In the pursuit of enhancing and even perfecting the art and science of both organizational and personal capacity of capturing, retrieving, acquiring, creating, sharing and utilizing knowledge, attention has to be paid to the strategies required to bridge as closely and solidly as possible these 3 components that are found within any type of organizations:

People – the main source and consumers of knowledge in organizations. Tacit knowledge and experiences are the greatest assets that organizations must leverage upon to eradicate redundancies and improve learning curves.

Process – clear, concise and easy steps which may exist in virtual or non virtual settings in which the right employees can quickly learn and apply the right knowledge at the right time. Ensures that learning happens by design and not by chance.

Knowledge – Explicit knowledge that may or may not be readily available for learning organization wide.

By bridging any of these 3 components to each other, there will be a free flow of learning and knowledge gaining benefiting employees which will in turn result in superior work performance that will help improve organizational productivity. When these components are effectively connected in certain combinations, organizations will be able to achieve:

People + Knowledge = Improvement and Innovation

One of the biggest deliverables of knowledge management is the ability to increase personal and organizational capability in improving competencies and producing innovative results. Both can only happen when there is an environment for holistic learning and cross-pollination of ideas and experience.

Hence it is crucial that employees are able to collaborate with their peers to tap implicit knowledge and experience and know how, when and where to find explicit knowledge relevant to their performance in the organization.

More specifically, whilst drafting up KM strategies, it is pivotal to pay much attention to how collaboration and learning can be fully leveraged from both implicit and explicit knowledge sources. Such strategies must give importance to connecting the right person, to the right knowledge at the right time.

It also works the other way around, when individual knowledge is captured and transformed into organizational knowledge, which will be a boon for talent management and ensuring organizations are only head count poorer and not knowledge poorer when crucial employees decide to leave.

To share a case, BHP Asian operations were facing a problem on their oil rig. To solve this they used online conferencing to connect their European based oil rig experts who had solved a similar issue prior to their Asian counterparts to immediately solve their issue with minimal impact and cost.

People + Process = Learning Organization

Humans are creatures who learn from myriad types of styles and activities. More importantly however, the chances of learning will automatically increase when people know how to learn. Having a process of learning then becomes crucial in ensuring that learning is not only gained but can also be applied as well.

Most of the time instances of learning are wasted and knowledge not managed resulting in attrition of crucial know-how and know-what that will result in serious organizational impact. Another important factor is that when learning is a process that is easily navigated by employees, then it does not become an ‘extra burdensome’ task rather it is seen as an incentive to may both work and life easier thus increasing the desire to learn and manage knowledge within organizations.

To help link People with Process, in a Knowledge Management setting, clever manipulation of Knowledge Technology (as compared to Information Technology) will help improve learning yield and results. A common misgiving is the fact that technology investment is costly and is beyond the scope of many organizations. However, with the rise of social networking software and Web 2.0 applications that assumption is far from the truth. It is now almost theoretically free to implement knowledge technology in organizations that will help learning in organizations.

A good example would be how Twitter has now exploded into the scene. A micro blogging tool, it can be cleverly used to transmit and connect people to knowledge. SIA uses it to connect with their customers regularly updating special promos and flight updates. Consumers on their part have just to follow the process of logging into one channel to know all they need to know to make their journey and life easier.

Knowledge + Process = Knowledge Management System

IT vendors have had a field day lining up their pockets with the exuberant but over promising claim of instant knowledge management with the purchase of their self dubbed KM System software and portals. Yes, technology is a crucial element of a KM system but it is not a one size, fits all solution. As the science of knowledge management is evolving, much emphasize is now given to what and how of knowledge rather than the shell that will host the knowledge.

A Knowledge Management System looks into the KM Process that is required to manage knowledge.  It also looks into Knowledge Engineering – how to packet knowledge and learning to suit various consumers. Often the assumption that same knowledge can be consumed by any levels of users have resulted in a backlash and negative spotlight on the effectiveness of managing knowledge.

A Knowledge Management System will ensure that the knowledge is engineered to fit the learning styles and capabilities of various user level and that there is a methodological process of managing and learning from knowledge that is automated by a technology platform that will reduce the difficulty to learn and thus making it easier for adoption by employees as KM will be seen as a work improvement initiative rather a work burdening one.
To illustrate this point, a well-known private Malaysian University had once adopted a KM system (IT based) from a very big German conglomerate. Whilst the German firm used this system, it had yielded exponential results that had seen their market share of mobile phones increased dramatically due to the management of knowledge within their organizations. However, when the Malaysian University adopted the exact version, they failed miserably simply because the process and workings of the system was in total contrast of how knowledge and work was done in the university.

In conclusion, Knowledge Management focuses on the aspects of People, Process and Knowledge. Only by linking each together can viable strategies and methodologies be customized for each and every organization, which thrive on unique knowledge. A system for Knowledge Management should be designed to work for the People and not the other way around. Technology is merely a conduit that eases learning, collaboration and managing knowledge but if doesn’t link these 3 components together, then it is but a bridge built on dry land.

Whilst I was reading this quote, the first thing that appeared in my minds eye was that of my own beloved Malaysia. How apt this quote is to satisfactorily describe the political impasse that is paralyzing our nation and continuing to pull her down towards a spiral of non-competitiveness and financial ruin.

Read the media. Be it print or electronic. Be it government or opposition mouthpieces. All are locked in stiff competition to outwit the other with headlines of stupidity in opposing ranks. All try to persuade readers to believe their version, with overtones of sympathy, empathy and unfortunately, down right lies as well.

Have a drink. Doesn’t matter if it’s at a Starbucks or at a mamak. Look left, look right. Watch the daily banter of people who are drifting further and further apart. Polarized not just by races but now, ideologies. A division that is being fed by political parties and holier-than-thou attitudes.Throw a conversation line. Talk about politics. Gone are the days of apathy.Now everyone has an opinion. An extreme opinion. The middle ground? What middleground? It’s they versus us now. No good can ever come out from them, only from us.

We have become a people divided, not only by the stress of ethnicity but now also by political ideologies. A two thronged damage to our nation. Like a cancer that has found a twin tumor and is gleefully heading to it, threatening to engulf us in an ultimate state of decay.

Politics. Everything is about politics. Kick a ball, there is politics. Pay your bills, there is politics. Go for a prayer, there is politics. We have allowed it to penetrate into each and every pores of our living, till is but an irritating pimple that we see, balk but leave it be because it’s just part of life. Thus the puss flows uninterrupted, collating and bloating, till we look back in disgust at ourselves in our reflection. Yet we still do nothing because we are paralyzed from the pain of even looking at it.

Government or opposition, both are playing the dirty game. Sniping at each others heels trying desperately to score brownie points that will point to their own survival. Both eyes each other with deepest mistrust and suspicion, allowing good judgments (if it could ever be found in either) to flounder and be biased. An actual brilliant idea quickly turns into smoldering idiocy of disgust simply because it came out the mouth of certain personalities.

None wants to work with the other. So what if it damages the big picture? How can they ever walk together with such horrendous beings? They are wrong. They always are. It is impossible for them to act with intelligence.The big picture is that we want to rule. It doesn’t matter if we have to pillage and rape our nation to maintain our power or usurp the power to be.Malaysia is always secondary. Our selfish vested interested is priority and the Rakyat are but pawns.

Bleed. Malaysia is at war. A psychological battlefield. The opposing sides, shooting mortars of deceit, hatred and ignorance. We are the collateral damage. The son’s and daughters of Malaysia who want nothing more than peace, stability and a government that is reasonable and forward thinking. Who accept the good no matter the source and purge the evil with a collective effort. For Malaysia. For Malaysians.

Learn. Learn from history. Learn from others. Learn from ourselves. Unclench those fists. Accept defeat and be gracious victors. Listen to voice of the Rakyat. Be not quick to dismiss just on the basis of origin. BN is trying hard to improve in areas, where else PR has leapt miles ahead in others. Imagine if both had an open mind to learn. Share. Improve.

Malaysia would prosper. Malaysians would prosper. That is the bigger picture. Always Malaysia. Always Malaysians. Not BN. Not PR. We are one.

Coz’ as loyal fans we took the abuse,
When jealous friends see us lose,
“Liverpool a-coming with a noose”,
But Fergie said “no.18, thank you’s”

And tis a season to be jolly,
Other fans, go ahead and feel crappy,
Did you really believe the probability,
That MU wouldn’t rule? You Pansies!

Hail, Hail and Hail your Champions!
Of the World, EPL and Europe (to be),
Hail Carrick, Giggs, Ron and a Korean,
Hail Vidic, Evra, Van der Sar and Rooney!

…and Glory Glory Man Utd!

I’m still getting used to the Leopard OS and rather different softwares but is has been nothing but an enjoyable journey so far.

One thing I did miss though was Window’s Live Writer that made my blogging life so easy. But I found Blogo and that has been addressed. Though it comes with a price.

Nothing is perfect I guess, though I must say my new MacBook is almost. Cheers!

Though Knowledge Economy is a new term being bandied around the last decade or so, I believe the concept of selling knowledge for a profit has been around since time immemorial. Also, just like most economies that have differing types of ideologies behind them, the knowledge economy too can be classified into a certain ideologies or another. The biggest difference though is that the Knowledge Economy is a cyclical event ie it can and will revert to different ideologies owing to the level of reasoning and enlightenment of people in general.

Agrarian Knowledge Economy

When it all first begin, the ‘knowledge marketplace’ consisted of limited tribe members who interacted exclusively with one another. Elders were highly respected thanks to their longevity that allowed them to acquire crucial life saving knowledge that younger tribe members needed for them in turn to live long enough to be Elders. This transmission of knowledge continued for centuries even after tribes merged with other tribes, clans and even societies being formed.

Though the complexity of knowledge increases with the expending social networks, the marketplace largely remained the same. Elders were venerated thanks to the knowledge they maintained and are always accorded a special position in society. The knowledge market then can be best described as ‘agrarian’ – knowledge had to be cumulated after tremendous toil over long seasons More importantly however, just like how certain crops can only grow in certain temporal geographies, knowledge then is also limited to the geographical boundaries individuals found themselves in.

If they were born into a certain society, their marketplace is effectively only that – focused on the ‘buy’ ‘sell’ pertaining to that culture only. It get’s even more segmented when an individual is born in to an aristocratic or peasant family; knowledge trade becomes even more limited and monopolistic resulting in cruel status quo of generally more intelligent blue bloods as opposed to the less knowledgeable masses.

This meant that not only was knowledge a commodity that was not an international ‘currency’, knowledge was also a very elitist affair and most ‘traders’ in this agrarian based knowledge market cannot ‘afford’ to ‘buy’ higher levels of knowledge that will result in innovation and living improvement in general. The major flow of knowledge was chocked by the aristocrats to maintain rule over an ignorant masses.

Knowledge Silk Road

Then different races of men began to cross paths with each other. This gave rise to an international ‘knowledge market’. Now knowledge of civilizations and cultures were able to flow directly into the coffers of other civilizations who were willing to ‘purchase’ these treasured commodities. Astute ‘knowledge merchants’ were able to pinpoint critical knowledge that could be gained and re-applied back home for far reaching impact.

History is abundant with juicy examples of how physical trade has also enriched the ‘knowledge marketplace’ with a free flow of knowledge from all corners of the world pollinating the best minds of the time to result in stunning innovation that has resulted us modern people to still look back in awe.

Emulating how spice and ivory flowed into the British Empire from the Indian civilization, Chinese knowledge of seafaring, paper making and astronomy flowed into Europe igniting the Renaissance that transformed the landscape of the world at that time. The Chinese in turn purchased their mathematical and navigating know-how from the Arabs who in turn imported their original stock from Greek Knowledge.

Just like how oceans and mountains were no more a hindrance for empires to collect physical bounties that would never naturally appear in their world, knowledge trading in an ‘international market’ has resulted in the development of ideas and innovation that has given birth to many a product that would never had a chance of existence in a agrarian knowledge economy.

But yet, the ‘knowledge stock market’ was still overwhelmingly discriminatory towards the masses. Individuals who were not born into a position to ‘buy-sell’ knowledge still had little chance to acquire any let alone much ‘knowledge wealth’ though the gap was greatly reduced by the realization that there must be a public responsibility to disseminate knowledge from rulers to the people.

Knowledge Capitalism

We may equate this to a modern concept but in a knowledge economy sense, knowledge capitalism had reared it’s head the moment an aggressive conquering ruler brings back all the knowledge workers of a defeated nation to strengthen his own capital city. Genghis Khan did exactly this. When his Mongol warriors expended his empire to gargantuan proportions, he ensured all the skilled artisan and craftsman was forced back to his capital city to enrich it and to beautify it.

In the modern context, knowledge capitalism is the drive to share and spread knowledge without discrimination to such an extent that the knowledge ‘goods’ that reach the potential ‘buyers’ have no quality check (sometimes are down right lies) and traded at ridiculously low ‘prices’ that result people to be misinformed and concede to erroneous judgements.

It can also be linked to countries who offer financial rewards to lure and ‘ensnare’ the best brains and potential beneficial knowledge ‘manufacturers’ of other citizenships to live within their borders and ultimately become their citizens. The pursuit of knowledge without ethics.

Knowledge Democracy

I would like to believe we now live in a time of knowledge democracy. It may still not be perfect but it is definitely striving very hard to reach that nirvana. In our times knowledge is no more merely an elitist ‘product’ that is restricted to a highly regulated ‘market’. With the advance of the world wide web, cheaper software and hardwares theoretically anyone can be a ‘buyer’ to the same knowledge.

Be we part of the corporate big boys or a 9 year old kid, both can just log online, delve into Wikipedia and use the exact same knowledge to (hopefully) produce different innovation befitting each time and context. There is now on average 20 billion + searches on Google a month (as compared to a mere 2.6b three years ago) showing how democratic the knowledge economy is becoming.

In the a democratic knowledge economy, an individual needs not to be blue blood nor live long enough nor spend astronomical sums to attain a qualifications sheet to ‘buy-sell’ his or her knowledge. The ‘knowledge market’ now has innumerable amount of candies to offer, ‘consumers’ are spoilt for choice and for the first time can decide to compare so many knowledge with others before finally deciding which one to spend ‘money’ on.

The knowledge democracy allows people from varying creeds and status to mingle and not only ‘buy-share’ but to explore ‘joint-ventures’ and collaborative partnership that will result in newer, better and more impactful knowledge. Everyone is now a potential ‘knowledge manufacturer’!’ To illustrate this it is estimated that the amount of knowledge to be ‘created’ this year will be greater than the collective amount of the past 5000 years!

All this points to the rise of the ‘knowledge middle class’ who have the spending power to ‘buy-sell’ and reshape the world as we know it. Like most dollar and cents economies who yearn to have a sizeable number of the middle class consumers, we are living in a time where there is rapid closure of knowledge gaps between the ‘wealthy knowledge owners’ and the upcoming ‘knowledge middle class’.

The slogan for the democratic knowledge economy should be Now Every One Can. And no one said it better than the founder of one the biggest knowledge banks we have ever seen:

“Search is so highly personal that searching is empowering for humans like nothing else. It is the antithesis of being told or taught. It is about self empowerment; it is empowering individuals to do what they think best with the information they want. It is very different from anything else that preceded it. Radio was one to many, TV was one to many. The telephone was one-to-one. Search is the ultimate expression of the power of the individual, using a computer, looking at the world, and finding exactly what they want – and everyone is different when it comes to that”

- Eric Schmidt, Google CEO

When idea’s of cultures are allowed to mingle, what you get are gleeful experiences that surely makes the world a better place. Enjoy!

I was astounded while watching this video, as it illustrated so many facts that I never knew possible. More importantly, it helped conceive in my mind how important it is now for both individuals and organizations to learn, unlearn and relearn to always stay competitive. I think it’s a brilliant multimedia tool to help explain why KM is becoming more and more crucial. After all, having to go thru 14 jobs by the time one is 38 can be a harrowing experience if knowledge cannot be managed effectively. Do watch it and enjoy it as much as I did. Cheers!

With it’s easy to follow writing style, good graphical representation and it’s very informative (albeit) brief toolkits, this is a sure winner for those of us who wish to learn and apply KM initiatives in our own organizations. Read the case study here.

I believe what happened is a physical manifestation that the Rakyat is no more interested in mere rhetoric’s of walking in public places or mere gold tinted speeches. We fell for that in 2004, what with all the goodwill of a (then) successful succession and an ex-PM who promised to be a leader of ALL Malaysians and look where that took us? Down the road of stagnation and haunting. No Thank You we say this time. Prove to Us that BN is sincere in its drive for reform not by words but by deeds.

I hope that DS Najib will be gracious in this defeat and use it as justification to brave enough to do what is needed to bring together our ever fractioning country back again. In his slogan of 1Malaysia and People First,Performance Now I like to believe he has hit all the right chords in each and every Malaysian from any walk of life. But as this election results has proven, we Rakyat are no more suckers for sweet talkers but our hearts and minds have hardened and we hearken only to that we can see and we believe is genuinely done with our interest first.

In time, I believe DS Najib will do the right things and be a good PM and be a role model of leadership that we are so lacking of now and in such turbulent times too. I hope he just has the courage, bravery and bollocks to do what is right if that means he has to take one very painful step backwards in order to proceed three more in front. For half a decade we have seen nothing but tears shed by our beloved Malaysia, and our Rakyat lay anguished and disgusted by the eyes wide corruption and selfish interest of the powers that be.

Moving forward though, with this by elections as a Lessons Learnt story, I hope the PM will restore our faith once again and more importantly imprint 1Malaysia and 1Malaysian into each and every one of us brethren by hard work, sincere intention and humble demeanour. Please don’t forget YAB Perdana Menteri that you work for us and not the other way round. God Bless Malaysia and all those that have Her interest first. Good Luck DS Najib!