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Home > Vol.
1, No. 5 > Open Articles |
Jun 2001 | |
The Stories of ENTOVATION® from Global Learn Day IV - Year 2000by Debra M. Amidon, chair and chief executive officer of Entovation International, Ltd., a global innovation research and consulting network
Imagine your own precious contacts who live and work in various corners of the globe - Turkey, Poland, Paris, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, Venezuela, Somalia, Mexico, Canada, and more ... many more. You can see some of these on the Global Knowledge Leadership Map (see link at bottom of article). But more often than not, you have commented that one should know the other because of their particular expertise or aspiration. Then imagine that - thanks to the technical and vision wizardry of John Hibbs of Ben Franklin Institute - you are able to orchestrate such a meeting of the minds via the use of the telephone and chat rooms on the Internet. And now, they meet one another - albeit still virtually - through a 24-hour conversation featuring their talents. This was the essence of the fourth annual Global Learn Day held October 8, 2000. StoriesThe Opening Ceremonies included advice from a Navajo Elder who spoke of how we might use the Internet, but also protect our own languages and cultures. Describing GLD IV as "Where the world comes to learn", Katherine Smith, The Native American Institute (Colorado, USA), urged the audience to "Be careful. Study hard and learn how the world and governments work. Always watch for the coyote." There were many others during the worldwide tour - too many to mention here; but the real story for ENTOVATION® were the stars that appeared for the live audio and text chat dialogue! Vignette #1:It was the story recounted by Gulgen Kayakutlu - an expert on small and medium sized businesses - about the aftermath of their recent Earthquake in Turkey that sparks an intensive on-line dialogue about customer relationship management (CRM). She describes how in only 52 seconds 80% of the manufacturing base was destroyed. How does one go about recovering customer information? The rebuilding began with a systematic study of customer knowledge (that is, interacting with and learning from customers)! As Gulgen is describing the knowledge processes required for the successful reconstruction via the telephone, a lively discussion among other ENTOVATION colleagues - Pat Parker-Roach (Bolton, Massachusetts) and Yvonne Buma (The Netherlands) is happening in the chat room. Pat suggests the problem with implementing such programs is a matter of the dialogue skills required in the bi-directional flow of knowledge. Lynne Schneider (USA) suggests that most CRM programs are dropped at the front or back office with little or no understanding of what constitutes customer success. Philip Maciejewski (Poland) adds that they always have a relationship between the customers; but that there is nothing new in CRM but some technology. Lynne offers the ENTOVATION concept of innovating with the customer. Pat announces the new CRM consortium as part of the SoL (Society of Learning) based at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). They all are eager to hear from Gulgen's real-time customer success. Vignette #2:Chin Hoon Lau, a molecular geneticist from Malaysia who hosted activities in conjunction with the Global Knowledge Partnership sponsored by the World Bank in March 2000, describes throughout the 24 hours his Lagenda Knowledge Systems business as well as his initiatives in virtual collaboration as a way to transform voluntary groups into viable entities. While he is on the air, we also visit other experts in the region (Jin Zhouying from China, Karl-Erik Sveiby and Sante Delle Virgini from Australia, and Stoney Ishikawa from Japan). But Chin Hoon's comments are not limited to the Asia/Australia region; he holds conversations with other colleagues from all the other regions on a variety of topics. Similarly, Sante's discussion of intellectual property (IP) in the Knowledge Economy sparks a continuing debate on what can be protected and how as well as comments on the IP Committee of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Although no conclusions are reached, all participating gain a better understanding of the issue and implications for various parts of the world. Vignette #3:The visit to Europe and Africa prompts a robust 3-hour conversation about innovating Old Mother Europe. Gulgen (Turkey) talks about the mind-tuning necessary. Lynne (US) describes the EU Knowledge Council's, but that it is the change in attitudes that is essential. Philip (Poland) queries, "Can we really see the power of Intellectual Capital?" Another colleague from Poland, Volker Rohde describes the potential for "building the capacity to create within the next 10-20 years a platform for people around the world - beyond CNN." There are questions of the unnecessary duplication of effort and a debate about whether re-inventing was a viable strategy (and whether it did lead to innovation). There seems to be some consensus that business transformation is a matter of innovation (re-thinking). Such a discussion cuts to the heart of the real meaning of innovation - capitalizing on the best of the past and realigning the rest for future opportunities. As Henry Thoreau in Walden wrote: "If you have built castles in the air that is where they belong. Now build the foundations under them." Vignette #4:Piero Formica (Italy) during a coffee break of a conference he is chairing, describes the Entrepreneurial University he has been innovating with faculty from multiple universities and focused on real business projects. Jean Marc Le Duc (Ministry of Research, France), Lars Kolind (Denmark), Esko Kilpi (Finland), Karl-Erik Sveiby (Australia), Ante Pulic (representing his homeland of Croatia, but on the faculty in Austria), Manfred Bornmann (Austria) and Ali Liban (from Somalia, Africa although he is currently resident in Saudi Arabia) join the discussion. These long-term learning connections have helped fuel the progress within companies, academia and government. These national and regional learnings have shadow influence around the world thanks to the technology and human commitment by GLD active participants. Vignette #5:Jan Wyllie from the UK, shares the story on the air of how ENTOVATION® linkages brought talented people together to work collaboratively on The Springboard and Sweat Lodge - an experiment beyond tacit knowledge. He defines "real knowledge" as including feelings, actions, social relationships, sense of purpose and spiritual well being. The nature of such knowledge cannot really be 'captured;' it is best conveyed through storytelling (the topic of the new book by Stephen Denning, CKO of the World Bank), which offers a deeper level of mutual understanding. This is the essence of the real nature of change in absolute time. It is also the story of the interweaving of expertise and aspirations that occurred throughout the 24-hour GLD dialogue. Vignette #6:Since the European meeting in Utrecht, we have been working with representatives from Central and South American to convene the Latin America Roundtable on the Implications of the Knowledge Economy. Lynne Schneider (US) joins us after her recent trip to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico where the political leadership are recognizing the potential of such a regional effort. Discussions originate with Dr. Javier Carrillo, Director of the Knowledge Systems Research Center of ITESM - notably the MIT of Mexico. As the creator of the Knowledge-Based Value Model and graduate KM curriculum, he has also architected the KM MetaSite that captures the interest of most GLD participants. Vignette #7:Throughout the day, the symbiosis is evident. Experts build upon the ideas of one another and meet - albeit virtually - contacts we had been recommending over the years. The names became faces and backgrounds of expertise as the Oasis forms were completed for GLD. For many, this is the first time they are in conversation. Eventually the search for an understanding of knowledge, learning and innovation returns to the opening remarks. As Cindy Gordon (Canada) says, "The journey is a long one - and understanding that different cultures attach different meanings and interpretations. To achieve our desired state of a global knowledge economy, we must not forget who we are and what we want to leave behind for future generations to carry forth." GLD IV Major Learnings - ENTOVATION® 100 Proof-of-Concept:Participation in the GLD was an experiment for ENTOVATION® - an initial introduction of the ENTOVATION® 100 to one another. It is the beginning of what will evolve into a dialogue on all ten dimensions of innovation strategy, the findings of which will be published as a new ENTOVATION® Intelligence Service. What we learned:
For further details on those who convened at GLD IV to freely share their views, meet the Entovation 100 and also see most on the Global Knowledge Leadership Map.  From here you can take several directions and we suggest the following:
Read more about Debra M. Amidon.
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It
was the equivalent of an international intellectual marathon - broadcast
live on the Internet. Described as a sparkling event. Most
participants experienced a new level of understanding of the potential
power of the technology and the value of a solid professional network
with a purpose.
