individuals may be closer to the knowledge source on training courses the opportunities for immediate knowledge transfer can be limited, as there is often a lead-time between knowledge acquisition and application.

So when it comes to developing organisational knowledge, it seems that organisations need to adopt a broader perspective of learning, ensuring a balance between formal learning (i.e. learning that leads to a qualification), training (either in-house or external), development (i.e. through practices like coaching, or learning sets), as well as capitalising on the learning that occurs through everyday practice. Each of these approaches can help in developing existing knowledge, as well as helping to build new knowledge and skills for the future.

[4]Snowden, D., Storytelling: an old skill in a new context. Unicom Seminar. May 2000.




Managing the Knowledge - HR's Strategic Role
Managing for Knowledge: HRs Strategic Role
ISBN: 0750655666
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 175

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