Carrying our Identities into the Workplace and why it Matters

“We know more than we can tell” Michael Polanyi’s observation reminds us that tacit knowledge is crucial to organisational communication and knowledge management.

Tacit knowledge works beneath the surface of conscious awareness and conscious communication. It is based in a range of subtle communications. It works through words and stories, as well as tone of voice, body language and patterns of movement and action.  It is built into the ways we are in our bodies.

However, this insight into the human aspects of organisations often gets overlooked. Knowledge management programs tend to focus on explicit knowledge, which is easier to see, hold, manage and use in organisations.

If we don’t understand the importance of tacit knowledge, organisation development programs can miss this important point. These programs can become surface technical attempts to deal with deeper human awareness and communication.

In this workshop, Dr Michael Muetzelfeldt will work with you to explore an aspect of tacit knowledge that we all bring into our workplaces from our wider experience. Michael will explore:

•    The images of identity we bring into our workplaces
•    How these identities are expressed in the way we are in our bodies
•    How this affects the trust between us, and our capacity to communicate effectively
•    Whether cultural knowledge in our bodies fit with statistical ways of grouping
      psychological preferences and characteristics, and
•    How awareness of this cultural knowledge might help us build trust and improve
      communication in organisations.

Step outside your comfort zone a little as this workshop aims to sensitise you to tacit knowledge about the identities that you carry and communicate in your body. The workshop invites you to explore this, and discuss how we can all better use this knowledge to improve trust and organisational communication.

A little about the presenter

Dr Michael Muetzelfeldt is a sought after coach and mentor and an internationally recognised expert in organisational leadership, learning and collaboration. He is known for his skill in facilitating individual and team learning and engagement, and helping people find solutions by reflecting on how their values, skills and issues fit within a strategic context.

Michael currently teaches in MBA and other professional Masters courses, supervises doctoral students researching strategic development and human resource topics. He leads a research project that is evaluating governance and performance in public sector and non-government networks.

Michael’s practice is informed by his substantial experiences in leadership, management and governance roles in the Australian public sector and several universities. His formal qualifications and memberships include a PhD in Sociology and Culture, BSc (Hons), membership to Institute of Executive Coaching – Australia, Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, European Evaluation Society, European Group for Organization Studies and St James Ethics Centre.

A certified executive coach, Michael draws on his senior management expertise and practical experience to provide appropriate mixes of mentoring and coaching for each situation. His coaching and mentoring sessions provide an opportunity for those in leadership and governance roles to markedly increase their own and their organisation’s effectiveness.