At CESOFT Colombia we got initiated with concept maps and CmapTools through our participation at the 2nd International Concept Mapping Conference in San José, Costa Rica in 2006, where we comprehended the utility and reach of this methodology, as well as the benefits of the software tool. Since then we have applied them in our work; we began with the organization and hosting of the 1st International Conference on Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning in 2008, where we offered several talks on the use of the tools in Knowledge Management.
In the second edition of the conference we used the tools for the collective knowledge capture of conversations in the World Café, replacing the original graphic registry used in this methodology. We found concept mapping and CmapTools to be more efficient because of the speed with which collective knowledge could be captured and, in particular, for its dynamics that allowed the documentation of previous knowledge collaboratively.
Since then we have intensified the use of concept maps and CmapTools to capture knowledge in conversations workshops.
In 2014 we integrated The World Café and Open Space Technology methodologies to cover more complex topics, with the collective knowledge capture done using concept maps. The success of the experience has take us to the creation of Open Space Café, a powerful social technology, helpful in the processes of Strategic Planning, Knowledge Management, Communities of Practice, Marketing, Organizational Development, Disruptive Changes, Resilience, Community Development (Municipalities), Peace, Coexistence, and many other topics that integrate multiple disciplines.
For more information visit http://cesoftco.net/Cmaps.php