knowers rule
TRANSCRIPT
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Knowers Rule. OK?
Paul SummersUniversity of Portsmouth
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• A knower is defined by Hinken as “A person who actively hides his or her lack of knowledge from others, and is unwilling to be influenced."
• A learner is defined as "A person who actively increases his or her ability to produce desired results."
• A non-learner is "A person who is unaware of, uninterested in, or ambivalent about any possible discrepancy between his or her desired effectual results."
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• Knowers are comfortable with their current ability to produce desired results because of their knowledge and are therefore unwilling to be influenced by anybody.
• Knowers say someone or something needs to change whereas the learner says I have to change.
• According to Hinken knowers are stuck in one place however I suggest knowers make poor decisions, often ruinous, for their organisations due to their absolute belief in what they know as well as a failure to be influenced by anyone who doesn’t share their view.
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Based on Hinken, 2007 p 6
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The battle of iSandlwana, Anglo Zulu war 1879
“Oh, British troops are all right; we do not need to laager – we have a different formation.” Lt. Gen F A Thesiger
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The sinking of RMS Titanic 1912"I will go a bit further," he said. "I will say that I cannot imagine any condition which could cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." Captain Edward J. Smith
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The project management crisis
“We know why projects fail, we know how to prevent their failure – so why do they still fail?” Martin Cobb
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The banking crisis 2008
• “No, I do not feel I am particularly personally culpable.” Andy Hornby former Chief Executive, HBOS plc,
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• Fetal X-rays – Stewart v Doll• “I can give you the statistics, [but] we know
them.” Barbara Follett
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• “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge” Daniel Boorstin
• “We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.” Mary Catherine Bateson
• "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Albert Einstein
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• Reflective practice• Collaborative learning• Challenge our assumptions • Ask why• Less training, more elicitation• Critical thinking
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Based on Hinken, 2007
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• Ackoff (1981, p.20) writes ‘There are three kinds of thing that can be done about problems – they can be resolved, solved or dissolved.’ Ackoff goes on to suggest that ‘resolving’ requires a solution that is good enough; that satisfices (Simon, 1956, pp. 129, 136); that is adequate – a quick fix. This similar to changing our doing and deals with symptoms only. ‘Solving’ optimises and is a research approach, changing our thinking and challenging assumptions, whereas ‘dissolving’ changes the nature and /or the environment of a problem and is a design approach changing our being.
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The learner’s way
• Hinken’s book “The learner’s path” I suggest “The learner’s way”. Hinken’s suggests a linear progression from A to B whereas I contend learning needs to be a habit, a way of life and continuous.
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Summers principle
• “At every level in all organisations there are people who are knowers appointed beyond their desire to learn and their decisions will lead to crises of varying criticality.”
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References
• Ackoff, R.L. (1981). ‘Art and Science of Mess Management’, Interfaces, 11 (1) February
• Hinken, B. (2007). The learner's path. Waltham, MA: Pegasus Communications, Inc.
• Hinken, B. (2010). Facing Organizational Uncertainty by Learning How to Learn. Leverage Points.