Knowledge Management

If Germany knew what Germany knows. A knowledge society in theory and practice.

From Sabine Walter

Companies now invest a lot in knowledge management. They have understood that it is also important for the success of the company to make knowledge accessible to all. Knowledge as an instrument of power is losing importance. But companies also realise that knowledge management systems alone are not enough to make the knowledge that exists in the company transparent. The central success factor here is also the human being. The fact that many people still find it difficult to make their knowledge readily available to everyone is also due to our school system.

School counteracts developments in economy & society

For In school, sharing knowledge is punished, e.g. by "reciting" or "letting people copy".. This shows once again that we urgently need to reform our education and school system to give young people what they need in later life.

The education system of a society should promote the further development of a society. It should be a pioneer. School and universities should provide young people with not only maintain the joy of learning and personal development, but they should also encourage young people to also prepare them for what they will need later in life and what enables them to make a valuable contribution to the further development of society. This has not been the case in Germany for a long time.

Germany - a knowledge society in theory.

We are a knowledge society - at least in theory. Since we will only endure as such, we need to make significant progress in practical implementation and recognise that the attitude with which we share and use knowledge is of central importance. Learning with and from each other; across generations and disciplines; is crucial in the search for the best ideas. On the one hand, this requires the will to hear the other, but it also requires the courage to get involved.

The fact that everyone contributes and is thus part of the creative development process in very different parts of society, but above all in companies, is already standard in Scandinavia. What is different there? There, the schools are already laying the foundation for this. The "knowledge is power" principle that persists in German schools does not exist there. In Swedish schools for example, pupils stay together in one school for the first 9 years. This gives them the opportunity, To build stable relationships with each other, to get to know each other well, to help discover strengths together and to reduce weaknesses together.

Furthermore, children in Sweden have the opportunity to structure their own school day from the 5th grade onwards. You determinein which subject areas they work alone, in which areas they learn with other pupils in the group and when they want to work intensively with the teacher. Sweden's schools are places of encounter. Learning is fun. The pupils are not only taught subject content, but above all their personal development is strongly encouraged.

There is an urgent need for action here in the German school system. As a knowledge society, we need self-confident personalities who like to engage in constructive discourse in a group. We need people who like to give knowledge to a community and openly receive impulses from it for the development of their ideas and personality. Therefore, more than ever, our schools should

• Laying the foundations for an open exchange of knowledge in a community,
• encourage the free expression of ideas and opinions; and
• Provide students with the tools to engage in informed debate.

Two educational projects that teach these competences or support schools in teaching these competences are presented here:

Two educational projects with an exemplary effect

There are numerous projects in Germany that do what schools should actually be doing. Two of them, for which we are involved, are presented here:

• Youth debates: The project is under the patronage of the Federal President and is funded by the non-profit Hertie Foundation and the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation in cooperation with the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs and the Parliaments of the Länder. The aim of the project is to awaken and promote a desire for factual exchange on social issues among pupils and to train them in the skills of factual debate.
  
  Many colleagues in our team are part of the "Jugend debattiert" coaching team and train pupils and teachers accordingly.
  
• School on the move: The project, founded by Gerald Hüther and others, is an initiative that shows that learning can inspire. Schule-im-Aufbruch wants to develop schools into places where potential is developed. Learning should be fun, arousing and maintaining curiosity about one's own development. A learning culture should be lived in schools that consists of appreciation, trust and responsibility, a sense of purpose and genuine relationships.
  
  We support this project financially.

As a knowledge society, Germany will only develop further if the exchange of knowledge and experience becomes a matter of course for each and every one of us. For this to succeed, our school and education system must understand learning not as individual rote learning, but as open exchange in the community. Until this is the case, we should support all educational projects that help to train tomorrow's skilled workers and managers in their personalities and thus enable Germany to take the step towards becoming a true knowledge society.