The document discusses enhancing knowledge flows within organizations through enterprise social networks. It begins by explaining why knowledge flows are important in today's volatile business environment. It then discusses how flow systems and knowledge flow systems exist in nature and organizations. Mechanisms like enterprise social networks better support knowledge flows by allowing open participation, reaction, and collaboration compared to email. The document concludes by providing tips for designing enterprise social networks to maximize knowledge flows, such as focusing on the flows that matter most and supporting an open culture.

1. Enhancing knowledge flows with enterprise
social networks
Gordon Vala-Webb
National Director, Innovation and Information
SIKM Leaders
June 2014

2. Agenda
 Why should we care about K flows?
 Flow systems
 Knowledge flow systems
 Mechanisms to support K flow
 How to “design” enterprise social
networking to maximize K flow
 Questions
2

3. Why should we care about knowledge
flows?
Slide 3

4. Old world
 Stable
 Repeatable
processes
 Authoritative
knowledge
Sli
de
New world
 Volatile
 Uncertainty
 Complex
 Ambiguous
Adapted from Kent Greenes, “Knowledge Leadership, KMWorld 2011

5. At same time, work has been
getting “smarter”
Slide 5
Source: http://cdn.dupress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Screen-Shot-2012-10-01-at-9.20.13-PM.png?2b7236

6. Drought (flat growth in Western
economies) and new competitors
= megafauna extinction!
“It’s not the strongest of
the species that survives, nor
the most intelligent, but the
one most responsive to
change.”
Charles Darwin
Slide 6
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Diprotodon_BW.jpg

7. Innovative companies
PwC Breakthrough innovation and growth
2013 survey of board-level executives In
1,700+ companies in 25 countries
across 30 sectors
grow faster

8. To adapt (innovate) faster . . .
Knowledge and ideas are the
lifeblood of any organization.
The more sclerosis in that
circulatory system, the harder
it is for the organization to
firstly know what is going on;
and, secondly, to think through
what to do about it.
8
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Illustrations_of_the_circulatory_system#mediaviewe
r/File:Blutkreislauf.png

9. Flow systems
Slide 9

10. The constructal law - Bejan and Zane
Flow systems iand KM
Slide 10
“. . . all of nature is
composed of flow
systems that change
and evolve their
configurations
over time so that
they flow more easily,
to create greater
access to the currents
they move.”

11. Example – river and lung flow
systems
http://www.squ.edu.om/Portals/20/PDF/World%20Water%20Day%202011/Adrian%20Bejan_%20The%20Constructal%20Law%20of%20Design%20in%20Nature%20.pdf

12. Slide 12
Design in nature: trees on top of trees
(vascular hierarchy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hydrographic_basin.svg&page=1

13. Time direction of design evolution
Slide 13
http://www.squ.edu.om/Portals/20/PDF/World%20Water%20Day%202011/Adrian%20Bejan_%20The%20Constructal%20Law%20of%20Design%20in%20Nature%20.pdf

14. Design in nature: The constructal law
(Adrian Bejan and Peder Zane)
 “Freedom is the sine qua
non condition for improvements
over time.”
 “the generation, ceaseless
morphing, and improvement of
flow design”
 “all design is imperfect” Slide 14

15. Knowledge flows
Slide 15

16. Knowledge flow systems
 “universities, newspapers,
and books are flow systems
for spreading knowledge
across the globe. All
generate designs that should
evolve to better facilitate the
flow of these currents.”
Flow systems iand KM
Slide 16
KM World October
2012

17. Slide 17
Ranking of universities is hierarchical
– just like lung, river system

18. Elements of a K flow system
 Within some defined “system”
oE.g. Amazon drainage basin
 Many independent actors
 Related in someway to each other
 Mechanism for K to flow
Slide 18

19. If K flows and Jane McConnel’s
proposed basic organizational “rights”
“Right”
Describe yourself, experiences and
expertise
Share information and ideas
React to ideas of other people
Participate openly in developing new
ideas
Slide 19
NetStrategy JMC
http://www.netjmc.com/organizational-change/manifesto-for-self-expression-
inside-organizations/

20. Mechanisms to support K flow
Slide 20

21. Email messages are hyper-siloed,
pushed (spam-like), ephemeral, random
Slide 21
Emailed
Knowledge
Receivers are overwhelmed
by email volume because:
• Arrives at random times
• No categorization
• Little context provided
No access for non-receivers
(either contemporaneous or
post facto)
Cannot support shared
authoring / collaboration
Multiple copies multiply

22. Jane McConnel’s digital divide “rights”
“Right” Email ESN
Describe yourself,
experiences and
expertise
No
Share information
and ideas
Limited to known personal
network or risk of spamming
React to ideas of
other people
Limited to known personal
network or risk of spamming
Participate openly
in developing new
ideas
No
Slide 22

23. Enterprise social networking
23
. . . Just-in-time pull means information is
much easier to digest and react to
. . . information, ideas and questions are
available by default to everyone
. . . Having a conversation is easy
. . . working on a document together is not
longer a guessing game
. . . the information stays available so anyone
joining the conversation late can get up-to-
speed quickly
. . . most information has rich context with it
(profile of the person who wrote it, which
group it was in, what chat proceeded it)
. . . Shared categorization (topics / hashtags)
Source: http://www.pwc.com.ar/es_AR/ar/publicaciones-por-industria/assets/transforming-collaboration-with-social-tools.pdf

24. Jane McConnel’s digital divide test
“Right” Email ESN
Describe yourself,
experiences and
expertise
No Yes
(partly automatic)
Share information and
ideas
Limited to known
personal network
or risk of spamming
Easy, unlimited
Leaders can listen in
(pull up!)
React to ideas of
other people
Limited to known
personal network
or risk of spamming
Easy, unlimited
Participate openly in
developing new ideas
No Easy, unlimited
Slide 24

25. How to “design” enterprise social
networking to maximize K flow
Slide 25

26. Designing an ESN for maximum K flow
 Focus on the flow system you want to optimize
o E.g. Ideas / innovation
 Incremental improvement? Transformational change?
 Accentuate existing elements of culture that supports
the flow you want
o Within every corporate culture is the one you really
want struggling to come free
 Think through the information architecture you think
you need (e.g. group naming, title conventions) and then
prepare to be flexible
 Look for, and support, vascular hierarchy
Slide 26

27. Nota bene
 Its about the money (or at least the business value)
 Email is built into almost every interaction and buseinss
process
 There is no perfect design – what you have will always
be imperfect
 Keep going through the think-plan-do cycle
 “The fish rots from the head down”
o ancient proverb claimed by many cultures
 Don’t underestimate entropy
 Culture eats strategy for lunch
27

28. Questions?
Slide 28

29. Questions?
Gordon Vala-Webb
National Director
Innovation and Information
gordon.vala-webb [at] mcmillan.ca