For this reason, most books and articles are ineffective when
they are simply posted to an electronic knowledge system “as is.”
To be effective, they must be extensively reworked to suit the way
in which information is accessed and read on computers. The text
must be broken up to provide much more “white space,” and the
key concepts must be presented in short segments or as bulleted
items. This is the key concept behind Ninth House’s Instant
Advice, which consists of a large series of very short (one-minute)
videos and text on individual leadership topics.^8
Brevity, however, carries the attendant risk of superficiality. A
savvy manager will be skeptical of unsupported one-liners of
“things to do” or guides that reduce the complex tasks of manage-
ment to superficial “sound bites.” The solution is to give the user
control, presenting top-line information succinctly and unadorned
but providing “drill-down” capability through hypertext links. In
this way, the user can quickly review a large amount of information
but still have the option of pursuing knowledge in depth in areas of
special interest. We have implemented these concepts in GuideMe
by providing the first level of suggestions as short action statements
keyed to objectives but offering a “Tell Me More” option for each
that links to more in-depth information, background, and refer-
ences to additional resources.
A Knowledge System That Learns and Grows over Time
The importance of printed paper in human history is undeniable;
the invention of the printing press produced a quantum leap in
human development by making it possible to preserve accumulated
knowledge and disseminate it inexpensively across distance and
time. Books will continue to play a vital role for the foreseeable
future; their demise has been greatly exaggerated. However, once a
book is printed, its knowledge is static until the next edition. A
great advantage of knowledge in electronic form is that it can be
revised, expanded, and repurposed more quickly and more inex-
pensively than printed material.
130 LEADINGORGANIZATIONALLEARNING