Using a Wiki

Whats a wiki? Have u ever used one?
To me, the best example of a wiki is Wikipedia. A trailblazer in its time, today if you needed a quick reference from the internet, most likely you would be searching wikipedia.

The interesting feature of Wikipedia is that it consists of information and references (knowledge?) on a huge, huge scope. The large scope can be attributed to the way wikipedia works. Wikipedia is a living encyclopedia consisting of a collection of collaborative work of contributors. People can update what ever information they have, and, in the process of updating attach their comments, arguments and references supporting their decision to update. It is amongst the better examples of the power of collaboration.

A wiki is then a collective approach to information and/ or knowledge. Founded by Ward Cunningham as the simplest online database that could possibly work, a wiki brings together knowledge of people resulting in a living repository of information and knowledge.

Why wiki?
As an organization, each of us have points of view shaped by our individual, unique experience. What we know, very often, cannot be described by us (we do not know what we know) and the knowledge that we have only become meaningful when the situation or context arises. This is the fundamental issue with managing knowledge. Very often we talk about "writing down what we know", but without context, we would not be able to identify where to start.

Many times, we realize we have something to contribute in the middle of conversations. These conversations in my experience tend to be informal, over a cup of coffee, in the hall ways and etc., and during these times only we realize that there is someone out there who has the answer to what we need. In this realization, the context has been determined and, as a result, the knowledge arises. what if it was a new topic of discussion? would you know who to invite to coffee with?

Without creating context, then, we would not know were our knowledge resides, and this is how our abilities become limited. Context is dependent on sharing.

Wikis become useful because context is created when the subject is raised by in the wiki. This could be as simple as starting an article on "preparing presentations". The initiator sets out what he knows on the topic, and shares it with the rest of the organization. other people then set out to add to the topic based on their on knowledge and experience on the topic and the quality of the information grows and gets updated. Using a Wiki is helpful, because each version is saved and references arguments and contributors get tracked.

By using wikis, subject matter experts begin to become apparent in the organization as their contributions impact the knowledge in the wiki. The most important part of this is that the knowledge is collective; everyone contributes and the organization has on record everything it knows. And, tracking the contributors make the organization aware of who their experts are and it makes the organization more effective in trying to move forward.

In the maintaining of management System procedures and even circulars and policies, wikis to me provide the platform in which these documents go through changes and continue to evolve. Imagine a live procedure that continuously changes.

Such power does the wiki have. Sadly, this does not happen easily in the organization. A critical enabler of such collaboration is the willingness to share. Without sharing, information does not grow.