Showing posts with label ecosystems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ecosystems. Show all posts

Friday, 1 March 2013

Knowledge Ecosystems

The idea of a knowledge ecosystem is an approach to knowledge management which claims to foster the dynamic evolution of knowledge interactions between entities to improve decision-making and innovation through improved evolutionary networks of collaboration.[1][2]
In contrast to purely directive management efforts that attempt either to manage or direct outcomes, knowledge ecosystems espouse that knowledge strategies should focus more on enabling self-organization in response to changing environments.[3] The suitability between knowledge and problems confronted defines the degree of "fitness" of a knowledge ecosystem. Articles discussing such ecological approaches typically incorporate elements of complex adaptive systems theory. Known implementation considerations of knowledge ecosystem include the Canadian Government.[4]

Contents

[edit] Key Elements

To understand knowledge ecology as a productive operation, it is helpful to focus on the knowledge ecosystem that lies at its core. Like natural ecosystems, these knowledge ecosystems have inputs, throughputs and outputs operating in open exchange relationship with their environments. Multiple layers and levels of systems may be integrated to form a complete ecosystem. These systems consist of interlinked knowledge resources, databases, human experts, and artificial knowledge agents that collectively provide an online knowledge for anywhere anytime performance of organizational tasks. The availability of knowledge on an anywhere-anytime basis blurs the line between learning and work performance. Both can occur simultaneously and sometimes interchangeably.[5]
Key elements of networked knowledge systems[6] include:
1. Core Technologies[7]: Knowledge ecosystems operate on two types of technological core - one dealing with the content or substantive knowledge of the industry, and the other involving computer hardware and software and telecommunications, that serve as the "procedural technology" of operations. These technologies provide knowledge management capabilities that are far beyond individual human capacity. In the business education and training context substantive technology would be knowledge of different business functions, tasks, processes products, R&D, markets, finances and relations. Research, codification, documentation, publication and electronic sharing create this substantive knowledge. Communications between computers and among humans permit knowledge ecosystems to be interactive and responsive within the wider community and within its subsystems.
2. Critical Interdependencies[8]: Organizational knowledge resides in a complex network of individuals, systems and procedures both inside and outside the organization. This network is established in the form of social and technological relationships. The relationships reflect vital interests and mutual histories. The elements of the network are dependent on each other for resources and mutual survival. Accessing and using this knowledge network involves understanding and maintaining the integrity of underlying relationships.
3. Knowledge Engines and Agents[9]: This refers to the system of creating knowledge including the research and development processes, experts, operational managers/administrators, software systems, archival knowledge resources and databases. Knowledge agents are independent software systems that perform dedicated organizational knowledge functions.[10] In the case of business education knowledge ecosystem these engines and agents include, researchers, faculty or trainers, WWW information resources, corporate and industry data bases, and software systems for accomplishing specific strategic tasks.
4. Performative Actions[11]: Organizational knowledge is converted into economic value through processes that involve action. These could be cognitive actions such as learning or deciding, or physical actions such as preparing a meal or writing a check, and social actions such as organizing or entertaining. Organizational tasks most often require all these and other types of actions to occur in a linked way for value to be created. They occur in the physical spaces, electronic spaces, economic transactions, and communicative exchanges of knowledge tasks. They contribute to achievement of organizational goals.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Paul Shrivastava (1998) Knowledge Ecology: Knowledge Ecosystems for Business Education and Training
  2. ^ David A. Bray (2007) Knowledge Ecosystems: A Theoretical Lens for Organizations Confronting Hyperturbulent Environments
  3. ^ Jae-Suk Yang, Seungbyung Chae, Wooseop Kwak, Sun-Bin Kim, and In-mook Kim (2009). Agent-Based Approach for Revitalization Strategy of Knowledge Ecosystem J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 78
  4. ^ William F. Birdsall et al. (2005). Chapter 7: Towards an Integrated Knowledge Ecosystem: A Research Strategy in Towards an Integrated Knowledge Ecosystem: A Canadian Research Strategy, A Report Submitted to the Canadian Association of Research Libraries
  5. ^ Paul Shrivastava. Knowledge Ecology: Knowledge Ecosystems for Business Education and Training.
  6. ^ Homa Bahrami,J. Stuart Evans (2005). The Research Laboratory: Silicon Valley's Knowledge Ecosystem, in Super-Flexibility for Knowledge Enterprises. Springer
  7. ^ Manzalini, A. Stavdas, A. (2008). A Service and Knowledge Ecosystem for Telco3.0-Web3.0 Applications
  8. ^ Bray, David A., Croxson, Karen, Dutton, William H. and Konsynski, Benn, Sermo (2008). Sermo: A Community-Based, Knowledge Ecosystem. Oll Distributed Problem-Solving Networks Conference, February 2008
  9. ^ Shrivastava, Paul (1998). Implementing Socrates Knowledge Management System for Education and Training
  10. ^ Bishop, J. (2009). "The Role of Multi-Agent Social Networking Systems in Ubiquitous Education: Enhancing Peer-Supported Reflective Learning". In Goh, T.T.. Multiplatform E-Learning Systems and Technologies: Mobile Devices for Ubiquitous ICT-Based Education. IGI Global.
  11. ^ Choo, C.; Bontis, Nick (2002). The Strategic Management of Intellectual Capital and Organizational Knowledge. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515486-X. http://books.google.com/?id=MrqqutgQydEC.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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Monday, 14 January 2013

Complexity Spiral

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Ecosystems and Economies operate as Complexity Spirals

David Braden IV and David E. Ward:
"An ecosystem functions according to a complexity spiral. The more complex the set of interactions within the system, the more stable it is in face of a changing environment. The more stable the system is the more energy it will produce and retain within the system. As more energy is retained in the system, opportunities for new species to participate are created, leading to new interactions that increase the complexity, increasing stability and productivity, which creates new niches for new species to continue the spiral upward. An economy works the same way. The more businesses within a given trading area, the more they can interact, leading to stability in the face of change, allowing for more investment in capacity, leading to new opportunities for new businesses. Increasing diversity, complexity, stability, productivity, and diversity is an upward spiral.
But, different conditions can result in a downward spiral. When we start removing species from the mix, the ecosystem becomes less complex, more vulnerable to environmental change, losing energy and restricting opportunities. For example, at the turn of the century, Peru had sea bird islands off the coast that supported a guano industry. There were so many sea birds that the Peruvians were able to build terraces on the islands and periodically go in to shovel up the droppings and sell them for fertilizers. Then they started fishing the anchovies. As I recall, they weren't even putting the anchovies in little cans with mustard, they were grinding them up for animal food and fertilizers. It turns out that for every bird dropping on land, there were a lot more bird droppings over the ocean and those droppings are what fed the plankton that fed the anchovies. When the anchovies were over fished the sea birds died out and the plankton stopped growing. The anchovies have never recovered because without the sea birds the plankton will not grow. The sea birds have not recovered because there are not enough anchovies. Now Peru has neither a guano industry nor an anchovy industry. Removing the anchovies collapsed the entire system.
The same thing happens to an economy when a major employer downsizes or outsources its production, wages fall, reducing the number of businesses, etc.
Mathematically we would express it as:
diversity -> complexity -> stability -> productivity -> and diversity as a spiral. In an ecosystem we are talking about the number of different species when we say diversity - in an socio-economy we are talking about the number of different forms of organization (businesses, governments, non-profits, social/religious organizations, educational organizations, when we say diversity. In the whole system we are talking about both.
An increase in the number of species/organizations (diversity) -> increases the number of ways that each species/organization can interact (complexity) -> increases the likelihood that interactions will take place (stability) -> increases the actual number of interactions that do take place (productivity) -> increases the opportunity for additional types of interaction (new niches) and if those niches are filled that is an increase in diversity - completing the cycle. It also works in reverse if we reduce any of those numbers." (http://www.organiclandscapedesign.org/content/complexity-spirals)


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