Comments for Censemaking

Comment on The Wicked Problem of Wicked Problems by Cameron D. Norman

Cameron D. Norman — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:59:29 +0000

Indeed, the bandwagon effect is something that plagues good ideas. The KM/ KT /K__ is a great example of an idea that people grab a kernel of and then fail to enact in a manner that keeps the integrity of the original concept. Too often KM is something like — as you suggested — a dressed up dissemination plan or “leave the office occasionally to talk to someone who might know someone who might be somewhat interested in something you do” . Is this a bit cynical sounding?

At the same time, there is gold in the original idea and our challenge is to find the way to accept that hype cycles and bandwagons happen and to find ways to ensure that we maintain the integrity of the original ideas throughout the cycle so they see that plateau of promise (my word).

Thanks for commenting.

Comment on The Wicked Problem of Wicked Problems by researchimpact

researchimpact — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:12:17 +0000

Hype Cycle. I like that. Intuitively I have called it “jumping on a bandwagon” and I am concerned that many of our new terms are suffering from a hype cycle. Knowledge mobilization (and its many K whatever equivalents). Social innovation. Both of these are potentially important in addressing wicked problems as they help leverage investments in higher education research and expertise. Trouble is many many folks are using knowledge mobilization interchangeably with dissemination (or worse, as a new term to describe communications) and these terms risk losing their meaning, or at least their differentiation.

Is jumping on the band wagon the same thing as the hype cycle? Perhaps jumping on the bandwagon drives the hype cycle.

Comment on The Complexity and Peril of Either/Or Thinking in Systems and Social Media by The Wicked Problem of Wicked Problems « Censemaking

The Wicked Problem of Wicked Problems « Censemaking — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:01:16 +0000

[...] strategy that fails to consider this. It is, as I’ve discussed before, an artefact of either-or thinking. Tackling the kind of wicked problems like poverty, chronic disease, and global finance require a [...]

Comment on The PR Problem for Design, Evaluation,and Complexity by Cameron D. Norman

Cameron D. Norman — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:27:23 +0000

Carolina,

Thank you for your comment on my post. The sentence “Evaluation may be the longest four-letter word in the English language” is meant to be a bit fo a joke, because many English swear-words are four letters. Often the phrase “four-letter words” refers to one of these and you might be able to guess what some of them are. The reason I chose to use this sentence was to try and illustrate how people often get offended, afraid or concerned when they hear the word “evaluation” because it often suggests judgement. Most of us don’t like to be judged and, too often, evaluations are used to judge things alone, rather than help improve them.

I am glad you have found the links and commentary on design thinking useful, too.

Comment on The PR Problem for Design, Evaluation,and Complexity by carolina

carolina — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:22:32 +0000

Thank you for your share your reflection. Indeed, we need to contribute to create awareness of our design thinking capabilities in more areas than interior design. Inclusive beyond industrial design, architecture, graphic design…. there is a wide scope of areas we are able to design and develop our marvelous way of thinking. Perhaps we are starting to figure it out how to actually raise that awareness…. I do not know, I am a new one on this. Also, thank you, I appreciate the links you share with us.

One question, what do you actually mean with this sentence: “Evaluation may be the longest four-letter word in the English language.”, maybe because English is not my mother tongue or because I am half sleepy, but I did not get how is a four-letter word.

Comment on Knowledge Hypocrites: Take Two! by KMbeing

KMbeing — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:45:15 +0000

Thanks again for blog mention and for your comment Cameron on my blog at kmbeing.com. As I mentioned previously on this great blog site, I appreciate the acknowledgement, and emphasize that good communication is the key – but it’s not always easy (as you also point out). Good communication is sometimes (often more than not) a challenge with many barriers. To overcome these challenges we must have personal integrity with a desire to communicate and break down barriers to create understanding with anyone we come in contact with.

As you also point out, the term “communities of practice” is often thrown around so often withhout really understanding what it is that we want to accomplish within “communities of practice”. At the heart of knowledge mobilization is the hope for social benefit; on a smaller scale for communities of practice – on a larger scale to make the world a better place.

Until we can appreciate the more holistic idea of “communities of practice” that embraces the many peoples, cultures and values that sometimes don’t match our own but still provide channels to communicate understanding across communities of practice, there is little hope for creating new knowledge and change.

Thanks again.

Comment on Knowledge Hypocrites: Take Two! by Gary Myers

Gary Myers — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:12:32 +0000

Thank you very much for your acknowledgement of my recent blog. As you point out, good communication is the key. The challenge is to communicate meaning – sometimes across many barriers – with integrity, to break down barriers and create understanding. It’s not always easy, but when done with integrity, honesty and openness, knowledge mobilization (KMb) succeeds. Thanks again from KMbeing.

Comment on Knowledge Hypocrites: Take Two! by socialdimensions

socialdimensions — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:05:05 +0000

Absolutely. One of the most common hypocrisies is to use words which the “target group” (that is your fellow human beings) do not understand or use the way you do and then complain that these “others” are not doing what you want them to do. Social Dimensions partner Peter Howard asked farmers what they meant by “sustainability” and “biodiversity”. For many sustainability meant financial viability and biodiversity meant growing different kinds of grain or including sheep in the mix. No wonder the local natural land management group was not making much progress in changing behaviour. The fundemental skill in health promotion and social change is active listening not empty talking.

Comment on Asking if Technology Can Reinvent Education is the Wrong Question by are we making the correct questions? (sequel) | CAIS

are we making the correct questions? (sequel) | CAIS — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:41:20 +0000

[...] while preparing my lecture on mobile learning I read an inspiring post from Cameron D. Norman: Asking if Technology Can Reinvent Education is the Wrong Question. I recommend to read the [...]

Comment on What is Developmental Evaluation? by Bloggers Series: Cameron Norman on CENSEMaking · AEA365

Bloggers Series: Cameron Norman on CENSEMaking · AEA365 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:01:32 +0000

[...] What is Developmental Evaluation? This post came from a meeting of a working group with Michael Quinn Patton and was fun to write because the original exercise that led to the content (described in the post) was so fun to do. It also provided an answer to a question I get asked all the time. [...]