Knowledge Questions

The accepted wisdom is that knowledge management is a critical necessity because what worked yesterday may or may not work tomorrow. Companies that were manufacturing the best quality buggy whips became obsolete regardless of the efficiency of their processes since their product definition didn't keep up with the changing needs of the market. However, we must now move beyond the notion of knowledge management at a corporate level – and take it down to the level of the individual. Unless you too take urgent steps to manage ‘your’ knowledge, then, like the buggy whip manufacturers, you might be consigned to the sidelines whilst peers and junior colleagues achieve their goals and you can only look on and gaze with envy and regret.

The K-Profile will help you to avoid falling into this trap. It is a practical tool that will help you enhance your capability to learn, manage and market your personal capital, namely by encourage people and businesses to start asking the following type of questions: 

·         What filters do I use that enhance or block my ability to acquire knowledge?

·         How do I create new knowledge?

·         What investment strategies do I employ that ensure I acquire value added knowledge?

·         How effective is my memory as a storage system?

·         How do I use systems to retain information?

·         What impact do emotions have on my storage capability?

·         How do I store knowledge in partnership with other people?

·         Have I developed my capability to unlearn?

·         How do I manage the pain that goes with letting go?

·         What strategies do I have to ensure that I can modify knowledge on my terms rather than being forced by someone else?

·         What explicit and intuitive processes do I use to share and transfer knowledge with colleagues?

·         To what extent do competitive forces impact on my ability or desire to share knowledge?

·         To what extent do I buy and sell knowledge as a tradable entity?

·         How do I use communities of interest to amplify and enhance my personal capital?

·         Can I place a market value on my personal capital?

·         How do I balance the relationships with my employer and the market?

·         Where do I position my personal capital in the market?

This challenge is a real one, because unless you ask these questions and take the appropriate decisions, then you will waste valuable knowledge acquisition time and in the knowledge-era this is something that few can afford to waste.

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(c) Mick Cope