STAMFORD, Conn., Two Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) executives were recognized for "world-class knowledge leadership contributions to their organizations and the New Economy" at a meeting in Tokyo where Fuji Xerox, jointly owned by Xerox and Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd., also unveiled a global knowledge alliance. Xerox's John Seely Brown and Yotaro Kobayashi are among the world's 10 Most Admired Knowledge Leaders, according to a survey released by Teleos, an independent knowledge management research organization, and Work Frontiers International, a management services consultancy. Brown is Xerox's chief scientist and former director of its Palo Alto Research Center. Kobayashi is chairman of Fuji Xerox and a member of the Xerox board of directors. "In today's rapidly changing world, the only sustainable competitive edge we have is to be able to learn faster than our competitors and to share what we have learned more effectively than our competitors," Brown said. The Know Alliance, organized by Fuji Xerox's Knowledge Dynamics Initiative (KDI), is designed to synthesize new management and organizational models and help companies create and leverage intellectual assets. In addition to Fuji Xerox, members include the American Productivity and Quality Center and the Strategic Practices Group from the United States; Teleos and DEGW knowledge consultants from the United Kingdom; and the Knowledge Innovation Research Organization from Japan. At this Knowledge Leaders Forum, held earlier this week in Tokyo, Fuji Xerox also discussed a pilot knowledge assessment it conducted of 10 major Japanese corporations. The study looked at the characteristics and relationship of knowledge assets, knowledge work, communities, and "ba" - a Japanese expression used for the "space" where knowledge creation occurs. "The challenge of enlightened management is to seek and help provide 'ba' where not only simple knowledge sharing but also dynamic knowledge creation by employees is constantly encouraged," Kobayashi said. In June, Xerox was named among the Top 10 global knowledge companies for the third year by Teleos, which publishes an annual list of the Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises.