Media Release: David Gurteen Visits South Africa In Nov 08

Media Release – 16 October 2008

International Knowledge Management Specialist, David Gurteen, visits South Africa in November 2008 Symphonia Leadership Development in collaboration with the Knowledge Management Practitioners Group is pleased to be hosting David Gurteen in South Africa. David Gurteen, an international Knowledge Management specialist, will be facilitating Knowledge Café Masterclasses in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town during his visit. In these one day workshops delegates will get to understand the desired outcomes, fundamental principals and benefits of the Knowledge Café process. They will go on to participate in a Knowledge Café; to experience the benefits first hand and to reflect on and discuss the experience within the session. Delegates will leave the workshop understanding the power of the Knowledge Café and with sufficient knowledge to run one. David Gurteen has been running Knowledge Cafés in a variety of settings and cultures, around the world for the last 5 years including: London; Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta; Hong Kong; Dubai; Singapore; Canberra; Barcelona; Washington DC; Moscow and many others. From this experience, he has developed a highly successful format: the Gurteen Knowledge Café. “David Gurteen is the person with the finger on the pulse of the Knowledge Management movement. His knowledge about all aspects of KM and the actors in the field is second to none.” - Karl-Erik Sveiby, Professor Knowledge Management, Hanken Business School, Helsinki, Finland

These workshops are designed for anyone who is tasked or involved in developing a knowledge sharing or more innovative culture within their organization. You do not need to be a professional facilitator. People interested might include: Knowledge Management Practitioners, Learning and Development Practitioners, Human Resource Practitioners, Project Leaders, Change Managers, Trainers, Facilitators, Communities of Practice (CoP) Leaders and others.

Knowledge Sharing is a key issue for Knowledge Management and for organizational success. But real Knowledge Sharing requires an open mindset and continues to be a challenge for many organizations. In fact, it can be difficult to even get people to talk openly to one another about their specific corporate interests, opportunities and responsibilities. One way of energizing an organization to achieve real Knowledge Sharing benefits is the use of Knowledge Cafés. A Knowledge Café is an effective vehicle for opening up conversations and discussions that lead to sharing. It can be used within teams or Communities of Practice to question entrenched assumptions, to help facilitate learning from others and gain a deeper collective understanding of a subject - through conversation. It is not just about talking and networking, though these are secondary benefits, but allowing people to engage each other in "dialogue" with the aim of learning from each other rather than entering into unproductive debate and attempting to impose their views on the other which invariably end in failure and frustration. A few comments from people about David Gurteen’s work: “I have known David for many years and he is one of the best connected people in knowledge management. He has made the running of knowledge cafe's a repeatable component of many a KM conference and is an excellent facilitator. If you want someone to bring out the views of the delegates and not impose their own perspective then David would be an excellent choice. “ - Dave Snowden, Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Cognitive Edge “PricewaterhouseCoopers involved David as the facilitator for a one day seminar on building personal networks. The session and David's facilitation received very good feedback and all involved enjoyed the day. I found David to be proactive in planning the day and adding value to the event. Since this time David and I have remained in contact and I look forward to working with him again in the future. “ - Simon Levene, PricewaterhouseCoopers “David Gurteen is an outstanding knowledge networker. His knowledge cafes are an excellent environment for learning and sharing, and David’s understanding of the human

dynamics of knowledge-sharing, his natural creativity and unmatched network make him a true “knowledge asset”. “ - Chris Collison, Author of “Learning to Fly” and owner of “Knowledgeable Ltd”

Interested? Bookings cost R2800.00 per person (plus VAT). Symphonia is offering a 50% discount for Non Profit Organizations (NPOs) and a 10% discount for group bookings for more than 10 people. The Gurteen Knowledge Café workshop can also be facilitated in-house at your organization. For inquiries, contact Kirsten Pearson on +27 (0)82 936 1898 or email: [email protected]. JOHANNESBURG

PRETORIA

STELLENBOSCH

Date:

Date:

Wednesday, 19 November 08

Date:

Venue:

Wingate Country Club

Venue:

Neethlingshof

Cost:

R2800 + VAT

Cost:

R2800 + VAT

Venue: Cost: Offered by:

Monday, 17 November 08 Indaba Hotel & Conference Centre R2800 + VAT Symphonia Leadership Development & KM Practitioners Group

Offered by:

4Knowledge

Offered by:

Thursday, 20 November 08

Symphonia Leadership Development & KM Practitioners Group

Contact:

Kirsten Pearson

Contact:

Dalene Duvenhage

Contact:

Kirsten Pearson

Tel:

+27 (0)82 936 1898

Tel:

+27 (0)82-413-1922

Tel:

+27 (0)82 936 1898

Email:

[email protected]

Email:

[email protected]

Email:

[email protected]

ENDS Released by Symphonia Leadership Development Contact Person: Kirsten Pearson Telephone: +27 (0)21 913 3507 Mobile: +27 (0)82 936 1898 Email: [email protected]