1. The 7 C’s of Knowledge Leadership:
Innovating our Future
Artur Gonçalves
Sepideh Haeri

2. 2
New economic world order
• Mainly based on the flow of intellectual not
financial, capital.
• Profound changes everywhere in the way human
talents are managed.
• The effective leadership is not having the most
knowledge, it is to know how to use it.

3. 3
Innovation: the key to survival
• Real value is created when connections are made
among seemingly isolated elements
(Innovation).
• Innovation need several sub components, all of
which rely greatly on proper knowledge
leadership.

4. 4
Seven domains to (re) consider for the
implication of knowledge management
• (C1) – Context
• (C2) – Competency
• (C3) – Culture
• (C4) – Communities
• (C5) – Common Language
• (C6) – Communications
• (C7) - Coaching

5. 5
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT
(Financial capital and Human capital orientations)
• Both orientations are necessary to ensure
optimal flexibility, adaptability and agility
• However, new world economic order pushes
towards going Human Capital orientation more
and more.
• Why? Tremendous speed of change in multiple
interdependent variables that brings high levels
of uncertainty.

6. 6
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT Characteristics of
Financial Capital Orientation (Traditional/Industrial)
• Performance measures are static and financial, $$$ are
the main asset.
• Structure/culture is Competitive, based on market share
and there is a distrust of boarders
• Leadership concerns: Costs/expenses, profitability
• Processes: Independent (isolated islands), Cause/effect
• Technology : Information processing, data/information,
things/warehouse

7. 7
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT Characteristics of
Human Capital Orientation
(Knowledge, Innovation)
• Performance measures are dynamic and comprehensive
(measuring intangibles). Relationships are main assets.
• Structure/culture is collaborating, value-adding and
based on sets of alliances.
• Leadership concerns: Revenue/Investment , Sustained
Growth. (more insight into future)
• Processes: Inter-dependent , value system
• Technology : Knowledge processing, tacit/explicit
knowledge, Flow/Process

8. 8
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CONTEXT
What today’s leaders must do?
• Lead by example
• Inspire passion for the work
• Walk and talk
• Ensure that teams are well prepared for decision making
under fast changing, information flooding conditions of
today’s world.
• Help others stay focused and balanced as they establish
priorities.
• Convey context and meaning in ways that enable others
to leverage their own talents.

9. 9
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
COMPETENCY
• Innovation is believed to be the one competency needed
to manage into the future.
• It is the key to survival of any being that is going to be
sustainable.
• BUT ….
• There are many Sub-Components
• In fact innovation is a compound of several different
competences. The individual competencies are %70
generic and %30 field or industry or case dependent.

10. 10
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
COMPETENCY (2)
• Competency Map:
is an assessment tool that outlines the skills and
behavior required to successfully undertake a
position or role.
• Banff Centre for management has conducted a
research on the subject.

11. 11
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
COMPETENCY (3)
• The research identified 35 competences organized in the
following categories:
▫ Direction setting
▫ Change Leadership
▫ Critical Thinking
▫ Organizational development and diversity
▫ Personal/Organizational Balance
▫ Quality
▫ Knowledge and Innovation
• Each indicates four levels of apptitude.

12. 12
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of COMPETENCY (4)
Leadership Training
• It is almost impossible to be taught LEADERSHIP.
• In fact it can be done in a 5 step LEARNING process:
▫ Step 1: Competency Profiling of the learner.
▫ Step 2: The Learning Contract (customized plan for
individual).
▫ Step 3: The Learning Process (hands-on, interactive,
feedback, re-focus, real environment and applications, knowledge
circle).
▫ Step 4: Re-entry Planning (it is not as simple as teaching -
takes a lot of listening exercise, identifying language, motivation
and talents in others ready to be nurtured) .
▫ Step 5: Measurement of Impact : Successful
DEMONSTRATION of the desired skills and learning
competencies is ESSENTIAL.

13. 13
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
CULTURE
• Corporate culture is very important.
• Over the long term, culture does more to
influence the impact of corporate leadership
than any other factor.
• Innovation is defined as the number-one
advantage of the knowledge program, the main
obstacle however is the development of
knowledge sharing culture!

14. 14
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of
CULTURE(2)
• Two greatest obstacles to successful knowledge
Leadership :
1. Lack of trust
2. Inadequate communications
Specifically regarding values, mission and critical
success factors.
These 2 elements combined with lack of vision
seem to be the root of management duress.

15. 15
Knowledge Leadership is a matter of CULTURE(3)
• Creating and sustaining a culture where knowledge is
valued is one of the most difficult challenges in
practice.
• Appropriate culture are those that:
1. Engender change, innovation, openness and trust
2. People are recognized and rewarded for their
knowledge contribution
3. Flexible, networked organizational structures, multiple
teams and a climate of intensive and purposeful
networking.
4. ….

16. 16
Communities
• Various disciplines started converging in responsibility
and practice.
▫ Integrating core principles from the domains of others.
▫ Convergence of functional perspectives and common
agendas are emerging.
▫ Growth of circles and networked organizations ( harness
creativity and promote cross-fertilization).
• (…)The need to know what each other knows ( Brown
and Gray, 1995).
▫ Provides insights into how the entire operation may
effectively led.
▫ Leaders, will not operate only based on competition.
▫ Collaborate and contribute to the success of one another.

17. 17
Conversation and Common Language
• Innovation Language
▫ Language that does not focus on a particular function.
▫ Encompass industries, sectors , regions….universal scope
• Knowledge language with a glossary of terms ( Skandia and Ericsson in Sweden )
▫ On-line capability to add terms( more that 400)
– Appling heritage, purpose, mission and strategy of the enterprise
▫ Spheres of influence ( Once connections are made among internal and external constituents)
▫ Structured conversation and dialog
▫ Flow of meaning
– Quality and level of conversations
– Network of conversations ( Ray Stata, Chairman of Analog Devices of Nortwood
Massachusetts)
▫ Common Language and shared vision
▫ Encourage
– Employers to become a community of inquirer’s not advocates,
– Managers to understand the knowledge, skills experiences of one another

18. 18
Communication
• Dramatic increase in computer and communication technology.
▫ Explosion of www, e-commerce
▫ strategy of how best leverage the technology
▫ Taking advantage of internal and external mechanisms( group-ware,
multimedia, cyberspace ) to optimize results
▫ Communication not always technical
▫ Apprise organization and stakeholder of priorities, changes in direction,
success stories
▫ Simple but not simplistic communications
▫ Integrate plans with human capital ( knowledge of all stakeholders in the
innovation process.)
▫ External messages must be consistent with internal culture, values and
vision
▫ How companies are perceived in the marketplace,
Platform Knowledge type advertising campaigns
▫ Knowledge economy, not only designed for market products and services
▫ External stakeholders and a motivation tool for employees
▫ Importance of the right words in the right context
▫ Communication strategy as a learning process and also as a dissemination
tool

19. 19
Coaching
• Tow parties – Both responsible.
▫ Forward looking, change oriented, and developmental
▫ Enable client success, productivity, growth, stakeholder value
▫ More about ‘Being’ than ‘doing’
– Involves trust, support and shared values.
• The coaching relationship enables people to work out issues and find answers through their
own effective discovery process.
• Successful leaders values others and have a need to ‘know what the other know’.
• Ability to coach and be coached.
▫ Value of Mutual talent
• Important to have others – motivate their own innovation process.
▫ Personal coaching success fact!

20. 20
Measure Leadership
• Principles have been around for decades
– Few organizations have implemented them
– Fewer have discovered a systematic way to measure the results
– In recent times, with the significant research being done, institutes began to
comprehend,
“the power of the intangible value of the enterprise.”
• Measure what we can measure
▫ “ I’d rather be roughly right than precisely wrong!” (Leif Edvisson, Chief
Knowledge Officer )
▫ Major research project
The intangibles agenda, as a priority!
▫ Best practice guidelines( Skyrme and Amidon, 1999):

21. 21
Measure Leadership
• Large gap between management expectation and
actual achievement of results
– Most important but the least understood
• Traditional accounting mechanisms did not provide
reliable ways in measuring the intangibles.
• Investing executives
▫ Effective in understanding the past and present
▫ Not very effective in predicting the future directions
that companies should take

22. 22
A Knowledge Leadership Litmus Test
• Knowledge Innovation Assessment
▫ Innovation Strategy is leadership
• How innovative is your organization?

23. 23
Global Knowledge Leadership map
• ENTOVATION network invited to participate in
the Global Knowledge Leadership Map.
• Variety of disciplines, a wide range of functional
responsibilities and representing 50 nations.
• They are all playing a role in shaping our new
economy.

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• Admire those who are considered
innovation genius
• Value of collective
• Common language
• Value communication process
• Coach and be coached
• Shared vision
• Embrace innovative mechanisms tools
and methodologies