km 01 knowledge metaphors
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knowledge management metaphorsseminarTRANSCRIPT
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KNOWLEDGE
METAPHORS
Prof.Dr.Dr. Dr.H.C. Constantin BratianuUNESCO Department for Business Administration
Faculty of Business Administration
Bucharest University of Economic Studies
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Philosophy in the flesh. The embodied mind and its
challenge to Western thought
(George Lakoff & Mark Johnson, 1999)
The mind is inherently embodied.
Thought is mostly unconscious.
Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical.
These are three major findings of cognitive science.
More than two millenia of a priori philosophical
speculation about these aspects of reason are over.
Because of these discoveries, philosophy can never
be the same again.
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Philosophy in the flesh. The embodied mind and its
challenge to Western thought
(George Lakoff & Mark Johnson, 1999)
Our most basic philosophical beliefs are tied inextricably to our view of reason.
Reason has been taken for over two millenia as the defining characteristic of human being.
Reason is not completed conscious.
Reason is not purely literal, but largely metaphorical and imaginative.
Reason is not dispassionate, but emotionally engaged.
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METAPHORS
For many people, a metaphor is a matter of language rather than thought and action.
Research demonstrates the contrary, that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life.
Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in
nature.
But our conceptual system is not something we are normally aware of.
The essence of a metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of
another
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The fact that abstract thought is mostly
metaphorical means that answers to
philosophical questions have always
been, and always will be, mostly
metaphorical.
In itself, that is neither good nor bad. It is
simply a fact about the capacities of the
human mind.
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Metaphors
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ARGUMENT IS WAR
He attacked every weak point in my argument
I demolished his argument
I have never won an argument with him
If you use that strategy, he will wipe you out
He shot down all of my arguments
His criticisms were right on target
Your claims are indefensible
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ARGUMENT IS WAR
Argument is not a subset of the concept of war.
Arguments and wars are different kinds of things verbal discourse and armed conflict.
But ARGUMENT is partially structured, understood, performed, and talked about in terms of WAR.
The concept of ARGUMENT is metaphorically structured, the activity is metaphorically structured,
and consequently, the language is metaphorically
structured
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TIME IS MONEY
You are wasting my time
This gadget will save you hours
I dont have the time to give you
How do you spend your time these days?
That flat tire cost me an hour
You need to budget your time
You dont use your time profitably
I lost a lot of time when I got sick
You are running out of time
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TIME IS MONEY
Time in our culture is a valuable commodity.
It is a limited resource that we use to accomplish our goals.
Work is associated in modern times with time, and time can be measured precisely.
Thus, work output is associated with the working time, and finally the work is paid according to the time spent
for doing that work.
In a quite natural way time is metaphorically understood in terms of money.
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Past
Future
Time observer metaphor
Event 1
Event 2
Event 3
The observer
is moving
I shall come to you next week.
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Past
Future
Time observer metaphor
Event 1
Event 2
Event 3
Time is moving
Time flies by
Time for action has arrived
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On the metaphorical nature of intellectual capital: a
textual analysis
(Daniel Andriessen, Journal of IC, 7(1), 2006)
Knowledge is an abstract concept. It has no referent in
the real world. We use metaphor to map elements of
things we are familiar with in the real world onto the
concept of knowledge to make it comprehensible.
Knowledge is not a concept that has a clearly
delineated structure. Whatever structure it has it
gets through metaphor.
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Knowledge as Objects
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Using Knowledge Metaphors
The idea of dealing with knowledge as an object has been exploited in a variety of areas across KM and
information technology (Borgo & Pozza, 2012)
A somewhat less structured form of accumulated knowledge is the discussion database, in which
participants record their own experience on an issue
and react to others comments (Davenport & Prusak, 2000)
If we would understand how we build knowledge, than we must understand our own purposes (Allee,
1997).
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KNOWLEDGE AS STUFF
Knowledge as an object
Locate knowledge
Recognize knowledge
Move knowledge
Exchange knowledge
Knowledge as a resource
Gather knowledge
Store knowledge
Distribute knowledge
K STUFF
Knowledge as capital
Value knowledge
Invest knowledge
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Knowledge as Flows
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Using Knowledge Metaphors
The way knowledge flows in organizations is often a hidden process (O Dell & Hubert)
With the wider view I am taking, I claim that managing knowledge flows is something that can be
applied and used in almost any type or organization
(Leistner, 2010)
So flow of knowledge from individuals depend on three broad factors: individual preferences, the
social situation and organizational factors (Oliver,
2013)
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To the extent that organizational knowledge does
not exist in the form needed for application or at
the place and time required to enable work
performance, then it must flow from how it exists
and where it is located to how and where it is
needed. This is the concept knowledge flows.
Nissen, M.E. (2006) Harnessing Knowledge
Dynamics, p. xx
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Dominant view in the West
Knowledge as a thing that can be controlled and manipulated
Knowledge as information that can be codified, stored, accessed
and used
Knowledge as resource that can be created, stored, shared,
located, or moved, and that is
part of the input-throughput-
output system of the organization
Knowledge as capital that can be valued, capitalized and
measured; that is part of the
financial flow and requires an
return on investment
Dominant view in the East
Knowledge as spirit and wisdom
Knowledge as unfolding truth
Unity of universe and human self
Unity of knowledge and action
Knowledge as illumination or enlightenment of an
underlying, deeper reality
Knowledge as essence-less and nothingness (Japan)
Knowledge creation as a continuous, self-transcending
process
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Mapping from source to target
Source
Domain
(Space)
Target
Domain
(Time)
Characteristics
of source domain not
used for target domain
Characteristics
of target domain
not covered by source
domain
metaphorical
entailments
Tangibility Continuum Intangibility
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Mapping from source to target
Source
Domain
Target
Domainmetaphorical
entailments
Objects Knowledge
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What can metaphor transfer
Knowledge can be accumulated
Knowledge can be stored
Knowledge can be located
Knowledge can be retrieved
Knowledge can be transferred
Knowledge can be distributed
Knowledge can be packaged
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What metaphor cannot transfer
Objects are tangible
Objects can be seen
Objects have a well-defined shape
Object can be measured
Objects can be broken
Objects can be counted
For object we apply linear operations (+, -, x, :)
For object we apply Newtonian laws
Objects can be distributed with the rule of keeping sum total to be constant
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What is specific for knowledge
Knowledge is intangible
Knowledge cannot be seen
Knowledge cannot be measured
Knowledge does not have a well-defined shape
Knowledge cannot be broken
Knowledge is nonlinear
For knowledge we cannot apply linear operations
For knowledge we cannot apply Newtonian laws
Knowledge can be distributed without the rule of sum total to be constant
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Thank you for your attention!