Knowledge Management (KM) is a modern management discipline that is increasingly important for organisations who want to thrive in a knowledge economy. To promote and develop the field, the KM network of Southern Africa is forging a stronger community. To do so, the convener of the Southern African Knowledge Management Summit (SAKMS) employed a methodology from the field of applied theatre: Strategic Narrative Embodiment (SNE). This paper outlines the apparent role that SNE played in shifting the group of KM professionals at the 2016 SAKMS from potential community to coalescence, as outlined by Etienne Wenger’s stages of community development framework. The study makes use of data in the form of the client brief, planning and design documents, facilitation material and responses, delegate feedback and selected interviews. The data is analysed for evidence of the shift (coalescence to community) based on the framework of Wenger and the original brief from the summit convener. The aim is to review the relative success of SNE in achieving the intended shift and offer recommendations for its future employment in such contexts. Finally the study expects to reveal some emergent narratives of KM professionals in Southern Africa and suggest steps for further development.

1. A C A S E S T U D Y O F T H E
K N O W L E D G E M A N A G E M E N T N E T W O R K I N S O U T H E R N A F R I C A
D R P E T R O J A N S E V A N V U U R E N – D R A M A F O R L I F E , W I T S
E L M I B E S T E R – S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N K M S U M M I T
Applied theatre and knowledge management:
the role of strategic narrative embodiment in
shifting a professional group from
potential community to coalescence
The College of Human Sciences’ School of Arts Triennial Conference
Exploring the African continent through the Arts
14-15 September 2016, UNISA, Pretoria, South Africa

2. Abstract
 Knowledge Management (KM) is a modern management discipline that is increasingly
important for organisations who want to thrive in a knowledge economy. To promote and
develop the field, the KM network of Southern Africa is forging a stronger community. To do
so, the convener of the Southern African Knowledge Management Summit (SAKMS)
employed a methodology from the field of applied theatre: Strategic Narrative Embodiment
(SNE). This paper outlines the apparent role that SNE played in shifting the group of KM
professionals at the 2016 SAKMS from potential community to coalescence, as outlined by
Etienne Wenger’s stages of community development framework. The study makes use of
data in the form of the client brief, planning and design documents, facilitation material and
responses, delegate feedback and selected interviews. The data is analysed for evidence of
the shift (coalescence to community) based on the framework of Wenger and the original
brief from the summit convener. The aim is to review the relative success of SNE in
achieving the intended shift and offer recommendations for its future employment in such
contexts. Finally the study expects to reveal some emergent narratives of KM professionals
in Southern Africa and suggest steps for further development.

3. Background

4. Background
 Participatory process
 Sense-making
 Shift
 Interplay between
individual & collective

5. AGENDA
Application of
SNE at the
SAKMS
Background
Agenda
Janse Van Vuuren, P & Bester, E. 2016. Why we used SNE and what it did and did not deliver.
[Online]. Available at: http://sakmsummit.net/sne-at-2016sakms/ [Last accessed: 13 September 2016]

6. Stages of Professional Community Development
Etienne Wenger

7. How to measure the shift?
 Potential community
 Discovery of similarities
 Imagining of the value of community
 Coalescence/ ‘aboutness’
 Domain (What we do)
 Practise (How we do it)
 Community identity (Who we are)
Mirror
Develop

8. Strategic Narrative Embodiment (SNE)
 Applied Theatre for leadership and
organisation development.
 Translates transformational effect,
story shaping and ensemble skills
of drama performance for work
performance.
 Two levels:
 Design
 Technique

9. The SNE model

10. SNE at the 2016 SA KM Summit
Pre-summit conversations
Review of 2015 material
First session: global & local view of KM
Harvest current strengths - roots
Papers & case studies
Capture learnings as leaves
Cafés = maximum engagement
Ongoing represented by Olive Tree metaphor
Members invited to cluster notes and present
synthesis
Ongoing story sharing invited
Embodiment exercise
Introduction of movement language to share stories
Rapid Role Recast
Choose actions for
‘tomorrow’ – fruits
Post Summit synthesis
Post Summit
conversations

13. Uniqueness of SNE
The use of embodiment in the following forms:
 Exercises that access the DEC (Direct Experience Circuitry) to
momentarily bypass the NC (Narrative Circuitry)
 Park habitual narratives & experiment with other perspectives
 Sharing and translating stories into movement vocabulary
 Access different knowledge  new insight & breakthrough
 Community building effect: equalisation & vulnerability
 Actors used to mirror stories from the community
 Distance through projection  experimentation
 Rapid Role Recasting
 Present and alter perceptions and beliefs in the network

15. What SNE did and did not deliver
 Accurate representation of diverse voices, not forging consensus
 Minimum interference of dominant voices and habitual narratives
 Different kinds of knowledge are accessed
 Works with what is present, rather than what is desired
 Creates space for messiness, divergence and spontaneous engagement
 Allows for emergent narratives to arise, rather than only confirming
habitual narratives
 Relates individual to communal perspectives and vice versa.
 Does not guarantee harmony, safety and comfort.

16. Pattern 1:
Shift from habitual
narrative to different
narrative.
Habitual narrative
- KM ‘vs’ IM/IT
- It is about the soft issues & culture
- And implementation
Shift in nuances of KM narrative
- Rigor of methodology
- Implementation
LEAVES
Case study Café’s
Shift in nuances of KM narrative
- Tackle obstacles, interacting role
players & components, tenacity & to
be flexible and adaptable
Rapid Role Recasting
Shift in nuances of KM narrative
- Commitment to change methodology,
document & share methodology
- Get foundational building blocks in
place; make KM implementation a
reality FRUITS
Shift in nuances of KM narrative
- Document, improve & standardise
- Tools & techniques
End of Summit feedback

17. 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
What should be the
purpose for the KM
Community in the
next year?
What was it like for
you: the gift to me?
The gift to the KM
Community
Harvest from the
Olive Tree: ROOTS
Harvest from the
Olive Tree: LEAVES
Harvest from the
Olive Tree: FRUITS
(commitment to
action next day)
End of Summit
feedback: Take
home messages
Messages to the KM
Community
2016 SAKMS - Distribution of messages
KM Practitioners Group Troubleshooting & peer support.
Unearth TRUE best practices to rapidly accelerate the advancement of the field. Make the concept of KM an automatic everyday occurrence.
Shits in KM and KM professional Promote better understanding of the advantages of KM.
Pattern 2:
Amplification for
Community, connect d to
Trouble shooting &
Support.

18. Edith on the
amplification of
community
“A shift for me was discovering that there are
more people like you, whether in government
or in the private sector. A lot of people are
going through the same thing.”
“Even though we don’t come from the same
house, for these few days everyone started
opening up. You can see what someone else is
going through and we are starting to see what
solutions we can give each other from the
current home that we are in. Then you can go
back to your original home.”

19. Pattern 3:
Increase of the will to
Change, even though it
was not one of the Top 5
purposes selected for the
Community.
Strategic intent shifted
from ‘Best Practice’ to
‘Change/Evolve/Growth/
Innovation/Success’
Signal that there is a
realisation that the
solution for ‘Value
challenge’ will result
from change in
community.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
What should be the
purpose for the KM
Community in the
next year?
What was it like for
you: the gift to me?
The gift to the KM
Community
Harvest from the
Olive Tree: ROOTS
Harvest from the
Olive Tree: LEAVES
Harvest from the
Olive Tree: FRUITS
(commitment to
action next day)
End of Summit
feedback: Take
home messages
Messages to the KM
Community
2016 SAKMS - Distribution of messages
KM Practitioners Group Troubleshooting & peer support.
Unearth TRUE best practices to rapidly accelerate the advancement of the field. Make the concept of KM an automatic everyday occurrence.
Shits in KM and KM professional Promote better understanding of the advantages of KM.

20. Sandra and
Sipho on the
broadening of the
will to act
“I would like to see us not only teaching KM,
but practising it ourselves” (Sandra)
“I want to be a champion of legitimising Kmin
government. In the absence of legislation I can
relate KM to the United Nations and the
African Union. My position now is that I want
to make KM happen in government. (Sipho)

21. How to measure the shift?
 Potential community
 Discovery of similarities
 Imagining of the value of community
 Coalescence/ ‘aboutness’
 Domain (What we do)
 Practise (How we do it)
 Community identity (Who we are)
Mirror
Develop
Shift from
habitual
narrative
Amplification
for
community

22. Thank You !

23. Bibliography
 Janse Van Vuuren, P & Bester, E. 2016. Why we used SNE and what it did and did not deliver.
[Online]. Available at: http://sakmsummit.net/sne-at-2016sakms/ [Last accessed: 13 September
2016]
 Wenger, E. n.d. Communities of Practice: development stages. [Online]. Available at:
http://esflive.archiv.zsi.at/files/CoP_development_stages.pdf. [Last accessed February 2016]
 Wenger, E. & McDermott, R. 2002. Cultivating communities of practice: a guide to managing
knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.