The Knowledge Evolution: Expanding Organizational Intelligence. - book reviews

HR Magazine, August, 1998 by Stacy VanDerWall

BY VERNA ALLEE Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997 274 pages, ISBN: 0-7506-9842-X.

What is knowledge and how do we find it? So begins Verna Allee's quest for knowledge and motivation. In The Knowledge Evolution, Allee - a consultant who specializes in learning organizations - shows that what you know is not as important as how you learn.

This book raises questions about the nature of knowledge, describes the differences between old and new ways of thinking, and suggests tools companies can use to navigate through the "knowledge era."

The Knowledge Evolution is divided into three parts. The first part serves as an introduction. This section includes chapters on seeing patterns of knowledge, knowledge archetypes in action and knowledge navigators. Using the metaphor of navigation, Allee identifies aids that help people understand what knowledge is and how it can help organizations grow and learn.

The second part provides an in-depth analysis of knowledge learning, patterns and performance. Specifically, this part shows the relationship between time, knowledge and action in a variety of different modes, including data performance, procedural and functional.

The third part addresses the application of organizational knowledge. Companies that use the best practices in knowledge management are included in this section. Best practices are not defined as those used in companies that win awards or follow the latest management fad. Rather, best practices appear in companies where the culture identifies and supports knowledge creation, sharing and learning.

Diagrams and tables are used to illustrate the main points throughout the book. Sample questions for review are also included.