Check out this article entitled “Wellbeing on the Home Front.” It describes how social connections at home, at work and in the community affect our wellbeing. Gallup’s new research provides additional support for the Connection Cultures we described in Fired Up or Burned Out.
Tag Archives: knowledge management
The Collective Wisdom of Relationship-Centered Networks
When individuals feel like valued members of a group, it boosts a host of positive outcomes including superior decision-making, employee engagement, employee motivation, strategic alignment, organizational learning, cooperation, productivity, innovation and overall performance. This applies to groups of all sizes including classrooms and schools, families, business and government organizations, hospitals, sports teams and the social sector. Strong relationships are key for any group to achieve the benefits enumerated above.
In an earlier post, I wrote about the University of Chicago research on relational trust that I learned about from my friend Parker Palmer. For those of you who are interested in relational trust and the wisdom of crowds, I encourage you to check out this fascinating interview my friend Robert Morris, the freelance writer, did with Alan Briskin, co-author of The Power of Collective Wisdom. In the interview, Briskin and Morris discuss relationship centered networks that tap into collective wisdom.
For those of you who read Robert Morris’ book review and interview, you will see why I believe he is among the very best at what he does. In addition to being a well-organized, clear writer, Morris is a Renaissance man who always sprinkles his writings and interviews with thoughtful insights drawn from remarkably diverse fields of knowledge. Check out his book reviews and interviews at this link and you’ll see what what I mean.
Knowledge Traps Haunt U.S. Intelligence
In Fired Up or Burned Out I wrote about how Knowledge Traps have sabotaged the American intelligence community’s performance. A former intelligence professional sent me a link to recent discoveries by the press that makes it clear this continues to be a problem. Consider the following:
- According to CBS News, as early as August of 2009 the Central Intelligence Agency was picking up information on a person of interest dubbed “The Nigerian,” suspected of meeting with “terrorist elements” in Yemen.
- According to the Wall Street Journal, the father of Mr. Abdulmutallab warned the CIA of his son’s likely radicalization at the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. That led to a broader gathering of agencies the next day, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Department, in which the information was shared.
- According to CNN, information on Abdulmutallab, including his passport number and possible connection to extremists, had been sent to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, but it sat there for five weeks and was not disseminated.
- Also according to the Wall Street Journal, the National Security Agency who had been monitoring former Guantanamo detainees in Yemen had communications intercepts suggesting a Nigerian was being prepped for a terror strike by al Qaeda operatives in that country.
- And the Washington Post reports that not only did the British government reject an Abdulmutallab visa application this May, but that British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that U.S. officials should have been told about the rejection and that he believes they were.
Unless the Director of National Intelligence (DCI) Admiral Dennis Blair is intentional about establishing a culture in the overall intelligence community that understands what Knowledge Traps are and how to create the Knowledge Flow necessary to remove them, it is likely that we will continue to experience less than optimal performance in intelligence. Several high-ranking individuals in the intelligence and defense communities have been advocates of our work in this area and we hope to spend more time helping them this coming year.
Knowledge Traps Sabotage Performance
A recent New York Times article entitled “For American Workers in China, a Culture Clash” described how American and Chinese cultural differences impact the workplace. Cultural misunderstandings can be one form of Knowledge Trap that impedes the flow of knowledge in an organization. Other Knowledge Traps include leaders/decision-makers who don’t seek diverse points of view, personal rivalries, departmental silos and isolationist organizations. When decision-makers don’t have access to the best knowledge, there is an increased probability that they will make suboptimal decisions. In addition, Knowledge Traps have a negative impact on the marketplace of ideas that fuels innovation.
To improve decision-making and innovation, leaders need to be intentional about removing Knowledge Traps. One of the best ways to do this is to educate people so they can be on guard against Knowledge Traps and understand how to avoid them. Rewarding people who contribute to Knowledge Flow and the marketplace of ideas with compensation and promotions also sends the right message.