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

From Policy to Action: The Miracle Mile by Alex Bennet.  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)

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)

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)

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

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

Knowledge and Knowledge Management

Characterizing the Field of Knowledge Management. 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.

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

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

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

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. 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)

Leadership

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

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

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

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 by David Bennet.  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. Will appear in an upcoming issue of VINE (Emerald Publishing). (MSWord, 10 pages)

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

Hierarchy as a Learning Platform by Alex Bennet. 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. Will appear in a Fall issue of VINE (Emerald Publishing). (MSWord, 6 pages)

The Learning Continuum Text and Graphic by Alex Bennet. 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. (MSWord, 4 pages, and single PowerPoint slide, respectively)

Learning How to Learn by David Bennet. 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. (MSWord, 4 pages)

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

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

The Learning Organization: A Brief Introduction to Learning by Alex Bennet. Appeared in Volume 36, Number 1, 2006 of VINE: The journal of information and knowledge management systems (Emerald Publishing). (MSWord, 7 pages)

Miscellaneous

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

Exploring Passion by Alex Bennet. 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. (MSWord, 12 pages)

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

Reality

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

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

Spirituality (See also Consciousness, above)

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

Storytelling

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

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

This Web Site copyright 2005 by Alex and David Bennet. For educational and knowledge sharing purposes in the context of knowledge management, 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.
Last modified: 10/11/05