Knowledge Management and Creativity

Knowledge Management and Creativity
Author(s) David Gurteen
First Published September 1998
Copyright © David Gurteen, 1998
Categories Creativity, Knowledge Management, Innovation, Dialogue, Competencies
Country United Kingdom
First published in the Journal of Knowledge Management Volume 2, Number 1, September 1998
Creativity and innovation concern the process of creating and applying new knowledge. As such they are at the
very heart of knowledge management. Knowledge management, however, is an emerging discipline and creativity
and innovation need to be thought about in this new context. This paper creates a framework in which to discuss
these concepts. It goes on to explore how our creativity is 'blocked' in a variety ways, including deep-seated
beliefs about the world. It is often thought, for example, that creativity is a serious analytical task limited to certain
disciplines such as R&D. This could not be further from the truth. Finally this paper takes a brief look at two tools
to support knowledge management and creativity - one in the human domain – dialogue and the other in the
technology domain – groupware.
INTRODUCTION
If knowledge management is to have any real impact on the way we do business and not just a passing fad then it
has got to be about making radical changes in the way that we perceive and utilise knowledge. It needs to be
about creating new knowledge, applying knowledge and in the words of Peter Druker "making it productive". In
other words knowledge management needs to fundamentally focus on creativity and innovation.
Information and Knowledge
To have a meaningful conversation about knowledge and creativity it is essential to carefully define the words we
use. People often use the same words with subtly different meanings. Many English words in every day use are
utilised loosely and ambiguously. If we do not think about their usage we greatly hinder communication. Defining
our words helps set a framework in which we can better discuss the concepts with which we are dealing. It also
helps better differentiate the concepts and relate them to each other in a more meaningful way. So forgive me if I
revisit some basic definitions.
Let's first differentiate between data, information, knowledge and wisdom as the distinctions are often blurred or
confused. Although knowledge is often seen as a richer form of information this differentiation is not terribly
helpful. A more useful definition of knowledge is that it is about know-how and know-why. A simple non-business
metaphor is that of a cake. An analysis of its molecular constituents is data – for most purposes not very useful –
you may not even be able to tell it were a cake. A list of ingredients is information – more useful – an experienced
cook could probably make the cake – the data has been given context. The recipe though would be knowledge –
written knowledge - explicit knowledge – it tells you how-to make the cake. On the other hand an inexperienced
cook even with the recipe might not make a very good cake. A person, however, with relevant knowledge,
experience, and skill – knowledge in their heads - that is not easily written down - tacit knowledge – would almost
certainly make an excellent cake from the recipe. Finally wisdom – well that's about knowing which cake to make!
It is about wise judgement.
An important point to note here – to make knowledge productive – you need information. Knowing how to make a
cake is not sufficient – you need information – the list of ingredients. And to make a wise decision you too need
information – the likes and tastes of the consumers of the cake. So knowledge on its own is never good enough –
you need information and knowledge – and of course 'doing the wrong thing well' is also not productive – you
need wisdom also.
Know-why is also important. Let us suppose you are missing a key ingredient of the cake – knowing why a
particular ingredient was part of the recipe might help a knowledgeable cook substitute an alternative. In fact
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know-why is often more important than know-how as it allows you to be creative - to fall back on principles – to reinvent
your know-how.
Competence and Mindset
But there is a factor missing - explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge and information are not enough to make
knowledge productive. A person putting knowledge into action needs to be competent and that means three
essential elements - they must have the knowledge and skill but most of all they must have the right motivation
and attitude. You can have the most knowledgeable, skilled people in the world and provide them with perfect
knowledge but they may still fail to do anything useful with it. In other words their mindset is important. Michael
Schrage has even gone so far in a recent interview to say that he thinks "knowledge management is a bullshit
issue" as "most people in most organisations do not have the ability to act on the knowledge they possess".
Knowledge Management
So lets look at the meaning of knowledge management as there are many definitions. A common definition is 'The
collection of processes that govern the creation, dissemination, and leveraging of knowledge to fulfil
organisational objectives.' I feel this definition is inadequate, however, as it limits knowledge management to a set
of processes. In reality knowledge management applies right across the organisation - it is a holistic concept.
I prefer what I feel is a more useful definition: 'Knowledge Management is an emerging set of principles that
govern organisational and business process design, as well as specific processes, applications, and technologies
that help knowledge workers dramatically leverage their creativity and ability to deliver business value'. Although
verbose – I feel this puts focus and responsibility on the individual – the knowledge worker - and on the holistic
nature of knowledge management.
Finally, many people think the term 'knowledge management' is an oxymoron – as you cannot 'manage'
knowledge. Well you clearly can manage some aspects of knowledge. You can manage explicit knowledge
captured on paper and in electronic databases in the same way you can manage information. But where the term
'management' is inappropriate is in its relation to tacit knowledge. This is the important stuff. Here knowledge
management – in its creative sense - is more about nurturing than managing. It is more organic than mechanistic.
Creativity and Innovation
So in this context, what are creativity and innovation? There are several definitions. Often they are not
distinguished. They are simply seen as part of the process by which knowledge is developed and transformed into
business value. This is a perfectly acceptable definition but again like the failure to differentiate between
information and knowledge – it is not very useful for practical purposes.
A more useful approach is to view creativity as the process of generating ideas whilst seeing innovation as the
sifting, refining and more critically – the implementation of those ideas. Creativity is about divergent thinking.
Innovation is about convergent thinking. Creativity is about the generation of ideas and innovation is about putting
them into action.
Creativity – coming up with new ideas - is not enough. We need innovation – the taking of new or existing ideas
and putting them into action. This requires the application of existing knowledge and the development of
appropriate new knowledge. Coming up with new ideas is the food of innovation. Innovation is a far tougher
proposition than creativity.
The Nature of Ideas
What is an idea? An idea is simply 'something' that is unrealised, unproven or untested. It can take many subtle
forms. It could be an unrealised goal: "let's go to Mars". It could be an unrealised product: "let's build a Mars ship".
It could be an unrealised service: "let's lay on charter flights to Mars". It could be an unproven insight into the
nature of things: "maybe there is a stream of particles flowing out from the sun". Or it could be a new unproven
concept of how something might work based on new knowledge of a natural, social or business phenomenon:
"the solar wind could power the ship".
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The realisation of an idea may be vision driven: "This is our goal. Let's identify and develop new knowledge to
achieve it". For example, "Let's put a man on the moon by the end of the decade." Or it may be knowledge driven:
"We have new knowledge. How can we apply it to the development of new products or services?" For example,
"We understand the workings of the atom. Based on this knowledge could we build a nuclear powered electricity
generation plant". Both forms are valid and both are visionary in their own way.
BLOCKS TO CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
We are all naturally creative and the need to create is a fundamental driving force in human beings. If this is true
why do we not see a more creative world in every sphere of life? Much of it has got to do with our ways of
thinking. Sir William Bragg is quoted as once saying - "The important thing in science is not so much to obtain
new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them." I think the same applies to business and our everyday
work life – much of the time we don't need more information or brilliant new ideas - what we need is to think about
the information and knowledge that we already have in abundance in new ways. But one of the major reasons
that we fail to do this is that there are blocks to our creativity and until these blocks are removed creativity cannot
flourish. So let's look at some of these blocks.
Creativity Is a Serious Business
Creativity is often thought to be a serious analytical task. This is not true. The starting point of creativity is the
generation of new ideas. It is thus important to look at the process by which new ideas are created. New thoughts
and ideas come from a kind of thought-play of the mind. Daydreaming of what could or might be. It is a game - a
fun game. Playing with words, concepts and metaphors. Playing what-if games. What if this was true? What if
things were different? What if this limitation did not hold?
John Kao in his book 'Jamming - the Art and Discipline of Business Creativity' introduces the concept of creative
'jamming' based on a musical metaphor. He defines jamming - "to take a theme, a question, a notion, a whim, an
idea, pass it around, break it up, put it together, turn it over, run it backward, fly with it as far as possible, out of
sight, never retreating ... but yes, here it comes, homing in, changed, new, the essence, like nothing ever before".
This is clearly all about play, about having fun. It is about not recognising boundaries or limitations - exploring for
its own sake. In play nothing is taken for granted. Nothing is absolute or unalterable. This is the essence of play.
Also playing on your own is usually not much fun – playing at is best is a team activity – its about interaction – its
about working together - its about collaboration.
Creativity Is Not Needed
Generating new ideas – being creative - is often thought to be about holding brainstorming sessions or the like
and although such sessions play their part we miss a huge opportunity if we only view creativity in this fashion.
We actually get to play all of the time or at least we do if we see it that way. Every interaction in our lives should
be about play - should be about learning, should be about creativity. In my view, the playground is our lives. In
business we get to play when we interact with people. Company meetings – so often a bureaucratic waste of time
– if only we took the opportunity - are one of the best opportunities for play and learning. Working,
communicating, co-ordinating and collaborating together on projects with common objectives are the 'swings and
roundabouts' of the playground.
In short when we interact with people we have an opportunity to learn, to influence, to make things happen. We
need to be creative every minute of our lives – every decision, every interaction - every act needs to be a creative
and innovative one – not one out of habit.
Creativity Is Specialised
One of the greatest blocks to creativity at the both the individual and organisational level is the thought that
creativity is only needed in specialist disciplines such as R&D. Creativity is needed at every level and every
dimension within an organisation. Creativity is the responsibility of each functional discipline, of each team, of
each manager, of each and every individual. Creativity is not limited to the grand scheme of things - to new
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products, new services and new or improved processes. As an individual if I can better organise my day or write a
report in a more effective way - then this is every bit a creative act.
Limiting Paradigms
By far the most effective block to creativity at any level is the paradigm. 'Paradigm' is a much misused, abused,
misunderstood and even hated word. But it is an extremely important concept that we should take the time to fully
understand. A paradigm is a way of thinking, perceiving, communicating and viewing the world. It is often called a
worldview or a mindset. The important point to understand about a paradigm is that it works at the subconscious
level. We are not aware of our own paradigms. Its a bit like thinking the whole world is coloured red – unaware
that we are wearing rose tinted contact lenses.
Paradigms include theories, principles, values, beliefs, and doctrines. They can be thought of as a rigid tacit
infrastructure of ideas that shape not only our thinking but also our perception of the world. When someone says
"we need a new paradigm for this." It is a misuse of the word. All they are saying is "we need a new approach or
we need a new way of looking at things". By the very definition of the word - our personal and organisational
paradigms are not known to us.
Paradigms are both good and bad. In one sense they are the mind's immune system against new, possibly
dangerous ideas. On the other hand if they prevent the take up of any new idea they are potentially more
dangerous. The problem is - we do something - we make a decision - we react in a particular way - quite naturally
for a subconscious reason. A reason with which our conscious mind would not agree. However, our conscious
mind rationalises our action. And we move on totally unaware - at best dimly aware - that we have done
something for the wrong reason. Some of us may recognise that we do this in our personal lives - in our emotional
lives - in our relationships with our loved ones. But we do it too in our business lives. So paradigms block our
creativity - they limit our thoughts and our actions in a way in which we are not aware.
Inappropriate Mental Models
Having looked at paradigms we need to look at the concept of mental models. Mental models and paradigms are
closely related. Paradigms are our subconscious models. Mental models are conscious. The best examples of
models are scientific ones. Scientific models are extremely explicit. Often encoded in maths. But we must
remember that scientific models are just that - models. They are not reality. A model is an approximation to reality.
Models only work when certain parameters are fixed or certain influences are ignored. Newton's model of the
universe was the best model we had for a long time. Einstein's model has since provided an alternative – one that
better explains reality. Neither model is proved or disproved. Although Einstein's model is superior – the
Newtonian model is still appropriate to use in many cases – you need not worry about the relativistic shrinking of
space and time when travelling in your car down the motorway for example.
But I'm not just talking about scientific models. I am just using them as examples. We have and use many other
models of the world in our everyday lives. Examples of business models are: 'How a particular market operates.'
Or 'What makes a good development process.' The message is that we too often make the mistake in our thinking
that our business models are real - they are not. Models are simply useful tools for understanding the world,
making predictions and getting things done. One model is useful in one situation but an alternative model is more
appropriate in a different situation.
We also limit ourselves when applying our mental models. We may have only one or two that we use in a given
situation. But in the real world of people and business things are more complex than even the scientific world -
every business is different, every person is different - one model will not do for all. We need a larger set of models
or better still – in a fast changing world – we need to think things through from first principles each time and
appropriately adapt to each new situation.
Limitations of Traditional Teaching
Traditional attitudes to teaching and the everyday communication of ideas and concepts are another limiting
mindset.
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"We teachers - perhaps all human beings - are in the grip of an astonishing delusion. We think that we can take a
picture, a structure, a working model of something, constructed in our minds out of long experience and
familiarity, and by turning that model into a string of words, transplant it whole into the mind of someone else.
Perhaps once in a thousand times, when the explanation is extraordinary good, and the listener extraordinary
experienced and skilful at turning word strings into non-verbal reality, and when the explainer and listener share in
common many of the experiences being talked about, the process may work, and some real meaning may be
communicated. Most of the time, explaining does not increase understanding, and may even lessen it"
This quote from John Holt's book - 'How Children Learn' sums things up - we think we can transpose our
knowledge from one person to another by traditional methods of teaching and explanation. It's not that these
methods do not have a role but they are no way as near as effective as we might imagine. Adults like children
learn most effectively through play and through experience.
So we have imperfect mental models of the world that we communicate to each other through the imperfect
medium of speech, or the written word. And so the result is people with different models of reality thinking that
they are talking with each other about the same things! We delude and confuse ourselves.
Inappropriate Belief in Absolutes
Having spoken about paradigms, a related issue is 'What is the relationship of our knowledge to reality?' Lets look
at the thinking process. Our thought process generates provisional new knowledge. Putting it into action tests this
knowledge. In return we obtain new or improved knowledge. Thus knowledge undergoes a continuous adaptation.
It is constantly growing and transforming itself. Knowledge does not accumulate indefinitely in a steady way. It is a
continual process of change. Like an organism knowledge evolves and is not absolute or fixed in anyway. What
shapes it is its appropriateness. If new knowledge gives an individual or organisation a business advantage then
that knowledge will survive else it will perish in an analogous fashion to organisms in the environment
Richard Dawkins coined a word for small pieces of knowledge - the meme. It is a direct analogy to the gene. The
gene stores knowledge about an organism in its DNA. This is replicated from generation to generation and refined
and pruned by the process of natural selection. In the human mind - the meme stores knowledge about the 'world'
and is refined and pruned by the process of putting it into action.
A theory, model or way of doing things - in other words our knowledge - can only ever be disproved - it can never
be proved in an absolute sense. It can be clearly shown not to work or not to work well but it is impossible to show
that this is the one and only way in which things work. An innovative marketing strategy can be shown not to have
worked but even when it has worked exceptionally well - it is impossible to prove that it was the best - the most
appropriate solution at the time - there may indeed have been a better one. Also in a rapidly changing world what
works well at one time, in one context or in one environment may not work well in another. All the time there is
room for thought-play, action, learning and improvement in everything that a business does or creates.
Worry and Rewards and Punishment
If you insist that new ideas must have some business relevance or business value before the innovation stage
then this very thought hinders creativity. New ideas come out of freewheeling play. As soon as this play is
constrained by goals, by what is or what is not allowable, by rewards and punishments then the game loses its
interest and creativity is stifled. This is one of the major blocks to creativity at both the individual and
organisational level. The following two quotes are again from the book 'How Children Learn' by John Holt.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his
brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him."
"Children do not need to be made to learn to be better, told what to do or shown how. If they are given access to
enough of the world, they will see clearly enough what things are truly important to themselves and to others, and
they will make for themselves a better path into that world then anyone else could make for them"
These quotes not only apply to small children - they apply to the larger kind too – adults in a business context.
Trying to force someone to learn - trying to make them more creative – trying to get them to do things in supposed
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disciplined ways will frequently backfire and have the opposite effect. We are seeped in an educational and
business tradition that lays great emphasis on rewards and punishment. Management by objectives, appraisals,
remuneration policy, exams are all geared towards the improvement of performance. Research shows that at
least in the area of creativity – that these policies are counter-productive. This is a thorny issue for us to get our
heads around.
In my own experience - my sixteen-year-old daughter discussed with me recently the problem she faced with her
English essays. She is a creative writer but was being told by her teachers that she needed to spend more time
and effort planning and structuring her essays if she were to obtain good marks. She agreed that when she
planned she often did get better marks but felt that her essays then lacked spontaneity or a creative element and
she was actually losing interest in her writing. I replied that her interest, continued motivation and enjoyment were
more important than the marks and that she should write essays her way! I knew she would still get good enough
marks, possibly outstanding ones but yes the risk was higher!
Fear and Lack of Truth
Fear is one of the more common blocks on creativity. The fear of 'getting it wrong' – the fear of 'losing face' – the
fear of 'making a fool of oneself' – the fear of 'failure'. In our Western culture such fear is crippling enough but in
other cultures it is far worse. I have a friend working with VSO in the Maldives. There - students are so fearful of
'getting an answer' wrong that they will abandon an evening class if a teacher directs questions at them. Freshly
qualified, highly educated teachers avoid teaching because they fear making a mistake in front of the class.
Learning is all about rote as that seems one sure way of avoiding mistakes. These are extremes but how often do
we see the shadows of such behaviour in our business lives. It is probably one reason why rewards and
punishment do not work well – they instil fear into so many people – fear of failure and fear of punishment.
One answer to all of this is to 'speak the truth' – not that there is a single truth – a single right way of doing
anything - but you should never be afraid to make your perception known. In his book 'The Circle of Innovation',
Tom Peters makes the point that in his opinion 'telling the truth' is the single most important thing that a leader
can do to bring about fundamental change. And of course we are all leaders.
Infanticide
The problem with new ideas is that by their very nature - the product of play – they are often ill formed, sketchy
and ambiguous. In their nascent state - like newborn babies - they are extremely vulnerable. They are easy to
destroy - they even invite it. But if we killed every newborn baby because they couldn't do much - we would soon
perish. So too with ideas, like infants, they need parents to protect and nurture them and to give them an
opportunity to develop.
Information Overload
In the past, lack of information was a bottleneck in business. But today with electronic mail, electronic newsfeeds
and Intranets we have 'information overload'. Information is no longer a bottleneck it can be a liability and it can
get in the way. We tend to think that to do anything we need to track down and analyse all the information and
explicit knowledge available. But the real bottleneck today is 'creative thought'.
Judgement
Judgement is yet another major inhibitor of creativity. We are brought up in a world where judgement is the norm.
We are not only quick to judge and criticise others but have that so-called little 'voice-of-judgement' in our heads.
Michael Ray in his book 'Creativity in Business' calls this our VOJ and it incessantly judges everything we do. It
holds us in a kind of 'creative straight jacket'. At times when being creative we need to learn to withhold our
judgement.
REMOVING THE BLOCKS TO CREATIVITY
We have looked at some but certainly not all of the blocks to creativity and innovation. But how do we overcome
them? Well there are many answers - some implicit in the descriptions above – others not. I wish I had more time
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and space to explore them in detail but fundamentally I believe there are two dimensions to knowledge
management and the nurturing of creativity and innovation. One dimension is clearly the human element and the
other is technology. Many people will argue that technology is a useful tool but has really got nothing to do with
any of this. Here I differ. Technology coupled with the human mind creates a synergy that allows us to transcend
traditional ways of thinking and working. It is too easy to dismiss the hype over the technologies of the Internet
and the Worldwide Web but like many others I am convinced that these are transformational technologies. I think
when we look back from a perspective of history that the hype will be seen to have been underplayed! The human
mind and technology are on a co-evolutionary path.
So I would like to very briefly look at two 'tools' one in the human domain and the other in the technological
domain. And they are dialogue and groupware respectively.
Dialogue
In my view the real killer of creativity is the stranglehold that our limiting paradigms and mental models exert over
us. We are prisoners of our own past – our upbringing, our education and business experiences. These limit and
constrain us in our ability to think and act creatively. But there is an emerging solution and that is the concept of
'dialogue'. Dialogue is a tool that allows us one-on-one and in groups to discuss issues in a way that helps reveal
our limiting paradigms and in doing so helps lifts this major block to our creativity.
There is a deep fundamental problem in the way we relate to each other and in the way we 'discuss' or 'argue'
issues - whether one to one, in small groups or in meetings. Lets take a look at what some 'thought leaders' say
on this issue. In the words of Stephen Covey we listen 'with the intent to reply - not the intent to understand' -
hence Stephen's fifth habit "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." David Bohm sees discussion as
where "people hold relatively fixed positions and argue in favour of their views as they try to convince others to
change". Edward de Bono talks about "argument becoming case making, point-scoring and ego-strutting".
The problem is that discussion is too often about 'argument' - about steam rolling something through about forcing
agreement or compromise. It is about confrontation. It has nothing to do with creativity or the exploration of
possibilities. In short our habitual ways of thinking are anti-creational. It is worse when anything of fundamental
significance is at stake - attitudes harden to the extent that it is extremely difficult to make progress at all - people
have hidden agendas - people perceive hidden agendas - discussion verges on open warfare. Extrovert types do
battle while introverts recede into their shells. Such 'discussion' is not creative - it is destructive not only of the
'truth' but worst of all of 'relationships'. So is there an alternative? Yes. This is where dialogue plays its role.
Dialogue is based on the work of David Bohm and I think about to be made immensely popular by the publishing
of a new book entitled 'Dialogue' by Linda Ellinor and Glenna Gerard of the Dialogue Group.
In dialogue: You prefer a certain position but do not cling to it. You are ready to listen to others. Your mindset is
not one of 'convincing others that your way is right' but of asking what can you learn from others. It is recognising
that their input will help you refine your own ideas or fundamentally point out where you are wrong. It is not a fight.
It is not win-loose. In dialogue all sides win by coming up with a more appropriate solution than a single person
could ever have. It is win-win. It is what Stephen Covey calls 'synergy' – and this leads to his sixth habit
'Synergize'. This is what Stephen says about it: "Many people have not really experienced even a moderate
degree of synergy in their family life or in other interactions. They've been trained and scripted into defensive and
protective communications or into believing that life and other people can't be trusted. This represents one of the
great tragedies and wastes in life, because so much potential remains untapped - completely undeveloped and
unused, Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential. They experience synergy only in small,
peripheral ways in their lives." Moved to tears by this? I almost am.
So what is synergy? It is where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It's in the relationships that exist
between the parts. Again in the words of Stephen Covey:
"The essence of synergy is to value differences - to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for
weaknesses." Dialogue and synergy are founded on trust. The more you trust someone - the easier it is to
engage in dialogue - the more likely that you will achieve synergy.
We also need to acknowledge facts as they are - whether we like them or not. We tend to avoid and walk around
facts that we do not like – for example if something we hold dear is just not working - we look the other way - we
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pretend all is ok - we delude ourselves. Don't kid yourselves – we all do it! Dialogue is about suspending our own
views - our own judgement temporarily and focusing on alternative view points - to let those views into our minds
rather than close them out - so they can mingle and merge with our own viewpoint. Its a very different way of
thinking to that which we have been educated and accustomed. In summary dialogue and discussion can be
compared in this table:
The real power of dialogue though is in revealing our paradigms. As I have said we are not aware of our own
paradigms by the very definition of the word. We all however, have different upbringings, experiences and
backgrounds that make us eminently capable of seeing other people's paradigms and they ours. By engaging in
dialogue we can reveal other people's paradigms to them and they in turn can reveal ours. This helps us all to see
the world in new more appropriate ways and to destroy a lot of inappropriate assumptions and misinformation that
we all hold dear. In short I believe dialogue is emerging as an immensely powerful creativity tool and will play a
major role in knowledge management.
A final point. Dialogue and discussion both have their place. They need to be seen as tools to be used as
appropriate. For example, if you are holding a meeting to explore issues then dialogue is the appropriate form of
communication. If the meeting is to make tough urgent decisions than discussion is more appropriate but maybe
with a good dose of dialogue to reduce its destructive tendencies! Another way of viewing things is that dialogue
is more appropriate to the creative phase and discussion to the innovative phase of any task.
Groupware Technology
John Kao in his book 'Jamming' lists a number of reasons why creativity is important today. His very first item
declares "This is the age of creativity because that's where information technology wants us to go next". This may
seem a rather strange way of expressing things but I think it indicates that he too feels that human and
technological evolution are intimately interdependent. He goes on to say "IT is the medium for representing,
organising and deploying knowledge." And that "When we add IT to creativity and knowledge, we get a potent
combination - capabilities to represent knowledge coupled with technologies to promote collaboration across
divergent disciplines and perspectives."
He is clearly talking about 'groupware' technology. One of pioneers of groupware is Lotus Development. In a
white paper, simply called 'Groupware', Lotus defines groupware as "tools to enable people to work together
through communication, collaboration and co-ordination". Groupware is coming of age with the advent of I-Net
technologies (Internet, Intranet and Web technologies) Its groupware – the bringing together of people across
time and space - that combined with new ways of thinking is transforming the way that we work.
I have worked with this technology since its birth in the late 80s and have a deep understanding of its power. I
believe groupware development platforms such as Lotus Notes and the more recent Lotus Domino platform for
Intranets and the Web are one of the best kept secrets in the world – their power is enormous – but still not fully
realised or even recognised by many organisations. Lotus has recently adopted a strategy of evolving this
technology into a knowledge management platform – after all the concepts of groupware and knowledge
management are not so far apart. I expect great things. To give you some idea of the power in relation to
knowledge management and creativity let me briefly describe three applications.
TeamRoom
To innovate - the challenge for many companies is to bring employees together across the boundaries of time and
geography to brainstorm, share ideas, and co-create new products and services. By structuring collaboration to
achieve specific objectives or to resolve issues - tools such as Lotus TeamRoom drive group interactions beyond
the basic interactivity of discussion forums. TeamRoom is a next generation web/intranet-based discussion forum
from Lotus Development that adds structure and direction to traditional discussion forums. Teams use
TeamRoom to define a shared mission. TeamRoom is also a repository to store common information such as
business plans, reports, procedural information and meeting minutes. It can be used for discussions,
brainstorming, and problem solving. Used as a planning tool, it aids a team in focusing on critical issues prior to a
meeting. It can also be used for task management, such as assigning action items, tracking issues, and managing
joint work on reports or presentations.
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LearningSpace
Lotus LearningSpace also from Lotus Development is a web/intranet based collaborative learning tool. It is used
for developing, deploying and delivering interactive courses over a network and for augmenting classroom
training. LearningSpace course materials include a class schedule, links to readings, and assignments and
quizzes. Learning is more rapid and complete when there is interaction between a student and the instructor and
between students themselves. LearningSpace encourages interaction through its facilitation of discussions
among each other and with the instructor. Students work in teams and can engage in both public and private
discussions.
Knowledger.PDP
PDP from Knowledge Associates is a web/intranet-based tool for supporting learning, the attainment of key
competencies and the sharing of knowledge. PDP allows the identification of people's key competencies and
enables their ongoing learning and personal development. For each competence, individuals can record their
current level of performance with their managers or coaches, the level they aspire to and their plans to get there.
On an ongoing basis they can reflect on and enter their daily experiences, skill development and learnings that
they feel contribute to an increased competence level. When a competence falls due for review a history of these
learnings is thus available for discussion with their manager or coach. In an ideal implementation everyone's
learnings are shared in order to maximise the benefits of the system.
CONCLUSION
Creativity and innovation are at the cutting edge of knowledge management. We have a long way to go to release
our creative energy both at the personal and organisational level, as there are many blocks. One emerging
powerful tool to help overcome these blocks is the concept of dialogue. Groupware technology is also evolving
into knowledge management technology and playing a major and increasing role. Our challenge today is to build
effective technology-based systems that support us in 'making knowledge productive' and take into account the
ways in which we think and behave.
Suggested Reading
This paper was written specifically to explore the issues of knowledge management, creativity and innovation. My
thinking has been heavily influenced by the sources below and for a broader perspective I would highly
recommend them
¨ Bohm, David and Peat, David F., Science, Order & Creativity, Routledge, London, 1989. An interesting book -
written about science but with applicability to the business world. Introduces the concept of dialogue.
¨ Dawkins, Richard, The Selfish Gene, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1976. Includes an introduction to the
concept of the 'meme'.
¨ Drucker, Peter F., Post-Capitalist Society, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1993.
¨ De Bono, Edward, I am Right You are Wrong, Penguin Books, London, 1991. An excellent book on the
limitations of black & white thinking.
¨ De Bono, Edward, Six Thinking Hats, Penguin Books, London, 1990. The "Six Thinking Hats" is a powerful
group dialogue tool for making your state of mind explicit.
¨ Ellinor, Linda and Gerard, Glenna, Dialogue, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New Your, 1998. A recent powerful
description of the concept of dialogue. A must-read if you wish to know more about dialogue. Also see
http://www.dialogroup.com/dialogroup
¨ Holt, John, How Children Fail, Penguin Books, London, 1984. An intriguing book on the faults of conventional
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teaching methods
¨ Holt, John, How Children Learn, Penguin Books, London, 1991. Several quotes taken from this book. A mustread
for insights on the learning process.
¨ Kao, John, Jamming, HarperCollinsBusiness, London, 1996. John Kao argues that competitive advantage can
be found in the unleashing of the creative power of workers. He suggests that innovation requires a special form
of semi-structured collaboration --- like improvisational jazz.
¨ Knowledge Associates, http://www.knowledgeassociates.com, Information about Knowledger.PDP.
¨ Lotus Development, Groupware, Lotus development, Cambridge Mass., 1995. An introduction to Groupware
technology.
¨ Lotus Development, http://www.lotus.com/learningspace, Information about Lotus LearningSpace.
¨ Lotus Development, http://www.lotus.com/teamroom, Information about Lotus TeamRoom.
¨ Lotus Development, http://www.lotus.com/knowledgemanagement Information about Knowledge Management
and Groupware.
¨ Peters, Tom, The Circle of Innovation, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1997. Excellent book on innovation in the
usual Tom Peters provocative style.
¨ Ray, Michael and Myers, Rochelle, Creativity in Business, Doubleday, New York, 1986. A 'new age' personal
guide to creativity.
¨ Senge, Peter, The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday, New York, 1990. Good material on paradigms and mental
models
¨ Waite & Company, Beyond Expectations, Lotus Consulting, Cambridge Mass., 1997. A report on how
companies are making innovative use of groupware technology.