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Creating a Knowledge Vision

One of the best ways to think about influencing others is to envision the difference you want to see when your new knowledge is actually recognized, adopted, or used by others to make decisions or guide their behavior. You may envision your colleagues doing their work in a new way, your constituents getting behind a new initiative, new funders contributing to the work you want to do, or policy makers making changes in regulations that impact your field. Scientist Gregory Bateson was often quoted as saying, "Difference is the difference that makes a difference." What he meant is that nature, including human nature, changes when differences are introduced that are powerful enough to produce breakthroughs in the way things are. The key question for your community, paraphrasing Bateson, is, "What difference will it make if the difference you want to make really makes a difference?"

Reflections
1. How will your field of inquiry or the practice of your profession be different if they are influenced by your knowledge?
2. What would your organizations, communities, or social change initiatives be like if they were influenced by your new knowledge?
3. What thinking or behaviors would shift for your colleagues, constituents, partners, professionals, policy-makers, or others if they were influenced by your knowledge?
4. What circumstances or conditions will be most changed as they are influenced by your knowledge?

Actions
Review the information at Creating a Knowledge Vision. Then, as individuals, spend some time imagining that your community’s knowledge really makes a difference in influencing others. What would the field be like? How would the body of knowledge in your domain be enriched? Who would take what you’ve learned into the world and what difference would it make? Be as explicit as you can in sharing what you imagine together, so that your vision can serve as a guide to your actions. Then, in conversation, share what you see with the whole community. Document a Knowledge Vision for your community.

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Creating a Knowledge Vision
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