Gavin Barton

Dorothy Leonard-Barton

Walter C. Swap

"Addressing the critical issue of knowledge transfer within an organization, this book offers practical advice on how to structure the transition of documented information and the even more valuable non-documented knowledge that outgoing staffers have-before it leaves with them. Whether a result of a retirement, an acquisition, promotions, transfers, or layoffs-all organizations have lost what these authors call "deep smarts" when workers leave. Now, Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap, coauthors of the popular Deep Smarts, and their coauthor Gavin Barton offer a solution. The trio has constructed a new approach that not only helps organizations put in place the structures and practices to pass along knowledge from expert to successor, but also identifies tacit knowledge-knowledge that is largely undocumented and lives inside of people's heads. Based on theory and research, this book offers a variety of examples, tools, and templates to take action before essential knowledge disappears"--

Tools for Managing Your Company's Deep Smarts

Critical Knowledge Transfer

Dorothy Leonard

Deep smarts are the engine of any organization as well as the essential value that individuals build throughout their careers. Distinct from IQ, this type of expertise consists of practical wisdom: accumulated knowledge, know-how, and intuition gained through extensive experience. How do such smarts develop? And what happens when people with deep smarts leave a particular job or the organization? Can any of their smarts be transferred? Should they be? Basing their conclusions on a multi-year research project, Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap argue that cultivating and managing deep smarts are critical parts of any leader's job. The authors draw on examples from firms of all sizes and types to illustrate the connection between deep smarts and organizational viability and continuous innovation. Leonard and Swap describe the origins and limits of deep smarts and outline processes for cultivating and leveraging them across the organization. Developing an experience repertoire and receiving strategic guidance from wise coaches can help individuals move up the ladder of expertise from novice to master. Addressing a topic of increasing importance as the Boomer generation retires, Deep Smarts challenges leaders to take a hands-on approach to managing the experience-based knowledge shaping the future of their organizations.

How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom

Deep Smarts

Where do the best creative ideas come from? According to the authors, most innovations today spring from well-led groups interactions. This book shows how to generate the group dynamics that lie at the heart of innovative thinking.

Harnessing the Power of Group Creativity

When Sparks Fly

How does a leader manage for creativity? Many managers fall into the trap of assuming that only gifted individuals--readily identifiable "creative types"--can produce breakthrough thinking, and if you don't have an eccentric genius on your team, your efforts are doomed to mediocrity. Some even argue that creativity is an art that can't possibly be planned or managed without extinguishing the vital creative spark. Yet, say Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap, today's most innovative, complex services, products and processes spring from well-led, well-managed group interactions. Blending their backgrounds in business and psychology into a fresh perspective, Leonard and Swap sweep aside conventional thinking about creativity to show how managers can actively shape group processes to enhance creative output. They offer proven strategies based on a deep understanding of human behavior for stimulating and directing the group dynamics that lie at the heart of innovative thinking. The book clearly outlines and analyzes each step in the creative process and gives practical suggestions for managing creative teams, including specific techniques for composing groups to maximize creative abrasion, re-channeling the tensions of conflicting points of view into new ideas and alternative options, and failing forward to success. Leonard and Swap explore how all aspects of the work environment, from leadership style to the promotion of passion to the use of space to maximize serendipity, can enhance innovation. Drawing on examples in companies that range from small startups to Fisher-Price, Intel and Hewlett-Packard, When Sparks Fly shows how sophisticated managers can galvanize groups to maximize their creative potential.

Walter C. Swap

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