KM and Productivity

Productivity Concepts are continuously changing. In the early 50's Productivity was meant to get associated with Agricultural and Industrial era where Production efficiency was tried to be emphasized.

In the Sixties and Seventies, Productivity techniques changed to be identified with Quality and cost savings as it required to not only improve production, but compete on large scale international demands through competition.

In the eighties and nineties, a host of new techniques and requirements like Benchmarking, Reengineering, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Performance ( Green Productivity!) etc influenced Productivity to identify new processes of managing and achieving Productivity. Accordingly, many productivity measuring indices were formulated.

Presently, the concept of KM is posing a major challenge to the Productivity theoriticians. While conventional resources deplete on consumption, knowledge resources and results expand on consumption ( sharing and usage). Hence knowledge productivity has to consider the three dimensions of output ( both knowledge and physical results) and input( which is information or knowledge feed). Hence the Knowledge Productivity measure ( index )would require a three coordinate formula for proper measurement. I would like to get any knowledge on this issue from KM / Productivity practitioners.

A KM Break to laugh at

A KM Professor wanted to impress his class students on the first day of his lecture. He started by announcing 'I am going to teach how to manage Knowledge to all of you. If there are ignorant idiots amongst you who do not know what "Knowledge" is about, they can just stand up so that I know of them'.

No student stood up for some seconds and after a pause, one student from the backbench slowly got up.

"Ah! Atlast there is one person in confession!" exclaimed the professor.

"Sir! It looked pitiable that you were the only one standing up and I just got up to give company to you" the student replied politely.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND EMOTIONAL SHARING

We all know that Knowledge Management in organisation works well where there is a sharing culture. But creting a knowledge sharing culture is beset with hurdles as Knowledge Workers who feel insecure would refuse to share their work and knowledge, thinking that this would render them redundant. A fundamental beginning in the organisations who wishes to implement KM would be to break this mindset through removal of mental blockadges and motivating mechanisms, training being one of such efforts.

However, there is a shortcut to achieving the same results through emotional sharing. Think of the situation where in a family - home situation, every family member is willing to share his/her knowledge without fear of losing power. If a similar emotional bonding can be created in the organisations, knowledge sharing would become much easier. In such situations, knowledge sharing would be the reward in itself which the Knowledge Worker would appreciate without looking for external motivation or incentives. The effort to create such emotional sharing within the organisation would ofcourse lie with the leadership. Many family based small organisations have excelled simply because of such emotional sharing leading to knowledge sharing.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOD AND GOD'S KNOWLEDGE

The common belief that Indian Scientists accept the presence of "God" or the "Super Power" has been confirmed by a statistical survey which has been published today. There has been always a subtle contradiction to Scientific Thinking of "Knowledge" as a result of "human intelligence and efforts" and Spiritural Thinking of "Knowledge" as the "eternal gift of the God / Super Power". Now that the scientists themselves accept "God", we can also infer that "Knowledge" also is embodied in him.

That takes us to the basic Indian philosophy that all knowledge emanated from the God and the search for him should lead to the process and end of knowledge. The ancient Vedas while scientifically studying the evolution of the Universe identifies that the God/Super power who is also the embodiment of all Knowledge when observes the creation, creates incremental and elemental knowledge which are known to us in different ways. The absolute knowledge can only be that of "God" who is the ultimate "Knowledge Repository"

Can Knowledge Assets be created through "Whispers"

Knowledge Management Culture involves freedom and initiative to share. But in firewalled Bureacratic Castles, such sharing is strictly prohibited. There is also "Official Secrets Act" for punishing sharing of "prohibited" Government information.

Exactly in such sitations, the "Whispers" of the people become knowledge shareable assets. While a Public Servant may not be forthcoming to reveal officially his knowledge about Government Postings and Transfers, he is too willing to disclose the same through informal whispers.

Thus a Knowledge Business of a website known as "Whispersinthecorridor" is operating in India with great success. It declares that it is one of the highest visted websites. Such is the power of Knowledge Assets created through Whispers converted cleverly into a business model.

KM GLOBAL DIRECTORY

Dr. Ron Young has informed that KM practitioners can enter their details in his blog www.knowledge-management-online.com

This would be a wonderful opportunity to list as well refer to details of KM community members for any help.

I hope that there would be good response to the KM global directory from Indian KM specialists.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENT

I recently conducted a KM programme for a group of executives from public sector and government departments. The participants while appreciating the advantages of KM for a business organisation, expressed reservations as to how to go about in case of Government sectors, where knowledge of a particular position is not easily parted with, due to bureacratic procedures. We have the Government of India recently bringing out the "Right to Information Act" that provides unfiltered access to all Government information. All agreed that a change of mindset would be required to make the Government personnel from "Knowledge hoarding" to "Knowledge Sharing" and that would require showing benefits to the employee as well as rewarding him for his sharing performance.

One suggestion that was made was to provide information about the names of employees who were instrumental in providing information with acknowledgements in the RTI Manual as a separate part that is published by all departments in the websites as a part of RTI Acts. This would provide much motivation to others to similarly help in knowledge sharing.