Knowledge as the Energy Flow of the Project Ecosystem

Abstract

An ecosystem is a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting together. Ecosystem involves both biotic (living) organisms (plants, animals, microbes) and abiotic (non-living) physical surroundings (air, water, soil, sunlight). A project is an ecosystem because it is a dynamic, interdependent community of living parts (stakeholders) and non-living parts (OPA – Organizational Process Assets and EEF – Enterprise Environmental Factors). The parts of an ecosystem are linked together through an energy flow, essential for its survival. Energy flow relies on a source, mostly solar. If energy flow stops, an ecosystem will rapidly and completely collapse. Without a continuous flow of energy to maintain complex structures, biological organization breaks down into simple components. Similarly, knowledge is the energy flow that assures the life of the project ecosystem. Without knowledge project naturally moves toward disorder, entropy and chaos. The local profile of the single stakeholder (history, values, and culture, reputation, distinctive skills, organizational structure, and, last but not least, its interest and power over the project), prevails over the global dimension of the project (common goal, synergies, collective way of working, contamination of ideas, points of view, perspectives). This paper is aimed at discussing how to address the peculiarities of a project ecosystem through the energy flow of knowledge. Project peculiarities are: limited life cycle; interdependent stakeholders; fragile relationships; adaptation and learning; emergent value; agency for change. First of all, each peculiarity is briefly explained in terms of meaning, strengths and weaknesses. Then, the practical use of knowledge is discussed for enhancing strengths and reducing weaknesses. Finally, some advices are provided to project key roles, such as project manager, subject matter experts, agile coach, in order to become more familiar with knowledge as the energy flow of the project ecosystem. The topics of this paper may effectively feed the integration of knowledge management other business disciplines, project management first and foremost.