"There is an the explicit and intimate link between knowledge building and internal commitment on the way to making good things happen" (Fullan, pg. 82)
If the above quote from Fullan is true, then it does seem that knowledge creation has a positive role in organizations. However, the relationship needs further definition.
Knowledge is held by individuals and organizations and differs in type from explicit to tacit. The goal for an organization is to create explicit knowledge, make it tacit, and spread it among the organization. (Hartman, 2008) How each step in this process is handled is likely to affect the culture and well-being of the organization. In my own experiences, this has been the case. A few years back, my school set a goal of improving reading fluency. We began with explicit knowledge: fluency data, content standards, intervention programs, etc. Using this information, we eventually created tacit knowledge around the value and success of reading interventions in improving fluency. This understanding led to organizational knowledge around reading intervention approaches and practices. Today, nearly every teacher is likely to be able to describe our reading program and the reasons for it.
The role of knowledge creation and sharing in the above example seems to be to create program coherence, and a moral purpose for our work. As Fullan has articulated, these are essential aspects of creating change and having "more good things happen than bad." (Fullan, 2014)
Fullan, Michael. Leading in a Culture of Change. Somerset, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 16 November 2015.
Copyright © 2014. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Hartman, N. (2008). Integrating Knowledge Management in Education Evaluating Current Organizational Congruence, Knowledge Management and Behavioral Alignment in Large School Districts. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.
If the above quote from Fullan is true, then it does seem that knowledge creation has a positive role in organizations. However, the relationship needs further definition.
Knowledge is held by individuals and organizations and differs in type from explicit to tacit. The goal for an organization is to create explicit knowledge, make it tacit, and spread it among the organization. (Hartman, 2008) How each step in this process is handled is likely to affect the culture and well-being of the organization. In my own experiences, this has been the case. A few years back, my school set a goal of improving reading fluency. We began with explicit knowledge: fluency data, content standards, intervention programs, etc. Using this information, we eventually created tacit knowledge around the value and success of reading interventions in improving fluency. This understanding led to organizational knowledge around reading intervention approaches and practices. Today, nearly every teacher is likely to be able to describe our reading program and the reasons for it.
The role of knowledge creation and sharing in the above example seems to be to create program coherence, and a moral purpose for our work. As Fullan has articulated, these are essential aspects of creating change and having "more good things happen than bad." (Fullan, 2014)
Fullan, Michael. Leading in a Culture of Change. Somerset, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 16 November 2015.
Copyright © 2014. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Hartman, N. (2008). Integrating Knowledge Management in Education Evaluating Current Organizational Congruence, Knowledge Management and Behavioral Alignment in Large School Districts. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.