THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700


Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2000 10:40:54 -0800

04 00067 61 00120201



unrev-II@egroups.com
km-news@kmci.org
Mr. Andrius Kulikauskas, Ph.D.
Editor
ms@ms.lt
KMCI News
Knowledge Management Consortium, International
312 Fairgrove Terrace, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
..
Subject:   Theory of Knowledge
Inaugural Issue of km-News

Hi Team,

Below, is an offer for the DKR team to join discussions sponsored by the Knowledge Management Consortium International (KMCI), which might lead to a coherent theory of knowledge that supports an OHS and DKR capability sought by Doug Engelbart with SRI's participation. Work developing and using SDS, since about 1985, led to POIMS, the New World Order, and other publications for Communication Metrics, which explain an architecture of human thought. Over the past year the team has not had enough time to take up these ideas, cited on January 20, 2000, as a predicate to project objectives for developing an OHS/DKR capability.
..
On March 24, 2000, SRI reported research showing that every KM project has failed. More recently, on November 30, Paul Fernhout submitted an article to the DKR team reporting that IBM's project to develop KM by expanding Lotus Notes, in a program called Raven, is having difficulties due to lack of a coherent theory of knowledge.
..
This experience indicates that a theory of knowledge is needed to move forward. On March 27, 2000 Doug Engelbart cited his 1972 paper that explains the goal to improve handling of daily working information. Doug's paper supports the theory of knowledge set out in POIMS.
..
On April 26, 2000 Doug recommended that the team formulate and adopt a Guide to Running NICs. This effort would provide experience implementing ideas in Doug's 1972 paper, and, thereby, lead to a coherent theory of knowledge for creating an OHS/DKR, under Einstein's view that "knowledge" is closely related to experience, which reflects work by Charles Peirce, who formulated an architecture of human thought grounded in human experience, and was published under the heading of Semiotics during a period that overlapped Einstein's career, as reported on May 15, 2000.
..
Professor Mary Keeler explained Peirce's ideas on Semiotics during a presentation at SRI on May 15, 2000. The record of that meeting sets out key factors of knowledge. None-the-less, on June 15, 2000 the DKR team reported that there is not enough knowledge to create tools for an OHS/DKR that accomplishes Knowledge Management (KM).
..
On July 13, 2000 Cliff Joslyn, who heads up the KM effort at the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL), advised that their group supports Peirce's ideas on Semiotics, which lead to a practical theory of knowledge. Cliff was therefore invited to speak at SRI on progress at LANL to develop KM. On July 27, 2000 Cliff presented a mathematical model showing how SDS accomplishes KM. No other systems, nor tools, were presented as capable of supporting KM, consistent with SRI's research, and the recent report on IBM's difficulties releasing Raven, per above.
..
During this period, the team did not have time to formulate and implement the Guide to Running NICs, which Doug requested on April 27, 2000 so that the team could learn KM through the experience of doing KM on a daily basis. None-the-less, an experiential record, within the meaning of a Guide to Running NICs, was maintained in SDS (see meeting at SRI on October 17). Additionally, a doc log was maintained showing correspondence and references provided by contributors to the DKR team over the past year. Project documents are organized and integrated into the context of project objectives, as contemplated by the Guide to Running NICs. SDS was used to add links and anchors to each document in order to facilitate collaboration, which Doug requested in his OHS/DKR Launch Plan submitted on October 25, 2000.
..
Additionally, action items to expedite team progress were submitted, as shown in the record on September 22, 2000, which demonstrates the close correlation between action and information that leads to a practical theory of knowledge, necessary to create useful KM tools.
..
Despite these resources and support, there has not been enough time for the DKR team to develop a theory of knowledge, called out initially on January 20, 2000, and again by Doug Engelbart on March 7, and again on April 7, and regularly thereafter over the past year. Limited time is often characterized as limited bandwidth; however, the latter concept is closer to limited span of attention, rather than reflecting an actual deficit of time. Failure to allocate time due to limited span of attention goes directly to a theory of knowledge, based on integrating time and information, set out in POIMS. SDS solves this by making it easier to apply good "knowledge" work practices consistently, as reported by Dick Karpinski on February 27, by Cliff Joslyn on September 7, and more recently by Henry van Eykan on November 26. SDS supports repetition of KM tasks day-to-day that discloses understanding. Without the opportunity to gain experience from consistent repetition of basic tasks, no learning can occur due to distractions of daily life. Without a direct anchor to sound management practices, the general desire for KM, devolves into a search for technology that makes bad management successful, rather than to make good management easier. It is another of many dilemmas that make KM a secret, as evidenced by the record cited above.
..
A letter to Henry van Eykan on November 9, 2000 noted this dilemma, and proposed education and experience as the critical factors in building a culture of knowledge for KM to take root.
..
On November 17, 2000 a notice was received that KMCI is offering a course of study on a theory of knowledge.
..
Research over the next week or so, led to the conclusion that KMCI's theory is incomplete; however, KMCI may have expertise to help the DKR team work on this task, particularly since KMCI leadership has a strong interest in solving world problems, which, also, motivates DKR contributors, shown by the record on November 23, 2000, and earlier on January 20, 2000.
..
Earlier, on November 21, 2000 a proposal was submitted to help the team gain experience with KM by using SDS to accomplish Doug's ideas for a Guide to Running NICs. Eugene Kim pointed out on November 26, 2000 that the team can get this done without SDS by using existing tools. He laid out a comprehensive 6-point program for taking action.
..
Grant Bowman cautioned that existing tools make it hard to accomplish KM.
..
The foregoing record suggests that it is difficult to gain experience doing KM without SDS, and that to create better tools requires this experience in order to formulate a theory of knowledge that supports a coherent architecture. This is an innovation loop, which can only be overcome by fostering a culture of knowledge that gives people faith to invest intellectual capital in order to grow useful knowledge.
..
We know how to do KM, but getting people to actually do KM requires courage to step over the Rubicon, i.e., a huge emotional divide, between rewards from "information" that are recognized immediately by biological senses (e.g., seeing, speaking and hearing), and bigger, but deferred, rewards of "knowledge" that are devoid of the emotional charge derived from information. The dilemma arises from the fact that our most cherished asset, common sense (see NWO), prevents people from investing time to do KM long enough to discover that KM saves time and money, for the reasons set out in the letter to the team on September 20, 2000.
..
How does common sense encourage using information technology, and prevent using KM?

When we get an email, the emotional urge is to immediately send "information" telling others what we "know," rather than put that letter in the record, and add subjects and links, for organization, and alignment for accuracy and context, which lead to discovering what we know, and then figure out how to respond, see POIMS.
..
Eugene and Grant point out that doing KM without using SDS requires a lot of diligence, which isn't fun, even if it does yield better results.
..
Looking at the big picture shows that civilization has flourished by creating a culture of farming, of finance, and a culture of education, which all entail front-end investment of time and expense, similar to the current proposal for adopting Knowledge Management, explained in the letter to the team on November 2, 2000.
..
Therefore, we have to build a culture of knowledge in order to take the next step in the march of civilization, which requires engaging people in performing KM. Just as we have constituted folks to do farming, finance and education, we need folks to do KM, if we are going to move forward. The letter on October 4, 2000 explained that creating intelligence using SDS to do KM is fun and effective.
..
This provides a path for accomplishing project objectives and having fun, rather than worrying about diligence. Since talking about problems and opportunities can eventually lead to taking action, joining the KMCI news letter may provide another vehicle for creating a theory of knowledge that will support development of OHS and DKR.

Sincerely,

THE WELCH COMPANY



Rod Welch
rowelch@attglobal.net


..
Copy to:

  1. Joslyn, Cliff joslyn@lanl.gov





..

KMCI News
Knowledge Management Consortium, International
312 Fairgrove Terrace, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
http://www.kmci.org



..
December 2, 2000


DKR Project
unrev-II@egroups.com

..

..
km-News
December 2000
..
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

We welcome your KM ideas!
Change starts with a minority.
Unified Knowledge Language
Test Bed for KM



..
INTRODUCTION

In this inaugural issue, I invite you to join our discussion group, kmci@egroups.com Future issues will include reports on the kmci Institute, offering briefings, workshops, and in 2001, KM certification programs. Visit the Institute at
..

http://www.kmci.org/Institute/InstituteHome.htm.



..
WE WELCOME YOUR KM IDEAS!

Do the words Knowledge Management give you ideas? Do you need a forum to share and pursue them? You are always welcome at kmci@egroups.com, a gateway for grass roots activity within and around kmci. Join by sending a blank message to kmci-subscribe@egroups.com
..
In January 1999, at the kmci conference, I was struck by how kmci draws together independent thinkers. We came with ideas that we had worked on for many years, and now we saw our opportunity to implement them.

Knowledge management (KM) brings together new and old insights from many disciplines. The words "knowledge management" imply that "knowledge is an asset, and must be managed." Our corporate world now acknowledges and even champions the value of these many KM insights.
..
However, we face a major obstacle: Knowledge has no value outside of context. Our relationships, inside and outside of our company, are what give knowledge value. We need to build these relationships!



..
CHANGE STARTS WITH A MINORITY

kmci@egroups.com is a gateway to help us find others with similar ideas, so that we might develop and implement them.
..
All are welcome to join. We especially encourage kmci members, because the goal of kmci@egroups.com is to multiply our opportunities for leadership and initiative, so that our ideas can build momentum.

kmci@egroups.com is moderated by the Mincius Sodas laboratory, ms@ms.lt, devoted to caring about thinking. As moderator, I especially wish to nurture points of view that have not yet been accepted by the majority, whether inside or outside the KM community. Change starts with a minority.



..
UNIFIED KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGE INNOVATOR: David Dodds

How many of us would agree with David Dodds, drdodds42@h...? He believes that computers should become participants in KM practices. He loves the idea of a Unified Knowledge Language (UKL) which would simplify exchange between rules-based systems. Steve Raiff, raiff@b..., came up with simple applications: email templates by which we clarify our expectations for our readers. Dan Jones, djones@m..., confirmed the need for email tagging. Ann Lynn, Ann.Lynn@M..., shared ideas on what portion of knowledge is worth capturing or saving. If David Dodds builds enough critical mass, then he can start an independent working group, which at some point the kmci may officially sanction.



..
TEST BED FOR KM INNOVATOR: Douglas Weidner

Douglas Weidner, kmci Membership Chair, Weidner_Douglas@prc.com, wants to structure kmci as a test bed for the best KM practices. This can happen if we offer you, our KM leaders, your favorite ways of participating. What are they? Please, let us know by completing our survey at:
..

http://www.egroups.com/polls/kmci/
..
Thank you!

Sincerely,



Andrius Kulikauskas
Editor, km-News
editor.km-news@kmci.org
Knowledge Management Consortium International
http://www.kmci.org



..
Post Script

Don't forget to send a blank message to kmci-subscribe@egroups.com I will see you there!