Knowledge : living and working with it

We are challenged by decision making where knowledge expands faster than we can learn, changes shape depending on who owns it and disappears in its own volatility. This book takes the reader on a journey through knowing, generating, finding, selecting, keeping, measuring, managing, networking, valuing, protecting, selling and respecting knowledge.

• Preface p. v
• Chapter 1 Knowing knowledge p. 1
• Introduction p. 1
• Knowledge: what is it? p. 1
• Epistemology explains knowledge through philosophy p. 2
• Knowledge as part of systems thinking p. 3
• Theories to explain knowledge p. 4
• Chaos, complexity and catastrophe theories p. 4
• Can knowledge be managed? p. 7
• Types of knowledge p. 7
• The properties of knowledge p. 8
• Wisdom, knowledge, information and data p. 9
• The evolution of our relationship with knowledge p. 10
• The knowledge explosion p. 13
• Knowledge systems p. 13
• The 'western' system of knowledge p. 13
• Indigenous knowledge p. 16
• The knowledge economy p. 18
• The knowledge enterprise p. 19
• The knowledge worker p. 21
• The value system for a knowledge enterprise p. 23
• Conclusion p. 24
• Chapter 2 Generating knowledge p. 25
• Introduction p. 25
• New knowledge and knowledge growth p. 25
• The dynamics of the university of the future p. 31
• Massification and extension of higher education p. 33
• Managing the fragmentation of knowledge p. 33
• Globalisation, international competitiveness and intellectual property protection p. 33
• Knowledgebased industries and knowledge industries p. 34
• Knowledge transfer and story-telling p. 34
• A story p. 37
• Knowledge transfer through scenarios p. 38
• Ideas p. 40
• Conclusion p. 43
• Chapter 3 Finding knowledge p. 45
• Introduction p. 45
• Knowledge sourcing p. 45
• Sources of knowledge p. 46
• People p. 46
• Literature p. 49
• Online databases p. 50
• The enterprise p. 50
• Knowledge exchange events p. 51
• Knowledge demonstration environments p. 51
• Formats of knowledge extraction p. 52
• Finding the source of knowledge p. 53
• Communication skills p. 54
• Heuristics p. 54
• Artificial intelligence p. 55
• Data warehousing and data mining p. 55
• Neural networks p. 56
• Expert systems p. 57
• Cyber-navigation and search engines p. 58
• Traditional search engines p. 58
• Directories p. 59
• Aggregate and meta-search engines p. 59
• Specialty search engines p. 59
• Components of a search engine p. 60
• Knowledge agents or web-bots p. 60
• Conclusion p. 61
• Chapter 4 Selecting knowledge p. 63
• Introduction p. 63
• Countering the knowledge explosion p. 63
• The process of knowledge selection p. 64
• Selecting competitive knowledge p. 64
• Finding relevant knowledge p. 66
• Filtering factors p. 67
• Filtering priorities p. 68
• Steps towards filtering knowledge p. 70
• Setting up knowledge quality filters p. 70
• Filtering agents p. 72
• A checklist for setting up knowledge filters p. 73
• Conclusion p. 74
• Chapter 5 Keeping knowledge p. 75
• Introduction p. 75
• The memory of an elephant p. 75
• How do our brains store knowledge? p. 76
• Know what you know (and don't) p. 80
• Repositories of knowledge p. 82
• Keeping knowledge means keeping people p. 82
• Keeping knowledge in the knowledgebase p. 86
• Knowledge objects p. 86
• Knowledge models p. 88
• XML and large knowledgebases p. 91
• Examples of knowledgebases p. 91
• Meta-knowledge p. 92
• Peer-to-peer computing: the future of knowledge stores? p. 92
• Let us save the trees p. 94
• What is the future of the book? p. 95
• Conclusion p. 96
• Chapter 6 Measuring knowledge p. 99
• Introduction p. 99
• Knowing the enterprise: the knowledge audit p. 99
• How to plan and do a knowledge audit p. 102
• Knowledge constituencies p. 102
• Types of knowledge needed to do the work p. 105
• Sources of knowledge p. 106
• Repositories of knowledge p. 106
• Knowledge index p. 108
• Knowledge distribution p. 108
• Knowledge diffusion p. 109
• Knowledge value addition p. 110
• Does everyone take part in a knowledge audit? p. 110
• How best to introduce a knowledge audit? p. 111
• Knowledge mapping p. 111
• A knowledge mapping case study p. 114
• Conclusion p. 123
• Chapter 7 Managing knowledge p. 125
• Introduction p. 125
• Riding the horse p. 126
• What is knowledge management? p. 126
• Principles of knowledge management p. 127
• Knowledge management heuristics p. 128
• Knowledge in business p. 129
• Third-generation knowledge management p. 129
• Knowledge management in complex space p. 130
• Formalising knowledge management p. 134
• A knowledge management strategy p. 135
• Knowledge management systems p. 137
• Knowledge technologies p. 138
• Conclusion p. 142
• Chapter 8 Networking knowledge p. 143
• Introduction p. 143
• Team knowledge p. 143
• Communities of practice p. 144
• The life of a community of practice p. 146
• Innovation in a community of practice p. 149
• Knowing what people know and how they learn p. 150
• Social network analysis p. 151
• Virtual knowledge networks p. 156
• Conclusion p. 158
• Chapter 9 Valuing knowledge p. 159
• Introduction p. 159
• Branding your knowledge products p. 160
• Return on knowledge investment p. 163
• Knowledge liberating the individual p. 164
• The assets in an enterprise p. 164
• Intangible assets and the 'invisible' balance sheet p. 167
• The balanced scorecard p. 169
• The Skandia Model p. 170
• Intellectual capital at national level p. 171
• Towards an evaluation system for human capital p. 172
• Conclusion p. 173
• Chapter 10 Protecting knowledge p. 175
• Introduction p. 175
• A fundamental conflict? p. 170
• Precompetitive and proprietary knowledge p. 176
• Formal knowledge protection p. 177
• When to patent? p. 178
• Patent or publish? p. 178
• Protection of knowledge may lead to wider use p. 179
• The paradox of small and medium-sized enterprises p. 180
• Non-patentable knowledge p. 180
• Data security is not knowledge security p. 181
• Is first to market a way of protecting knowledge? p. 182
• Protect the bearer of knowledge p. 182
• Conclusion p. 183
• Chapter 11 Selling knowledge p. 185
• Introduction p. 185
• Knowledge: a new commodity p. 185
• Direct and indirect knowledge for sale p. 186
• Drivers for buying knowledge p. 188
• Multipliers in selling knowledge p. 190
• Conclusion p. 191
• Chapter 12 Respecting knowledge p. 193
• Introduction p. 193
• Uniqueness of being p. 193
• Growing knowledge by sharing it respectfully p. 194
• Intercultural knowledge respect p. 194
• Ethics and respect for knowledge p. 195
• Knowledge as a personal guarantee p. 197
• Conclusion p. 198
• Epilogue p. 199
• References p. 200
• Index p. 205