Mountain Quest Institute

Papers

Major papers referenced throughout the site are included here as well as other areas of interest explored by the co-founders of MQI. Reuse--with appropriate references--is both permitted and encouraged. As ever, nothing appears to be set in stone, nor do we fully understand the power of stone. We encourage your thoughts and responses. Areas below are: Change Management, Consciousness, ICAS, Knowing, Knowledge and Knowledge Management, Knowledge Management in the government, Learning, Leadership, Reality, Spirituality and Storytelling. There is also a miscellaneous category.

Change Management

A New Change Model: Factors for Initiating and Implementing Personal Action Learning (PDF, 9 pages) and supporting Graphic (PDF, 1 slide).  Embraces new ways of thinking about learning, knowledge, action and change to suggest a personal action learning change model.  A set of factors is described through which an individual can initiate and implement personal change from the inside out, that is, from their own volition.

From Policy to Action: The Miracle Mile.  White Paper. (MSWord, 8 pages) Includes overview of change strategy explicated below.

    The Miracle of Change (PDF, 7 slides)

    Grinding New Lenses (single PowerPoint graphic)

    Policy Level Insights (single PowerPoint graphic)

The Change Agent's Strategy by Alex Bennet.  Written in terms of its use with the ICAS organization, this is the change strategy used to implement knowledge management in the Department of the Navy. (MSWord, 15 pages)

Complexity

Introduction to Complexity.  Defines complexity and emergence.  Includes guiding principles, guidelines for use, benefits of complexity thinking. (PDF, 14 slides)

CUCA presentation (Change, Uncertainty, Complexity and Anxiety). (PowerPoint, 6 slides)

The Decision-Making Process for Complex Situations in a Complex Environment by Alex and David Bennet.  While all decisions are a guess about the future, as complexity builds upon complexity decision-makers must increasingly rely on their intuition and judgment.  This article explores the decision-making process for complex situations in a complex environment (complex adaptive messes) in terms of: laying the groundwork for decision-making, understanding and exploring complex situations, discussing human additive factors, preparing for the decision process and mechanisms for influencing complex situations.  It is a foundational chapter appearing in the Handbook on Decision Support Systems (Springer-Verlag, 2007). (PDF, 14 pages) See related graphic  (PowerPoint, 1 page)

Consciousness

The Controversy of Consciousness by David and Alex Bennet. Explores consciousness by creating a dialogue between philosophy, psychology, science and spirituality represented by individuals participating in a talk show. (MSWord, 19 pages)

Loosening the World Knot by David Bennet. This paper explores current research that seeks to answer what may be considered one of the most famous, and possibly the most important, problem in philosophy since Descartes:  The mind-body problem and its major challenge – explaining consciousness. (MSWord, 27 pages)

Moving from Knowledge to Wisdom, From Ordinary Consciousness to Extraordinary Consciousness (PDF, 9 pages) and its supporting Graphic (PDF, 1 slide). Explores the relationship among knowledge wisdom, consciousness and extraordinary consciousness.  Introduces the paper Engaging Tacit Knowledge listed below under Knowledge.

ICAS

Evolution of Organizations: From Bureaucracy to Intelligent Complex Adaptive Systems by Alex and David Bennet. Historical evolution and structure of organizations. Shows relationships of organizations to the environment in which they exist. (MSWord, 23 pages)

The Intelligent Complex Adaptive System Model by Alex and David Bennet. Introduction of the theory of the ICAS as a living organization. (MSWord, 22 pages)

Exploring Relationships Among the Emergent Characteristics and Creating an Emergent Culture in the Intelligent Complex Adaptive System by Alex and David Bennet. Compares the eight top-level emergent characteristics of the ICAS: organizational intelligence, unity and shared purpose, optimum complexity, selectivity, knowledge centricity, flow, permeable boundaries and multidimensionality. (MS Word, 17 pages)

Major Characteristics of the ICAS graphic. (single PowerPoint graphic)

The Knowledge Organization of the Future: Survival and Performance. Lengthy presentation on the ICAS organization. (PDF, 36 slides)

Knowing

Knowing by Alex Bennet. A generic treatment of the overarching concept. (MSWord, 14 pages)

Knowing: The Art of War 2000 by Alex Bennet. Early version written in the language of warfighting. Builds on the work of the strategist Sun Tsu: Know yourself, know the other and know the situation. (PDF, 15 pages with embedded graphics). 

Developing the Concept of Knowing graphic. (single PowerPoint graphic)

Knowing Presentation prepared for DON. (PowerPoint, 5 slides)

Knowledge

CONTEXT: The Shared Knowledge Enigma by Alex and David Bennet. As the business world moved toward the new century a new understanding emerged of the importance of knowledge in accomplishing the mission of the organization.  Along with this new frame of reference came the realization that knowledge is situation-dependent and context sensitive, and this realization began a shift in the way we share knowledge that contributes value built on an understanding of intent through content and context.  this paper explores the multiple and varied contexts involved in the movement of knowledge from a source to a perceiver. (PDF, 12 pages) See related graphics (PDF, 2 pages)

Engaging Tacit Knowledge in Support of Organizational Learning (PDF, 25 pages) and supporting Graphic (PDF, 2 slides).  Lays out and develops the aspects of tacit knowledge that play a significant role in enabling organizational learning.

The Fallacy of Knowledge Reuse: Building Sustainable Knowledge (PDF, 15 pages) and supporting Graphic (PDF, 2 slides).  Based on recent neuroscience research, and a deeper understanding of information and knowledge, this paper investigates the characteristics of building sustainable knowledge for communities and cities with a focus on the social process of knowledge mobilization.

Knowledge Management

Exploring Concepts, Interpretations and Meaning: Knowledge and Knowledge Management (PDF, 17 pages) and supporting Graphic (PowerPoint, 1 slide).

Characterizing the Field of Knowledge Management by Alex Bennet. This book provides a glimpse through time at the breadth of the field of KM through an exploration of: (1) the focus areas of early works, (2) the 14 Federal Sector learning objectives, and (3) the results of a research study interviewing 34 thought leaders across four continents.  There are 17 chapters that are down-loadable that characterize the Field and summarize much of the research in the depth study below.

Research Study: Exploring Aspects of Knowledge Management that Contribute to the Passion Expressed by KM Thought Leaders. Research study by Alex Bennet. This study explores the aspects of KM that contribute to the passion expressed by thought leaders. Further, it looks at the nature of that passion, and the relationship of thought leaders to those aspects. The interviews also led to new insights into the nature of the KM field itself. For example, the field of KM is self-referential, complex adaptive, has no dominant leader and its nature supports autotelic work. Intense connections were discovered between the resonance of the knowledge management field and our fundamental nature as human beings. Go directly to Dissertation to download the results or see the research section under Knowledge and Knowledge Management for more information.

The Field of KM as a CAS (Complex Adaptive System): A Mountain Quest Institute Story (PDF, 8 pages).

Knowledge States (MSWord, 5 pages). An article that explores possibilities for becoming a knowledge state.  Appeared in January/February 2006 issue of West Virginia Executive, www.wvexecutive.com

KM, Learning and the Knowledge Worker (PDF, 11 pages).  Overview paper connecting the dots. 

A Brief Introduction: How to be an ICAP (Intelligent Complex Adaptive Professional) (PDF, 18 slides)

The Capture of Tacit Knowledge: A Systems Issue (single PowerPoint slide). Details five areas related to the capture of tacit knowledge, moving from explicit capture to flow mechanisms, mentoring programs, boundary management and subconscious access.

Short articles in support of the Drinking Water Utility Industry:  What is Knowledge Management?, Frequently Asked Questions, The Business Case for Knowledge Management, the Current State of Knowledge Management, Regulatory Perspectives for the Water Utilities.  See www.waterknowledge.info

Knowledge Management in the government (selected materials developed by Alex and David Bennet)

DON Case Study 1: The Department of the Navy Moves into the New Knowledge World by Alex Bennet. Early treatment (circa 2001). (Microsoft with embedded graphics, 13 pages)

DON Case Study 2: Knowledge Flow in the Department of the Navy by Alex Bennet. Later treatment (circa 2002). Associated graphics can be found in Miscellaneous KM slides below. (Microsoft, 14 pages) 

NOTE: Numerous other articles focusing on various aspects of KM implementation in the DON and other government organizations are available for use by researchers in these areas.

Government Learning Objectives for KM certification (PowerPoint presentation, 4 slides, graphic intensive)

Information Literacy (PowerPoint presentation, 3 slides)

Miscellaneous KM slides used in the DON (PowerPoint presentation, 12 slides, graphic intensive)

Relationship of IT, IM and KM (single PowerPoint slide)

Relationship of KM and eBusiness (single PowerPoint slide)

Report from the front lines: Quotes from Inside Knowledge, May 2005, five years later (PowerPoint, 2 slides)

Knowledge Mobilization

Knowledge Mobilization in the Social Sciences and Humanities: Moving from Research to Action takes the reader from the University lab to the playgrounds of communities. It shows how to integrate, move and use knowledge, an action journey within an identified action space that is called knowledge mobilization.  Whether knowledge is mobilized through an individual, organization, community or nation, it becomes a powerful asset creating a synergy and focus that brings forth the best of action and values.  Individuals and teams who can envision, feel, create and apply this power are the true leaders of tomorrow.  When we can mobilize knowledge for the greater good, humanity will have left the information age and entered the age of knowledge, ultimately leading to compassion and--hopefully--wisdom. The entire book is down-loadable.  See the Knowledge Mobilization research pages.

Leadership

Collaborative Leadership: The Role of leadership in an ICAS Organization (PDF, 14 pages).  Describes the major tenants and characteristics of the ICAS and explores the roles of collaborative leaders and collaborative leadership needed to guide the organization through its uncertain and surprise prone future.

Description of Collaborative Leadership (MSWord, 1 page). Short characterization of the kinds of actions ICAS leaders take. (MSWord, 1 page)

Leadership in Today's World (PowerPoint, 21 slides, primarily words). Presentation moving quickly through environment and basics of ICAS organization to focus on leadership: the challenge, and characteristics of the future leader.

The Leader as Facilitator (MSWord, 3 pages). Short story that works through the real-time thoughts of a facilitator.

Thought Leaders on Thought Leaders (MSWord, 17 pages). Expanded material from the KMTL Research Study (see above under KM).

Learning

A Simple Truth (single PowerPoint graphic used in DON) "In today's inter-connected world, everything each of us learns can benefit all"

Expanding the Knowledge Paradigm (MSWord, 10 pages).  Looking at our changing environment, the question is asked: Are these changes superficial or transformative?  This question leads to exploring the frame of reference from which we view reality, and then the sequence from our frame of reference to learning to thinking to action.  

The Individual as Learner (MSWord, 5 pages). (Short introduction to longer paper by David Bennet: Expanding the Knowledge Paradigm)

Hierarchy as a Learning Platform (MSWord, 6 pages). This paper discusses important distinctions between hierarchy and bureaucracy in support of a learning framework.  it also introduces the relationships of thinking, talking and acting to our functioning space.

The Human Knowledge System: Music and Brain Coherence (PDF, 21 pages).  Explores the relationship between music and learning in the mind/brain.

The Knowledge and Knowing of Spiritual Learning (PDF, 17 pages) and supporting Graphic (PDF, 3 slides).  Introduces the concept of spiritual learning by exploring the value of human characteristics spiritual in nature with respect to their relationships to learning.

The Learning Continuum Text and Graphic (MSWord, 4 pages, and single PowerPoint slide, respectively). Explores the learning continuum from an individual or organization highly interactive with its environment, in the flow state, to an individual or organization whose thinking and actions have become locked, or static, and therefore continuously diminishes in effectiveness as the environment changes.

Learning How to Learn (MSWord, 4 pages). Learning is considered from the self-directed perspective and the importance of individuals learning how to learn in emphasized, using storytelling and reading as examples.

Learning as Associative Patterning (MSWord, 6 pages).  Have you ever noticed that really significant ideas appearing on the global horizon have connections to the really significant ideas you have been spending weeks, or months, or years reflecting on?  We might even go so far as to say they are in relationship with each other.  They are.  Everything we learn in a sense is patterns, whether repetitious patterns or patterns that provide meaning because of the way we interpret them.  These patterns are groups of neurons with their synapse connection strengths between the synaptic spaces.  See related graphic (PowerPoint, 1 page)

Learning in the Intelligent Complex Adaptive System (PowerPoint, 9 slides). High-level PowerPoint presentation that focuses on learning in an ICAS organization.

Learning in the Knowledge World (PDF, 30 pages). Marries learning and knowledge with extensive treatment of organizational learning.

The Learning Organization: A Brief Introduction to Learning (MSWord, 7 pages).

The Knowledge and Knowing of Spiritual Learning (PDF, 17 pages). The question that we ask is: do human characteristics that are spiritual in nature contribute to the learning process?  This cross-discipline paper emerges out of research in learning, spirituality, psychology and knowledge management. It proposes that there is a positive correlation between these representative spiritual characteristics and human learning.  Further, that spiritual learning supports personal growth, helps us understand reality, helps others, and contributes to the greater good. See related graphics (PDF, 3 pages)

Miscellaneous

Exploring the Boundaries of Social Psychology (MSWord, 17 pages). An overview of the field of social psychology with a focus on the boundaries.

Exploring Passion (MSWord, 12 pages). What role does passion play in creativity?  What is the connection between passion and leadership?  What is the relationship between passion and reason?  Is their an intellectual passion?  Can passion be used as a determinant or indicator of value?  These are some of the questions this paper explores.

Thought Leaders on Thought Leaders (MSWord, 17 pages). Expanded material from the KMTL Research Study (see above under KM).

Reality

Creating Our Reality (MSWord, 11 pages). Explores reality from the perspectives of literature, living systems, consciousness, science and spirituality.

Knowledge, Limits and Reality (PowerPoint, 5 slides). Short graphical representation.

Relationship Network Management

Networking for the Bottom Line (MSWord, 9 Pages).  The weaving together of people is decidedly the most difficult networking, but holds the greatest rewards. Relationship network management focuses on fully using and increasing the social capital of an organization.

Relationship Network Management presentation. (PowerPoint, 18 slides)

The Interweaving of Human Networks (MSWord, 9 pages).  Builds on Relationship Network Management as an integrative competency in the U.S. Department of Navy, expands to explore the concept of The Living Network and relates these concepts to communities of practice, and associated graphic (PowerPoint, 1 page).

Spirituality (See also Consciousness, above)

The Knowledge and Knowing of Spiritual Learning by Alex and David Bennet.  The question that we ask is: do human characteristics that are spiritual in nature contribute to the learning process?  This cross-discipline paper emerges out of research in learning, spirituality, psychology and knowledge management. It proposes that there is a positive correlation between these representative spiritual characteristics and human learning.  Further, that spiritual learning supports personal growth, helps us understand reality, helps others, and contributes to the greater good. (MSWord, 17 pages) See related graphics (PowerPoint, 3 pages)

Reiki: Accessing the Human Energetic System (MSWord, 18 pages). An overview of Reiki from historical emergence to the use of energy for healing.

Storytelling

From Stories to Strategy:  Putting Organizational Learning to Work (MSWord, 7 pages).  Looks at the unique relationship between stories and organizations to explore the use of stories as strategy and strategy as stories.

Storytelling: The Thread of Humanity (MSWord, 24 pages). Extensive overview treatment of the forms of story.

Storytelling: The Thread of Humanity presentation. (PowerPoint, 9 slides)

The Telling of Stories (MSWord, 9 pages) (Short Research Paper)

Teams

MQI MONOGRAM:  Developing a Model for Team Learning and Success (PDF, 33 pages)  Main Topics:  A TEAM MODEL (Environmental Forces; Introducing the Elements of the Model); key success factors of teams (Team Leadership; Shared Vision/Approach; Team Collaboration; Empowerment; Technology Support; Team Learning; Enterprise Partnering; Feedback; Team Collocation; and Team Size; DIALOGUE IN SUPPORT OF THE KEY SUCCESS FACTORS (The concept; How It Applies to Teams; Value Added to Team Performance); INTERRELATIONSHIPS; REFERENCES.

INTERESTED IN NEW PAPERS?  Send an email to susie@mountainquestnstitute.com to be put on the email list for upcoming papers as they are released.

This Web Site copyright 2008 by Alex and David Bennet. For educational and knowledge sharing purposes and in the context of knowledge mobilization, permission is given to copy and distribute materials on this web site with attribution.

Send mail to adean@mountainquestinstitute.com with questions or comments about this web site.

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Last modified: 07/08/09