Nonaka and technology. Last week, I ended a blog entry with the question, "Do current collaboration tools effectively facilitate Nonaka's four patterns of knowledge creation?" [Kumquat's Musings]

» Unfortunately I haven't found a reference to the Nonaka paper on-line.  Nevertheless Andy's summary is interesting.  Nonaka, he say's, identifies four interaction patterns that describe how knowledge is created/transferred in a company.

1. Tacit - Tacit (knowledge transfer by socialization)
2. Explicit - Explicit (formal and systematic, e.g. RTFM)
3. Tacit - Explicit (someone documenting their knowledge, e.g. a weblog posting)
4. Explicit - Tacit (as people read formal documentation it becomes, over time, part of their greater understanding)

Since tacit knowledge is, by and large, hardest to come by that makes capturing it the more interesting problem.

The question in my mind is:

How important do most companies think it is to capture tacit knowledge?

It seems to me that it is only those organizations that see themselves as learning organizations are interested in this sort of stuff and willing to invest time and money in it.  I need to find people who see the capture & transfer of knowledge as bottom-line activities.

I haven't come across too many organisations like that.   Oh well, networking is a major part of my Get Clients Now! program for the coming month.  If there out there I'm going to try and find them.

[The Marwick article referred to in the posting looks very interesting]

So, a description of services, I should be able to whip that up in a couple of minutes shouldn't I?   Turns out its a bit of a chase your own tail problem for me.

Services I can offer fall under three broad categories:

• Consulting
• Implementation
• Product

Way back, when the madness first gripped me, it was on my mind to be a consultant.  I'd done product and implementation and really wanted to move to where the decisions are made.  Unfortunately I didn't heed the warnings.  Consulting is about 80% network and 80% reputation.  You could probably survive with either and thrive with both.  But neither...?  Right.

Now implementation skills I have.  No problems there.  I can hook & eye systems together with the best of 'em.  I also have a budding application in liveTopics.  If I could just choose between them I should be okay right?  Turns out there's a problem though.

Because there are no klogging consultants in the UK, there are no pilot programs already in place.  Nobody needs implementation services if they aren't implementing things.  Rats.  Well then how about product?

liveTopics is a knowledge-logging application built on Radio Userland.  But that makes it an application without a market (at least in the UK).  If there is no existing market and no consultants out there fostering a market that leaves a big hole where the customers should be.  Anyway we all now how difficult it is to be a software company post-1999.

And last but not least: Where's the leaky pipe?

I've referred a few times to Geoffrey Moore's leaky pipes metaphor.  That, in todays market, company's will only spend money to fix their pressing problems (their leaky pipes) and then only if it looks like the leak will get worse soon, and then only if the fix can pay for itself.  I'll also note in passing that Moore says that business by referral becomes even more important in a down market.  Nobody wants to trust a software company anymore.

Hence my recent interest in framing klogging as the solution to a leaky pipe kind of problem.  I believe that if this is possible then many of the other pieces might fit into place.  But so far I haven't found the a compelling pipe for which klogging will be the wrench.  It still all too "a better tomorrow."

So, that's the problems.  The challenge is in 28-days or less to turn this around and create a compelling statement of services.

All suggestions warmly welcomed!

I haven't posted much about business lately.  I've realised that I have fallen into the trap that lies in wait for so many people who go it alone.  The business of business is quite daunting - it's very easy to focus on what you're best at and hope the rest takes care of itself.  (Note to self: It won't!)

I have been struggling for some time to work out what it is that I am trying to offer, as a business, to whom and how.  So far I've been doing it in an ad hoc fashion.  Chip a little here, nibble at bit there.  But like a pitcher who can't quite find the strike zone I've been feeling increasingly uncomfortable with my game.

I keep thinking that, by now, I really ought to be certain what the hell I'm doing and be out doing it.  Instead I'm still circling the problem, unable to focus.  As it always has been with me: lots of ideas, still need to execute.

So my coach David has introduced me to the Get Clients Now! approach (from the book by C.J.Hayden).  Get Clients Now! is a repeatable 28-day marketing program which focuses on finding where you are blocked, suggesting strategies for going forward and then providing a 28-day program to further those strategies.  The idea is that you configure each 28-day program to fit your current needs and execute on it.  At the end of the program you evaluate, adjust (or totally change) and go round again.

It's a very simple system.  The beginning is to work out your overall goals and where you are stuck in achieving them.  I'm at still at stage#1 (sigh) or filling the pipeline.  As someone coming in to this game without the 12-months solid preparation that it needs I lack the network of contacts or visibility required to be in business.

(Aside: although I've met a lot of interesting people over the last couple of months.  Although I've done a huge amount of thinking and really feel I've achieved something personally, for me.  Despite all that I haven't come up with a sustainable business model.)

When filling the pipeline the recommended strategies are:

• Direct contact and follow-up
• Networking and referral building

So those are what I am going to focus on in the next 28-days.

When "filling the pipeline" using these two strategies there are a number of techniques (ingredients as Hayden calls them) that can be practiced.  It is strongly recommended that you choose no more than 3 for any iteration of the program.  I've chosen:

1. Description of Services
2. Target Market Definition
3. 10 Second Introduction

(Note: If you 'complete' your program early you can do more, but Hayden advises choosing no more than 3 ingredients up front)

And now, having reached this point I can see clearly why David got me to look at this program.  Here, in a nutshell, is the focus I have lacked.  When I have these three things I shall, at last, know:

What I am doing

&

Who I am doing it for

Then I can actually go out and start doing it.

It's going to be an interesting 28 days!