Book Description
This invaluable resource can help transform online courses into exciting, meaningful, and active e-learning experiences. 75 e-Learning Activities is filled with scores of e-learning activities and games that offer trainers and instructors a handbook for creating interactive and engaging online courses. Much like the activities and games used in traditional classroom training, these e-learning activities can be used to increase interactivity, engage learners, accomplish learning objectives, develop online relationships, promote active learning, and create learning communities. With many examples available on the CD-ROM for easy online transfer, the activities can help elaborate on course content through the use of online technologies such as chat rooms, email, or discussion boards.
Average customer rating:
- Not for Instructional Designers
- Packed with Knowledge!
- Modern Alchemy That Produces Some Gold
|
Designing World-Class E-Learning : How IBM, GE, Harvard Business School, And Columbia University Are Succeeding At E-Learning
Roger Schank , and
Roger C. Schank
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning
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Lessons in Learning, e-Learning, and Training: Perspectives and Guidance for the Enlightened Trainer
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E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age
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E-learning Tools and Technologies: A consumer's guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and instructional designers
ASIN: 0071377727 |
Book Description
"Schank's success designing teaching software has made him a much sought after figure among businesses, military clients, and universities."
-The New York Times
The majority of corporate training programs are weak, ineffective, costly, and inconvenient for the time-pressed employees they are supposed to train. Designing World-Class e-Learning explores on-line learning--today's hottest business training topic--and explains the "learning-by-doing" approach that the author and his firm have used to develop effective on-line courses for Harvard Business School, IBM, GE, Columbia University, and other world-leading organizations.
Roger Schank, a leading E-learning guru and innovator, demonstrates steps and strategies proven to excite employees, make them want to learn, and decrease training costs while increasing productivity. Schank's approach to E-learning involves:
- e-Learning by doing
- Encouraging learners to fail--and learn from failure
- Just-in-time storytelling from experts
- Powerful emotional impact
Customer Reviews:
Not for Instructional Designers.......2005-01-25
Designing World-Class e-Learning did not meet my expectations-so by Schank's definition, I must have learned something. As an instructional designer, I found it infuriating. Schank preaches, full-pulpit preaching, his perspective on effective training solution by bashing public education, university education, professional trainers, and professional instructional designers. What Schank does do is try and sell you his team providing eLearning solutions for your business. These solutions are excellent approaches for performance improvement, as seen in the case studies. They are ideal for uptraining. I am not yet convinced it is the right approach for new hire training. He also compares the "right" way of learning to that of a child, having expectations fail and changing one's mental models as a consequence. Since adults have some learning skills developed beyond that of a pre-schooler, I felt this was a limited basis of argument. Schank tailors the process, including evaluation, to his premise of what is "good" training. Unfortunately, he does not provide the tools or explanations so that the reader can also put into practice these ideas. Dr. Schank, my one question is, "If Learning by Doing is such an intrinsic necessity for effective learning, why does the reader never have any engaging opportunity to do something?"
Packed with Knowledge!.......2003-04-11
E-learning expert Roger C. Schank describes the secrets of a good e-learning program. He emphasizes using e-learning to train in-house employees, although his methods could work in any setting. Schank clearly establishes the basic principle that makes e-learning work: learning by doing. He outlines methods using scenarios and simulations that permit the learner to put new ideas into practice immediately. He's a little too fond of failing and trying over as a learning method, when one might learn just as well by studying others' failures and successes. However, he supports his approach with education-based examples that demonstrate how children learn, along with an inside look at IBM and GE programs. Visuals in the book show the computer screen in a teaching mode as displayed to the user, so you see how your e-learning material should look, whether on a Web site or on a local intranet. We from getAbstract recommend this solid hands-on instruction manual for training and development managers, and for those who are building e-learning experiences.
Modern Alchemy That Produces Some Gold.......2002-02-04
For masochists who can only learn from their own mistakes, this book provides the best way to teach them. Roger Schank's methods create temporary results that can help people react well in a situation but can limit a persons ability to think ahead avoid problems and communicate issues and solutions appropriately.
Schank's "Sink or Swim" approach of leading the learner to failure encourages educators to be clever and sneaky about the way they craft their training. He warns against telegraphing your punches to the learner. His methods manipulate peoples fears to get them to do what he wants them to do. The golden rule of education is to respect the pupil and Schank unfortunately treats learners with more contempt than he claims traditional methods produce.
The good news is there is plenty of useful insight and examples that aren't covered in other books that I know of. I have mixed feelings because I like so much of what he points out that is wrong with most training and education today. I am also in agreement on how he stresses the importance of good stories and examples and I'm in the car with him right up until he locks the doors, floors the gas and steers the car off a cliff.
Like many alchemists, Schank really believes in his methods to turn base metals into gold and is unyielding in his opinion that all other methods are worthless. He uses only the worst case examples of traditional training methods to reject the educational establishment while using the most idealistic examples to promote why he is the only one who can teach people anything. Thank god, he was there to help Enron communicate issues better to their employees. See the case study on page 44 "e-learning at Enron".
Schank's basic philosophy is that people can only learn from their own failures. He states, "Real thinking never starts until the learner fails." This is a serious flaw. Not many of us would survive if it were true. Learning from our own mistakes is how we keep from falling behind but learning from others mistakes is how we move ahead. And this is what traditional education methods can accomplish, if they are done correctly.
Schank states that "Small children are failure machines, failing hundreds of thousands of times before they learn." He seems to think this is okay and that's the way it should always work. But, most children don't need to be run over by a car to learn not to play in the street. Most children don't need to poke an eye out to learn not to run with scissors.
Schank continually refers to flight simulator training as the ultimate way to educate because pilots are immersed in a completely realistic three dimensional environment. But flight simulator training is just one part of a larger effort that pilots go through. If he would bother to follow up on this a little more, he would find that the FAA and the major airlines discovered a big problem, some time ago, with too much reliance on simulator training.
The problem is that people don't like being set up to fail. When this happens they begin to blame the computer training and don't take responsibility for the failure. The significant changes that have been made include providing more preparation of presentational information and guided practice before pilots enter the flight simulators.
Schank brags throughout the book about how people get through his training courses and graduate classes without learning anything new but that they know how to do something. Well, that just doesn't fly in most of the world. The reason you teach people a certain process and test for knowledge instead of just how to do something is because people tend to take short cuts that may seem productive in the short term but can get other people killed or in trouble. Schank's programs teach people to figure their own way to accomplish a goal. Who cares how they get there? Well sometimes, the Justice and Treasury Department care how you get there, often the news media care how you get there and usually your co-workers care. Ask the ex-employees of Enron whether they care.
Schank couldn't find any psychological research to support his theories, so he made up his own and refers to his own books for support. If you read a broader selection of books than what he recommends, you'll find that most research supports that people consider motivation to be a personal responsibility while they perceive de-motivation to be the responsibility of the system or person they work for or learn from. This means you can pump people up or scare them for a short period of time but ultimately people motivate themselves. However, they are quick to blame the system if you trip them up.
Schank's entire methodology is based on artificially imposing failure on people, to motivate them to learn. When you set someone up to fail, you may teach them not to repeat a mistake but they will become increasingly resistant to this form of training and will begin to blame the system for their failures.
Schank's psychology and methods are at odds with human nature but while Schank rejects all traditional methods of training and education, like multiple-choice tests and Instructional System Design (ISD), I can't reject all of his experience. Overall, he is too extreme and dangerous for me, but like all good agitators, he provides a unique perspective and makes some good points because he has so passionately pursued how to educate people.
Reading this book has been good for me if only to provide a backdrop and comparison to what I am currently doing. Writing this review has helped me deal with the snow storm that people like Schank stir up. There is actually a great deal of valuable information (knowledge) in this book on real corporate case studies, using stories, examples and gathering content that you won't find elsewhere. I just recommend being very careful how you apply it.
Average customer rating:
- Must-buy for 'Pedagogist-Technologists'
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Web-Based Training: Designing e-Learning Experiences (With CD-ROM)
Margaret Driscoll
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e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning
ASIN: 0787956198 |
Book Description
This all-new edition of Web-Based Training is filled with practical charts, tables, and checklists that shows you how to design winning training programs for delivering instruction on the Web. Well grounded in the time-tested principles of great instructional design and adult education, Web-Based Training takes a step back from the whirlwind of technical guides and offers a extensively-researched handbook. For everyone seeking to learn more about the subject, Driscoll gives you illustrative examples from a wide range of organizations large and small and the book's CD-ROM contains a strategic presentation with eighty slides and has helpful links to the World Wide Web.
Customer Reviews:
Must-buy for 'Pedagogist-Technologists'.......2002-10-26
The people in the e-learning industry could be divided largely into three camps - the Pedagogists, the Technologists and the Pedagogist-Technologists (people who bridge the two apparently divergent worlds). :-)
IMHO, Dr Margaret Driscoll is a Pedagogist-Technologist - a wonderfully excellent one! After ploughing through dozens of good and not-so-good books on e-learning, I find this book (which I borrowed from a campus library) a treasure trove. I strongly recommend this book to any serious e-learning practitioner (novice or experienced) who is looking for succinct and practical information, as well as pedagogically and technologically sound tips - this book is loaded with summaries, templates, worksheets, and more.
Book Description
Internet and intranet technologies offer tremendous opportunities to bring learning into the mainstream of business. E-Learning outlines how to develop an organization-wide learning strategy based on cutting-edge technologies and explains the dramatic strategic, organizational, and technology issues involved.
Written for professionals responsible for leading the revolution in workplace learning, E-Learning takes a broad, strategic perspective on corporate learning. This wake-up call for executives everywhere discusses:
• Requirements for building a viable e-learning strategy
• How online learning will change the nature of training organizations
• Knowledge management and other new forms of e-learning
Marc J. Rosenberg, Ph.D. (Hillsborough, NJ) is an independent consultant specializing in knowledge management, e-learning strategy and the reinvention of training. Prior to this, he was a senior direction and kowledge management field leader for consulting firm DiamondCluster International.
Download Description
Learn what companies like AT&T, Cisco Systems, Dell Computer, IBM, Lucent Technologies, Merril Lynch, Prudential, and U S West and others have accomplished with e-learning.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent!!!.......2003-12-13
This book is a must!!! It is an essential approach for understanding eLearning beyond the myriad of applications and placing it as part of a wider framework.
Knowledge Management = Learning Organization 2K.......2001-11-16
Marc Rosenberg is the Peter Senge of Knowledge Management. He builds on the key aspects that Senge acknowledges as key competitive aspects of organizations that need to learn, adapt, and stay solvent. He starts from identifying the difference between instruction vs information and the fact that so many times organizations get caught up in the "who" and the "how" instead of the "what" and the "why." For any trainer this book was interesting from the standpoint of how he defines different levels of knowledge. There are some key graphics and useful charts that help one grasp the complexity of e-learning. I started reading and thought it would be more about on-line learning, but he really took it much broader quickly. On-line learning is only a drop in the bucket of uses for the intranet. As much as we have out there he points out that there is much more to be saturated. Technology is a useful modality that can complement and enhance existing training. There was no threat to the training industry in his book. Training is still essential--but it needs to accomidate the information age and be much more timely, flexible, relevant. The one criticism I have is the fact that he doesn't address the fact that some people still need to have the classroom experience. There is the framework that you can increase aquisition of information, but if some of the psychological aspects of employee needs are not met--you get a drop in productivity, employee satisfaction and employee retention. There is still a lot to debate but he makes a compeling case regarding e-learning and knowledge management.
Packed With Knowledge!.......2001-09-20
Author Marc Rosenberg provides one of the first books devoted to strategies for developing organization-wide, online learning. He goes beyond the obvious technological challenges of Web-based training to explain that technology and content are meaningless without a culture of learning. But creating this culture means confronting dramatic strategic, organizational and political issues. In this roadmap for building and sustaining a learning culture, Rosenberg offers an essential balance between the structure of e-learning (design and technology issues) and its implementation (acceptance and support issues). His book is an impassioned wake-up call to all executives who are concerned about the future of their organizations. To begin building your company’s culture of learning, ... arm yourself with this practical, yet philosophical, manual — a weapon for professionals on the front lines of the revolution in workspace learning.
good overview and introduction to elearning.......2001-06-29
The author brings a good overview and sense of sincere understanding to the elearning space. The book does any excellent job of arming the internal champion of elearning with the data required to show the executive team the importance, value and return on investment.
E-Learning Review.......2001-04-13
This book walks the reader through all aspects of elearning, from the human side of learning theory to the technical side of capability development and deployment. This was an excellent starter book that covers all the bases when it comes to the subject of elearning. The index clearly presents all of the content so the book may also be used as a quick reference guide where the reader can focus only on those areas of interest.
Book Description
In today's de-layered, knowledge-intensive organizations, most work of importance is heavily reliant on informal networks of employees within organizations. However, most organizations do not know how to effectively analyze this informal structure in ways that can have a positive impact on organizational performance. Networks in the Knowledge Economy is a collection of readings on the application of social network analysis to managerial concerns. Social network analysis (SNA), a set of analytic tools that can be used to map networks of relationships, allows one to conduct very powerful assessments of information sharing within a network with relatively little effort. This approach makes the invisible web of relationships between people visible, helping managers make informed decisions for improving both their own and their group's performance. Networks in the Knowledge Economy is specifically concerned with networks inside of organizations and addresses three critical areas in the study of social networks: Social Networks as Important Individual and Organizational Assets, Social Network Implications for Knowledge Creation and Sharing, and Managerial Implications of Social Networks in Organizations. Professionals and students alike will find this book especially valuable, as it provides readings on the application of social network analysis that reflect managerial concerns.
Book Description
Launching and managing a successful e-learning project is much easier when you use the proven steps and strategies in this practical guide. Learn how to avoid technical issues that can bring an e-learning project to a halt. Includes hands-on exercises and worksheets.
Customer Reviews:
Project Managing E-Learning.......2002-11-27
This book gets five stars for providing e-learning leaders a first class project management guide. Bill uses his years of IT project management experience to provide readers with solid skills and know-how to better manage risk, deadlines, roles, client satisfaction, and learning. As a project manager of both corporate and academic e-learning, I see the need for a commitment to this discipline on a daily basis..... My favorite chapter is number 10. In this chapter he details what to document in advance in a Statement of Work. This book is worth twice the price if it helps your next project be more successful! Jon Aleckson, CEO,...
Ensino à Distância.......2002-10-28
É um livro que abarca os aspectos básicos de como desenvolver um Site para Ensino à Distância.
Book Description
Knowledge Networks: Innovations Through Communities of Practice draws on the experience of people who have worked with CoPs in the real world and to present their combined wisdom in a form that is accessible to a wide audience. CoPs are examined from a practical, rather than a purely academic point of view. The book also examines the benefits that CoPs can bring to an organization, provides a number of case studies, lessons learned and sets of guidelines. It also looks at virtual CoPs and to the future by asking 'what next?' This book is a resource for all people who work with CoPs - both in academia and in the real world.
Customer Reviews:
A Rich crop...Well harvested..........2004-04-06
The management of knowledge is a diverse field of study and within the field new crops of ideas are constantly emerging. One of the most resource-rich crops is that of community of practice. Sometimes generic, often hybrid and capable of being genetically-modified they have vast potential in supporting knowledge ecologies.
The agricultural metaphor lends itself well to the nurturing of knowledge. Of course, this is not the first time it has been used nor will it be the last. My own particular interest in the metaphor is how it not only lends itself to communities of practice but also to the process of learning.
For the last three years, I have been involved in teaching a module entitled "Knowledge Management" to students Mastering in Information and Library Management at a University in the North East of England. During those three years, communities of practice have emerged as a significant tool in understanding the creation, capture and transfer of knowledge within and between organizations.
The method of teaching involves lectures (theory-based) and seminars (case study-based) with the use of specific tasks to link the two areas.
This collection of papers is, perhaps, the single most useful text to emerge for teaching the concept of communities of practice, how they relate to managing knowledge within organizations and how they are cultivated and developed. It is abundant in well-researched and relevant commentary, which avoids the jargon of other works. The case studies are particularly useful to information management students trying to understand the relationship between information and knowledge management.
Congratulations to the editors for their conceptualization of the structure and identification of appropriate areas of content and to the individual authors for the quality of their contributions.
Book Description
"Prepare to be stunned by dramatic results never before seen in fields ranging from aerospace to medical research. Evan Rosen's The Culture of Collaboration shows how."
--Scott Cook
Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee
Intuit
"The principles of collaboration and leadership described in Evan Rosen's book coupled with trust and a common set of values provide the foundation for NASA's Mission Control Operations. The Flight Director's role is to create the Culture of Collaboration that is critical for safe and successful spaceflight. It was a key element in the successful return of the Apollo 13 crew."
--Eugene F. "Gene" Kranz
Flight Director, Apollo 13
Author, Failure is Not an Option
"People drive business results in the new world of work. The Culture of Collaboration captures the essence of how lifestyles, work styles and even business models are evolving. Evan Rosen makes a persuasive case through timely and strong examples from multiple industries that collaborative culture creates incredible value and competitive advantage for businesses."
--Jeff Raikes
President, Business Division
Microsoft
"A fascinating 360-degree view of collaboration in action, The Culture of Collaboration is filled with insights that bring new meaning to the changing workplace, globalization and the accelerating Internet revolution."
--Douglas E. Van Houweling
President and CEO
Internet2
"A cultural shift is rapidly changing how we work, learn and interact. Evan Rosen captures this shift and provides incredible insight into how collaboration changes everything. The Culture of Collaboration is a must read."
--Jimmy Wales
Founder, Wikipedia.org and Wikia.com
Discover how Boeing maximizes time, tools and global talent in designing the 787 Dreamliner. Learn how Toyota profits from collaborative principles and culture as engineers, assembly workers, and business partners concurrently design new vehicles and production processes. Find out how a start-up foundation can slash drug discovery time by changing the culture of medical research. See how the Mayo Clinic breaks down barriers among people and departments to innovate everything from patient check-in to physical examinations.
In this eye-opening and groundbreaking book, communication and collaboration strategist Evan Rosen explores how collaborative culture is changing business models and the nature of work. Rosen provides a timely and revealing look inside the world's most collaborative organizations including
Toyota, Boeing, Procter & Gamble, DreamWorks Animation, The Dow Chemical Company, Industrial Light & Magic, the Mayo Clinic and others. He explains how their methods can create value in almost every industry. Rosen also describes the trend towards real-time, spontaneous collaboration and the "deserialization" of interaction and work.
Rosen reveals how organizations of all sizes and types can adopt collaborative culture to create unprecedented value. In an inspiring narrative, he describes the shift from scheduled to spontaneous collaboration and explains the role of "presence-enabled" tools in linking collaborators globally. The Culture of Collaboration also covers:
* The Ten Cultural Elements of Collaboration
* How to fit collaboration into work styles and lifestyles
* Exploiting mirror zones in maximizing time, talent and tools
* Key trends impacting collaboration including compliance
* How leaders can instill a Culture of Collaboration
* New strategies for workplace and virtual environment design
* Sharing vs. hoarding information
* Deserialization of work
* New approaches for integrating collaborative tools and strategies into organizational cultures
* The Global Collaborative Enterprise
* Global work sharing and "high-level" collaboration
Customer Reviews:
A worthy book on how businesses can best tap diverse capabilities in many situations........2007-10-06
This book was well written. And I think it was definitely worth the read. I think it went a little heavy on citing The Mayo Clinic and Toyota, and it totally ignored that collaboration usually doesn't have much room for job security. But all in all I liked it. The book included the following 11 chapters:
1. Climate shift: Embracing rich, real-time collaboration
2. The culture of collaboration
3. The collaborative environment
4. Lifestyles and workstyles
5. Breaking down barriers
6. Integrating collaborative tools into culture
7. The Tao of tools
8. The brave new world of law and compliance
9. Collaborative leadership
10. The global collaborative enterprise
11. The new script
I would have liked the book much better if its content had stuck to what the title suggested it would be about. If the book had merely described the culture necessary to allow collaboration to thrive, then I would be hard pressed to make much criticism. While it is true that collaboration can be wonderful since it "lets people with a variety of skills and talents come together spontaneously and create value" (Rosen, 22), it also is a problem for anyone who works in a company and is concerned for their job security. Probably the biggest problem with this book is that it does not address the job security issue.
Not too long ago I read and reviewed The Collaborative Enterprise (ISBN: 0300114648), another book that covers much of the same material as The Culture of Collaboration. In my humble opinion, the instant book is better written, but the other book is better researched and covers the subject more thoroughly. If the instant book interests you, then I recommend you read both books to better understand the subject matter.
The culture of collaboration (a "we" culture) butts heads today with the culture of hierarchy (a "me" culture) or command and control philosophy. Whereas collaboration shuns individualism and promotes the group or team concept, the command and control philosophy does the exact opposite. While it is true that collaboration will usually get things done quicker and probably better than mere command and control, it also is interested primarily in short term rather than long term stability. And most people who work for a living are interested in long term stability since they have a spouse to help support and children to feed often times.
Collaboration will thrive in partnerships, joint ventures, and special projects since these endeavors are about building things quickly and well. But the author tries to convince us in his book that all companies will benefit from collaboration and all companies should strive to create a culture for collaboration. I don't buy into this theory and the book does not cover all bases in trying to convince me to change my mind. 4 stars!
"The Culture of Collaboration" is "The Four Hour Work Week" For Groups & Organizations!.......2007-09-21
I read Evan Rosen's The Culture of Collaboration after having read the wildly popular personal productivity book, The Four Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris. I was really struck by how The Culture of Collaboration sheds lights on and commits to the scope of The Four Hour Work Week:
The Four Hour Work Week is all about helping individuals live their dream lives by increasing productivity and focusing on what really needs to get done . To achieve this state, Ferris suggests that we read our emails only twice a day, that we work from home, and outsource our lives "to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour."
The Culture of Collaboration is written more for business, nonprofit and government collaborators rather than individuals per se. Like The Four Hour Work Week, Rosen wants these groups to achieve their maximum level of productivity. And he explores different ways these organizations can achieve the best "value creation" through collaboration.
Where Ferris writes that we should check our email only twice a day -- Rosen writes about how companies should encourage their employees to collaborate in real time rather than using email as the default mode for communication. With exceptions, the point here is that checking email wastes time as workers wait for replies and can't move forward with their projects. Rosen then goes on to offer simple alternatives that even I never thought of before.
Rosen also goes into the reasons for why it's also good for companies when their employees work at home. Since Ferris' book is written for individuals and is a bit biased in this regard (who wouldn't want to work @ home?) -- I found Rosen's insights rather eye-opening.
Also, while Ferris recommends hiring virtual assistants - Rosen suggests that companies can get more than just assistants. They can get the top field managers & professionals who can work remotely from all over the world.
Of course, the backdrop for all of these points is that collaborative technologies are emerging which make this possible and that this is the time for organizations of all types & sizes to take advantage of these opportunities . He also explores case studies of successful collaborative groups (including the Mayo clinic, which is my favorite) and other remote models that are fascinating to learn about.
For many reasons, I highly recommend this book!
Working Together to Create Value.......2007-03-23
This book drives deep into the communication technology and organization behavior issues that support collaboration. The author identifies a series of cultural elements that serve to frame effective collaboration within companies and between supply chain partners, responding to the realities of our more economically networked business world.
Rosen's working definition of collaboration involves "working together to create value while sharing virtual or physical space..." His elements of collaboration include trust, environment and communication.
The "presence" of people, ideas, and action in collaborative cultures serves to speed the flow of development, planning and decision making. Net leadership becomes more dispersed, broader discernment is possible, stronger interactions are experienced, and organizations gain bench strength. The proper physical and virtual environment, combined with the right communication resources enables collaborative cultures.
This book also has a very informative section on the technical and operational tools that support communication and collaboration. It's helpful to have a communications expert frame the challenges and opportunities.
Book Shipment.......2007-03-09
The book came well protected and wrapped and in a very short time. I could not be more pleased with this service.
A must read on business collaboration........2007-03-08
In this very interesting and useful book, the author shows how collaboration creates value in business. This is unlike other boring business books I've read, this one's easy to read, well-illustrated, and thought-provoking. This book gives real-world examples from a variety of different industries and shows that a collaborative organizational culture is what sets apart large companies like Toyota, Boeing and Procter & Gamble. Rosen also includes DreamWorks Animation, Industrial Light & Magic, the Mayo Clinic, the Myelin Repair Foundation and others. Besides culture, the author covers tools, processes and workplace environment. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
Breakthrough Research on Knowledge Transfer Reveals Five Proven
Methods for Making Knowledge Sharing a Reality--Which are Right for Your Company?
While external knowledge--about customers, about competitors--is critical, it rarely provides a competitive edge for companies because such information is equally available to everyone. But internal "know-how" that is unique to a specific company--how to introduce a new drug into the diabetes market, how to decrease assembly time in an automobile plant--is the stuff of which sustained competitive advantage is made. Nancy Dixon, an expert in the field of organizational learning, calls this knowledge borne of experience "common knowledge," and argues that in order to get beyond talking about knowledge management to actually doing it, companies must first recognize that all knowledge is not created--and therefore can't be shared--equally.
Creating successful knowledge transfer systems, Dixon argues, requires matching the type of knowledge to be shared to the method best suited for transferring it effectively. Based on an in-depth study of several organizations--including Ernst & Young, Bechtel, Ford, Chevron, British Petroleum, Texas Instruments, and the U.S. Army--that are leading the field in successful knowledge transfer,
Common Knowledge reveals groundbreaking insights into how organizational knowledge is created, how it can be effectively shared--and why transfer systems work when they do.
Until now, most organizations have had to rely on costly "trial and error" to find a knowledge transfer system that works for them. Dixon helps managers take the guesswork out of this process by outlining three criteria that must be considered in order to determine how a transfer method will work in a specific situation: the type of knowledge to be transferred, the nature of the task, and who the receiver of that knowledge will be. Drawing from the successful--but very different--practices of the companies in her study and providing compelling illustrative stories based on the experiences of real managers, Dixon distills five distinct categories of knowledge transfer, explains the principles that make each of them work, and helps managers determine which of these systems would be most effective in their own organizations.
Common Knowledge gets to the heart of one of the most difficult questions in knowledge transfer today: What makes a system work effectively in one organization but fail miserably in another? Going beyond "one-size-fits-all" approaches and simple generalities like upper management involvement and cultural issues, this important book will help organizations of every kind construct knowledge transfer systems tailored to their unique forms of "common knowledge"--and in the process create the best kind of competitive advantage there is: the kind that can't be copied.
Customer Reviews:
A very useful taxonomy of knowledge transfer techniques.......2003-01-23
Looking for in-depth case studies of KM in action at large organisations? This book offers a superb collection and analysis of knowledge transfer techniques at companies like Ernst&Young, Bechtel, Ford, Chevron, British Petroleum, Texas Instruments, and the U.S. Army.
The material is divided into 9 chapters, and the writing style is very focused and precise. Useful flowcharts and checklists make the material a must-read for KM professionals and management strategists.
Dixon begins by deconstructing some common myths ý such as ýbuild it and they will come.ý Knowledge transfer which is merely based on accumulating electronic databases will bring about neither appropriate contributions nor adequate retrievals; incentives, discipline, actionable results, alignment with objectives, and face-to-face communication are key requisites.
Going beyond broad generalizations of organizational knowledge management, the book focuses specifically on the issue of knowledge transfer, and identifies five key categories of lesson sharing in large companies: serial transfer, near transfer, far transfer, strategic transfer and expert transfer.
They differ in terms of who the intended knowledge receiver is (same or different from the source), the nature of the task involved (frequency and routine), and the type of knowledge being transferred (tacit/explicit).
One chapter each is devoted to the five kinds of transfer mechanisms, and two chapters tie all the material together in terms of guidelines for building knowledge transfer systems.
In serial transfer, the collective knowledge a team has gained from doing its task in one setting is transferred to the next time that the same team does the task in a different setting. The tasks are frequent, so meetings are held regularly and assessment questions are standardized.
In near transfer of explicit knowledge, the source and recipient teams are different ý but the tasks are quite similar. The tasks are routine; selected goal-oriented information is disseminated electronically, along with supplemental personal interaction; information usage is monitored and assessed.
In far transfer, the tacit knowledge a team gained from doing a non-routine task is made available to other teams doing similar work in another part of the organization. There is a reciprocal exchange of knowledge, and face-to-face meetings as well as movement of experts are involved.
Examples include BPýs Peer Assist (initiated in 1994, to share experience in challenging areas like deciding whether to invest in a new rig; the transfer includes a visit to rig sites by peers), Chevronýs Capital Project Management (with online forums as well as physical movement of project managers to spread learned lessons across the company), and Lockheed Martinýs LM21 Best Practices (to identify and eliminate redundant facilities, capabilities and structures across its 30 subsidiaries; assessments were made of performance and financial performance).
Other examples include Japanýs Dai-Ichi Pharmaceuticals, where researchers are expected to spend 20 minutes a day in ýtalk roomsý where anyone can dialogue with them. ýTacit knowledge can be transferred by moving the people who have the knowledge around. Calling on tacit knowledge is not just a memory task, it is as often an act of creation or invention,ý says Dixon.
Top-level commitment to the process is called for. Some companies like Ernst&Young designate certain knowledgeable people as ýshared resources,ý who spend a chunk of their time sharing their knowledge companywide.
Strategic transfer is called for when the collective knowledge of the organization is needed to accomplish a strategic task that occurs infrequently ý but is critical to the whole organization. The knowledge gathering is conducted during the actual operation; it can be expensive and resource-intensive, and also involves knowledge specialists who collect information, conduct interviews, videotape discussions, interpret the examples, and synthesise knowledge.
A useful methodology here is MITýs ýlearning historyý process, which results in a narrative document describing an event and incorporating quotes from multiple sources and even contradictory perspectives. The process should include subsequent reflective research and validation. These events need not have to be the ýbest,ý but will always have useful learnings.
The resulting documentation from strategic transfer can be disseminated on Intranets, and should have guidelines, checklists, people profiles, contact information, colourful overall narratives, records, and artifacts. Once created by KM specialists, the product is handed over to a community of practice that has the responsibility of keeping it current.
Expert transfer involves the transfer of explicit knowledge from an expert to someone who faces a problem beyond their current scope. Knowledge is pulled from the expert on demand, via threaded electronic forums to which support is dedicated for monitoring, escalation and support.
Examples include Buckman Labýs TechForums (started in 1992, monitored by librarians and sysops, and supported by editorial help in producing weekly summaries of discussions), Tandem Computerýs Second Class Mail (for tech support), Chevronýs Best Practices Resource Map (a yellow pages of employee resources), the World Bankýs internal help line, and Ernst&Youngýs Knowledge Stewards. Online infrastructure is critical here for multinationals, and there can be infrastructure problems in developing countries.
In terms of RoI, Ford reportedly claims that US$34 million were saved in just one year by transferring ideas between Vehicle Operations plants; Texas Instruments saved enough from transferring knowledge between wafer fabrication plants to pay for building a whole new facility.
The books shows how each organization can have multiple ways of transferring knowledge, involving databases, response systems, monitoring, meetings, and dedicated KM staff. Appropriate audits of knowledge assets, knowledge gaps, existing knowledge flows, and critical processes need to be conducted, sometimes with external assistance.
As for branding knowledge transfer initiatives, Dixon observes that they often donýt even mention the word ýknowledgeý ý the emphasis is on words like peering, assistance, team building, and networking.
In sum, this book provides an excellent view of knowledge practices right from the trenches of companies at the cutting edge of KM. The inductive analysis and roadmaps for implementing knowledge transfer are essential reading for knowledge professionals in all manner of large organizations.
>>>>>>>
Madanmohan Rao is the author of "The Asia-Pacific Internet Handbook" and can be reached at madan@inomy.com
Read This Before Foisting KM on Your Org...........2002-02-08
In presenting alternative systems of knowledge sharing, and their strengths and weakenesses for the types, times, and range of knowledge, Dixon's best contribution is to guide the reader from following certain dead-ends, though not necessarily ensuring a success down the right path.
This book, though incredibly well-written in clarity and focus, is not so practical for the working manager faced with creating a "KM Solution" that will stick, as it is for those task forces and executives thinking about KM solutions and wanting to avoid mistakes - oh so common in today's organizations!
So, if you are looking for high-level descriptions of the various systems of knowledge sharing, their strenghts and weakenesses, the cases in the book are lively, thought-provoking, and interesting to follow along.
Cashing in on "Common Knowledge".......2001-11-02
The author focuses on only one type of the many possible types of knowledge that reside in a workplace: the knowledge that employees learn from doing the organization's tasks. She terms this kind of knowledge as "Common Knowledge" to differentiate it from book knowledge or from lists of regulations or data bases of customer information.
The author puts high value to this type of knowledge because it is unique to a specific company. This specificity in turn gives the knowledge gained from experience the potential to provide an organization with a competitive edge. The author points out that although other types of knowledge - such as, customer information and competitor intelligence - must be made widely available; they have less potential to provide a competitive advantage because the same knowledge is equally available to competitors. It takes a certain amount of intention, the author points out, to create common knowledge out of an experience. This involves a willingness to reflect back, a postmortem, on actions and their outcomes before moving forward to another project. This allows a team to build knowledge on what worked well so that the successes are replicated while the failures are avoided.
The author spends less time on organization and storage of information and concentrates her efforts to knowledge transfer. One of the myths the author dispels regarding the organization and storage of information is the myth that if management builds a "warehouse" of knowledge, the worker's that need the information will come and take out what they need. Apparently the notion of knowledge being documented and located in a central place offers a comforting sense of control and manageability. Most organizations therefore build a central electronic database, a perfect fit for the warehouse image but to their dismay, having spent a lot of money to create the database, find that very little in the way of contributions and retrievals occur with much enthusiasm.
Most companies will attempt to "fix" the lack of contributions by offering an incentive system that offers rewards to workers who contribute and retrieve knowledge. Although the incentives work to some extent, the do not deliver the hoped for results. The author contends that the answer is not in better incentives but rather in altering the powerful originating image of a warehouse that places the focus on collecting and storing of knowledge instead of placing focus on reusing it. The reuse of knowledge is the ultimate goal.
The author spends a considerable amount of time on the issue of exchange (leverage or transfer) of knowledge in the workplace. Again two myths are dispelled regarding the exchange of knowledge. One is that technology can replace face-to- face exchanges. Although technology allows workers to share knowledge without having to be in the same place it cannot replace face-to-face interactions. Technology has to be married with face-to-face interaction to create the most effective knowledge transfer systems; one does not replace the other although one can greatly enhance the other.
The author also dispels the myth that one has to create a learning culture first in order to have effective knowledge exchange. She contends that it is really the other way round, that is, if people begin sharing ideas that they see as really important, the sharing itself creates a learning culture. The exchange therefore imparts positively on the learning culture. She contends that people are generally willing to share knowledge in an organization if they are acknowledged and respected for their expertise. If they share their knowledge, then the knowledge is held in common - common knowledge that is shared throughout the organization and gives that organization a competitive edge.
The author notes that regarding the transfer of knowledge, "one size doesn't fit all". Unless the transfer system is appropriate fit for the kind of knowledge and task, it may be ignored and eventually abandoned. What knowledge exchange method is used in a specific situation depends on three criteria:
· Who the intended receiver of the knowledge is in terms of similarity of task and context.
· The nature of the task in terms of how routine and frequent it is.
· The type of knowledge that is being transferred.
Once the criteria above are identified for each situation then the knowledge exchange mechanism is devised. The author discusses five categories of knowledge transfer, each of which requires different design elements to make the transfer work. The five categories are Serial Transfer, Near Transfer, Far Transfer, Strategic Transfer and Expert Transfer.
The author discusses the design of an integrated system for knowledge transfer based on the needs and resources of an organization. She points out that the design of a knowledge transfer system should be based on the thought of knowledge as dynamic and that conduits to enhance its flow should be designed rather than warehouses for its storage.
Useful Intro to KM.......2001-11-01
This is the first and only book I've read about knowledge management, so my perspective is limited. Nonetheless, I found it helpful in organizing my thoughts about processes already in place in my organization that are within the scope of KM (but not formally labeled as such), and in considering how our team might use these systems more effectively. Our organization-wide KM program is still in the planning stages. After reading Common Knowledge, I was able meet with out KM program leader and not sound uninformed.
The author's most important point - that KM solutions cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach - is clearly and convincingly supported. No book is perfect for every reader, however. After a few of the book's case studies, the rest had diminishing returns for me. I also didn't get much value from the author's comments on learning theory, although this might be of interest to true KM aficionados. Overall, I would still recommend the book to managers who are already involved or expect to be involved in implementation of their organization's KM programs.
Common to Public Health, too!.......2001-11-01
Common Knowledge: How Companies Thrive by Sharing What They Know, by Nancy M. Dixon (Harvard Business School Press, 2000), provides valuable insight into the idea of common knowledge, differentiating the types of knowledge transfer, and providing strategies to achieve the types of knowledge transfer described in the book. Her work is largely business focused, the author having looked at major corporations such as Chevron, Ernst and Young, Ford, Bechtel, and British Petroleum. However, she also uses a successful model developed by the U.S. Army. I read the book from a public health perspective, focusing on examining the relevance of each knowledge type and strategies to my own perspective in public health programs. In this paper, I will present the book's perspective, and intertwine the potential application in the public health arena, which was quite abundant in the book.
The author defines common knowledge as the knowledge that employees can learn from doing organizational tasks. It is the know `how' of a company verses the know `what'. It applies to information that is unique to a company or corporate culture. (Page 13)
The author's goals are to 1) broaden the reader's thinking about how a company might share knowledge, not only the `how', but the `why', as well, and 2) to allow readers to determine which system(s) would be most effective in their own settings. Her focus is on teams, not individuals.
The book begins by dispelling three myths about knowledge sharing:
1. "Build the technology and they will come" mentality. A common mistake made is that a knowledge transfer system is put into place and lays largely dormant or improperly used.
2. Technology can replace face to face encounters. She uses experiences from the Ford motor company as her model example here. Several years ago they began sending key staff to overseas Ford plants to exchange ideas, which ended up saving tens of millions of dollars to the corporation. They have a built in mandate that each year a given plant will increase efficiency by 5%, no small task year in and year out!
3. That you must first develop a learning culture. It is believed by many that successful corporations greedily hang on to information to maintain a competitive edge. The author found quite the contrary to be true in the successful corporations she examined, at least from within a complex organization.
Personally, the `knowledge is power' mentality has prevailed at times in our own public health professional environment. When I began in public health the motto of many of my superiors was `keep your cards close to your chest', get as much information as you can without divulging much; however, that thinking has largely changed as public health systems have changed from direct service orientation to linkage to service and collaboration. Also, an anecdotal observation is that a sharing mentality is healthy and that withholding information breeches the trust of the public health and creates divisions within an organizational structure.
The author distinguishes between two important types of knowledge, explicit verses tacit. Explicit knowledge is knowledge that could be directly transferred to the learner in the form of a recipe or manual. If you follow the directions, then you will achieve the same product. Tacit knowledge is the knowledge that a highly trained, or technically complicated, situation occurs. There is a tacit knowledge base in the expert, but at each decision node, there is a complicated array of possibilities, not easily conveyed in a simple manual. Examples of tacit knowledge would be: a cardiologist examining a heart patient. In this scenario there are numerous factors to consider, such as patient history, blood chemistry, vascular and stress tests, genetics, age, race/ethnicity, gender, smoking history, etc. To make the correct decision, the physician must look at many facets of the patient, using his/her accumulated wealth of knowledge about the subject. The idea of tacit knowledge is important in public health in that, where national and state agencies are involved, best practices and experiences, if properly conveyed to a receiving organization, can benefit that organization or jurisdiction. Often, it is tacit knowledge that is needed to best determine what the best fit for an agency is, and what formula or recommendations might work best.
"Tacit knowledge is not only the facts but the relationships among the facts - that is, how people might combine certain facts to deal with a specific situation" (Page 94). Some organizations have begun to designate certain knowledgeable people as "shared resources", with the expectation that a portion of their work time be spent sharing their knowledge company-wide, leaving the other 90 percent for the project.
In chapter 2, the author argues that, in order to create and leverage common knowledge an organization must:
1. Determine effective ways to translate ongoing experiences into knowledge, and
2. Transfer knowledge across time and space.
Many organizations fail to allow for time to debrief a project team or review a recently completed event. If some analysis of the process does not occur, an organization may achieve extraordinary success along the way on a given project and not be able to replicate that knowledge in future projects.
In the author's view, one size does not fit all, (Page 21-22). To determine how a knowledge transfer method will work, one must consider:
1) Who the intended receiver is, in terms of task and context? What is the receiving team's aborptive capacity? In other words, the team receiving the knowledge transfer must have a level of understanding already to `absorb' new knowledge (i.e., you can't learn division until you understand multiplication!). Being able to function as a team increases the absorptive capacity to implement knowledge transfer.
2) The nature of the task, i.e. whether it is routine/non-routine and how frequent the task is.
3) The type of knowledge being transferred - tacit or explicit.
Types of knowledge transfer:
1. Serial Transfer: A team performs a task and then repeats the task in a new context. Examples given were the U.S. Army's After Action Review (or, AAR), that examines what was supposed to happen, what happened, and what accounts for the change. Some private corporations have adopted a similar model.
The receiving team (which is also the source team in this case) does a similar task in a new context. The nature of the task is both frequent and non-routine. It may involve tacit or explicit knowledge.
An example of serial transfer in a public health context might be: A syphilis elimination team engages in a syphilis blitz in Birmingham, then, later in Miami - similar tasks, but different contexts.
Meetings are held regularly and are brief. Everyone is involved in action participation. There are no recriminations. Reports are not forwarded to other levels, though notes are retained for local use. Meetings are facilitated locally.
Some of the barriers to this strategy are that team members won't take the time to meet and discuss. Team members may lack the proper skills to have knowledge producing conversations. Also, staff may disperse prior to the end of the project period. This can be especially true at the local public health level, where staff may be young, underpaid, and trying to advance their careers.
To successfully implement serial transfer, the following should be in place:
q A standardized format of questions
q A team facilitator
q Basic norms of truth telling
q A no recriminations policy
2. Near transfer: Transferring explicit knowledge from a source team to another team doing a similar repeated task in a similar context but in a different location or context. In this context users specify the content and format of the knowledge being transferred.
Knowledge is `pushed', meaning that the information appears automatically, rather than users searching for the knowledge. In the modern context this could be through emails or electronic bulletins. The information is actively disseminated, with brief, not lengthy, explanations. The context of the messages being pushed is very specific. The author points out (page 72) that comprehensive systems usually fail, there's just too much information, so nothing ends up being important. Targeted databases work better.
The goal of Near Transfer is not to share knowledge, but to meet a specific business goal established by management.
Barriers to near transfer are based in people's fears of little-used data-bases, or a frustrated attempt to get teams to use a new or innovative practice or process. Some organizations have cultures that are resistant to outside successes. "If it wasn't invented here we won't use it." Finally, some people are `too busy to share' successful approaches.
Public health example: During the Global Smallpox elimination effort, prior to the electronic age, initial efforts involved attempts to vaccinate all people; however, there wasn't enough vaccine to do this worldwi
Book Description
Verna Allee, whose groundbreaking book 'The Knowledge Evolution' helped usher in the exploding field of knowledge management, has brought her experience-tested insights into an exciting new synthesis, penetrating to the very heart of value creation. 'The Future of Knowledge' strips away traditional business thinking to reveal the new patterns of management thought and practice essential for success in a more complex world.
With a gift for making the complex simple and practical, Allee weaves together diverse threads such as business webs, communities of practice, knowledge technologies, intangibles, network analysis, and biology to show why organizations must be supported as living systems before their natural networked pattern of organization can emerge.
Embodying Allee's visionary approach, 'The Future of Knowledge' brings forward a practical view of new theories, frameworks, tools, and methods offering businesses a guide to managing the increasing levels of complexity within their organizations and in society at large.
'The Future of Knowledge' works on many levels:
* At the strategic level, the new tools are intangible scorecards and understanding value networks
* At the tactical level, the knowledge management tools for exchanging and applying knowledge are knowledge networks and communities of practice
* At the operational level, a wealth of new technologies is supporting the codification, storage and delivery of the knowledge people need to complete their routine tasks.
* Leading expert takes us to the next stage of
value creation in business
* Provides the next step in creating a framework and a tool to manage intangible assets to build high peroformance in the knowledge-based economy
* Author of the bestselling 'The Knowledge Evolution'
Customer Reviews:
A great piece!.......2006-03-23
I'd definitely recommend it not only to the Knowledge Management professionals, but to the general public. It's a fun and easy read.
Value Networks: Seeing the unseen value of intangibles.......2003-11-11
In today's crowded marketplace of business publications, it takes something that bit special to stand out and be noticed. A decade ago, Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline was widely regarded as one of the seminal business books of the 1990's, introducing to an appreciative and expanding audience the integrated concepts of systems thinking and the "learning organisation". This new book by fellow American author Verna Allee carries the potential to compete for similar accolades in this current decade.
The idea that there should be any enthusiasm about another book on knowledge would normally be questionable, given the number of books published on knowledge management in recent years, and the attendant hype accompanying such new challenges to business thinking. What makes Allee's contribution special is the elegant manner in which she takes a living systems approach to connect knowledge and value in a profound yet pragmatic way.
The focus on value is particularly appropriate for business given that profitability, the lifeblood of any commercial enterprise, depends on the discovery and creation of value. With the new era of the "extended enterprise" model of the organisation, in that any company competes in a supply chain and wider business ecosystem of customers, suppliers, joint venture partners and other stakeholders, the value network approach is a potentially powerful one in helping to identify, investigate and, ultimately exploit key relationships within the network.
Where Allee perhaps scores highest with her approach is in her treatment of intangible deliverables within value networks, and the introduction of a simple, practical set of tools to assist with the mapping of both intangible and tangible relationships. Because value networks take a living systems perspective, it deals with real people - either individuals, small groups or teams, business units, organisations, industry groups, communities or nation states - dealing with value exchanges flowing between participants in the network, linked by arrows showing the transactions and deliverables of value exchanges.
The power of value networks lies in its simplicity and practicality. As well as providing a structured framework for dealing with intangibles, it also raises interesting questions and challenges assumptions about the real nature of networks in action and the value being created (or destroyed) within these networks.
If business leaders aspire to understand the deeper dynamics of value creation in their extended enterprise networks, The Future of Knowledge will provide them with the philosophy, the roadmap and the tools to guide them.
A refreshing new look at established concepts.......2003-02-19
In this book Allee considers the changing nature, structure and identity of organizations, and the larger patterns of change that are currently unfolding in society. Taking the view that businesses are evolving into 'networked patterns of living systems', Allee observes that we require a different mindset and management tools to respond to these changes. This new mindset includes thinking of organizations as living systems, understanding the principles of networks and how they operate, taking a 'whole-system' view of the organization, understanding how intangibles go to market, and the significance of value networks, people and relationships.
Overall, the book offers a fresh, thought-provoking look at what have become already become well-worn concepts in the knowledge management field. Allee has synthesized a diverse array of ideas and concepts and theories from multiple disciplines to this work.
Part I tends to be a little abstract and theoretical and some of the ideas here about the new knowledge economy and intangible assets will not be new to anyone familiar with knowledge management. However, it does provide a useful context for subsequent chapters. At the end of chapter 5, the checklist of 'where we are now in the learning journey or knowledge continuum' is a useful summary of current thinking. Allee takes an organic view of knowledge networks and communities, such that rather than trying to create them in organizations, it is better to simply find those that already exist and make them visible to themselves and the rest of the organization.
The discussion on how intangibles 'go to market' challenges the notion that we can create value from them in the same way that we do from tangible assets. But perhaps the most interesting section of the book is that which discusses mapping value networks, and the practical examples that are provided. It is here that Allee brings together the concepts discussed in Part I and we begin to see the whole picture that she is building. These chapters will be of particular interest to practitioners who are attempting to grapple with creating value from knowledge in their own, or their client's organizations, and identifying where to focus their attention.
Allee has the capacity to discuss complex issues in a simple and straightforward way without allowing us to feel that we've been shortchanged. Essentially, each chapter offers a simple message. In her discussion of communities of practice, there is a clear message is that knowledge cannot be separated from the human networks that create it, use it and transform it. Similarly, in Chapter 6, she argues that the best technology infrastructure does not guarantee knowledge sharing - organizational intelligence is not a technology question, it is a human question.
At one point, Allee refers to the ancient saying that one cannot step into the same river twice (pp. 143) because the water is never the same water. This is analogous to what Allee has done with in this book - although the concepts, and ideas may seem familiar and have certainly been discussed previously in the plethora of books and articles currently available, she has presented them in a refreshin
Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL))
Learning by Doing: A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games, and Pedagogy in e-Learning and Other Educational Experiences
Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games (Pfeiffer Essential Resources for Training and HR Professionals)
Michael Allen's E-Learning Library: Creating Successful E-Learning : A Rapid System For Getting It Right First Time, Every Time (Michael Allen's E-Library)
