Making socratic dialogue work in a business environment: A case of knowledge management

From recent research it emerges that addressing questions such as: How can an organisation harness collective intelligence to improve business performance? and What data is required to build efficient and effective knowledge based systems? are critical for organizations to succeed in the knowledge society (EIU, 2007). Organizations are aware that knowledge is essential for their survival in dynamic markets, and that intellectual capital is a valuable asset. But what most organizationś leaderships are not clear on is how to create and manage this intangible asset. It is known that investment in training is essential, but it is often unclear how this investment may be converted into improved performance? People may be an organisation's greatest asset but how can knowledge be applied competitively and how can flight be avoided in high turnover environments as more and more generation Y employees come into the labour market? It is well established that effective knowledge management requires a culture of sharing ideas, but how do organizations foster this type of exchange? Davenport & Prusak (1998) pointed out that if as the aphorism says, Knowledge is power, why should anyone want to share it? Some organizations try to encourage knowledge building and sharing by sending management to specialized training at universities, but budgets are limited so only a few people have the opportunity of embarking on these programmes, and the applicability of the lessons learned through such courses is debatable. This paper proposes the Socratic Dialogue (Remenyi, 2007) as one of the tools organizations can use to facilitate organizational knowledge building and exchange. The Socratic Dialogue may also be used to promote communities of practice. The Socratic Dialogue, facilitates the construction of knowledge through discourse based on personal experience and this can create a culture of knowledge sharing. The paper explores the Socratic Dialogue and its process; it illustrates its application through the analysis of a case; and finally articulates some reflections on how to make it work effectively.