Power = KnowledgeShared
Power is knowledge shared. The power of a community of practice is exponentially related to the knowledge shared by the individual members.
“Today, “because knowledge is available on every Internet-connected device, what you know matters far less than what you can do with what you know. The capacity to innovate — the ability to solve problems creatively or bring new possibilities to life — and skills like critical thinking, communication and collaboration are far more important than academic knowledge.
Our Knowledge sharing practical steps.
- "Crowd source, Expert source Hire and retain people"
- Who have a high level of expertise (and therefore a large amount of knowledge).
- Who are natural sharers.
- With a diverse population of people so that the knowledge they have is varied; i.e., there is enough similarity so that they can understand each other, but not so much that they all know the same things.
- Put in place a work environment (virtual and physical) that encourages and enables knowledge sharing.
- Use cloud sourcing as the method to communicate, collaborate and document knowledge sharing
Generalized Reciprocity Defined
Generalized Reciprocity can be thought of as…
“Informal gift giving for which no accounts are kept and no immediate or specific return is expected”
OR
“When a BENEFACTOR extends something of value to a RECIPIENT without expecting anything specific back from the RECIPIENT, in the confident expectation that someone else will do something for theBENEFACTOR in the future”
Generalized Reciprocity and the Internet. ( The networking age)
The “Free” distribution of intellectual property, information and expertise found in these common internet activities: (1) Open Source Software, (2) Social Networking & Forum Information Exchanges (3) Blogging, (4) Micro Blogging, (5) Podcasting and (6) Free music is all forms of “Generalized Reciprocity.”
Historically this would have been impossible, being both cost prohibitive (production and delivery) and ideologically unfathomable. However, the practice of casting your digital goods and intellectual property and your expert knowledge into the wind is commonplace and increasing. Consequently, on some level Generalized Reciprocity is a foundation of the new information/internet economy and also a motivator behind many virtual communities.
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'
The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.
SO, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path! And Learn very day and share knowledge
