Introduction to the Knowledge Cafe

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The Knowledge-Café If only we knew what we know

By

David Gurteen and Dan Remenyi

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What is a K-Café?

• A knowledge café is a means of bringing a group of people together to have an open, creative conversation on a topic of mutual interest to share ideas and to gain a deeper collective understanding of the subject and the issues involved.

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What are the objectives of a K-Café?

• To gain mutual understanding of a complex issue

• To gain a deeper understanding of other people’s perspectives

• To gain a deeper understanding of one’s own views and thinking process

• To flush out issues which need airing & exploring

• To help build a consensus around an issue or topic

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Where is it used?

• We have used this technique many times in public forums and within companies to explore complex issues

• The Royal Society for the Arts are using a form of K-Café in conjunction with a coffee house in the UK later this year all over the country to discuss social issues relevant to the societies aims

• I have also recently used it in the NHS to explore how people might better communicate and work together

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When would a K-Café be run?

• Knowledge share

• Develop a Code of Practice

• Get Networking going

• Gain new perspectives

• Gain new ideas

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What is the history?

• How long has it been around & where did it come from?

• The term knowledge-café has been around for the last 7 years or so

• But only in the last 2 or 3 years has it come into more common use

• Has its roots in work of David Bohm, William Isaacs, Juanita Brown

• Also has roots in OST (Open Space Technology) which goes back to 1989

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How is it different from OST?

• It is quite different

• The OST process is more complex

• OST is used for purposes other than gaining mutual understanding e.g. problem solving and defining agendas

• OST meetings tend to be larger - often 100s of people compared to dozens for K-Cafés

• OST meetings tend to last longer - often days rather than hours

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Is it a talking-shop?

• No its NOT a talking-shop. A talking shop is normally used pejoratively and it implies no useful outcome other than the airing of ones own ideas

• A K-Café is different in that everyone leaves enriched by a deeper level of understanding of the subject in question

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Why is the K-Café important?

• The world is a much more complex place than it used to be - at times even chaotic - it is not always clear what is going on - we need to take time to UNDERSTAND

• We do not find the time these days to have open conversations, we are under pressure to make quick decisions

• KM for example should not be about creating and sharing ever increasing knowledge but understanding more fully the knowledge that we do have!

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What does a K-Café do for the individual?

• The K-Café operates on the assumption that people really have within themselves a greater level of insight than they are often conscious of. The K-Café can tease this out.

• You hear yourself say things in k-café conversations that you did not know that you knew

• A k-café kind of crystallises your knowledge• New ideas are sparked• Fresh perspectives emerge ...• And with increased observation and reflection comes

understanding and this paves the way for change

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What does a K-Café do for the individual?

• Some people just have problems expressing themselves

• Sometimes you just don’t know what you think until you have said it!

• Learning how to hear and to understand yourself

• The K-Café is a little like an anti-inhibitor and thus stimulates discussion

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What resources are needed to run a K-Café?

• Not a lot to run to a simple format• A group of people• A facilitator or host• A room with plenty of space• Tables and chairs - ideally round tables to seat about 5

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Do you need anything special in the room?

• Some K-Café formats have special requirements such as round tables, paper table cloths, felt tip pens, flowers on the table and coffee

• The aim being to create the right ambience• An unthreatening and hospitable environment• Everyone must feel save to free express themselves

without any potential recriminations• But the K-Cafés that I run need none of these props but of

course you could add them if available

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How do you run one?

• K-Cafés can be run in a number of different ways. Some formats are very simple others are more complex

• I use a very simple format and it’s the one I am going to describe

• A K-Café runs for 90 minutes to a couple/few hours

• They work best with between 20 and 30 people

• But they can be run with as few as a dozen or as many as 100 people

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What's the process?• 1. Explain the k-café concept• 2. Set the theme and questions• A facilitator or host introduces the K-Café and the

subject under discussion. The optimum time for this less than 10 minutes

• The purpose of the K-Café is made clear to everybody• The facilitator poses one or two key open ended

questions.• The participants group themselves into groups of 4 or 5

and are invited to discuss the subject for 45 minutes. • The whole group re-assembles for an exchange of ideas

as a whole for 45 minuets

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What subjects are can be covered?

• Any subject can be addressed• Explore questions that matter to those who are

participating in the K-Café • Remember the K-Café is not a debating forum• A K-Café would normally explore only one theme• A K-Café is NOT about decision making.

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What is the Role of the Facilitator?

• The facilitator need not be a subject specialist. If not you might use a subject specialist to introduce the question/s

• Nor disciplined in facilitation

• Simply a good listener and chairperson skills

• The facilitator should not take a lead in the discussions. He or she should wander around and listen into the groups but should not lead them.

• Should listen out for problems and remind people gently of the rules of ‘dialogue’

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What’s the role of the individuals?

• In the words of Theodore Zeldin : to be prepared to emerge a slightly different person

• To see people with different views not as adversaries but as sources from which you can learn

• To enter into open conversation

• To listen more than speak

• To welcome differences

• To withhold judgment• Position taking should be avoided• Minimum political correctness should be followed

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How do things work within the small groups?

• Don’t appoint a leader or chairperson

• Everyone should be equal and fully engaged in the conversation

• Don’t appoint a note taker either

• Anyone can make their own notes if they want to

• Everyone reports back their own perspectives to the final group if they want to

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How does the large group sit?

• If possible bring everyone back into a relatively tight horse-shoe shape group so that every one can easily see each other as well as hear each other

• Only use microphones if absolutely necessary as they inhibit the natural flow of the conversation

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Describe the large group discussion?

• Individuals are asked to remember that their comments are for the whole group and not for the facilitator. They are not reporting back to the facilitator!

• The objective is the hold a ‘group conversation’

• The facilitator needs to work at encouraging this

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How does the facilitator work with the large group at the end

• The group should be doing the work with minimal intervention from the facilitator

• Facilitator needs to encourage participation

• Facilitator needs to ensure that no one person or group dominates the discussion

• Connect diverse perspectives

• Facilitator needs to keep time

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How do you record the outcomes of a K-Café

• The real outcome is what people take away with them in their heads and the new connections with other people that they may have made

• What ever you record things you should avoid disrupting or influencing the conversation in anyway

• You record it (audio or video) but I would advise against it

• Best to appoint an outside person to take notes

• Participants should not be burdened with routine recording as they need to be fully engaged in the conversation

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The Outcomes of a K-Café

• The real outcome is what you take away with you in your head

• New connections with people• A deeper understanding of the issue discussed• A deeper understanding and insight into other people’s

perspectives• A better appreciation of your own point of view and how it

is seen by others• A better knowledge of what you know and don’t know and

what others know and don’t know• In a position to make more informed decisions

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Other Formats

• theworldcafe.com

• Flipcharts/flowers/table cloths/pens etc

• Can get in the way

• Need additional cost/budget

• If have that luxury then ok

• Groups can move around– takes longer

– ok if you can afford the time

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Where can I learn more about K-Cafés?

• That’s simple

• There are a lot of resources on the web

• A good stating point is gurteen.com

• Where you will find a link on the home page to other resources including theworldcafe.com