The ability to learn for a person and for an organization is probably one of the most important competencies to be constantly developed. Knowledge is dynamic, changes constantly and advances. Everyday something happens in the market where we compete, client preferences evolve, new competitors appear and new technologies come to the surface. Best practices and overall business success are built upon organizational cumulative knowledge, which is grounded in the ability to learn.
Stephan Haeckel1 describes the process of acquiring organizational knowledge in his Haeckel’s Hierarchy model, shown in Chart 1. He says, “Knowledge is subjective. People, not technologies, are the repositories of knowledge”. The process to develop not only knowledge, but also wisdom in the organization starts with the observation and registration of facts and events, this process generates data. Information is created by the application of context to data, which produces meaning in the form of patterns that relate the data. Applying filters based on concepts and models, to produce information, does the interpretation of this data.
Intelligence (applied to business), is produced by the application of inference to information. It is the second stage of interpretation. The inferencing process may be logical or intuitive, conscious or subconscious. It is not only intelligence and experience, but also talent that distinguish good analysis. The conviction that we know something requires a certain level of certitude. Knowledge is a context that we accept with conviction, however, it is subjective. It needs to be internalized and accept its validity. Wisdom is formed, when multiple areas of knowledge are synthesized into a framework of thought. This requires integration of the context, inferences and convictions associated with each piece of knowledge, it is about linking the dots
Chart 1: Haeckel’s Hierarchy
All resources destined to gather business information should be focused into decision-making processes, which are organizational mechanisms by which knowledge is transformed into actions. Allocating resources involves assigning them to individuals, who are made accountable for applying them to produce the outcomes specified by the decision.
The intention and commitment to constantly learn from the market is a survival process. This knowledge needs to be documented, safeguarded and transmitted within the organization, to serve its purpose.
Does your organization have a robust «Wisdom Development» process?
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