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Knowledge ManagementProtecting Knowledge while Fostering CreativityWhen we use the term knowledge management we mean protecting intellectual property including methods and trade secrets, passing internal knowledge and skills on the the next generation of workers, and making sure that confidential and proprietary information doesn't get leaked out of the company. It does not mean that prevailing knowledge and methods should be set so high on a pedestal as to keep anyone from questioning and building upon or bringing forward new ideas. What does knowledge management have to do with creativity?The knowledge a person has can both inhibit creativity and help it.Let's first talk about how it can inhibit creativity.The more you believe you know about a subject the less likely you may be to be open to listening well to other ideas and to be open to new ideas. If you think you know everything there is to know about a subject you are slamming the door to opportunity for innovative ideas. People who think they already know the answer don't listen to what others are saying. They just bide their time until they get the floor to tell what they know. This is an especially debilitating habit that may have developed in the education process when a teacher asks a question and waits for the expected answer. Every other answer is deemed wrong. Yet alternative views of the same subject can often give enlightening results. At times these new viewpoints can completely turn 'prevailing knowledge' upside down. When we take this theory and apply it to a business, there is an important balance in protecting and valuing the knowledge owned and understood by a company while remaining open to new ideas that can possibly refute past 'knowledge.' The company that encourages all workers to participate in idea generation and sharing within the company --- even when it is likely that some of those ideas won't work out, will find the atmosphere of creativity and the resulting innovation to be just what is needed to grow the company. Knowledge can also be a great help to creativity.The knowledge and experiences a person or group has provides the base and springboard to new ideas. It is not about 'that's the way we have always done it.' Knowledge management is more about what do we already know or at least think we know as we get started to grow that circle of knowledge and underpinnings for the next steps forward.Once you feel you have agreement and clarity about the base of applicable knowledge you can start applying the many brainstorming techniques. For example, use any of the card decks described on
the brainstorming tools page.
or use the SCAMPER set of questions as they relate to your accepted knowledge base. What if that wasn't available? Remember:Always brainstorm a long list of questions to ask before you try to answer any of them, and your whole brainstorming session will be much more productive.Return from the Knowledge Management page to the Brainstorming-That-Works home page
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