Yes, a very flexible knowledgebase is one LO technique. I've experimented
with a shared hypertext approach. The trick is to get the technology out
of the way and have some structural leaders. Most hypertext tools are
weighed down with graphics and programming. The MaxThink tools are
obvious, quick, and get to the point, which is words and structure. The
MaxThink developer has some good explanations of "annealing hypertext",
where you put it out on the LAN with strong instructions to represent what
we know, and the product becomes very rich and well-organized, as each
member adds and edits words and connections. (Annealing is repeated
heating and cooling that strengthens and hardens metal. Nice image.) One
of his best cases, probably true, is at Hewlett Packard where network
engineers organized their advice, such that clerks took over handling most
of the help calls. I've had some success in several organizations and
projects, but for the most part people don't want to learn, think, or even
write, and they also don't want to learn new software. Those who do write
and think don't want their products sucked down into a group product. If
people had one good experience building a group product, they might be
more willing to try.
Consider what we are doing here on LO. There's some great stuff that I
have to throw away because I don't have time to process it. If it were
posted to a structure of knowledge (more than to puny threads and
non-commital subject lines) I would be able to scan what was new, but also
look it up later in context, and having it all together would force
someone to keep rearranging it and writing synthetic essays. There's
learning going on, but it is episodic. I'd rather it be awesome.
Kent Myers kent_myers@smtplink.sra.com
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Host's Note: The content on this mailing list is a microcosm of the
problem. I'd love to see a repository for the valuable exchanges that are
occuring here, something that would go beyond the delivery based paradigm
of e-mail and create a repository that people could come to when they
needed something.
I've been impressed by the possbilities of the World-Wide-Web. Anyone on
the list interested in a side conversation about putting the Learning-org
content in Web pages?
A couple of subscribers are experimenting with putting our content into a
Lotus Notes database. And, finally, one small company has gated our
learning-org list into an in-house newsgroup for people inside the
company. I hope we can hear reports about all these experiences.
-- Rick Karash, rkarash@world.std.com, host for learning-org
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