Pretending to thrive in an environment of knowledge scarcity

With the ban on smoking in office premises, die hard smokers brave the hot sun to walk a mile to the pan shop to light up. I have the privilege of accompanying many a smoker to the hallowed smoke zone where every non smoker is looked down upon. Now , this area usually gets cramped up and its very uncomfortable. On one such occasion, a friend of mine remarked… hey , this is becoming worse than Mumbai. The irony is not the crowd , but the fact that 50 meters away there was ample space. The challenge ... to walk 50 meters

We walked back to the lifts only to find a huge rush. But then we got into the first lift that arrived, so did almost 25 others ( I lost count of heads), when the lift was actually only built for 15. Why couldn’t we wait for the next lift..or the one after that?!

I guess it all boils down to taking that extra step! Of that extra effort for better results!
It struck me that it’s a culture of pretending to thrive in an environment of scarcity instead of taking the effort to prosper in a environment of plenty.
Now linking this back to knowledge Management, I am reminded of its classic definition which is about taking knowledge to the person who needs it from the person who has it. In large corporations, one really does not know who has the knowledge and the person who needs the knowledge is living in a world of psychological scarcity. He refuses to reach out.
It’s a cultural thing, I guess. It’s about the comfort of the cocoon. People who grow out of it and reach out , typically succeed. But one does not get to see that often. The pertinent question is can the organization afford to have a people who would like to thrive in a culture of scarcity.
Creating an environment of plenty… Everybody has access to plenty of knowledge... WOW..Now thats worth a goal pursuing!!

Helping set goals for my Young , Energetic and "Want to conquer the world team". I wish them luck

I took my team out for a goal setting exercise a couple of weeks back. It was supposed to be good 6 hour journey to a jungle resort. The route that we took was a very familiar one and in those few rare moments of silence , I couldn’t but think of the numerous trips that I have made on this very same route.
Often, a little while into the trip you need to check the map because you've reached an intersection you're not familiar with. You panic for a moment because you realize you've forgotten your route.
But you say the heck with it because you know where you're going. You take a right, change the music and keep on going. Unfortunately, you never reach your destination or it seems to take for ever.
Too many of us treat goal setting the same way. We dream about where we want to go, but we don't have a map to get there. What is a map? In essence, the written word.
What is the difference between a dream and a goal? Once again, the written word.
1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something that sounds good.
How much is your goal influenced by another persons success? More often than not, ones goals reflects an aspiration to become what somebody else has. That is one of the biggest tragedy of human potential. Instead of focusing on what one truly wants , one tends to belittle oneself by comparisons to another mans failure or success. It’s a bigger tragedy and an outright violation ones true potential. Focus on what makes you happy and what you can go to the end of the world to acheive
When setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values.
2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals.
For example, you cant become the “big shot” and at the same time not be in synch with the working culture. You cant get worried about a 40 lakh home when you earn only 5 lakh. This is called non-integrated thinking and will sabotage all of the hard work you put into your goals. Non-integrated thinking can also hamper your everyday thoughts as well. We should continually strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from our thinking.

3. Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:
a)Home b) Financial and Career

c)Spiritual d) Physical and Health

e) Social and Cultural f)Mental and Educational
Setting goals in each area of life will ensure a more balanced life as you begin to examine and change the fundamentals of everyday living. Setting goals in each area of life also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking we talked about in the 2nd step.
4. Write your goal – Give your mind instructions.
Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it can not determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It's only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get.
Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don't limit it to goal setting.
5. Write your goal out in complete detail. View / imagine your success
Instead of writing "A new home," write "A 4,000 square foot contemporary with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and a view of the mountain on 20 acres of land.
Once again we are giving the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become.
Can you close your eyes and visualize the home I described above? Walk around the house. Stand on the porch off the master bedroom and see the fog lifting off the mountain. Look down at the garden full of tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers. And off to the right is the other garden full of a mums, carnations and roses. Can you see it? So can your subconscious mind.
6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough. Have a BHAG
Have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal ( BHAG)Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll still be in the stars.. Some of you might be saying that I'm not setting my goals high enough. Not so. I still have very high goals in the field of people development. My ultimate goal is to be able to advise CEOs of large corporations.
If I never make it, everything I do to reach that goal will make me a better trainer and a better person. If I make it, I will be one of the best in the world. Shoot for the moon!
7. This is the most important, write down your goals.
Writing down your goals creates the roadmap to your success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them.
Sometimes we realize we have to revise a goal as circumstances and other goals change, much like I did with my umpiring. If you need to change a goal do not consider it a failure, consider it a victory as you had the insight to realize something was different.
And finally….
First of all, unless someone is critical to helping you achieve your goal(s), do not freely share your goals with others. The negative attitude from friends, family and neighbors can drag you down quickly. It's very important that your self-talk (the thoughts in your head) are positive.
Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, "Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal." If the answer is "closer to," then you've made the right decision. If the answer is "further from," well, you know what to do.
I wish you all the very best.

Exadata database - OpenWorld Opportunities- HP & Oracle

Two iconic organisations coming together ..wow! Today, when I logged on to our internal website, the " Breaking News " was the unveiling of the new HP Oracle Exadata database machine – in fact, the world’s fastest database machine — at the recently held Oracle OpenWorld convention in San Francisco, California.
This is to me the epitome of knowledge management. Two organisations , with a combined turnover greater than the economys of most countries coming together to create something through sharing knowledge and expertise is infact a reveloution. That brings two critical questions
1. Who gains from sharing knowledge: EVERYONE GAINS. THERE ARE ONLY WINNERS. Its only a WIN WIN situation for all people
2. What prompts the selection of partners? Values? Synergies? Willingness to collaborate? Shared hopes? Shared vision? Must be all.

I am also attaching another blog for those truly interested in this.

http://blogs.simba.com/simba_technologies_ceo_co/2008/09/oracle-openworl.html

KM - Facilitating Factors

Facilitating Factors
1. Scanning Imperative. Information gathering about conditions and practices outside the unit; awareness of the environment; curiosity about the external environment in contrast to the internal environment.
2. Performance Gap. Shared perception of a gap between actual and desired state of performance; performance shortfalls seen as opportunities for learning.
3. Concern for Measurement. Considerable effort spent on defining and measuring key factors when venturing into new areas; striving for specific, quantifiable measures; discussion of metrics as a learning activity.
4. Experimental Mind-set. Support for trying new things: curiosity about how things work; ability to "play" with things; "failures" are accepted, not punished; changes in work processes, policies, and structures are a continuous series of learning opportunities.
5. Climate of Openness. Accessibility of information; open communications within the organization; problems/errors/lessons are shared, not hidden; debate and conflict are acceptable ways to solve problems.
6. Continuous Education. Ongoing commitment to education at all levels of the organization; clear support for all members' growth and development.
7. Operational Variety. Variety of methods, procedures, and systems; appreciation of diversity; pluralistic rather than singular definition of valued competencies.
8. Multiple Advocates. New ideas and methods advanced by employees at all levels; more than one champion
9. Involved Leadership. Leaders articulate vision, are engaged in its implementation; frequently interact with members; become actively involved in educational programs.

Learning Orientations

Like in my earlier blogs, I belive there are very strong reasons for an organisation to learn and for it to invest in learning. The path / methodology that each organisation chooses depends on its very basic learning orientation at a given point of time.

Some of the best known learning Orientations that I have come across are:
1. Knowledge Source: Internal-- External. Preference for developing knowledge internally versus preference for acquiring knowledge developed externally.
2. Product-Process Focus: What?-- How? Emphasis on accumulation of knowledge about what products/services are versus how organization develops, makes, and delivers its products/services.
3. Documentation Mode: Personal -- Public. Knowledge is something individuals possess versus publicly available know-how.
4. Dissemination Mode: Formal -- Informal. Formal, prescribed, organization-wide methods of sharing learning versus informal methods, such as role modeling and casual daily interaction.
5. Learning Focus: Incremental-- Transformative. Incremental or corrective learning versus transformative or radical learning.
6. Value-Chain Focus: Design -- Deliver. Emphasis on learning investments in engineering/production activities ("design and make" functions) versus sales/service activities ("market and deliver" functions).
7. Skill Development Focus: Individual -- Group. Development of individuals' skills versus team or group skills.

Employees investing in Knowledge? Today? Possible?

I had this oppurtunity of meeting a dear friend, a very senior person from DELL recently and this is a summation of a hilarious and a heated conversation. We realised that in the 90s every conversation would eventually end in what investment in education should be done to advance ones careers. The investments made then , I would imagine has really paid off, not just because of our current designations or the monies that we earn, but because of the employability that we have created for ourselves both in terms of domains and skills, but also in business exposure.

Has things changed? I do belive so.

1. The organizations then didn’t feel the need to change. Most organizations then were protected by the lack of competition, protective policies of our government and in my opinion also a sheer lack of organizational ambition and belief . Since there weren’t too many companies and jobs were few, the only way for an employee to grow or get a better paying job was based on his superior knowledge. So even traditional companies could attract engineering and management graduates from the best of schools. ( Not to mention post graduates working as clerks and sweepers in railway stations )

So employees learnt and the organizations didn’t.. or rather didn’t have to. And employees spend from their own pockets. The employer paying for higher education was a miracle...almost unheard of.

2. Today, it’s the other way around. The employee’s do not want to invest in education, while the organization is ready to go all out to help their employees learn. Most employees do not think it is worth while to invest education, because even with their current skills, they are highly valued in their current organization and more importantly, the availability of basic skills has become rare in a market place whose GDP is growing at an annual rate of 8%.

Organizations want to learn, because in a dynamic environment, the only key long term differential is its ability to add value consistently to all stakeholders. That’s possible only if you have an evolving workforce

So I believe, there’s a strong correlation between the demand & supply of talent and the willingness of organizations or the employee to invest in knowledge and capability building.

The bottom line however, is that irrespective of what hat one wears i.e an employee or an organization, to survive, compete and to be on top, one must invest in capability building

* Photograph:Red hills, Ooty, India. Camera- Cannon 350-D -EF-S- 18-55

Maturity before a Maturity model

Over the last 12 months, my love for knowledge management ( Well different people have different definitions!!!) has exponentially grown. I choose to use the term "love" for the simple reason that I seem to be engulfed in a passionate crusade to implement and understand the science and art of knowledge management.

While Google has been my primary source of information, I have been fortunate to discuss this topic and its usefulness with a lot of seasoned professionals in various industries. And one thing that emerged is that theres a deep lack of understanding of this subject. Sceptics turn to passionate believers once the scope of this opportunity is explained.

The second point that struck me is that theres a deep lack of understanding about the sustenance of this "program" / "project" and how does one go about its implementation. In reality one cannot consider this to be a project. Its a journey!

The third point according to me is the pertinent question... " Are we ready for a Knowledge management maturity model". In other words, is the organisation mature enough to embrace such a change of such huge proportions. Personally, I donot know how to gauge the maturity levels and my effort is about learning this very fact.

The APQC maturity model is a classic one. Most management gurus have extolled the virtues of standardisation and innovation. Incidentally these are levels 4 & 5 of the KMMM model.Our counterparts in Japan have excelled in continuous improvement. But the real challenge will be in creating a culture where we use our collective knowledge for innovation. In a world where people donot believe in staying in the organisation for more than a year...how do we get folks to look beyond today?

I read that in BP, in senior management reviews, when theres a "red" on the management dashboards, the arent supposed to ask " why is it red"...instead they are encouraged to ask " have you asked Mr.X? He had a similar issue in the past". .This is a huge paradigm shift. It forces you to collaborate...forces you to not reinvent the wheel.

GE had a wonderful program called the "copy cat" program that encouraged people to share and implement best practices. Both the creator and the "stealer" were rewarded. ICICI bank has a patent office. People give ideas and then the people and departments that implement these ideas are rewarded. More recently , I hear the TATAs have created the NANO through extensive knowledge sharing. A long journey indeed for them when you think of the TATA Estates to the TATA Nano.

I am convinced that organisations need to create a culture which encourages people to share knowledge . And therefore all folks who believe in the power of knowledge management need to be the evangelists to propagate this relentlessly. The mantra is " How can we show and demonstrate value to the folks who need it the most"

* Photgraph of the local tribal folk of Nilgiris. Camera Cannon 350D- ES 18-55

Organisations must learn

Over the years, I have been baffled by the fact that organisations have this amazing ability to refuse learning. Recently I was invited to talk at a seminar in Pune and during my efforts to create a presentation I stumbled upon an interesting quote

“Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it”... Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784), quoted in Boswell's Life of Johnson.

Some of the questions that usually arise in informal corridor conversations revolves around why are we reinventing the wheel? Why are we repacking the whole thing? We know this isn't going to work but why are they asking us to do it? etc etc... Then when I stumbled on this interesting quote... I probably got my answer.

Therefore anyone who is trying to perculate or create a culture of knowledge sharing and management need to also understand that not all people are interested in gaining knowledge and maybe they are content with what they have....And therefore the need to reward and recognise people.

In organisations, the need to do what the management wants is one of the key drivers. Therefore the involvement and the need to make the key decision maker(s) an evangelist of knowledge sharing is the need of the hour...that is if you want to be a successful knowledge management professional

* The photograph was shot in Kabini, near Bangalore on a 350D Cannon

The very first!

I really think this is an exciting journey that I am embarking on. I really donot know if anyone is going to read or further still if anyone is actually going to comment. In numerous occasions , I have had the oppurtunity to discuss and present my ideas and thoughts... Somehow it seemed to sail past . I guess, I spoke about subjects that I am passionate about and maybe the subjects that I spoke about arent ones that turn people on.

I intent to use this to express my ideas about my experiences in the field of training and knowledge management. More so how it impacts people. I hope people can add value to my journey.