Invitation to Information Session: Columbia University's New M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy

A recent SMR post described Columbia University's new Master of Science in Information and Knowledge Strategy, designed to teach knowledge management (KM), knowledge services, and knowledge strategy development skills to knowledge workers.

On Thursday, March 24,  interested professionals in the New York metropolitan area (or who might be visiting in New York) are invited to learn more about the program at an information session at Columbia. The meeting is at the Columbia University Faculty House, beginning at 6.30 pm. To RSVP, click here and click on the RSVP button.

The particular goal of Columbia's new M.S. in Information and Knowledge Strategy is to teach necessary skills for professionals in any industry where the need to create and leverage information and knowledge is critical for leadership and organizational effectiveness. The program is appropriate for professionals with a variety of backgrounds:

§  Mid-career information professionals who recognize and are drawn to new challenges in the information and knowledge economy and who want to position themselves to seize strategic opportunities
§  Career changers who recognize the growing opportunities in the emerging knowledge-based economy and want to become strategic knowledge specialists in business, nonprofit, healthcare, legal, or governmental organizations
§  Individuals who may have considered pursuing an MBA degree, but prefer to study information and knowledge strategy issues not addressed in a traditional graduate business program.

The program requires a high level of critical and analytical thinking, as well as organizational and writing skills. It is especially appropriate for individuals who enjoy problem-solving and are enthusiastic about the strategic potential of social media and networking applications in the workplace.

Come join Columbia's Information and Knowledge Strategy team on Thursday, March 24, at 6.30 pm. We look forward to seeing you and telling you more about the program.

- Guy St. Clair

Question: How Do Knowledge Workers Help with Information Overload?

The Information Africa Organization (IAO) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) registered in Kenya. Its main objective is to build capacity among youth in Information Communication Technology/Information Technology (ICT/IT) to enhance use of information available in cyberspace for development. The full description of IAO's objective is found here.

At the site, the current question under discussion has to do with information overload, a subject often given attention in the KM/knowledge services discipline. The discussion forum raises the issue by noting that information overload and professional/scientific language are barriers to information flow, and goes on to state that "implementable decisions are based on clear information (where clarity includes language used)."

The question for discussion is: How best can professionals in information and related fields (which, in my opinion, includes strategic knowledge specialists, knowledge managers, and knowledge strategists) aid in simplifying information to support formulation of time and relevant policies?

Reply to this post with your response (comments will be posted here and at the SMR corporate blog, and passed on to IAO). If you wish to respond directly, link to the IAO Discussion Forum.

Looking forward to learning what colleagues thinking about knowledge development and knowledge sharing (KD/KS) have to say.

Professional Colleagues: Meet Nerisa Kamar

I'm happy to refer readers of this post to a professional description of my friend Nerisa Jepkorir Kamar in Nairobi.

I've often written about her and shared photographs of Nerisa at this post, as she is one of "The Great Four" and, as with my pals Geoffrey Onyango Opile and Charles Ombongi Masese, Nerisa has played an important role in my personal success in Kenya.

Nerisa is also an outstanding example of the KM/knowledge services leaders now emerging in Africa, and a brief profile of Nerisa is available at the SMR Int'l - Knowledge Services Notes, our company's corporate blog.

Please take a look if you would like to read about someone who is doing exceptional work in the KM/knowledge services field.

Fighting AIDS in Africa: Knowledge Sharing Works

Two recent references to the Red Campaign - designed to eliminate AIDs in Africa - drive home the incredibly critical role of KM/knowledge services in today's society.

In the latest edition of The Gurteen Knowledge-Letter, David Gurteen describes the strong emotional impact he had when watching the campaign's latest video.

At about the same time, SMR Int'l colleague Dale Stanley - remembering my affection for the people of Africa and my modest involvement with ICT and KM training and development for African youth - called the video to my attention.

My reaction almost exactly matched David's: "one of the most moving videos I have seen in a long time."

Watch the video - then come back and read on:

Could there be any better example of how we bring KM/knowledge services into the "real" world?

I see two things happening here.

First, by sharing what they know, the people in this film take a hands-on approach to knowledge development and knowledge sharing, that process we like to call KD/KS. Just by getting people to talk about AIDS, breaking down the resistance and getting them to recognize that there is value just in speaking about a subject that, if not confronted, will literally kill them, is an amazing accomplishment. The people shown here are managing and sharing knowledge to save lives. And they are all totally committed to what they are doing. Watch the film and try not to be impressed with how these people are moving forward. And pay attention especially to Constance Mudenda who is (in one way) the focus of the story as she describes her work in three clinics, distributing antiretroviral medication to AIDs victims. It's a powerful, very powerful paradigm we're seeing here.

At the same time, the film itself is an impressive example of just how much information and knowledge can be packed into a single vehicle, and shared with anyone who wants to see. I challenge anyone to view this film and say he or she didn't learn anything new; it is full of revelations and concepts that - I would assert - most people in Western societies don't even think about. So we have KD/KS alive and well in this work, and we could even go so far as to relate this to what we try to do with KM/knowledge services, if we can keep our professional jargon from overwhelming the message.

Take another look and then share this blog. This is what strategic knowledge management is all about and if it leads to tears before the film is finished, so much the better.

Excitement for KM/Knowledge Services in Eastern Africa

Kenya’s Young KM Enthusiasts Have Projects Ready to Go

The latest SMR International e-Profile takes a look at the Information Africa Organization (IAO), reflecting on the potential that this exciting new initiative has for KM/knowledge sharing in Eastern Africa, as well as for Kenya’s role in the global economy.

Among programs currently being given attention is a plan to capture agricultural information from village elders and others who have traditionally shared their skills and management expertise through oral tradition and apprenticeships. The current plan is the focus of a group of ambitious pioneering students who have come up with a vision for capturing indigenous agricultural knowledge for posterity.  Nerisa Kamar and Geoffrey Opile, pictured here, are part of a group studying agricultural information at Egerton University, located in Njoro, near Nakuru in the Rift Valley Province, and the driving force for their concept was the title of a recent course – Agricultural Knowledge Management – in which students were exposed to information gaps in agriculture that have led to a decline in agricultural productivity. Opile, a lecturer at the Rift Valley Technical Institute and Kamar, a consultant in The Sergio Vieira de Mello United Nations Library at Nairobi, are working with other students to bring the idea to the implementation stage, with the goal of capturing and disseminating agricultural information and knowledge for sustainability.

It is a perfect role for educated young Kenyans who are looking to not only build careers for themselves but to contribute to the national well being. As these young people learn about ICT and the principles of KM/knowledge services, and then use what they learn as they interact with local citizens who have knowledge to share, everyone stands to gain, at all levels of Kenya’s society.

 The January, 2010 SMR e-Profile can be accessed directly. It is also available at SMRShare, SMR International’s knowledge capture site. Readers can connect with Kamar and Opile through LinkedIn, and they actively seek information and advice from others interested in this work.