Why people don't share what they know

The ideas for blog-based communities now being advanced by Jonathan Briggs reminded me of an interesting table of different knowledge behaviours posted by Mopsos. It charts Knowledge Web, Knowledge Ladder, Knowledge Torch, and Knowledge Fortress against definitions, examples and recommended interventions.
We may wish for collaborative webs, fostering communities of practice.... but those in charge may be thinking more fortress, walled garden, protect our assets and position. The chart refers to companies, but the situation may be similar in non-profits.

I commented to Jonathan: That's a great list for starters. New territory, so probably a question of getting started - if it is possible to find the right 'host' organisation/community. I think they would need to have:
1 A culture that encouraged bottom-up ideas development and sharing
2 Some online enthusiasts - existing or potential
3 People with influence and resources in the organisation prepared to join in, even if they weren't leading
4 Preparedness to take a few risks and get out of their boxes
 
The difficulty is that many so-called network organisations, after an initial flush of support and hosting, treat their members as funding-fodder - there to keep up the numbers and impress the sponsors. The central staff have all the fun and glory of developing new initiaties on the back of this, while the members get the odd newsletter and event if they are lucky.
Implementing a blog-based community is not necessarily an attractive proposition because it empowers the members and not the centre.

Comments

[Dave Lee]

I too was impressed with that small grid posted on Mopsos. Personally it was appealing to me because I've always been more interested in studying the exceptions and failures. But to my amazement, it's helped me break through a few barriers that I've been dealing with my work. Particularly trying to get people to understand that a community of practice has little to do with posting documents to a common website (though, of course a community can utilize such a resource well) and more about the interactions, relationships and trust amongst it's members.

In reflecting on what's happening to loosen up these otherwise frozen positions, I think it has something to do with holding up a mirror to the problem. I think that people have seen themselves in one of these blocking modes and don't quite care to think of themselves as blocking innovation. People are so used to playing the game of knowledge fortress or knowledge torch that they defend it even while wanting the environment it creates to be otherwise.

I hope this grid become the viral equivalent of Mad Sacred Cow Disease. The only solution then will be: BURN THEM! (the sacred cows, that is.)

Dave Lee