Class 2/17

I appreciated the discussion on knowledge exchange. Phill's answer to the question is exactly how I originally understood the relationship between knowledge management and knowledge exchange. Phil viewed exchange as a subset of or mechanism of knowledge management. However, as the discussion continued, Doug explained that Knowledge Management is about explicit knowledge (codifying the ability to access knowledge), while Knowledge Exchange is about tacit knowledge (information you learn from someone else, through communication). Given this definition Knowledge Exchange is incredibly valuable to an organization and individuals within an organization. As it cannot be codified, it drives unique insight and wisdom.

If Knowledge Exchange is about what you learn from others, through direct interaction, engagement and communication, what role does technology play in Knowledge Exchange? Can tacit knowledge be codified? How can technology make individual tacit knowledge available to others in an organization? From our discussion in class, it would seem that technology's role in Knowledge exchange is minimal, whereas technology is paramount to effective Knowledge Management. While technology can play a role in the value chain that facilitates building wisdom, what drives knowledge exchange is people, not technology. Knowledge exchange is not about efficiency and standardization, but rather about individuals listening, learning, being resourceful and taking time to engage.