Knowledge Building, Value Creation, and Sustained Progress : PowerPoint

A strong case can be made that the key determinant of a firm's long-term performance is its knowledge building proficiency. Knowledge building and value creation are opposite sides of the same coin. As such, this PowerPoint lays out six key learning objectives. First, knowledge building is the thread that connects seemingly separate topics (e.g., innovation and organizational structure). Second, the Knowledge Building Loop breaks the process into component parts leading to new angles of thinking. Third, language is perception's silent partner and is broadly influential as part of the Knowledge Building Loop. Fourth, pragmatic imagination helps in adapting to a fast-changing environment and in developing new opportunities quite different from extrapolating past relationships. Fifth, systems thinking can overcome the blinders created by silos in command-and-control organizational structures. Sixth, a viable theory of the firm is needed to gain clarity about the purpose of the firm, to better understand the firm as a holistic system, and to connect long-term performance to market valuations and shareholder returns