June 2011
1 post
6 tags
sharing our research threads at KMUK
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been getting ready for KMUK, Ark Group’s annual knowledge management event that Victoria is chairing. We’re taking with us a snapshot of our research so far into the evolution of the knowledge manager to share with delegates and speakers. I’m curious to see how it resonates with everyone.
It’s still strange to be this side of...
May 2011
2 posts
5 tags
“The whole world is being reorganised in my head”
At dinner this week, my friend Megan pointed out that I have not reported back on my interview with Manuel Flury from SDC in Bern, which is very true and remiss on my part. The full profile is waiting to be written but as I’d been a little nervous of the approach we chose to take, here are my reflections on how we collected Manuel’s KM story.
Manuel met me from Bern train station at...
3 tags
Why Kindles leave me cold
I keep seeing people with ebook readers on the tube and it looks so uninspiring. Here’s what I think you’re missing with a Kindle and why my shelves will always be full:
The weight, thickness and texture of a book is part of the story
You can’t glance at a shelf of ebooks and know which one’s most loved
Heavily broken spines are a far better review than a five-star rating
Forgotten, makeshift...
April 2011
1 post
4 tags
Preparing for a walk and talk
11:50am 19 April 2011
Manuel Flury heads the Knowledge and Learning Processes Division at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. A long-time friend of Sparknow, there was never any doubt that we would seek his insights for The Evolving Role of the Knowledge Worker; the question was how best to conduct this knowledge exchange to...
March 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Making connections
On occasion, a man wanders round Brighton with a tiny video camera clipped to his glasses. Not because he’s working under cover or has a worrying voyeuristic streak but because he’s capturing the every day. And every day he films, he says something interesting happens. Sam and I met about three years ago. I bought one of his paintings on a visit to the seaside and it now lives on my...
6 tags
Back to front
Last week I gave a short presentation at Publishing Expo, one of four exhibitions at Earls Court, in a session called ‘Open Source – the way forward?’ The idea was to talk about our technology decisions for the relaunch of the sharedserviceslink.com website, which went live in November and has been a big project for me since last summer.
When I first spoke to Michael Upshall from Consult MU, the...
February 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Advice to a new knowledge manager: don't do it
Here’s a snippet from my recent interview with Gordon Vala-Webb, National Director, Knowledge Management at PwC Canada. We had an animated discussion on how he has seen KM evolve, the skills and tools he relies on, and the explosive impact of social media. But all of a sudden our hour was up. Before I let him dial off I squeezed in one more question that he could answer when he had more...
6 tags
A generous listener
Yesterday I helped create a monster. Literally. While I didn’t actually pick any of its features (eyes tangy like pickled onions, hands spindly like spaghetti, a body like a condom filled with walnuts and beautiful feet), I helped vote for its name. The Pedicurous.
I was in a room full of story tellers. Artists, designers, bloggers, authors, sculptors, photographers, role players. I had worried...
January 2011
3 posts
6 tags
Spooky... or is there something in all this?
The wonderful McKinsey Quarterly seems to be on the same wavelength as us… there must be something in the water (or something to do with connections suddenly appearing when you’re looking for them) as there are two pieces that resonate.
First, an article on Recovering from Information Overload. As the standfirst says: “Always-on, multitasking work environments are killing...
8 tags
Space and reflection
Last week, Victoria and I met Mohammed Khalid, executive partner at Gartner (I love how that rhymes), and tucked the first interview for the Knowledge Manager’s Journey under our collective belt. Which is lucky, because despite meeting at Carluccio’s and being surrounded by beautifully prepared pasta, our conversation took off at such a rate that we completely failed to order any food. Before...
5 tags
she looked at me blankly
It was October 2004 and I’d just left the world of publishing for corporate life at a global insurance broker. Enjoying a few drinks at a party in Clapham I was chatting to a uni friend I’d not seen for years.
“How’s the magazine going?” she asked.
With a big grin on my face, I told her that I’d recently handed it over to a new editor as I’d accepted a role at Aon in its knowledge management...