CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
What Are We Trying to Accomplish OHS/DKR Collaboration Discussion Gr

1103 -
1103 -    ..
1104 - Summary/Objective
1105 -
110501 - Follow up ref SDS 19 0000, ref SDS 15 EC5N.
110502 -
110503 -
110504 -
110505 -
110507 -  ..
1106 -
1107 -
1108 - Progress
1109 -
110901 - What Are We Trying to Accomplish Develop Tools Augment Collective IQ
110902 -
110903 - Follow up ref SDS 19 EF7I.
110904 -
110905 - A letter on Eugene Kim's Blueoxen website says...
110906 -
110907 -    1.  What are we trying to accomplish?
110908 -
110909 -        To: Blueoxen Yak Team
110910 -        From: Kathryn La Barre
110911 -        Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 13:13:02 -0500 (EST)
110912 -        Message-id: o.ucs.indiana.edu>
110913 -
110914 -           http://collab.blueoxen.net/forums/cgi-bin/mesg.cgi?a=yak&i=Pine.GSO.3.96.1040113121536.3461C-100000@iago.ucs.indiana.edu    (032)
110916 -  ..
110917 - Kathryn reviews background from prior letters for context on asking
110918 - the purpose of discussions among a group of top Knowledge Management
110919 - engineers loosly collaborating under Eugene Kim's leadership using the
110920 - Blueoxen website.
110922 -  ..
110923 - This question of what Knowledge Management tries to accomplish has
110924 - been presented in several forms over the past few years, summarized in
110925 - a study on 020530. ref SDS 19 EF7I
110927 -  ..
110928 - Kathryn initially cites prior letter from Tom Munnecke...
110929 -
110930 -    2.  Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 08:48:58 -0800
110931 -        From: Tom Munnecke
110932 -        Subject: Courtesies of representation
110934 -         ..
110935 -        It is very difficult to sort out who is saying what, in what
110936 -        context, seen by whom, and what the flow of the conversation
110937 -        is.
110939 -         ..
110940 -    3.  Is it really that difficult to come up with a technology which
110941 -        formats a conversation in a simple "he said, she said" format
110942 -        that could be read linearly on a message by message or digested
110943 -        format?
110945 -  ..
110946 - On 000503 Eric Armstrong planned to make email the core of Knowledge
110947 - Manageent for OHS/DKR project because email brought information to him
110948 - that reminded of work to perform, and he explained that email
110949 - organizes things effectively. ref SDS 11 F82E  At that time, Joe
110950 - Williams asked about improving organization and management to make
110951 - email a more useful communication technology. ref SDS 11 C48F  Several
110952 - days later, Eric submitted specifications to make email the core of
110953 - OHS/DKR to improve management productivity. ref SDS 12 4392
110955 -  ..
110956 - At that time on 000505 requirements were cited which Tom cites again
110957 - today that are essential for making email productive. ref SDS 12 4D5G
110958 - On 011003 Eric changed his mind, and reported email creates
110959 - information overload that paralyzes productivity, requests clues for
110960 - solution. ref SDS 15 EC5N
110961 -
110963 -  ..
110964 - Actually, on 931130 Drucker points out people have given up because
110965 - communication is very complex; keeping track of chronological order
110966 - and context management are both a lot of hard work, and so a good
110967 - target of opportunity for technology to lend a hand, as Tom suggests.
110968 - Thus, Knowledge Management strives to continally make sense of
110969 - continuous communication that touches wide ranging subjects with
110970 - complex correlations, implications, and nuance for objectives,
110971 - requirements, and commitments.
110973 -  ..
110974 - Kathryn cites another previous letter...
110976 -         ..
110977 -    4.  On Thu, 13 Mar 2003, Jack Park wrote:
110979 -         ..
110980 -        I take up so much bandwidth here on topics like this because I
110981 -        believe these topics to be germane to the evolution of tools
110982 -        useful to the augmentation of a collective IQ
110983 -
110984 -           http://collab.blueoxen.net/forums/yak/2003-03/msg00017.html#nid02
110986 -  ..
110987 - Jack's letter (or possibly Tom's letter) cites comments from a prior
110988 - letter...
110989 -
110990 -        a.  Chris Dent:
110992 -             ..
110993 -            This reminds me of a little informal survey I've been
110994 -            wanting to throw:
110996 -             ..
110997 -        b.  Assume a scale of 1 to 7.  A point on the scale is the
110998 -            locus of the problem or hotpoint of challenge in augmenting
110999 -            collective IQ.  At one end we have tools at the other
111000 -            people:
111001 -
111002 -               tools                     people
111003 -                  1   2   3   4   5   6   7
111005 -             ..
111006 -        c.  What number would you choose? Why?
111008 -             ..
111009 -        d.  I'm not proposing that we vote on this.  I do have a few
111010 -            proposals/questions for starters---
111012 -  ..
111013 - Kathryn (possibly quoting Tom) states the purpose of her letter (per
111014 - above, ref SDS 0 WO5I, today...
111015 -
111016 -    5.  What exactly IS it that we are trying to accomplish here?
111018 -  ..
111019 - This is about the 10th time in 3 or 4 years that this issue has been
111020 - presented, indicating significant difficulty envisioning the scope for
111021 - transformation from information to a culture of knowledge, as shown in
111022 - the case study on 020530. ref SDS 19 EF7I
111024 -  ..
111025 - Research on 000307 by people involved in discussion today reported
111026 - Knowledge Management is a lot of hard work organizing the record to
111027 - work intelligently, i.e., efficiently, accurately, and productively
111028 - saving lives, time, and money. ref SDS 8 767G  "Paperless office"
111029 - imparts method, but not the essence of what computers can accomplish.
111030 - Difficulty grasping what engineers can program that aids thinking and
111031 - remembering was noted during the project launch meeting at SRI on
111032 - 000324. ref SDS 9 JY3F
111034 -  ..
111035 - The problem has been that the biology of cognition that turns "water
111036 - into wine" by transforming information into knowledge remains a
111037 - mystery, as set out in NWO. ref OF 14 42HC
111039 -  ..
111040 - Doug Engelbart proposed on 000324 that the OHS/DKR project accomplish
111041 - a 1962 proposal that software engineers develop tools and practices
111042 - that aid intellectual effectiveness, ref SDS 9 6992, as earlier
111043 - reviewed on 991222. ref SDS 7 XS9N  The proposal planned to accomplish
111044 - the vision presented in 1945 by Vannevar Bush for technology to
111045 - augment intelligence. ref SDS 7 XS6N  Knowledge Management can
111046 - accomplish this purpose to make cognitive tasks for working diligently
111047 - to get things done accurately faster and easier, reviewed on 960304.
111048 - ref SDS 3 L47F  The OHS/DKR launch plan issued on 001025 seems to
111049 - present this purpose. ref SDS 13 Y892
111051 -  ..
111052 - Article on origins of Knowledge Management in 1993 by Larry Prusak,
111053 - then with IBM, ref SDS 16 DT5F, described the purpose of knowledge
111054 - management to improve productivity of communications that drive
111055 - internal management by improving processes for handling an expanding
111056 - information base in meetings, calls, and documents, reviewed on
111057 - 011102. ref SDS 16 NB9M
111059 -  ..
111060 - Kathyrn's letter continues...
111061 -
111062 -    6.  How can we best accomplish our goals?
111063 -
111064 -        (which I've always taken to be something along the lines of
111065 -        Jack's statement above: "evolution of tools useful to the
111066 -        augmentation of a collective IQ"), ref SDS 0 EJ3U
111068 -         ..
111069 -        OR are the goals of this list different than this?
111070 -
111071 -
111072 -
111073 -
1111 -

SUBJECTS
Default Null Subject Account for Blank Record

1203 -
120401 -  ..
120402 - Shared Vocabulary Builds Shared Meaning Enables Common Efforts
120403 -
120404 -
120405 -    7.  How important is shared vocabulary to collaboration?
120407 -  ..
120408 - Is collaboration the core purpose of OHS/DKR technology, per above?
120409 - ref SDS 0 EJ6P
120411 -  ..
120412 - Example of challenge adopting shared vocabulary is the record on
120413 - 001116, ref SDS 14 0001, changing scope of DKR to OHR without any
120414 - evident purpose other than people cannot connect current perspective
120415 - to prior understandings. ref SDS 14 XZ7I
120417 -             ..
120418 -            [...see below Eugene Kim responds that vocabulary is
120419 -            critical to effective collaboration. ref SDS 0 414X
120421 -         ..
120422 -        What are we really arguing about here?
120424 -         ..
120425 -        Religion? Truth? Something else?
120427 -         ..
120428 -        Why are we talking about these things?
120429 -
120430 -            [...see below Eugene Kim responds that vocabulary is
120431 -            critical to effective collaboration. ref SDS 0 414X
120432 -
120433 -
120434 -    8.  (Notice how recursion sets in quickly)
120435 -
120437 -         ..
120438 -        Vocabulary Definition Drives Culture Common Purpose Efforts
120439 -
120440 -
120441 -    9.  A few proposals:
120443 -         ..
120444 -        Can we agree to define the terms we use (as we use them)?
120446 -         ..
120447 -        So many terms, like religion, fundamentalism are loaded with
120448 -        baggage that differs from one individual to the next.  State
120449 -        your meaning clearly.
120450 -
120451 -
120452 -
120453 -
1205 -

SUBJECTS
Default Null Subject Account for Blank Record

1303 -
130401 -         ..
130402 -        Civil Discourse Collaboration Constructive Confrontation
130403 -
130404 -
130405 -   10.  Can we agree upon what constitutes civil discourse?
130406 -
130407 -        Whether because of personality, philosophy, presentation,
130408 -        experience or what have you, we all have different means of
130409 -        presenting our thoughts.  What passes as civil discourse among
130410 -        pragmatists may be deemed unacceptable elsewhere (and yes,
130411 -        email is a medium of communication highly susceptible to
130412 -        misunderstanding).
130414 -  ..
130415 - Kathryn presents Drucker's point that people have given up on
130416 - improving management because communication is very complex, reviewed
130417 - on 931130. ref SDS 1 3851  This group previously learned on 000307
130418 - during research while meeting at SRI that Knowledge Management takes a
130419 - lot of hard work to avoid misunderstandings so that cooperation
130420 - through civil conversation can be effective. ref SDS 8 767G
130421 -
130422 -              [On 040621 top "thought leader" in Knowledge Management
130423 -              focuses on personalities rather than solutions to improve
130424 -              management. ref SDS 21 RF6O
130426 -  ..
130427 - Andy Grove reports Intel tried a system of everyone shouting at each
130428 - other to relieve frustrations of misunderstandings when conversations
130429 - are not aligned with objectives, requirements, commitments and related
130430 - history, under a theory of constructive confrontation reviewed on
130431 - 980307. ref SDS 5 0261
130433 -  ..
130434 - Later, on 020217 confrontation over misunderstandings degrade to
130435 - finger pointing because people cannot point to contextually relevant
130436 - history for guiding communications productively. ref SDS 18 9360
130437 - Landauer's paper on "Plato's Problem" and reviewed 960518 explains
130438 - human mental biology drives meaning drift, ref SDS 4 4488, causing
130439 - misunderstandings, also, presented in POIMS. ref OF 4 049O
130441 -  ..
130442 - Vannevar Bush wrote an article in 1945 that proposed using technology
130443 - to track trails of memory in the human mind in order to improve
130444 - accuracy remembering associations that drive understanding of meaning
130445 - in communications, reviewed on 960304. ref SDS 3 H68K
130447 -  ..
130448 - On 991025 Peter Drucker wrote an article for the Atlantic Monthly
130449 - calling for technology to routinize support for cognition. ref SDS 6
130450 - 0785
130452 -  ..
130453 - On 000405 Doug Engelbart proposed adding granular addressability in
130454 - correspondence to empower people for avoiding misunderstandings,
130455 - ref SDS 10 2484, using an audit trail for traceability to original
130456 - sources, called out in professional management standards, reviewed on
130457 - 950721. ref SDS 2 1740  Kathryn's letter today provides a link that
130458 - demonstrates benefits of the Bush prescription in 1945, and Doug's
130459 - proposal half a century later for reducing the time and effort to
130460 - routinely accomplish accurate communications. ref SDS 0 EJ3U  Murray
130461 - Altheim reported on 020820 that adding connections to correspondence
130462 - takes a lot of hard work, ref SDS 20 O1QQ, and so proposed that adding
130463 - links to email is not a requirement for Knowledge Management, because
130464 - this is a very rare occurrance, also, illustrated by Kathryn's letter
130465 - today.
130467 -  ..
130468 - A case study on 020217 helps illustrate Kathryn's request today for
130469 - civil discourse that improves communication. ref SDS 18 TT3F
130470 -
130471 -
130472 -
130473 -
1305 -

SUBJECTS
Default Null Subject Account for Blank Record

1403 -
140401 -  ..
140402 - Discussion Points Working Definitions Build Bridges Synthesize
140403 -
140404 -
140405 - Kathyrn's letter continues...
140406 -
140407 -   11.  Perhaps thinking of points presented as discussion points
140408 -        instead of arguments, and the definition of terms as working
140409 -        definitions would change the dyamic a bit.
140411 -         ..
140412 -   12.  We aren't always going to agree.
140414 -  ..
140415 - Kathryn proposes the right medicine for healthy projects where people
140416 - can disagree and work constructivley toward bridging differences.
140417 -
140418 -           [...below Eugene Kim proposes that Kahryn start a discussion
140419 -           on this perspective. ref SDS 0 424W
140421 -  ..
140422 - However, it is not always easy, and is not always fun, but a
140423 - foundation of good will provides the best chance of success that
140424 - yields easier relations with tools that are fast and fun to use.
140426 -  ..
140427 - Kathyrn's letter continues...
140428 -
140429 -   13.  I follow the discussions, though I rarely join in, I'm not a
140430 -        tool builder.  My belief in Englebart's vision keeps me
140431 -        actively engaged in the blueoxen and ba-ohs (etc.) lists.
140433 -         ..
140434 -   14.  I would very much like to see less focus on the individual and
140435 -        more on the collective.  Keep telling us about your tools, your
140436 -        accomplishments, your thoughts, but anchor this in the vision
140437 -        that brought us all here in the first place.  The quality of
140438 -        the discussion here is outstanding, but will yak get us where
140439 -        we all want to go?
140440 -
140441 -            [...below, Eugene Kim offers thoughtful response.
140442 -            ref SDS 0 418Y
140444 -         ..
140445 -        Kathryn La Barre
140446 -        http://mypage.iu.edu/~klabarre
140447 -        doctoral student,
140448 -        School of Library and Information Science
140450 -         ..
140451 -        The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.
140452 -        It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of
140453 -        true art and true science.
140454 -        Einstein (1954). Ideas and Opinions p. 11.
140455 -
140456 -
140457 -
140458 -
1405 -

SUBJECTS
Default Null Subject Account for Blank Record

1503 -
150401 -  ..
150402 - Chatter Off Topic Builds Energy and Bonds for Collaboration on Topic
150403 -
150404 - Eugene Kim responds to Kathryn's letter, ref SDS 0 WO5I, and offers a
150405 - strong rationale for lattitude in discusison that veers into areas not
150406 - directly relevant to organizational objectives....
150407 -
150408 -    1.  What are we trying to accomplish? ref SDS 0 WO5I
150410 -         ..
150411 -    2.  To: Blueoxen Yak Team
150412 -        From: Eugene Eric Kim
150413 -        Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 11:18:41 -0800
150414 -        Message-id:
150415 -
150416 -           http://collab.blueoxen.net/forums/cgi-bin/mesg.cgi?a=yak&i=20040113191841.GC20313@douge.blueoxen.net    (018)
150418 -         ..
150419 -    3.  Thanks, Kathryn, for recentering the discussion. ref SDS 0 EJ4P
150421 -         ..
150422 -    4.  On Tue, Jan 13, 2004 at 01:13:02PM -0500, Kathryn La Barre
150423 -        wrote:
150424 -
150425 -        a.  What exactly IS it that we are trying to accomplish here?
150426 -            ref SDS 0 EJ6P
150427 -
150428 -        b.  How can we best accomplish our goals? ref SDS 0 DX6S
150429 -
150430 -            (which I've always taken to be something along the lines of
150431 -            Jack's statement above: "evolution of tools useful to the
150432 -            augmentation of a collective IQ"), ref SDS 0 EJ3U
150434 -             ..
150435 -            OR are the goals of this list different than this?
150436 -            ref SDS 0 OS6X
150438 -         ..
150439 -    5.  Damn good questions.  I'm going to hold off on these for a few
150440 -        weeks, because we address them in our upcoming research report.
150441 -        However, I want to add my own thoughts on the following:
150443 -  ..
150444 - Eugene state's more of Kathryn's questions....
150445 -
150446 -    6.  How important is shared vocabulary to collaboration?
150447 -        ref SDS 0 DY3S
150449 -         ..
150450 -        Absolutely vital.
150452 -  ..
150453 - Eugene state's more of Kathryn's questions....
150454 -
150455 -    7.  What are we really arguing about here?
150456 -        Religion? Truth? Something else?
150457 -        Why are we talking about these things? ref SDS 0 GF5M
150459 -         ..
150460 -    8.  Presumably because they will lead to a better understanding of
150461 -        collaboration, which will enable us to improve collaboration.    (08)
150463 -         ..
150464 -    9.  On a more metalevel, we chat about these things because they
150465 -        interest us and because they build stronger (hopefully) ties
150466 -        between people within a community.  That, in turn, raises the
150467 -        potential for collaboration.  To borrow some terms used in the
150468 -        recent thread between Sheldon and John, it increases the latent
150469 -        energy within the group.
150471 -         ..
150472 -   10.  You'll always find a Chatter pattern in healthy groups, be they
150473 -        large communities or small teams.  The problem is that Chatter
150474 -        can conflict with other patterns in a group.  (For reference,
150475 -        I've also used the terms "Water Cooler" and "Small Talk" to
150476 -        describe the same pattern.)    (010)
150478 -         ..
150479 -   11.  This community has reached a point where a subgroup has
150480 -        emerged.  That subgroup is actively using this list to Chatter.
150481 -        I think that's okay as long as it doesn't detract from the
150482 -        other goals of the list.  However, if the Chatter is making the
150483 -        list difficult for others not in that subgroup to follow, we
150484 -        need to do something about it.  There are several
150485 -        possibilities.  Offering new channels is one.  Providing
150486 -        different tools is another.  Self-policing ourselves in terms
150487 -        of how we use this list is another.  (This is that people/tools
150488 -        dichotomy you mentioned.)
150489 -
150491 -  ..
150492 - Eugene state's more of Kathryn's questions....
150493 -
150494 -   12.  Perhaps thinking of points presented as discussion points
150495 -        instead of arguments, and the definition of terms as working
150496 -        definitions would change the dyamic a bit. ref SDS 0 EJ9R
150498 -         ..
150499 -   13.  How about you start us off on this discussion, Kathryn?
150500 -
150501 -
150502 -
150503 -
150504 -
150505 -
150506 -
150507 -
150508 -
150509 -
1506 -