People-focused knowledge management

The Importance of Metacognition
The importance of metacognition and metaknowledge is beyond
doubt. Unfortunately, however, their importance for acquiring new
knowledge takes place in ways that are not readily apparent.
ch03.qxd 5/3/04 2:35 PM Page 87

---

88
People-Focused Knowledge Management
Metacognition is particularly important for planning and monitor-
ing (see Chapter 5), as indicated by Kuhn (2000, p. 178):
The [metacognition] model makes it clear why efforts to induce
change directly at the performance level have only limited
success, indicated by failures of a newly acquired strategy to
transfer to new . . . contexts. Strategy training may appear suc-
cessful, but if nothing has been done to influence the meta-level,
the new behavior will quickly disappear once the instructional
context is withdrawn and individuals resume [prior] meta-level
management of their own behavior.
The importance of metacognition for both planning and monitoring
the whole process of situation-handling is further emphasized by
Kuhn’s statements (p. 179), that:
The meta-level directs the application of strategies, but feedback
from this application is directed back to the meta-level. This
feedback leads to enhanced meta-level awareness of the goal and
the extent to which it is being met by different strategies, as well
as enhanced awareness and understanding of the strategies them-
selves, including their power and limitations.
When allowed to develop metaknowledge on creative and critical
thinking and on knowing what is known, knowledge workers at all
levels increase their effectiveness and ability to develop and take
advantage of improved topic or subject knowledge. Metaknowledge
is important for areas as disparate as situation-handling (including
problem-solving and decision-making), systems thinking, dealing
with interpersonal situations, and technical work topics, and may
include techniques such as topic-, methodology-, and structure-
related conceptual maps. Competent people benefit from having
practical and pertinent metaknowledge about topics such as what in
general is and is not known. They must also develop or be provided
with knowledge of what they know and how to think critically and
be innovative; that is, they need metaknowledge, and they need to
engage in metacognitive reasoning to understand how and why they
can perform better and why that will serve themselves and the orga-
nization well. Deep internalization of metaknowledge through
repeated exposure or effective teaching leads metaknowledge to
become a natural extension of a person’s operational repertoire.
ch03.qxd 5/3/04 2:35 PM Page 88

---

Actions Are Initiated by Knowledgeable People
89
Adoption of general critical thinking as a natural approach to
problem solving is one example.