UNITAR Concludes Leadership Seminar on Knowledge Economy

December 2014, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR recently organized in Geneva a two-day seminar on “Redefining Leadership in the Knowledge Economy” for Central Bank Staff, Finance and Trade Officials, management professionals, policy actors, delegates and representatives of UN-member countries, Government and Ministry Officials, and information professionals in leadership roles.

Group photo of the participants at the ILO in Geneva where the event took place. Dr Linda Stoddart, a senior knowledge strategy consultant and Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University, directed the seminar with her team comprising of distinguished expert speakers including Ms Kate Pugh, Academic Director of the Master of Science programme in Information and Knowledge Strategy at Columbia University; Dr Nadim Habra, Former IT Director, International Labour Organsiation; Dr Genevieve Feraud, Head of Knowledge Development, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD); and Mr Larry Prusak, Founder, Institute for Knowledge Management, and Senior Advisor to World Bank on knowledge issues.

The experts of the seminar illustrated the value of knowledge management in the 21st century as an integral part of any organizational strategy. It was demonstrated to the participants, with the help of relevant case studies and real-life examples, that customized knowledge strategies, including good collaboration methods and networks led to more efficient organizations, especially those that were inundated with information with the influx of new technologies. The seminar focused on developing good knowledge management skills and strategies to understand and manage the many facets of knowledge economy, so as to further individual and organizational success.

The seminar sessions were made highly interactive by the Seminar Director, which allowed the participants to develop and discuss their individual knowledge strategies with the Seminar Experts. Dr Stoddart and Ms Pugh emphasized on the importance of the effectiveness of networks and collaboration, especially in nurturing innovation to the advantage of individual and organizational success. Case studies and role playing exercises helped to embed the concepts of knowledge sharing strategies, including the importance of networks and collaboration in the participants. Specific examples by Dr Feraud within the context of UNCTAD vis-à-vis Training and Capacity Building Programme for Trade helped to elicit all the stages of the management and organization of successful knowledge management. Dr Habra focused on knowledge technologies and social media trends to stimulate participants to understand their usage for facilitation of information and knowledge sharing in creating organizational value. Mr Prusak joined the participants via video-conferencing and engaged the participants by citing interesting examples on the ‘democratization of knowledge’ and the rewards attained from sharing knowledge.

The participants found the seminar to be highly condensed and of high value to their respective backgrounds. They also appreciated mentoring on their personal plans that the Seminar Experts helped them develop.

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