And what is expertise these days?

And what is 'expertise' really these days in a dynamic business environment where change is the norm?

Probably many of us still believe that expertise is something revolving around concrete knowledge that is linearly acquired with years on the job. Maybe something represented by a knowledge pyramid where learning is a step by step process that adds knowledge rungs to the expertise hierarchy.

I really like this quote by futurist Alvin Toffler, a notion which I think is a critical dimension of 'expertise' for today's knowledge worker:

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

Is that more what expertise looks like today - an aptitude for iterative learning and agile relearning to meet emerging challenges? Taking a few familiar ingredients and combining something new, adding a catalyst to reformulate strategies and solutions - distilling something new, something fresh.

Occasionally it may even be necessary to explore revolutionary change that risks throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Previously I've discussed Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and in particular highlighted a Seek - Sense - Share approach.

I think an individual's capacity for PKM really is the foundation of what we refer to as 'expertise'. Without PKM it's difficult to maintain currency of expertise.

Harold Jarche views the fast-paced dynamic environment that most of us now work within, as being characterised by perpetual beta. That is, the process of change tends to be the norm and we now operate within a state of flux where knowledge is continually shifting. The expertise to meet the challenge of perpetual beta largely depends on PKM and perhaps the notion of learn-unlearn-relearn.  

Maybe the process of developing expertise these days is something like the journey to becoming a chess master. Sure, you need to learn the fundamentals - but over time you need to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and ultimately you need to become unpredictable to stay ahead of your competitors - you perhaps need to unlearn classic patterns and relearn strategies to create novel moves.

learn - unlearn - relearn.......................innovate

Personal knowledge management & the chemistry of self-belief

Harold Jarche defines personal knowledge management (PKM) "as a set of processes, individually constructed, to help us make sense of our world and work more effectively".

In a nutshell, PKM enables us to pull our learning to match the specific knowledge demands encountered at work. PKM can be viewed as a 3 stage process where we seek out relevant information, we make sense of it in the context required and share it with our network to test it, refine it and then apply this as knowledge on the job.

Harold Jarche has made a significant contribution to the application of PKM and you may like to explore the resources available at http://www.jarche.com/category/pkm/.

I've previously discussed the value of PKM in the context of agile learning for the workplace. In this post I'd like to consider PKM as a vehicle for attaining professional confidence.

Self-belief or Self-Efficacy was defined by Albert Bandura as the belief in one's capabilities to organise and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.

Does personal knowledge management (PKM) enable us to walk the fine line between self-belief and self-doubt? Is PKM the key to growing into our jobs - excelling and developing expertise - but also a sense of mobility and confidence to create a fulfilling career?

When I say 'expertise' I'm talking about bringing your existing knowledge to new situations and having the capacity to adapt this to match the specific circumstances. How successful you are in meeting the challenges helps you expand your knowledge and provides a platform to take on new projects and different jobs. This to some extent is a product of learning experiences that enhance your sense of self-belief.

This ability to solve problems and create solutions also relates to Dan Pink's notion of what drives motivation - autonomy, purpose and mastery. I think motivation also has a synergy with an individual's sense of self-belief or professional confidence and how comfortable they become with a degree of autonomy.

Returning to personal knowledge management, Harold Jarche's Seek-Sense-Share model contains an element of critical thinking and personal self-directed learning, supported now by an array of web-based tools.

However, it's the ability to share and engage in dialogue that provides the link to practice. In other words, connection with others across networks is the real key to contextualising your knowledge and facilitating innovation.

I've touched on aspects of PKM that build and support our sense of self-belief, our self-efficacy. Firstly, the PKM framework provides us with a relatively systematic approach for addressing new challenges or performance improvement. Secondly, by making connections and expanding your networks there's a means of getting a 'best-fit' solution. Further, the corroboration of others brings peace of mind and confidence that you're getting it right. Ultimately of course this also needs to be reflected in the business metrics!

"People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided." - Albert Bandura