Organisational Learning & Knowledge Management LO23663

Richard Karash (Richard@karash.com)
Sat, 18 Dec 1999 04:54:26 -0500

Replying to LO23651 --

At 4:26 PM -0500 12/16/99, Mark W. McElroy wrote:

> > The way I posed the issue before was: do we define "K" as ideas (residing
>> either in people's heads, books, or hard drives) OR as the
>> capacity/capability for taking effective action? In other words, is it the
> > sheet music, the CD, or the concert?
>
>I think both definitions beg the question (as all definitions do for the
>reasons explained above). If the answer is "ideas," then we're left with
>the problem of definiing ideas, which last time I checked, are expressions
>of knowledge. The definition, once again, is circular. If we say
>knowledge is "the capacity for action," then anything that meets that
>definition, like physical strength or muscle tone, could be seen as
>"knowledge." But that's not what we have in mind is it?

I think we're very much in agreement here.

Yes, muscles create the capacity for action. And, muscles alone are not
"knowledge".

But, it takes more than muscles for *effective* action.

That's why "effective" has to be part of our focus for both fields. This
is why "effective" is part of the OL definition of knowledge.

By the way... If you know how to walk... Where does that know-how reside?
I wish I knew the current research better, but the know-how is certainly
not all in the conscious brain.

Ditto if you know how to give a good performance review, I think that
know-how is not all in the conscious brain.

Muscle memory is readily seen as part of physical skills. This is one
of the reasons why some of "know-how" is tacit and cannot be
articulated. There's a lot of tacit knowledge in ordinary day-to-day
human interaction.

-=- Rick

-- 

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