CSMS Experience Forum is a structured meeting format for collecting empirical data for various research projects but also a method for working with experience management and professional development in an organization.
A brief description of how CSMS works with Experience Forum
An experience forum is a structured meeting format where participants reflect on difficult-to-assess situations and systematically write about their experiences over time. The way of working can be used in both educational and research projects. A more detailed description of the method can be found, among other places, in the book Uppdrag Utland - Militära exempel från internationella uppdrag (2007) and in the chapter "Om att bli erfaren genom andras exempel" in the book Uppdrag chef – åtta militära chefers erfarenheter från internationella operationer (2011).
A fundamental idea in the approach is to use the participants' own writing to produce well-described examples of experiences from a specific professional practice. These descriptions serve as a starting point for systematic reflection and analysis. In the Swedish Armed Forces, the method has been used since 1999 to map and disseminate experiences gained during international service. The method has also been used to explore officers' encounters and experiences with new technology.
Previously conducted projects have been documented, among other places, in Dialoger om yrkeskunnande och teknologi edited by Peter Tillberg (2002), and in the anthologies Uppdrag utland – militära exempel från internationella uppdrag (2007) Spelplats – yrkeskunnande och teknologi (2002) and Exempel – yrkeskunnande och teknologi (2003).
Results from completed projects are also continuously presented at CSMS international conferences, which have been held at Dramaten in 2008, at the Royal Institute of Technology in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019, at Södertörn University in 2013, and 2022.
If you want to know more about how an experience forum and dialogue seminars work, see examples in previous anthologies by CSMS. (The following books can be downloaded from www.csms.se)
Uppdrag Veteran – om svenska militära utlandsveteraner (2020) Victor Tillberg, L; Tillberg, P; Naeve-Bucher, U; Svartheden, J. Stockholm: CSMS/Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek.
Uppdrag Afghanistan – bilder och berättelser från en internationell insats (2016) Tillberg, P; Victor Tillberg, L; Svartheden, J; Rahmström, B; Hildebrandt, J. Stockholm: CSMS/Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek.
Uppdrag Chef – åtta militära chefers erfarenheter från internationella operationer (2011) Victor Tillberg, L & Tillberg, P. Stockholm: CSMS/Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek.
Uppdrag utland – Militära exempel från internationella uppdrag (2007) Tillberg, P; Svartheden, J; Engstedt, D; Stockholm: Försvarshögskolan/Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek.
Photo ©Swedish Armed Forces/Mats Nyström
