Networked learning is a process of developing and maintaining connections with people and information, and communicating in such a way so as to support one another’s learning. The following is the core principles of a Learning 2.0 networked environment:

• decentralized
• distributed
• disintermediated
• content and structure are disaggragated
• content and structure are disintegrated
• democratic
• dynamic
• dissegragated

Source: Stephen Downes

Learning 2.0 is a term used to describe a new set of concepts for developing and delivering organizational learning. Learning 2.0 is an extension of Web 2.0 and shares many of the same philosophies and concepts. Learning is

• powered horizentally and it’s collaborative and peer to peer
• unstructured or rather structured over time
• driven by individuals not organizations

Source: Saba

For employees this means learners take control of and manage their own learning; and for organizations it means providing support for employees to achieve their learning goals by:

• setting their own learning goals
• managing their learning — both content and process
• communicating with others in the process of learning

Learning 2.0 is used to describe both physical and mindset changes that are occurring within the organizations. We will see a big shift in the way we work and learn.

Passion, Vision, Focus, Courage, Will. These are just a few signature traits of successful entrepreneurs. But where do these traits come from? Are they hard-wired into our DNA or acquired over time, like wrenches in a toolbox?

Thomas Harrison, a former cell biologist turned marketing guru at Omnicom Group explores the link between entrepreneurship and genetic architecture in his book, Instinct. In it, Harrison fleshes out his theories in interviews with founders of large companies, such as Home Depot, Vanguard, USA Networks and Mrs. Fields Cookies, as well as with top executives from JetBlue, Burger King, Harley Davidson and IBM. While Harrison concurs that there are indeed born entrepreneurs, he concedes that others may have latent traits, which can be teased out and developed.

And remember: When it comes to running your own business, having the right genes doesn’t guarantee success. But it probably helps.

When you think about the next generation learning architecture think: learning 1.0 + learning 2.0 + knowledge management!

Learning organization need to move from delivering formal programs to enabling informal learning, fostering collaboration, developing communities, leveraging subject-matter experts, capturing and re-using knowledge that exists in the organization, and making learning a part of every person’s daily life. They must create a learning environment where learning is linked to collaboration and knowledge shaing much more tightly.

In order for organizations to offer a more supportive learning environment , in addition to providing asynchronous courseware and online universities backed by enterprise-level learning management systems, they need to offer a variety of other technologies such collaboration tools, intelligent search, and structured knowledge repositories. These tools are more typically thought of as knowledge management technologies. Deploying and utilizing these types of tools are what differentiates an employee from a performer and helps them to develop expertise in their domain.

Why should you consider building communities into your business startegy?

• Approximately 70 percent of what an employee needs to know to do his or her job successfully is learned outside of formal training, according to Peter Henschel’s article “Understanding and Winning the Never-Ending Search for Talent: The Manager’s Core Work in the New Economy.” Therefore, communities extend learning by creating a structure in which people can learn from informal interactions.
• Tacit knowledge, which is informal knowledge about how things really get done, is extremely difficult to capture, codify, and deliver through discrete learning objects and traditional training programs. Communities are a way to elicit and share practical know-how that would otherwise remain untapped.
• Creating and structuring opportunities for people to network, communicate, mentor, and learn from each other can help capture, formalize, and diffuse tacit knowledge. Communities become a boundaryless container for knowledge and relationships that can be used to increase individual effectiveness and a company’s overall competitive advantage.

For most learning professionals, the question isn’t whether building communities will deliver value to the organization, but rather what kind of community does it need and what steps does the company need to take to build one.

Source : Learning Circuit

Source: O’Driscoll

According to Webster, a community is “any group living in the same area or having interests, work, etc. in common.” Most communities, whether online or traditional, share a number of qualities and characteristics. For example, they’re held together by distinct operating norms, members are distinguished by their formal and informal roles, trust must be built to ensure quality interactions, and a shared sense of purpose serves as the glue that bonds the community together.

Social scientists have used versions of the concept of community of practice for a variety of analytical purposes, but the origin and primary use of the concept has been in learning theory. Studies of apprenticeship reveal a complex set of social relationships through which learning takes place mostly with journeymen and more advanced apprentices. The term community of practice was coined to refer to the community that acts as a living curriculum for the apprentice. Learning in a community of practice is not limited to novices. The practice of a community is dynamic and involves learning on the part of everyone.

Sources: Learning Circuits and Wenger

The technology is not the primary limitation of knowledge management projects. There are usually several serious cultural/organizational issues to be overcome for projects to be successful. A knowledge culture must be fostered if it does not exist. To understand and develop the organization’s vision for knowledge culture, it is necessary to find out and document how the organization currently grapples with information and knowledge management including how it compares to best practices in the industry. An organization with a knowledge culture has the following characteristics:

• Rich collaborative environment for knowledge sharing and transfer
• Formalized process of transferring best practices, including documentation and lessons learned
• Systematic way for identifying knowledge gaps and well defined processes to close them
  Organizational knowledge is central to the organization’s strategy
• Knowledge sharing behavior is recognized and rewarded
• Well defined knowledge management functions are visible to the executive team
• Systems are in place to capture and reuse internal information and leverage past experience
• Top management is interested in the issue and willing to commit resources and training
• Knowledge sharing is valued within the organization

Effective knowledge management typically requires an appropriate combination of organizational, social, and managerial initiatives along with deployment of appropriate technology.

There are many technologies that can support or enhance the transformation of knowledge. Examples are: content management tools, elearning tools, collaboration tools, authoring tools, structured repositories, knowledge mapping tools, process modeler tools, and more. These individual technologies are not in themselves knowledge management solutions. For each business objective we can assemble a set of tools to address the specific business risk or challenge. To maximize the use of these technologies, it is important to invest resources in information architecture, content strategy, and adhering to standards.

Knowledge Strategies

• Knowledge drives strategy and strategy drives knowledge management
• Have plan of action is important
• Remember one size does not fit all
• Don’t lock yourself in

Knowledge management strategy supports four levels of knowledge:

Know-what, Know-how, Know-why, Care-why

Knowledge Approaches 
The processes by which knowledge is transformed within and between forms usable by people. For example: the shared formation and communication of tacit knowledge between people; enhancing the flow of tacit knowledge, converting it to a more explicit form; sharing knowledge via documents and emails or through education and training; manage and search collections of explicit knowledge; reading documents from many sources, and creating new knowledge by combining existing tacit knowledge with the knowledge of others.

I think a great approach for building a KM systems is Rapid prototyping. This is an iterative approach, which allows the expert to verify the rules as they are built during the session.  This approach can open up communication through its demonstration of the KM system.  Due to the process of instant feedback and modification, it reduces the risk of failure.  It allows the knowledge developer to learn each time a change is incorporated in the prototype. This approach is highly interactive.

Knowledge Process

Identify, Map, Capture, Store, Share, Apply, Create

Knowledge Maps to Link Knowledge to Strategy
A knowledge map is a graphic representation of the scope and structure of knowledge

Why Knowledge Mapping?

• Shared perception of gaps in critical knowledge
• Focus on the important knowledge
• Manage important information
• Understand the cause and effect relationships behind behavior
• Identify critical actions to take
• Defining critical thinking and decisions for getting the job done
• needed information for making the decisions
• keeps all the players on the same page
• makes discussions more effective