Sometimes simplicity can be cutting edge
Written by Heather McLeod Grant on Friday, December 11th, 2009
Filed under Synthesis
“What are you working on?”
It’s a simple question – one that only takes a few minutes to answer. But it’s a question that has dramatically simplified how we think about knowledge management within the Monitor Institute. Like many organizations, we have Yammer, an online “case team database,” several blogs, and other technical tools set up for sharing ideas and best practices within our organization. We have codified documents out the wazoo, and monthly team meetings to touch base on the most urgent priorities.
But most of these tools and documents don’t get used as much as they should – and consequently, we are often struggling to “know what we know” and to stay connected as we do our work, head down in client projects, pulling off into our own little silos. I suspect we’re not alone – most organizations of more than a few people struggle with how to do “knowledge management,” and few truly do it well. How do we keep connecting the dots?
As a group we recently brainstormed ideas about how to create a simple knowledge management system that would at least be a small step in helping us all be more connected, and work more wikily internally. The one that actually has received the most uptake is one of the most simple – our old friend email – but with a personal twist. In this case, it’s an email sent out by one of our practitioners (Diana) each week with four short but sweet questions:
- What are you working on this week?
- What question has been top of mind for you this week?
- How have you been learning or sharing learning this week?
- What are you most grateful for this week?
The questions only take a few minutes to answer – and there is a real person on the other end (not a Yammer, not an automated tech tool, not a silent and all-knowing database that waits to swallow your codified thoughts.) I think this is why it’s had such dramatic uptake – I for one feel guilty blowing off a colleague, while blowing off Yammer is as easy as “delete.” Practically everyone answers every week, and then Diana synthesizes the answers, and emails them around. Each answer has a personal voice – it’s almost like a Twitter synthesis. It comes from a real person. It’s short and easy to read. It makes us laugh; it causes us stop and reflect for a few moments; it prompts us to pick up the phone, or walk down the hall, or ping each other on email with a follow up if we see a connection to what we’re working on. It is helping us to build community. And it is helping us all to know more what we know collectively.
Email – so old school. We could be using Facebook, or Twitter, or IM, but in thise case we don’t. Call us Luddites or whatever you will, but I for one prefer the simplicity on the other side of complexity. Which just underscores something that it can be all too hard to remember in these days when social media is becoming like air: fancy new tools are only sometimes necessary to achieve the goal of a tightly networked team.
