|
A New and Improved Website!
We always tell our clients they should never consider their Website to be "finished," since the best sites
are always evolving in response to change. That could be a change in the business, the marketplace or the technology, but running a Website is not like printing a brochure. The Web is alive in a way that
print media is not.
We haven't necessarily listened to our own advice, though, and the Knowledge Street site has been pretty static. Earlier this month, though, we gave it a general makeover, with
a fresher look and feel, a new Google-powered search and some improvements in navigation. Much of the content is the same, although it's all been tweaked and tightened. We dropped some material that
seemed dated and have one new feature in development. More on that next month.
If you'd like to take a look, just click out to the home page. We'd
love to hear what you think about it. And if you think your site could use some work, let us know about that too.
Windshield Wiper Knowledge
Today it feels like Spring on Knowledge Street, and that's a welcome development after a very
strange winter. It was unseasonably warm right into late January, and then bitterly cold for a few weeks. We had snow much later than usual, too. Believe it or not, there's a Knowledge Management lesson
here.
Some years ago, we noticed the emergence of a new best practice in the K Street neighborhood. When there was snow in the forecast, one of our neighbors would lift his wipers to keep them
from freezing to the windshield. It was something you'd see and immediately understand. ("Hmmm... that's a good idea.") Within a week or two, the concept started spreading. It wasn't just one
car, it was two, and then four and then eight. By the end of that first winter, practically every car in the block had its wipers up when the snow started to fall, and it became the local custom.
But this winter, the shovels and ice melter were still in the basement come February. So when the snow finally arrived, most people had forgotten the windshield wiper trick. The moral of the story? Good
ideas will spread on their own, as long as they're openly shared. But you only know a thing when you need to know it. When the need fades, the knowledge fades too.
Know Your Generations
We recently saw an interesting presentation by Lynn Busby, a Knowledge Facilitator at IBM. She has
a special interest in generational cultures, and the way they affect team behavior and collaboration.
It seems that generational differences persist within many demographic segments (such as race,
ethnicity and income level). People are affected to a measurable degree by how history plays out in their own lives. That means a given generation's perception of what's correct may be quite different
from the generation that came before, or will come after. "You are where you were, when..." says Lynn.
For simplicity sake, let's say there are four generations now in the work force:
Traditionalists (born before 1945), Boomers (1946-1964), Gen-Xers (1965-1980) and Gen-Yers (after 1980). These four generations have different outlooks on life, loyalty, authority and change, as well as
different ways of working. Traditionalists, for example, believe in the value of the work itself, and are motivated by symbols of a job well done. Gen-Yers are motivated by work that has meaning for
them. They don't want a commemorative plaque -- they want opportunities to learn and build their skill sets.
The bottom line is that innovation depends heavily on collaboration, which itself
depends on a foundation of trusted relationships. To the degree that relationships span the generations, we need to find ways to help us all get along.
Casting a Wider Net
We've recently been introduced to the Wider Net program, an interesting effort to help bridge the digital divide. Wider Net was founded in 2000 by Cliff Missen and Michael McNulty, two professors at the University of Iowa. It
oversees a number of projects aimed at improving digital communications in the developing world, with a special focus on educational communication systems in Africa. They do a lot of training work, but
are also involved in tech support and hardware acquisition. You can make a direct donation, too, if you're so inclined.
One interesting project is the eGranary Digital Library, a concept for "storing the seeds of knowledge." It's a simple, if somewhat counter-intuitive idea. The lack of communications
infrastructure is one of the biggest problems in bringing the Web to the developing world, where Internet connections are very expensive and maddeningly slow. The eGranary takes an "Internet in a
box" approach. Volunteer librarians select sites with rich educational content, contact the owners to obtain the necessary permissions and then copy the sites to a server at Wider Net headquarters.
This collection of Web sites is transferred to portable hard drives, which are installed on the LANs of subscriber universities. New versions go out several times a year
Within the eGranary drive,
the sites retain their own URLs, as well as video, audio and whatever else was part of the original site. Users interact through a browser, so no extra training is needed. eGranary also reserves 20GB of
space for hosting local Web content, making it a simple and effective platform for curriculum building. Tracking metrics go back to the acquisition team, so they can continue to add relevant and useful
material, and there are feedback mechanisms to let subscribers request content in particular areas.
It just goes to show that there's more than one way to skin a knowledge base.
Unsubscribe | Change your profile
HOME | © COPYRIGHT 2008 KNOWLEDGE STREET LLC
|
