A most interesting post by Nick Milton at Knoco got me thinking again about complexity. I like the 2 X 2 diagram showing how increasing complexity makes us dependent on creative individuals and increasing collectivity makes us dependent on more processes. The former case is reflected in my own observations that complex work requires creativity and is where the value of the post-industrial organization lies. The latter case is where we are – with industrial processes and procedures for everything, but none able to deal with increasing complexity and hence the need to change our focus to things like barely repeatable processes.
According to the diagram, in a highly complex and collective environment, like most organizations in our interconnected world, we should be focused on knowledge management. If this means some form of KM 2.0, then I might agree. If it means enterprise KM and perhaps even the semantic web, with all its undelivered promises, then I doubt that it will be adequate to simultaneously support creative individuals and develop flexible procedures and processes.
Venkatesh Rao has a good critique of KM, from a generational perspective, and how it is so different in approach from social media. I think we need some form of “social KM”; a way to facilitate social learning, improve knowledge-sharing and overall enable collaboration and innovation. I don’t think that exists yet, though many are experimenting with frameworks like Social Business or Enterprise 2.0.
Much has been learned in the KM field and there is much to learn from emergent social media practices as well. However, real innovative approaches will be found at the edges. Frans Johansson showed with several cases in The Medici Effect how exponential innovations can occur when examining one field through the lens of another field. That is the opportunity: change lenses.
Nick concludes:
We need to be innovative, we need to be agile, we need to learn very fast, and we need to pool and build on what knowledge we have. That’s why Knowledge management is a crucial tool for survival in a Level 3, Collective world; whether you are in the Nuclear industry, the sales and marketing business, government, or any other sector. Knowledge is in short supply, so we need to make the most of what little knowledge we have, and be prepared to think and learn and innovate on our feet, collectively.
I agree, though knowledge management is too narrow a perspective. We need to think bigger and get outside our disciplinary boxes.
Update: This video on the tension between expertise and creativity gives more food for thought on the balance we need to foster in the complex, collective workplace.
