Storytelling, jamming, and all that jazz: knowledge creation in the world of new media

For some time, there has been a hypothesis that better access to a broader repertoire of media resources will significantly enhance our ability to communicate more effectively. Unfortunately, it has been hard to find evidence to support this hypothesis, and this report examines why this is the case. It begins by laying down a foundation of some basic principles concerning the nature of knowledge creation, framed with respect to two particularly vivid approaches to communication: storytelling and jamming (in the sense of jazz improvisation). These approaches are then examined critically, followed by a more detailed consideration of what we may learn from jazz if we wish to invoke it as a metaphor for knowledge creation. The report concludes by discussing the implications of these observations for a new world of work experiences in which knowledge creation is a critical element.