About the Book
Knowledge Cafe is a process for creating, exchanging, and optimizing knowledge, whether in-person or virtual. This popular and practical knowledge management tool supports a culture where projects and innovation thrive.
Knowledge Cafe is a process for creating, exchanging, and optimizing knowledge, whether in-person or virtual. This popular and practical knowledge management tool supports a culture where projects and innovation thrive.
The Knowledge Cafe is a mindset and environment for engaging, discussing, and exchanging knowledge within a group either face to face or virtually. At the cafe, participants can discuss hard-to-solve project issues or resolve a family or community crisis. This metaphorical town square supports knowledge circulation and rejuvenation and increases its velocity-making it a breeding ground for innovation. The aha moments at one Knowledge Cafe can match the benefits of multiple conferences, workshops, and training put together.
When knowledge management (KM) is part of an organization's culture, performance improves, collaboration increases, and the competitive advantage accelerates. No one can force knowledge transfer. We must create the right environment where knowledge is freely shared, rewarded, and fun. This book demonstrates why the Knowledge Cafe is such an effective KM tool and shows how to design optimal cafe experiences and increase learning agility.
The premium on knowledge and agility has never been greater. This book offers a technique for managing knowledge toward the greater good. Tips; templates; practical and relatable experiences; case studies; and examples of knowledge brokers, creators, and sharers across cultures are sprinkled throughout the book to show how the cafe interfaces with other KM techniques and in different work and project spaces.
About the Author :
Benjamin Anyacho, MBA, PMP, is senior project manager and enterprise knowledge management lead at the Texas Department of Transportation. He is an expert in project and knowledge management and participates on several national and global panels, research projects, boards, and committees on these topics. Anyacho is executive director of the nonprofit Apostolic Bridge Builders Inc. in Austin, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Precious, and two teenage children, Ben and Amara.
Review :
“The Knowledge Café brings people together to have open, creative conversations to surface their collective knowledge, to share ideas, and to gain a deeper understanding of a topic. It can be adapted for a variety of purposes and, at its best, is a powerful sense-making tool. In this book, Benjamin Anyacho explores the world of Knowledge Café and its relation to knowledge management.”
—David Gurteen, Director, Gurteen Knowledge
“Everyone needs a Knowledge Café today! Indeed, all curious knowledge workers need space and a mindset to share crazy ideas for others to test out and deepen their own knowledge and understanding.”
—Denise A. D. Bedford, PhD, Adjunct Instructor, Communication Culture and Technology, Georgetown University
“Innovation cultures find ways to embrace failure as much as success. This can only happen in the open exchange of knowledge and ideas that includes respect, understands vulnerability, and is free of judgment. The Knowledge Café is an excellent recipe for how to make this happen in your organization!”
—Todd Kimbriel, former Chief Information Office, State of Texas, and Senior Advisory Consultant, BCforward
“Anyacho provides motivation, insight, and practical advice on convening and facilitating Knowledge Cafés—where people can share what they know, learn from others, brainstorm solutions, and build relationships. This simple yet effective technique has a wide range of applications and is essential to fostering a learning culture.”
—Frances Harrison, Chief Technical Officer, Spy Pond Partners, LLC
“One of the biggest issues in the corporate sector is ‘knowledge transfer.’ The Knowledge Café concept is a refreshing, innovative initiative. The depth and breadth of Benjamin’s brainchild is not only needed now in these challenging times but provides permission to everyone to feel heard, acknowledged, and valued.”
—Sally Anderson, Leadership Coach to the Influencers, New Zealand
“This revolutionary concept, the Knowledge Café, will become a popular global franchise where we feed our souls and minds. An incredible gift to our world and our generation.”
—Dr. Sunday Adelaja, Kyiv, Ukraine
