Talking to AI: Three Ideas to Elevate Our Conversations We’re used to asking AI for quick answers, but what if we approached it as a thinking partner rather than just a tool? Here are three ways to shift how we interact with AI—and get more out of it: 1. Make AI Think Outside the Box AI is trained to recognize patterns, but we can push it beyond conventional thinking. Instead of asking for "a solution," try: “Give me three radically different approaches.” “What’s a counterintuitive way to solve this?” This approach unlocks more creative, diverse, and breakthrough ideas—instead of just optimizing existing ones. 2. Extend the Conversation Over Time Let’s stop treating AI like a one-time advisor. Maintaining an ongoing session over weeks or months allows us to: Feed it updates on real-world outcomes. Ask how insights should evolve based on new data. AI improves when it learns from our specific context, making it far more valuable over time. 3. Challenge AI to Expose Hidden Biases AI mirrors the data it was trained on—but it can also help us uncover blind spots. Instead of taking answers at face value, we should ask: “What assumptions is this answer based on?” “What information might be missing?” By doing so, we turn AI into a critical thinking ally, sharpening our own decision-making along the way. Of course, the key to all of this is using AI responsibly—because when we teach AI to think better, we often end up thinking better ourselves. And who knows? One day, AI might just return the favor. 😉 Previous Item Next Item

Knowledge Management in the Age of AI: Looking Ahead In the immediate term, almost nothing changes. Most organizations are talking about AI, some are even experimenting with it; yet, information security and infrastructure constraints hold back any real transformation. So yes, many of us are involved in pilots here and there, but in practice, not much shifts. In the mid-term, AI will reshape the HOW of Knowledge Management. Imagine a discussion with a subject matter expert being instantly translated into a clear, updated knowledge article, dramatically improving the way we capture, refine, and package knowledge. In the long run, the WHAT of Knowledge Management will transform completely. Many tasks will be handled directly, by employees themselves, being knowledge workers supported by AI, without the mediation of KM professionals. With more question marks than exclamation points, yet the direction is clear. And maybe that’s the beauty of it—for me, this uncertainty is not just a barrier, but the beginning of an exciting future. Previous Item Next Item

Trust We all know how important it is to build trust in one another in order to smooth collaboration. Mohamad Faiz Selamat led the Knowledge Management Global Network course of the new collaboration today. We thought we knew it all, yet the session shed light on some new and important aspects: Intimacy and sharing personal information build trust. So even if we are in a professional or formal context, find opportunities to get more acquainted socially and find ways to share something about your personal life! Open minds, open hearts, and open will, enable us to avoid the voice of judgment, the voice of cynicism, and the voice of fear. Each one, and all together, build trust. Trust is much more than interpersonal. Start with self-trust (!!), then add relationship trust (interpersonal). However, on these, three additional waves can take trust to be a key element of success: Organizational trust (alignment); Market trust (Reputation); and Societal trust (Contribution and responsibility). Don't miss any of these. A list of trust behaviors in different contexts was shared with the listeners. Analyzing such a list can help each one of us assess our gaps and more easily find the path to improve. Last but not least, as leaders, always be attentive not only to building trust behaviors, but also to signals and flags that may be symptoms of trust "breakers". Address them before these address you... Previous Item Next Item

The Sharpest AI talk at KMWorld 2025 (So Far) If I had to give an award at KMWorld 2025 for the most concise, sharp, and value-packed talk, it would go straight to Jeff Evernham from ChapsVision. His session on implementing AI agents in enterprises cut right to the heart of what truly matters. Three messages every organization should hear: 1. Start only where business value is clear. Not every use case deserves an agent. Focus where the impact is guaranteed, not where the technology feels exciting. 2. Succeed through vertical focus and disciplined execution. AI agents need rigor, precision, reliability and guardrails. Creativity is good, inaccuracy is not. 3. Scale with grounded, secure and governed AI. Enterprise agents are powerful and must be treated with the same seriousness as any core business capability. Jeff’s practical tip: Work with a KM partner who truly understands agentic AI. It may seem easy to build an AI agent until it fails. Partners with deep KM and AI-agent expertise significantly increase success. And quietly on our side, at ROM Global we support this direction by offering free access to practical AI agents that help KMers work smarter (details: here ). Because in the new AI era, the winners will not be those who build fast, but those who build wisely. Previous Item Next Item

Using AI for Debriefing and Lessons Learned For me, AI is not a replacement. It’s a real assistant - one that makes my work both more efficient and more effective. In every debriefing or lessons learned session ROM Global uses AI to: Deepen the understanding of a specific sub-topic or detail. Summarize what happened - highlighting moments of surprise or deviation. Explore root causes found in other organizations facing similar issues. Lead structured “Five Whys” discussions, helping teams reach the true root cause. Identify possible recommendations addressing those root causes. Refine the lessons - making them practical, value-added (non-trivial), and convincing. AI doesn’t take the human out of the process; it enhances our reflection, learning, and clarity. If you’d like to see how it works in practice, don't hesitate to reach out. Previous Item Next Item

Effective Virtual Online Communication It is so obvious, and yet I never thought about it. When we discuss effective virtual online communication, we should distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous communication. Although effective communication in these two channels may share some attributes, many principles, and tools are relevant only to one of them rather than to the other. So, what are my top 5 for each? Synchronous Communication: Time matters! Make sure to be punctual. Take some time for interpersonal relations; it may seem distracting but it leads to efficiency. Even though synchronous, enable multi-modal channels, encouraging every person to be active and share their ideas most conveniently. Asking questions is a great way to communicate, improving understanding, being on the same page, and fostering non-linear thinking. Provide a secure place to share unbaked thoughts, even mistakes. Please don't take it for granted. Asynchronous Communication: Think smart: choose the proper channels for communication after understanding the needs and analyzing the advantages and convenience of each solution. Be clear! It's easy to be misunderstood when you're asynchronous, especially when people have different cultural codes. From time to time, stop to summarize, bringing everyone back to the same page. Use gestures! They are efficient, require less energy than typing, and can help support the message and make everyone feel better. Only write short messages; people have lives! Previous Item Next Item

Virtual Reality and Tacit Knowledge- can they be connected? Today, during our Knowledge Management Global Network course on Leveraging Tacit Knowledge for Value Creation, Tracy Cosgrove shared her inspiring story about using Virtual Reality (VR) in hospitality services. Key Takeaways on how VR can leverage value creation of tacit knowledge: Tacit Knowledge Transfer: Amplifying Nonaka's Principle, tacit knowledge can be transferred without converting it to explicit knowledge. VR beautifully amplifies this idea. Thank you, Sven Rinke, PhD, for the insight. Sensory: Stimulating sensory engagement, VR immerses experts in virtual environments that stimulate their senses, enabling them to tap into their unconscious and tacit knowledge. Contextual Understanding: VR allows experts to view the world from different personas' perspectives, enhancing their understanding of various contexts and situations. This leads to creating both tacit and explicit knowledge relevant to business needs. Enriched Learning: Blending VR with real-world scenarios enriches our learning experiences, making them more exciting and engaging, thus stimulating our imagination and knowledge creation. Questions: Everyone acts as avatars in VR environments, providing a sense of anonymity and protection. This encourages more questions, which helps listeners leverage their tacit knowledge and understanding (internalization) and enables experts to deepen their understanding while answering these questions. Tracy emphasized that you can use VR technologies without being a technological expert. So, for those hesitating, there are few excuses left for delaying their adoption. Previous Item Next Item

Facilitation - More Essential Than Expected; More Complex Than We Would Wish A facilitator is one who plans, guides, and manages the dynamics of people's contributions to generate value, make decisions, and achieve required objectives. We naturally understand a facilitator's role in specific conditions where leadership is a formal part of the structure of the event. However, facilitation, as noticed by Tami Dubi, is a basic KM requirement, taking place in almost every context and condition. Arthur Shelley led us today in Knowledge Management Global Network's Collaboration course, facilitating us through the journey of deepening our understanding of this topic. Facilitation may seem like a simple task, but unfortunately, it is just the opposite! It is all about balancing the roles of socialization and control. A low level of control can lead to chaos and no results; a low level of socialization may lead to decisions but to decreased results and decreased levels of belonging. The facilitator must strive for such a balance by creating conversation, questions, contributions, creative fiction, mind flex, and... flow. Socialization actions may include: Welcoming, guiding, motivating, encouraging, engaging, asking, empowering, connecting, enabling, listening, clarifying, highlighting, praising, adapting, navigating, coaching, participating, questioning, respecting, remoting, partnering, reflecting, communicating. Controlling actions may include: Planning, preparing, directing, delegating, resolving, "reading" the room, managing (time/resources), challenging, capturing, documenting, summarizing, task-mastering. As much as it sounds impossible and an "art," it can be taught, experienced, and improved. Try it; you won't regret it. Previous Item Next Item

KM AI Agents Series – Post #1: Capturing Tacit Knowledge – Smart, Fast, and Practical When people hear about KM AI agents, they often think of one thing: Take a knowledge base Build a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) Let people search it better with GenAI. Of course, this is valuable — and should be done. But if KMers are only mediating business users' simple requests to IT, asking for better search, who needs knowledge managers at all? Real Knowledge Management goes far beyond that. Real Knowledge Management is about enabling smarter—access, capturing and retaining critical—knowledge, driving lessons—learned, supporting change, and — yes — surfacing the deep tacit insights that fuel real expertise. How many times have you looked at a finalized ROCK (Retention of Critical Knowledge) article…and found only documented processes, with no best practices inside? Processes are important, but as Polanyi taught us, the real gold lies in tacit knowledge: How to look at a new problem How to judge a situation based on experience How to balance needs and make the best decision This is precisely where KM AI Agent #1: KiSure—Capturing—Tacit—Knowledge steps in. It guides a structured, smart conversation with an expert — and in just 60–90 minutes, the real insights start surfacing; not instead of us- with us. magic. Just great KM practices, embedded into a smart AI agent. Curious? Explore ROM Global’s current set of KM AI agents here Interested in piloting the software and bringing real KM power to your organization? Let’s talk. It’s not magic – but it sure feels like it. Previous Item Next Item

Harnessing the Power of Co-Creation: A Case for Design-Thinking Based Hackathons Co-creation—though enticing as a concept—poses its own unique challenges when it comes to practical implementation. One engaging co-creation method that has gained significant traction over the past few years is the "hackathon". Initially exclusive to the software industry, hackathons have since been embraced by a diverse range of fields due to their intensive, collaborative nature. So, why hackathons? Simply put, they act as vibrant hubs of co-creation, offering an intense environment conducive to innovative thinking. How does design thinking intersect with hackathons? In the early days of hackathons, the approach was less structured. Today, we strive to integrate methodologies that enhance productivity during these events, without sacrificing the inherent energy, enjoyment, and engagement hackathons offer. There are numerous models of design thinking available, including the renowned Harvard Business Model. However, when applying design thinking to hackathons—events that typically occur within a restricted timeframe—, I propose utilizing a simplified three-stage model: Inspiration: Gathering and assimilating existing knowledge. Ideation: Generating new ideas, both derivative and original, based on the inspiration stage. Implementation: Progressing from discussion to action. James Surowiecki's concept of the "wisdom of the crowds" imparts a valuable lesson: collective wisdom should never be overlooked. In a hackathon setting, the pooled knowledge and diverse perspectives of the participants can be harnessed to enrich the co-creation process. Leverage this collective wisdom to fuel innovation and foster a truly collaborative environment. Thank you, Knowledge Management Global Network and Olga Smirnova, for adding this topic to the New Collaboration Course. Thank you Anat Bielsky and Zvia Hen for sharing the case study. Previous Item Next Item

KM Knowledge Bytes: The Three Faces of AI Agents Every KMer Should Know Everyone is talking about AI agents… but not all knowledge is created equal. And as Knowledge Managers, our roles shift accordingly. Let’s unpack it: 1. Finding Knowledge & Information RAG-based agents (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) are becoming common—drawing answers from defined organizational content. Our role: Encourage their creation, promote their use, and embed them in self-service tools, professional portals, and SoP knowledge bases. 2.Automation Agents From syncing calendars to handling routine workflows—these agents streamline processes. Our involvement is often limited here, but staying informed is key. 3.Smart KM Agents (This is where the magic happens!) Complex decision-making? Expert-driven methodologies? This is our domain. We capture expert knowledge, structure it, conceptualize it—and help build intelligent agents that support real work in real-time. This isn’t just about doing KM differently. It’s about doing different things. A powerful example of KM reimagined for the AI era. Previous Item Next Item

Collaborating in practice Today, in the Knowledge Management Global Network course "The new collaboration", actual collaboration was practiced. This session demonstrated the difference between joint work and collaboration. My learnings: Only sometimes, everyone joins at the same time. Building trust in real life is challenging as not everyone is in the same relative state. Even if everyone speaks the same language, not everyone shares the same native mother language and the same culture code; again challenging. Some people feel less comfortable speaking with others they do not meet regularly. For these reasons, and not only, collaboration always takes more time than estimated (also experienced today...) So be patient with collaboration. At the end of the day, it enables us to systematically synergize, achieving better and faster objectives with a giant smile on our faces. Previous Item Next Item