TANGO simulation

We design and deliver our knowledge management workshops around the TANGO simulation developed by Karl-Erik Sveiby in collaboration with Celemi.

As knowledge-intensive organisations become a more important part of the "new" economy, creating, capturing and sharing knowledge become ever more vital to organisational performance and growth. Reflecting this, knowledge management is the topic of the moment. Traditional librarianship, information management, corporate databases and intelligence analysis are all being "re-badged" as knowledge management. According to IT vendors, knowledge management is essentially about the right links and appropriate software.

But this elusive thing called knowledge is much less easily grasped than these approaches would have us believe. To start with, a knowledge management strategy needs to reflect the type of business the organisation is in. An organisation that deals with knowledge that is easily codified (procedural) requires a strategy very different from an organisation whose knowledge is more difficult to codify (personal). Many organisations fall into the latter category but continue to adopt the procedural approach. However in these organisations knowledge processes are people processes and that is where the focus of knowledge management should appropriately be.

The focus on people, organisational relationships and communication, together with a focus on strategic thinking and learning how to value intangible assets such as knowledge, competence, leadership practices, image and reputation, is what makes the TANGO simulation so valuable.

TANGO is a unique business simulation that demonstrates how managing the organisationÕs intangible resources is critical to the delivery of sustainable outcomes and to organisational health. Teams of four participate in the management of their own knowledge organisation, competing against other teams for personnel and customers. In the process of working through five to seven "years" of operations, participants learn valuable lessons about strategy setting, valuing and managing intangible assets such as knowledge, reputation and image, and the importance of trust and communication in effectively functioning organisations. Over two intensive days of simulated operations and facilitated discussion of lessons learned, participants gain valuable insights into the contribution that knowledge management can make to organisational outcomes.

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