Spending the last week in Japan discussing the value of knowledge
management with a client firm has given me the opportunity to revisit many
Japanese ideas about KM, including the SECI model of knowledge sharing
developed by Nonaka, Takeuchi, Konno, and Toyama.
At a conceptual level, SECI--which stands for socialization (tacit-tacit),
externalization (tacit-explicit), combination
(explicit-explicit), and internalization
(explicit-tacit)--is a simple but elegant way to describe the flow of knowledge
along the tacit-explicit continuum. When so many KM programs (sadly) are still
emphasizing or focusing only on knowledge externalization through content
creation and storage, the SECI framework exposes missed opportunities and
methods for real organizational learning.
The related idea of "ba," a shared vision through
context, seems equally necessary if knowledge is to be truly understood and
applied effectively throughout an organization. When coupled with kaizen, a disciplined
approach of continuous improvement, even small knowledge-sharing victories can
be celebrated as much as larger ones. What's the importance of this? The main
benefit is the creation of a shared vision in which all improvements are
welcomed and not simply valued upon their "impact" alone. By developing an open
environment where individual contributions are revered, even in a culture in
which the collective often takes precedence, innovation--or at least
improvement--stands a much better chance of emerging.
So I chose my words carefully with my
client--wanting to respect their existing knowledge of quality and knowledge
sharing instead of appearing to be merely someone who came from far away to
impart some new, foreign concept to them. Some of the earliest work in KM came
from Japan;
using terms intimately familiar to my Japanese partners, such as "ba" in lieu
of "culture," was my way of assuring them that I wanted to learn from them as
much as I wanted them to learn from others. I'm truly looking forward to the
new ways of work that this client will expose me to, and I'll certainly be
happy to pass along what I learn in future comments.
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