Uncovering Latent Knowledge through Notion Relationships
Structural Thinking that Sublimates Organizational Learning into an "Intellectual Ecosystem
We tend to think that "if you connect databases (DBs) to Notion, knowledge in the organization will be used naturally and organically. However, if new knowledge just came spontaneously from connecting things, then organizations would already be treasure troves of innovation.
The conventional wisdom we want to shatter here is that "relating things = creating meaning". Making the relationships visible is only a means to an end, and the real value lies in how we interpret them through design thinking, provoke new questions, and deepen organizational learning.
In this article, we will take a deeper and more vivid look at how to uncover latent knowledge using Notion's Relationship feature, intersecting the perspectives of the SECI model, knowledge management theory, systems thinking, and information architecture (IA).
Relationships can be "explosives" rather than "glue" for thinking
When we think of "relationships" as "creating meaning," we often stop at the idea that "connecting data makes it easier to understand. In reality, however, relationships can be both "glue for thinking" and "intellectual explosives. Why is that?
By linking different types of information, relationships send subtle stimuli between elements that were previously thought to be unrelated. These stimuli cause a "jolt" in the human cognitive process and become a trigger for the emergence of new ideas and hypotheses. In other words, connecting things not only creates order, but also creates uncertainty and unexpected combinations, and encourages us to think.
The Dynamics of Creativity Hidden in Relationships, as Seen from the SECI Model
In the SECI model presented by Nonaka and Takeuchi, knowledge creation is a process that moves between tacit and explicit knowledge. If we can freely design combinations of explicit knowledge (data) through relationships, we can accelerate the process of "externalizing" and "linking" new concepts.
However, it is important to remember that human intervention and interpretation are also necessary. Relationships are just lines, and it is up to us to give them meaning and a story. For an organization to take full advantage of the SECI model, it is essential to not only connect databases, but to continually reinterpret them by focusing on the new questions that arise from these connections.
Systems Thinking Reveals a Strategy for "Building Relationships
Systems thinking is an approach that views complex problems in terms of the relationships between their elements and the overall pattern. The act of connecting multiple databases with Notion can be seen as a miniature version of systems thinking.
Unexpected connections between different databases can reveal the organization's unique "hidden leverage points.
By connecting the customer feedback database, the internal knowledge database, and the project database, you may discover that feedback from a particular group of customers provides clues to a particular area of knowledge or project outcomes.
In this way, when information begins to form an organic network through relationships, the organization's thinking process evolves from "fixed data accumulation" to "dynamic intellectual ecosystem".
Information Architecture Perspective: Designing an Intellectual Ecosystem
Information architecture (IA) is a concept that logically structures information so that users can easily find the information they need. This IA-like concept is also essential when designing databases and relationships in Notion.
Multidimensional Classification: By capturing a single data set on multiple axes, such as project, customer, and timeline axes, and switching views, it is easy to change perspectives.
Visualization and Roll-Up: Roll up related information to aggregate, then quantify, tag, and graph to stimulate human visual recognition patterns.
Avoid redundancy: Consider normalization and partition data at the optimal granularity to reduce unnecessary noise and highlight associations.
This type of design can be thought of as creating an "intellectual playroom" that helps ideas emerge.
Example: A case where a new product idea was born from an "unexpected association
A company created the following DBs in Notion.
Customer Requests DB: customer feedback and request history
Internal knowledge' DB: Past project results, research papers, internal FAQs
Product Ideas DB: Brainstormed ideas and functional prototypes
When these are linked together in a relationship, it naturally leads to the realization that "if we combine this particular customer request with the findings from this past project, we might be able to come up with a new idea for a feature". As a result, we were able to combine the market needs behind the customer request with the tacit knowledge that lay dormant within the company and successfully create a new product concept. The key point here is that the "combinations" suggested by the relationships shook up human thinking and brought ideas from unexplored territory to the surface.
Lessons from cross-industry analogies and external tools
Looking at examples of similar tools such as Airtable and Coda, there are reports that connecting data through relationships often triggers "unexpected inspiration.
Some users say that linking customer satisfaction, internal KPIs, and inventory data, data from completely different departments, suggested new solutions. The lesson to be learned here is that "conscious information mashup" design is the seedbed for new ideas and strategic options.
An invitation to "intellectual diving" to uncover the deeper layers
Relationships are like "knowledge submarines" that dive deep to bring up questions and ideas that the organization was not aware of. However, it is up to human strategy and intuition to decide where to send the submarine and what to explore.
Evaluate whether the relationship design is actually generating new insights through regular reviews.
Reduce noise and bring meaningful relationships to the surface by narrowing strategic connections without overly expanding the number of relationships.
Strengthen collective intelligence by reviewing relationships from different perspectives by giving editing rights and idea generation to the entire organization.
Final Thoughts: Relationships and Structural Thinking "Evolve" Organizational Learning
We tend to expect that relating data will give us "automatic answers", but the real value lies in the fact that it triggers "new questions". Notion's relationship feature is an intelligent tool for creating these questions.
By consciously designing data models through structural thinking, organizations can not only "circulate" data, but also "mature" it and extract unknown value and strategies from it. This is a process that brings to the surface the latent knowledge that has been dormant in the organization and deepens learning. Relationships are no longer just an information organization tool, but can become an "intellectual ecosystem" nurturing tool that enhances organizational creativity and intellectual competitiveness.
Why not ask your organization to rethink the "what and with what intention" of connecting databases with Notion? By strategically creating relationships and provoking new questions, organizational learning is deepened and latent knowledge is sublimated. In addition, ideas and strategies you never imagined will be waiting for you.
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