Knowledge can be viewed as a spectrum, but more importantly, knowledge is the ability to do something, says Laurence Prusak.

The founder and director of Institute of Knowledge Management, IBM Corp, USA is in the country as the keynote speaker at this year’s Top Executives (TOPEX) Conference held at The Warwick Fiji Resort along Coral Coast.

Mr Prusak spoke at length about how while the idea of knowledge differs, it flows along existing pathways in organisations and to improve the flow of knowledge, one needs to understand the pathways.

“The only source of any real competitive advantage for a company or a country is the global search for and appropriation of new ideas,” he said.

“You have to find these ideas, adopt them and use them. The world has so shifted that it is today more true than it was 10 to 15 years ago.”

He said centuries from today, if someone was to write what the year 2015 was known for, two things would stand out.

Practical knowledge

Mr Prusak identifies practical knowledge as the ability to do things, the ability to build things etc.

He said the modern economy is nothing like what was centuries ago.

Speaking while giving an example of Ireland, he said knowledge there was no longer just confined to the Roman churches.

His talk was very well received by the participants of the conference. The conference comes to an end this evening.

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