Knowledge Summit 2024

Embracing Knowledge Management at the KM Summit: A Safari of Learning and Connections

After an invigorating break last week post summit, my reflections of the Knowledge Summit resumed with a flurry of thoughts and revelations ! As I navigated through the conference, I found myself contemplating the significance of the event’s symbols, this emphasis highlighted and underlined with scribbled notes from the sessions: flipped conference styles, emphasis on community, taxonomies, tacit knowledge, semantics, CoP etc. In my sense making which I was doing over a tea this morning, the pink flamingos and red designs in my teapot inspired my overarching reflection. These symbols, I realised, perfectly encapsulate the essence of Knowledge Management (KM) for me.

KM is about more than just strategies; it's about capturing and operationalising the depth of human experience and learning. As KM managers, our role extends beyond mere implementation. We must mobilise, measure, and iterate on tacit knowledge, ensuring that learning transcends its original context and becomes applicable in diverse situations. This transformation of experience into knowledge is inherently social, and we, as custodians of taxonomies and schemas, play a crucial role in this process.

Skills, in this context, are the currency of knowledge. They act as the connective tissue that binds different contexts and situations, enabling effective decision-making. Just as particles revolve around a nucleus, skills radiate around the specific challenges and contexts we face in our organisations.

Reflecting on the flamingos, my journey at the conference felt like a safari. As an observer, I appreciated the dynamics of the KM community, shifting between peripheral participation and more central involvement. The true connector, I discovered, was conversation. Curiosity and the ability to organize without over asserting top down control were recurring themes. KM professionals are space makers and leaders, adept at fostering collaboration and grassroots learning.

The red symbols reminded me of ETU's presence and our playful interactions, such as the stand-up, sit-down game, which highlighted the vibrant engagement within the KM community. However, the exercise also revealed a gap in the verification of skills—a challenge in measuring tacit knowledge due to its social and contextual nature. This is where ETU can enhance a KM strategy and support personalisation in an impactful and enagaging way.

From my safari, I learned that KM is embedded in all our interactions and processes. While some organisations have formal KM functions, others integrate it organically. The community of practice (CoP) is proud and dedicated, emphasising that learning often occurs outside traditional training frameworks. Personalising learning pathways and utilising technology can accelerate human processes, supporting organisational success.

The speakers were amazing but more to come on those patterns and reflections later on in the week. So for now in conclusion, KM is about recognizing patterns and enabling people to connect, share, and act effectively. By capturing tacit knowledge and iterating on our insights, we can provide options and solutions that drive organisational success. As KM professionals, our ability to harness data and grassroots insights will be key to supporting continuous enhancement and fostering a culture of knowledge sharing which is what KM 2024 was all about.

Mirhonda S. Melanie Byrne Adams Michael Bell Lucy Hall Jan Hutter Barry Byrne David Gurteen Rahel Anne Bailie Catriona Newman East Apthorp Katie Laidlaw Kevin Clark Blaithin Flynn Petra Verheijen Dennie H. Valerie Gamble Linda Lavelle Oriana Ward Gesa Krauss Carina Goffart Peter J. Alanna McAuley Andrew Jenner Kelly McCrory-Lynch Hongmei Liu Esther Wheeler Kieran McCorry Jason Hobart Tim Dickinson Brian Hackett Deirdre Murphy Arthur Shelley Bertrand Dodelet Danielle Dryden @stan#KnowledgeSummitDublin