Saturday, October 21, 2006
智力管理：承诺是关键
“在21世纪，管理需要做出的最重要的贡献，是使知识工作者的生产率得到同样的提高。”德鲁克说。
当你为你的企业是一个“高新技术”或“高知识含量”的行业新宠而骄傲时，是否同时也为如何驾驭好这个智力型企业、管理好你的智力资源而头疼？这是我们刚迈入智力时代大门时碰到的最大尴尬，一方面“学习型组织”、“知识管理”、“智力资本”等已耳熟能详，但大多数披着“智力”外衣的企业骨子里仍然固执地流动着工厂管理的血液。 从拧螺丝到点鼠标
最重要的原因是，仍然找不到真正的系统的管理智力工作的方法。100年前的泰勒开创性地拿着小本子和秒表，一铲一铲、一分一秒地把体力劳动“合理化”，使得人类的生产率提高了50倍。通过管理时间、人的体力活动和机器运作来管理产出，是工业化管理的精神。但经历了工业时代和后工业时代，迈进智力时代的大门时，我们发现对智力工作者的认识竟然处在“泰勒之前”，再也不能用传统方法来细分咨询公司的工作流程，幻想成倍提高咨询人员的工作效率了。“在21 世纪，管理需要做出的最重要的贡献，是使知识工作者的生产率得到同样的提高。”德鲁克在其《21 世纪的管理挑战》一书中曾这么说。
摆在我们面前的难题是：如何获取员工脑袋中的知识，并让知识得以在公司中储存和传递；更进一步，用什么方法可以把不同背景的员工或团队结合起来以达到个人无法成就的事情。
某些智力管理方法已经在一些企业内部得到了实践。早在1991 年，瑞典第一大保险和金融服务公司斯堪第亚（Skandia）就任命了第一位智力资本官艾德文逊，他后来在平衡计分卡的基础上开发了导航仪（Navigator），把远期的财务目标和客户需求分解到智力资本身上，从而更全面地评价智力资本的价值。又如在管理知识方面堪称典范的惠普公司有这样一个制度，给每个科研人员提供一个本子，专门用来记录科研活动中的每一个创意和细节，在非工作时间和地点想出的点子也必须写下，事后粘贴到备忘录里，以这种方法约束开发人员的行为并保留珍贵的智力成果。
从这些管理事件中我们发现，一方面，能够有意识、有资源和能力进行智力管理的公司仍是少数群体，大多数公司仍在传统管理中徘徊；另一方面，即使是这些少数实践智力管理的企业，一般也只是涉足人力资本的评价以及如何管理（包括储存和共享）知识本身，这仅仅是智力管理的浅水区。而一旦问到该如何协调智力团队（尤其是较高创造性的大型团队），让其很好地协作完成某个项目时，经验指数则不见得高。在美国20 世纪六七十年代红极一时的目标管理（MBO）曾希望以分解公司整体目标的方式来保证战略的完成，它也确实从目标导向的角度给予了公司很多良好启示，但可惜，MBO 并非在所有领域都能所向披靡。美国国际电话电信公司曾将此作为管理法则，把高难度的利润目标层层分解到部门和个人，使得其销售额惊人攀升。但就在公司达到鼎盛时，却开始以前所未有的速度瓦解和崩溃。其完全以目标和结果为导向的做法换来了高额的股票市值和漂亮的财务报表，延续16 年的目标管理实现了，但却牺牲了质量、失去了客户，公司一蹶不振。由此可见，现实并非如此简单，而智力管理的前路甚长。 除了找不到好的解决方法，有时候还可以归咎为态度看法问题。有的企业高层认为，管理智力资源也就是管理“稍微高级一点”的人才，这是人力资源部门的责任。而很多HR部门则把智力管理等同于一些以人为本的“点子”，比如使用弹性工作制来缓解一下上下班受控的紧张情绪，多组织公司部门活动等等。如果认为智力管理只是一些修修补补的人事方法，又或者认为它只关乎某个部门的事，那就错了。
好的智力管理方法应该能：一、全面控制住智力活动进行过程的要害，既保证创造性又不能失去约束；二、有很强的可执行性而非纸上谈兵。
从传统管理迈向智力管理智力管理 其实并不神秘、也不困难，关键在于经理人和CEO们是否能够理解传统工作和智力工作的基本区别，能否改变以往的思维框架和处理管理问题的方式。向智力管理迈进的第一步，就是要明确新旧管理对象的差别，及其带来什么样不同的管理难题。 根据传统管理对象的特点，只要单纯地控制工人的工作时间、机器的运作过程，善用生产率和差错率等指标就可以了。这种标准化管理方法在如今很多非智力工作领域依然获得佳绩，如在制造行业推行全面质量管理（TQM）、6σ等。而智力时代的管理对象显然发生了很大变化，明确两者的区别后，管理思维也能豁然跳转。
智力管理的关键在于：一要强调你的智力员工的责任，即将他们的“工作时间”和“承诺”相结合来进行管理。二是同样不能忽视产出和质量，但要通过专家“检查”，同事或上级的“接收”来控制。 用规范性的商业承诺解决问题
我们的生活和商业活动都离不开“承诺”，但一提起承诺二字，大部分人往往会联想到法律和婚姻，这些离真正的商业承诺还有很大差距。 究竟什么才是可用的、规范性的商业承诺呢？首先它不应该是感情式的承诺，此种承诺（如婚姻）非常依赖感情基础，一旦感情破裂，承诺则没办法继续维持，工作环境中可能需要和你不喜欢的人合作，所以感情承诺不适用于商业。也有人提出可以在商业环境中使用法律文书类的承诺，但不要忽略了法律上的承诺虽然规范，却花费较贵又耗时（需要律师、合同签署等），而且也没必要让每一个员工对每次工作上的行为承担法律后果。至于充斥于工作中的口头承诺如 “没问题”、“我尽力”算不算规范呢？实际上，这种承诺的当事人往往没有充分了解承诺事项就信口开河了，或者是对自己的能力没有自知之明随便夸下海口，同时，这些承诺亦缺乏监督，约束力极小。
在商业活动中，正是由于缺乏规范的承诺，使得很多项目和公司付出了相当大的成本和代价，也丧失了宝贵的客户。因此，应该引入“承诺管理”来规范商业活动的过程。
什么是承诺管理？规范化的承诺管理是连接无形的智力思维和其产出的最好桥梁。在一个规范承诺中，承诺的一方要做到三点：
第一点，对自己的承诺事项充分理解，换句话说，就是要非常清楚自己的能力是否足够胜任，以及需要依赖哪些因素才能完成任务。比如在一个项目组中，上级A问下属B：你可以在星期五前交付X文件吗？现实当中的B经常有如下三种回答：
一、可以，但需要依赖C做好文件Y；
二、可以，但如果C推迟的话，我也可能会推迟；
三、可以，但C一定要在星期三前把文件Y 给我。
在这种情况下B是很容易用C或Y，甚至用上班塞车来做借口，如果上级A不懂得加强B 的自我管理能力，就容易陷入自己追踪项目里每一样东西的尴尬局面。所以，关键是令B变得更为成熟，学会评估自己的能力，辨清自己需要依赖的东西以及是否有能力管理这些依赖因素。
第二点，在对承诺的事项充分了解之后，承诺人需要对自己所用的工作时间和产出能力做出恰当的自我评估。我们都知道，对于很多智力工作来说，“坐足8 小时”并不等于“工作8 小时”。事实上，去100％地控制智力工作过程是不可能的，但完全可以要求当事人在自我评价的基础上，做出一个相对可信的、中肯的时间和产出评估。这就是“柔性”控制— — 通过管理人的承诺，来间接控制结果。
免责声明：中国人力资源网知识库频道登载此文出于传递信息之目的，绝不意味着中国人力资源网赞同其观点或证实其描述以上内容均搜集整理于互联网，仅供网友学习与交流,无意侵犯版权。如有侵犯您的利益,请告知。将尽快删除。
作者： 来源：KMC
“在21世纪，管理需要做出的最重要的贡献，是使知识工作者的生产率得到同样的提高。”德鲁克说。
当你为你的企业是一个“高新技术”或“高知识含量”的行业新宠而骄傲时，是否同时也为如何驾驭好这个智力型企业、管理好你的智力资源而头疼？这是我们刚迈入智力时代大门时碰到的最大尴尬，一方面“学习型组织”、“知识管理”、“智力资本”等已耳熟能详，但大多数披着“智力”外衣的企业骨子里仍然固执地流动着工厂管理的血液。 从拧螺丝到点鼠标
最重要的原因是，仍然找不到真正的系统的管理智力工作的方法。100年前的泰勒开创性地拿着小本子和秒表，一铲一铲、一分一秒地把体力劳动“合理化”，使得人类的生产率提高了50倍。通过管理时间、人的体力活动和机器运作来管理产出，是工业化管理的精神。但经历了工业时代和后工业时代，迈进智力时代的大门时，我们发现对智力工作者的认识竟然处在“泰勒之前”，再也不能用传统方法来细分咨询公司的工作流程，幻想成倍提高咨询人员的工作效率了。“在21 世纪，管理需要做出的最重要的贡献，是使知识工作者的生产率得到同样的提高。”德鲁克在其《21 世纪的管理挑战》一书中曾这么说。
摆在我们面前的难题是：如何获取员工脑袋中的知识，并让知识得以在公司中储存和传递；更进一步，用什么方法可以把不同背景的员工或团队结合起来以达到个人无法成就的事情。
某些智力管理方法已经在一些企业内部得到了实践。早在1991 年，瑞典第一大保险和金融服务公司斯堪第亚（Skandia）就任命了第一位智力资本官艾德文逊，他后来在平衡计分卡的基础上开发了导航仪（Navigator），把远期的财务目标和客户需求分解到智力资本身上，从而更全面地评价智力资本的价值。又如在管理知识方面堪称典范的惠普公司有这样一个制度，给每个科研人员提供一个本子，专门用来记录科研活动中的每一个创意和细节，在非工作时间和地点想出的点子也必须写下，事后粘贴到备忘录里，以这种方法约束开发人员的行为并保留珍贵的智力成果。
从这些管理事件中我们发现，一方面，能够有意识、有资源和能力进行智力管理的公司仍是少数群体，大多数公司仍在传统管理中徘徊；另一方面，即使是这些少数实践智力管理的企业，一般也只是涉足人力资本的评价以及如何管理（包括储存和共享）知识本身，这仅仅是智力管理的浅水区。而一旦问到该如何协调智力团队（尤其是较高创造性的大型团队），让其很好地协作完成某个项目时，经验指数则不见得高。在美国20 世纪六七十年代红极一时的目标管理（MBO）曾希望以分解公司整体目标的方式来保证战略的完成，它也确实从目标导向的角度给予了公司很多良好启示，但可惜，MBO 并非在所有领域都能所向披靡。美国国际电话电信公司曾将此作为管理法则，把高难度的利润目标层层分解到部门和个人，使得其销售额惊人攀升。但就在公司达到鼎盛时，却开始以前所未有的速度瓦解和崩溃。其完全以目标和结果为导向的做法换来了高额的股票市值和漂亮的财务报表，延续16 年的目标管理实现了，但却牺牲了质量、失去了客户，公司一蹶不振。由此可见，现实并非如此简单，而智力管理的前路甚长。 除了找不到好的解决方法，有时候还可以归咎为态度看法问题。有的企业高层认为，管理智力资源也就是管理“稍微高级一点”的人才，这是人力资源部门的责任。而很多HR部门则把智力管理等同于一些以人为本的“点子”，比如使用弹性工作制来缓解一下上下班受控的紧张情绪，多组织公司部门活动等等。如果认为智力管理只是一些修修补补的人事方法，又或者认为它只关乎某个部门的事，那就错了。
好的智力管理方法应该能：一、全面控制住智力活动进行过程的要害，既保证创造性又不能失去约束；二、有很强的可执行性而非纸上谈兵。
从传统管理迈向智力管理智力管理 其实并不神秘、也不困难，关键在于经理人和CEO们是否能够理解传统工作和智力工作的基本区别，能否改变以往的思维框架和处理管理问题的方式。向智力管理迈进的第一步，就是要明确新旧管理对象的差别，及其带来什么样不同的管理难题。 根据传统管理对象的特点，只要单纯地控制工人的工作时间、机器的运作过程，善用生产率和差错率等指标就可以了。这种标准化管理方法在如今很多非智力工作领域依然获得佳绩，如在制造行业推行全面质量管理（TQM）、6σ等。而智力时代的管理对象显然发生了很大变化，明确两者的区别后，管理思维也能豁然跳转。
智力管理的关键在于：一要强调你的智力员工的责任，即将他们的“工作时间”和“承诺”相结合来进行管理。二是同样不能忽视产出和质量，但要通过专家“检查”，同事或上级的“接收”来控制。 用规范性的商业承诺解决问题
我们的生活和商业活动都离不开“承诺”，但一提起承诺二字，大部分人往往会联想到法律和婚姻，这些离真正的商业承诺还有很大差距。 究竟什么才是可用的、规范性的商业承诺呢？首先它不应该是感情式的承诺，此种承诺（如婚姻）非常依赖感情基础，一旦感情破裂，承诺则没办法继续维持，工作环境中可能需要和你不喜欢的人合作，所以感情承诺不适用于商业。也有人提出可以在商业环境中使用法律文书类的承诺，但不要忽略了法律上的承诺虽然规范，却花费较贵又耗时（需要律师、合同签署等），而且也没必要让每一个员工对每次工作上的行为承担法律后果。至于充斥于工作中的口头承诺如 “没问题”、“我尽力”算不算规范呢？实际上，这种承诺的当事人往往没有充分了解承诺事项就信口开河了，或者是对自己的能力没有自知之明随便夸下海口，同时，这些承诺亦缺乏监督，约束力极小。
在商业活动中，正是由于缺乏规范的承诺，使得很多项目和公司付出了相当大的成本和代价，也丧失了宝贵的客户。因此，应该引入“承诺管理”来规范商业活动的过程。
什么是承诺管理？规范化的承诺管理是连接无形的智力思维和其产出的最好桥梁。在一个规范承诺中，承诺的一方要做到三点：
第一点，对自己的承诺事项充分理解，换句话说，就是要非常清楚自己的能力是否足够胜任，以及需要依赖哪些因素才能完成任务。比如在一个项目组中，上级A问下属B：你可以在星期五前交付X文件吗？现实当中的B经常有如下三种回答：
一、可以，但需要依赖C做好文件Y；
二、可以，但如果C推迟的话，我也可能会推迟；
三、可以，但C一定要在星期三前把文件Y 给我。
在这种情况下B是很容易用C或Y，甚至用上班塞车来做借口，如果上级A不懂得加强B 的自我管理能力，就容易陷入自己追踪项目里每一样东西的尴尬局面。所以，关键是令B变得更为成熟，学会评估自己的能力，辨清自己需要依赖的东西以及是否有能力管理这些依赖因素。
第二点，在对承诺的事项充分了解之后，承诺人需要对自己所用的工作时间和产出能力做出恰当的自我评估。我们都知道，对于很多智力工作来说，“坐足8 小时”并不等于“工作8 小时”。事实上，去100％地控制智力工作过程是不可能的，但完全可以要求当事人在自我评价的基础上，做出一个相对可信的、中肯的时间和产出评估。这就是“柔性”控制— — 通过管理人的承诺，来间接控制结果。
免责声明：中国人力资源网知识库频道登载此文出于传递信息之目的，绝不意味着中国人力资源网赞同其观点或证实其描述以上内容均搜集整理于互联网，仅供网友学习与交流,无意侵犯版权。如有侵犯您的利益,请告知。将尽快删除。
作者： 来源：KMC
知识管理的１０项原则
许多公司开始觉得，其雇员的知识是其最有价值的资产。它们可能是对的，但是，很少有公司真正开始积极地在广泛的范围内管理其知识资产。因此，无论在哲学层面，还是在技术层面，知识管理远未得到充分论述，对如何才能在日常基础上更有效地管理和利用知识的实际讨论寥寥无几。在过去两年间，我与知识管理领域的机构共事。其中一些机构致力于这个主题已有多年，但只是最近才认识到，它们是在管理知识。更常见的是，知识管理这个主题只是最近才出现在这些机构中。但是，经验和教训已足够多，因而我们能够开始阐述和讨论某些原则和经验法测。一、知识管理的代价高昂知识是一种资产，但其有效管理需要投入其他资产。许多特定的知识管理活动需要投入金钱或劳动力，这些活动包括：知识获得，即创建文件并把文件输入电脑系统；通过编选、组合和整理，给知识增添价值；开发知识分类方法，并标示对知识的新贡献的特点；发展信息技术基础，实行知识分配；就知识的创造、分离和利用对雇员进行教育。虽然很少有公司计算知识管理的成本，但仍有一些定量估计。巴克曼实验室公司的巴克曼（R.Buckman）估计，他的公司将其收入的7%用于知识管理。麦金西公司长期以来具有将其收入的10%用于发展和管理智力资本的目标。但是，虽然知识管理是代价高昂的，显而易见的反驳是，不进行知识管理的代价甚至更高昂。无知和迟钝的代价是什么？忘记关键的雇员知道什么，不能迅速回答或者根本不能回答客户的问题，或者根据错误的知识作出糟糕的决定，这会使一个组织付出多大的代价？一个组织在确定质量的价值时，必定会确定质量低劣的产品和服务的代价，同样，如果我们希望评估知识的价值，我们会尝试衡量无知的代价。当然，这种评估可能导致政治问题，但这是知识管理的另一个原则。二、有效的知识管理需要人员和技术的结合《商业周刊》在最近一篇有关人工智能的文章的标题中宣布，“能思考的电脑几乎已出现……能象人类一样进行推理的人工智能的最终目标已近在咫尺。”对管理人员和专业技术人员来说，阅读1995年的这条大标题可能产生一种似曾相识的体会，自1950年代以来，他们就听说了基于机器的知识。但事实是，希望有效地管理知识的公司今天需要大量人力。人非常善于某种类型的活动，而电脑非常善于其他类型的活动。人或许是索价高昂和心地不良的，但他们十分擅长某些知识技能。如果我们致力于了解知识，在更广泛的背景下解释知识，将知识与其他类型的信息结合起来，或者将知识的各种无组织形式综合起来，人是受欢迎的工具。这些都是我们所擅长的知识任务的类型，我们应该被用于这些目的。另一方面，电脑和电信系统擅长不同类型的事情。就获得、改变和分配结构十分严谨但变化迅速的知识来说，电脑比人更能干。对根据结构不那么严谨的文字和视觉知识履行这些相同的任务来说，电脑越来越有用––––虽然仍有点笨拙。但事实上，大多数人在需要有关在某个特定知识领域内正在发生什么的丰富描述时，仍不去求助于电脑。三、知识管理的高度政治性“知识即权力”并非秘密，因此，不应使任何人感到惊讶的是，知识管理是一项高度政治性的任务。既然知识与权力、金钱和成功有关，那么，知识也与游说、阴谋和密室交易有关。如果围绕知识管理的倡议没有政治活动，这清楚地表明，该组织已认识到，没有什么有价值的东西正在发生。知识政治对有效的知识管理来说烤挂馕蹲攀裁矗恳恍┕芾砣嗽被嵩鹉颜尾⑷衔沃换岬驳馈５牵舻闹豆芾碚呓行徊⒔峤徽巍Ｋ墙兜睦煤图壑到杏嗡怠Ｋ墙涞庇涤兄队肜弥吨涞慕灰拙腿耍墙延杏跋斓摹坝呗哿煨洹迸嘌芍豆芾矸椒ǖ脑缙诮邮苷摺Ｔ谧罡咭患叮墙π纬芍兜闹淙ǎ员愀玫卦谧橹诓坷弥丁?lt;/FONT>四、知识管理需要知识管理者诸如劳动力和资金等关键的企业资源具有专用于知识管理的实际的组织职能。在公司内的某个群体对知识管理工作负起明确的责任之前，知识不可能得到良好管理。在这种群体可能履行的任务中，有收集知识并为知识分类，建立面向知识的技术基础，并监督知识的利用。若干专业服务公司已经具有适当的知识管理作用。麦金西公司、安德森咨询公司、安扬会计师事务所和普赖斯•沃特豪斯会计事务所全都拥有适当的“主要知识官员”。巴克曼实验室公司为其“信息系统”部门重新确定方向，使该部门成为知识管理者，而且，现在把该机构称为知识传递部。惠普公司在该公司产品程序内建立了一个知识管理小组，在其电脑系统销售部内建立了另一个知识管理小组。知识管理职能可能在组织内部引起怨恨和忧虑，如果该组织致力于收集和控制所有知识。这种组织的目标应该只是帮助其他人对知识的创造、分配和利用。而且，知识管理者自身不应该通过其言语或行动暗示，他们比其他任何人更“有知识”。事实上，惠普公司的一个知识管理人员认为，这种角色最重要的资格是“无私”。五、知识管理受益于实事求是而不是生搬硬套，受益于市场而不是等级体系如果知识管理为知识创造一种将支配知识的收集和分类的等级体系模式或结构，这是诱惑人的。但是，大多数境况较好的组织听任知识市场运作，只是提供和反映其客户看来需要的知识。听任市场运作意味着知识管理者尝试使知识变得尽可能地吸引人和可理解，接着观察需要使用哪些具体条件，才能获得哪些知识。例如，明尼阿波利斯的特尔特克公司管理着一个由外部专家组成的知识网络，在该公司，需要专家指点的客户不太可能始终使用与专家们正在描述其工作时使用的同样的术语。把客户需要与可用的专家意见联系起来的职能，是利用特尔特克公司的在线检索系统“知识窗”完成的。“知识窗”实际上由3万多条技术术语组成的一幅图表或一册辞典。维护“知识窗”的是若干专职的”知识工程师“，他们每月为该资料库增添500至1200个新概念，同时移走过时的概念。每条技术术语具有首选的用法和若干可能的同义词。特尔特克公司的目的是，资料库中保存的术语正是客户使用过的术语。因此，这些知识工程师每天收到一份术语清单，清单上的术语都是特尔特克公司的知识分析家或者直接进入资料库的客户在资料库中没有找到的。许多不成功的检索者都是拼错了词汇，但确实找不到的术语被加入了资料库。直至最近，特尔特克公司管理知识的方式仍是等级体系式的，而不是辞典式的。该公司以前的资料库被称为“技术树”，这棵“树”有若干关键的知识分支，包括科技、医学、化学等等。然而，客户和特尔特克公司的知识分析家都发现，难于通过这棵“树”，新术语往往被加在这棵“树”的不适当的层次。特尔特克公司已发现，辞典式方式更令人满意得多。这种方式真实反映知识世界，而不是按特定模式塑造知识世界。六、分享和利用知识往往是不自然的行为如果我的知识是一种宝贵的资源，为什么我应该与人分享？如果我的职位是创造知识，为什么我应该利用你的而不是我的知识，从而将我的职位置于风险之中？如果知识得不到分享或利用，我们有时会感到惊讶，但我们可能较为自在，因为知识管理者认为，隐藏我们的知识并疑惑地看待来自他人的知识，这是天生的倾向。使人们的知识进入某个系统以及从他人那儿寻找知识不仅是凶险的，而且也是艰难的努力––––因此，为了承担这种工作，我们必须具有高涨的积极性。如果知识管理者接受这个原则，我们可能不会把分享利用知识当作理所当然的事。我们不会认为，使信息变得可利用不一定会导致信息的利用。我们可能认识到，分享和利用必须通过传统方式得到鼓励––––例如，业绩评价和补偿。已有一些公司开始就知识分享和利用对员工进行评价和奖励。连花发展公司现在是国际商用机器公司的一个分公司，在对其为消费者服务的职工进行总的业绩评价时，使知识分享占了25%的份额。巴克曼实验室公司以在某个渡假胜地举行年会报偿其100名最优秀的实施知识分享的员工。ABB公司对管理人员的评价不仅依据他们所决定的结果，而且还依据在决策过程中所使用的知识和信息。七、知识管理意味着改进知识利用过程处理和改进一般的知识管理过程是重要的，但知识是在为数不多的特定的知识动作过程中得以产生并得到集中的利用和分享的。这些特定过程因公司和行业的不同而不同，但它们包括市场研究、产品设计和开发、甚至诸如定价等与交易更有关的过程。如果在知识管理中能出现实际的改进，这种改进必定出现在这些关键的经营过程中。两所大学和我本人对25家试图改进知识运作过程的公司进行了研究。我们发现了面向创造（即研究）、组合（公布）和应用（系统发展）知识的过程。一般说来，最有效的改进方式处于对这个过程的自上而下的“重新策划”与自主的知识员工的自下而上的计划之间的某个中间地带。具有创造性的知识员工需要较少的自上而下的干预，而知识应用过程需要更多一点的自上而下的干预。然而，就对一些公司的重新策划而言，努力对这些公司进行的调查已证实，任何类型的知识动作过程都很少涉及主动的改进行动。八、知识使用刚刚开始如果知识使用已很充分，那么，美国的图书馆外面将排起长队。使用是重要的，但成功的知识管理还需要关注和参与。有人说，关注是信息时代的通货。为了使知识消费者关心知识，他们必须成为不仅是消极的接受者。通过向他人总结和报告知识，通过基于知识使用的角色扮演和游戏，以及通过与知识提供者保持密切的相互关系而获得知识，能够实现更主动地关注知识。如果接受知识是不言而喻的事，这一点就特别重要。一些公司已开始帮助其管理人员和雇员使用知识。宝丽来公司一个部门的信息经理林德（J.Linder）与一名维修部主任合作，为部门经理和专业技术人员创造一种“军事演习”式的练习。参加者进行市场研究，接着扮演竞争对手或宝丽来公司的角色，向消费者作销售介绍。这种面向销售的练习获得巨大成功，目前宝丽来公司正在对将信息使用方式用于其他类型的知识进行评估。丰田公司和尼桑公司都把汽车设计人员派往美国，通过结交特定的消费者群体获得不言而喻的知识。九、知识管理永无穷尽知识管理者可能觉得，只要他们能够有控制地获得其组织的知识，他们的工作就完成了。然而，知识管理的任务是永无穷尽的。与人力资源管理或金融管理一样，永远不可能有知识得到充分管理的时候。知识管理永无穷尽的一个原因是，所需知识的类型始终在发生变化。新的技术、管理方式、规则问题和消费者关心的事层出不穷。公司不断改变其策略、组织结构、以及产品和服务的重点。新的管理人员和专业技术人员对知识有新的需要。知识环境中的这种迅速变化意味着，公司不应该在反映某种特定的知识环境或者在使这种环境模式化方面花费大量时间。等到它们完成这种工作时，这种环境可能已不再存在。而且，对知识环境的描述应该是“迅速的和不遗余力的”。十、知识管理需要知识契约尚不清楚的是，在大多数组织中，是谁目前拥有或曾经拥有雇员的知识的使用权。雇员的知识是否能被拥有或租用？雇员头脑中的所有知识是否都是雇主的财产？文件柜或者电脑驱动器中的知识又如何？当顾问们提供咨询时，他们的知识属于谁？外请的雇员情况又如何？具有处理这些问题的政策的公司寥寥无几。许多公司都把雇员的知识––––至少在上班时间获得的知识––––当作本公司的财产。然而，若干社会变化使这种做法变得更困难了。雇员更迅速地流向新职位和新组织；工作生活与家庭生活之间的区别变得更短暂，而且，应急的临时员工变得更多。在任何情况下，很少有公司能很好地获得或引证任何雇员以往的知识。如果知识确实正在成为组织中一种更宝贵的资源，我们有望见到对知识管理的合法性的更多关注。增强了的知识管理的最大问题或许是，知识管理将引起律师人数的增加。知识产权法已经是司法职业方面发展最快的领域，并将更迅速地发展。小结正如人们能够很容易地从这些原则中推断的，在组织中对知识进行管理将导致各种新问题。而且，这种主动行动将面临抵制。知识管理是与美国社会的趋势背道而驰的；我们更喜欢电视而不是图书，更喜欢直觉而不是研究，更喜欢实用主义者而不是理论家。自从美国立国以来，就存在一种反知识的方针，在组织中对知识的认真追求将受到这种方针的挑战。但是，现在新的国界是在我们心中。随着免费自然资源和廉价劳动力的接近枯竭，商业优势的未被使用的最后资源是组织中人们的知识。知识管理目前尚处于初期阶段，即使上述原则和经验法则也将引起相当大的争议。好消息是，一个公司在管理知识方面所做的几乎一切事情，都将是向前迈出了一步。
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作者：张从忠 来源：博锐管理在线
许多公司开始觉得，其雇员的知识是其最有价值的资产。它们可能是对的，但是，很少有公司真正开始积极地在广泛的范围内管理其知识资产。因此，无论在哲学层面，还是在技术层面，知识管理远未得到充分论述，对如何才能在日常基础上更有效地管理和利用知识的实际讨论寥寥无几。在过去两年间，我与知识管理领域的机构共事。其中一些机构致力于这个主题已有多年，但只是最近才认识到，它们是在管理知识。更常见的是，知识管理这个主题只是最近才出现在这些机构中。但是，经验和教训已足够多，因而我们能够开始阐述和讨论某些原则和经验法测。一、知识管理的代价高昂知识是一种资产，但其有效管理需要投入其他资产。许多特定的知识管理活动需要投入金钱或劳动力，这些活动包括：知识获得，即创建文件并把文件输入电脑系统；通过编选、组合和整理，给知识增添价值；开发知识分类方法，并标示对知识的新贡献的特点；发展信息技术基础，实行知识分配；就知识的创造、分离和利用对雇员进行教育。虽然很少有公司计算知识管理的成本，但仍有一些定量估计。巴克曼实验室公司的巴克曼（R.Buckman）估计，他的公司将其收入的7%用于知识管理。麦金西公司长期以来具有将其收入的10%用于发展和管理智力资本的目标。但是，虽然知识管理是代价高昂的，显而易见的反驳是，不进行知识管理的代价甚至更高昂。无知和迟钝的代价是什么？忘记关键的雇员知道什么，不能迅速回答或者根本不能回答客户的问题，或者根据错误的知识作出糟糕的决定，这会使一个组织付出多大的代价？一个组织在确定质量的价值时，必定会确定质量低劣的产品和服务的代价，同样，如果我们希望评估知识的价值，我们会尝试衡量无知的代价。当然，这种评估可能导致政治问题，但这是知识管理的另一个原则。二、有效的知识管理需要人员和技术的结合《商业周刊》在最近一篇有关人工智能的文章的标题中宣布，“能思考的电脑几乎已出现……能象人类一样进行推理的人工智能的最终目标已近在咫尺。”对管理人员和专业技术人员来说，阅读1995年的这条大标题可能产生一种似曾相识的体会，自1950年代以来，他们就听说了基于机器的知识。但事实是，希望有效地管理知识的公司今天需要大量人力。人非常善于某种类型的活动，而电脑非常善于其他类型的活动。人或许是索价高昂和心地不良的，但他们十分擅长某些知识技能。如果我们致力于了解知识，在更广泛的背景下解释知识，将知识与其他类型的信息结合起来，或者将知识的各种无组织形式综合起来，人是受欢迎的工具。这些都是我们所擅长的知识任务的类型，我们应该被用于这些目的。另一方面，电脑和电信系统擅长不同类型的事情。就获得、改变和分配结构十分严谨但变化迅速的知识来说，电脑比人更能干。对根据结构不那么严谨的文字和视觉知识履行这些相同的任务来说，电脑越来越有用––––虽然仍有点笨拙。但事实上，大多数人在需要有关在某个特定知识领域内正在发生什么的丰富描述时，仍不去求助于电脑。三、知识管理的高度政治性“知识即权力”并非秘密，因此，不应使任何人感到惊讶的是，知识管理是一项高度政治性的任务。既然知识与权力、金钱和成功有关，那么，知识也与游说、阴谋和密室交易有关。如果围绕知识管理的倡议没有政治活动，这清楚地表明，该组织已认识到，没有什么有价值的东西正在发生。知识政治对有效的知识管理来说烤挂馕蹲攀裁矗恳恍┕芾砣嗽被嵩鹉颜尾⑷衔沃换岬驳馈５牵舻闹豆芾碚呓行徊⒔峤徽巍Ｋ墙兜睦煤图壑到杏嗡怠Ｋ墙涞庇涤兄队肜弥吨涞慕灰拙腿耍墙延杏跋斓摹坝呗哿煨洹迸嘌芍豆芾矸椒ǖ脑缙诮邮苷摺Ｔ谧罡咭患叮墙π纬芍兜闹淙ǎ员愀玫卦谧橹诓坷弥丁?lt;/FONT>四、知识管理需要知识管理者诸如劳动力和资金等关键的企业资源具有专用于知识管理的实际的组织职能。在公司内的某个群体对知识管理工作负起明确的责任之前，知识不可能得到良好管理。在这种群体可能履行的任务中，有收集知识并为知识分类，建立面向知识的技术基础，并监督知识的利用。若干专业服务公司已经具有适当的知识管理作用。麦金西公司、安德森咨询公司、安扬会计师事务所和普赖斯•沃特豪斯会计事务所全都拥有适当的“主要知识官员”。巴克曼实验室公司为其“信息系统”部门重新确定方向，使该部门成为知识管理者，而且，现在把该机构称为知识传递部。惠普公司在该公司产品程序内建立了一个知识管理小组，在其电脑系统销售部内建立了另一个知识管理小组。知识管理职能可能在组织内部引起怨恨和忧虑，如果该组织致力于收集和控制所有知识。这种组织的目标应该只是帮助其他人对知识的创造、分配和利用。而且，知识管理者自身不应该通过其言语或行动暗示，他们比其他任何人更“有知识”。事实上，惠普公司的一个知识管理人员认为，这种角色最重要的资格是“无私”。五、知识管理受益于实事求是而不是生搬硬套，受益于市场而不是等级体系如果知识管理为知识创造一种将支配知识的收集和分类的等级体系模式或结构，这是诱惑人的。但是，大多数境况较好的组织听任知识市场运作，只是提供和反映其客户看来需要的知识。听任市场运作意味着知识管理者尝试使知识变得尽可能地吸引人和可理解，接着观察需要使用哪些具体条件，才能获得哪些知识。例如，明尼阿波利斯的特尔特克公司管理着一个由外部专家组成的知识网络，在该公司，需要专家指点的客户不太可能始终使用与专家们正在描述其工作时使用的同样的术语。把客户需要与可用的专家意见联系起来的职能，是利用特尔特克公司的在线检索系统“知识窗”完成的。“知识窗”实际上由3万多条技术术语组成的一幅图表或一册辞典。维护“知识窗”的是若干专职的”知识工程师“，他们每月为该资料库增添500至1200个新概念，同时移走过时的概念。每条技术术语具有首选的用法和若干可能的同义词。特尔特克公司的目的是，资料库中保存的术语正是客户使用过的术语。因此，这些知识工程师每天收到一份术语清单，清单上的术语都是特尔特克公司的知识分析家或者直接进入资料库的客户在资料库中没有找到的。许多不成功的检索者都是拼错了词汇，但确实找不到的术语被加入了资料库。直至最近，特尔特克公司管理知识的方式仍是等级体系式的，而不是辞典式的。该公司以前的资料库被称为“技术树”，这棵“树”有若干关键的知识分支，包括科技、医学、化学等等。然而，客户和特尔特克公司的知识分析家都发现，难于通过这棵“树”，新术语往往被加在这棵“树”的不适当的层次。特尔特克公司已发现，辞典式方式更令人满意得多。这种方式真实反映知识世界，而不是按特定模式塑造知识世界。六、分享和利用知识往往是不自然的行为如果我的知识是一种宝贵的资源，为什么我应该与人分享？如果我的职位是创造知识，为什么我应该利用你的而不是我的知识，从而将我的职位置于风险之中？如果知识得不到分享或利用，我们有时会感到惊讶，但我们可能较为自在，因为知识管理者认为，隐藏我们的知识并疑惑地看待来自他人的知识，这是天生的倾向。使人们的知识进入某个系统以及从他人那儿寻找知识不仅是凶险的，而且也是艰难的努力––––因此，为了承担这种工作，我们必须具有高涨的积极性。如果知识管理者接受这个原则，我们可能不会把分享利用知识当作理所当然的事。我们不会认为，使信息变得可利用不一定会导致信息的利用。我们可能认识到，分享和利用必须通过传统方式得到鼓励––––例如，业绩评价和补偿。已有一些公司开始就知识分享和利用对员工进行评价和奖励。连花发展公司现在是国际商用机器公司的一个分公司，在对其为消费者服务的职工进行总的业绩评价时，使知识分享占了25%的份额。巴克曼实验室公司以在某个渡假胜地举行年会报偿其100名最优秀的实施知识分享的员工。ABB公司对管理人员的评价不仅依据他们所决定的结果，而且还依据在决策过程中所使用的知识和信息。七、知识管理意味着改进知识利用过程处理和改进一般的知识管理过程是重要的，但知识是在为数不多的特定的知识动作过程中得以产生并得到集中的利用和分享的。这些特定过程因公司和行业的不同而不同，但它们包括市场研究、产品设计和开发、甚至诸如定价等与交易更有关的过程。如果在知识管理中能出现实际的改进，这种改进必定出现在这些关键的经营过程中。两所大学和我本人对25家试图改进知识运作过程的公司进行了研究。我们发现了面向创造（即研究）、组合（公布）和应用（系统发展）知识的过程。一般说来，最有效的改进方式处于对这个过程的自上而下的“重新策划”与自主的知识员工的自下而上的计划之间的某个中间地带。具有创造性的知识员工需要较少的自上而下的干预，而知识应用过程需要更多一点的自上而下的干预。然而，就对一些公司的重新策划而言，努力对这些公司进行的调查已证实，任何类型的知识动作过程都很少涉及主动的改进行动。八、知识使用刚刚开始如果知识使用已很充分，那么，美国的图书馆外面将排起长队。使用是重要的，但成功的知识管理还需要关注和参与。有人说，关注是信息时代的通货。为了使知识消费者关心知识，他们必须成为不仅是消极的接受者。通过向他人总结和报告知识，通过基于知识使用的角色扮演和游戏，以及通过与知识提供者保持密切的相互关系而获得知识，能够实现更主动地关注知识。如果接受知识是不言而喻的事，这一点就特别重要。一些公司已开始帮助其管理人员和雇员使用知识。宝丽来公司一个部门的信息经理林德（J.Linder）与一名维修部主任合作，为部门经理和专业技术人员创造一种“军事演习”式的练习。参加者进行市场研究，接着扮演竞争对手或宝丽来公司的角色，向消费者作销售介绍。这种面向销售的练习获得巨大成功，目前宝丽来公司正在对将信息使用方式用于其他类型的知识进行评估。丰田公司和尼桑公司都把汽车设计人员派往美国，通过结交特定的消费者群体获得不言而喻的知识。九、知识管理永无穷尽知识管理者可能觉得，只要他们能够有控制地获得其组织的知识，他们的工作就完成了。然而，知识管理的任务是永无穷尽的。与人力资源管理或金融管理一样，永远不可能有知识得到充分管理的时候。知识管理永无穷尽的一个原因是，所需知识的类型始终在发生变化。新的技术、管理方式、规则问题和消费者关心的事层出不穷。公司不断改变其策略、组织结构、以及产品和服务的重点。新的管理人员和专业技术人员对知识有新的需要。知识环境中的这种迅速变化意味着，公司不应该在反映某种特定的知识环境或者在使这种环境模式化方面花费大量时间。等到它们完成这种工作时，这种环境可能已不再存在。而且，对知识环境的描述应该是“迅速的和不遗余力的”。十、知识管理需要知识契约尚不清楚的是，在大多数组织中，是谁目前拥有或曾经拥有雇员的知识的使用权。雇员的知识是否能被拥有或租用？雇员头脑中的所有知识是否都是雇主的财产？文件柜或者电脑驱动器中的知识又如何？当顾问们提供咨询时，他们的知识属于谁？外请的雇员情况又如何？具有处理这些问题的政策的公司寥寥无几。许多公司都把雇员的知识––––至少在上班时间获得的知识––––当作本公司的财产。然而，若干社会变化使这种做法变得更困难了。雇员更迅速地流向新职位和新组织；工作生活与家庭生活之间的区别变得更短暂，而且，应急的临时员工变得更多。在任何情况下，很少有公司能很好地获得或引证任何雇员以往的知识。如果知识确实正在成为组织中一种更宝贵的资源，我们有望见到对知识管理的合法性的更多关注。增强了的知识管理的最大问题或许是，知识管理将引起律师人数的增加。知识产权法已经是司法职业方面发展最快的领域，并将更迅速地发展。小结正如人们能够很容易地从这些原则中推断的，在组织中对知识进行管理将导致各种新问题。而且，这种主动行动将面临抵制。知识管理是与美国社会的趋势背道而驰的；我们更喜欢电视而不是图书，更喜欢直觉而不是研究，更喜欢实用主义者而不是理论家。自从美国立国以来，就存在一种反知识的方针，在组织中对知识的认真追求将受到这种方针的挑战。但是，现在新的国界是在我们心中。随着免费自然资源和廉价劳动力的接近枯竭，商业优势的未被使用的最后资源是组织中人们的知识。知识管理目前尚处于初期阶段，即使上述原则和经验法则也将引起相当大的争议。好消息是，一个公司在管理知识方面所做的几乎一切事情，都将是向前迈出了一步。
免责声明：中国人力资源网知识库频道登载此文出于传递信息之目的，绝不意味着中国人力资源网赞同其观点或证实其描述以上内容均搜集整理于互联网，仅供网友学习与交流,无意侵犯版权。如有侵犯您的利益,请告知。将尽快删除。
作者：张从忠 来源：博锐管理在线
好利来公司的知识管理
池塘里面住着很多鱼，一直过着平静的生活。一直到有人搬到了池塘边生活，他们平静的生活被打破了，因为有人经常来池塘边钓鱼。于是，池塘里的鱼越来越少，鱼儿都非常紧张。但是鱼儿却发现住在池塘东面的鱼没有几条被人钓走，于是大家纷纷去求教。住在池塘东面的鱼也不知道为什么。大家开会分析，住在池塘东面的鱼全是草鱼，他们只吃草为生，原来，由于草鱼只吃草，钓鱼人用的蚯蚓就没有了用处。这个优秀的经验马上在鱼儿之间传播开来，大家都不会去吃悬浮在水中的蚯蚓了，很少有鱼被钓走。 鱼是通过什么方式来减少被人钓走呢？分析鱼儿从大量被钓走到很少被钓走的变化，我们会发现其原因是因为鱼儿通过分析池塘东面的鱼很少被钓走的现象后，进行分析与探索，找出了原因，并且在鱼群中推广而产生的结果。也就是说，是一个分析、挖掘数据与经验，将隐性的知识挖掘出来，变为显性知识，并进行推广的过程，这就是我们通常所说的知识管理。对于企业来说，知识管理就是对一个企业的知识与技能的捕获——不论这些知识和技能是存在于数据库中、被印刷于纸上亦或是存在于人们的脑海里——然后将这些知识与技能分布到能够帮助企业实现最大产出的任何地方的过程。 故事里面的鱼是聪明的，他们知道如何从经验中吸取教训，以后避免少犯同样的错误。联系到我们的企业的运作，会发现我们的企业经常在犯同样的错误。一个错误在一个企业出现过，随着人员的变更，以后还可能再次出现。员工优秀的经验没有得到及时的利用、传播、沉淀，随着员工的流失，公司失去了大量的知识资源，大量的培训费用也往往变成了员工跳槽时个人的砝码。所以，不论是大企业，还是广大的中小企业，引入知识管理，加强知识管理非常必要。然而，在实际的操作过程中，如何将知识管理落实、让员工自觉的利用知识管理系统，如何进行知识挖掘，如何与公司的战略相结合，都存在一系列的问题。 好利来公司也和普通企业一样，面临着同样的问题。为有效的解决这个问题，好利来公司经过一年多的管理实践，有效的引进知识管理，并且与公司的人力资源管理体系很好的结合起来，为我们提供了很好的案例。对广大的中小企业，尤其是飞速发展中的企业，有很多借鉴作用。 好利来对知识管理的需求 以经营饼店业务为主的好利来公司的战略重点一直很明确，那就是建立属于自己的销售终端，迅速扩张与占领市场。从创业至今近十年，好利来利用连锁经营模式高速的现金流编织了一张庞大的零售网络，目前已拥有员工5000多人，在全国50多个城市开设了200多家连锁店，同时在北京和沈阳建设了现代化的食品工业园，以满足月饼与包装食品的市场需求。 拥有如此良好的基础与资源，好利来却在近一年来放慢了迅速扩张与占领新城市的步伐，真正的原因不是缺乏市场机会，亦不是因为缺乏资金，而是因为内部员工的成长速度已经满足不了公司扩张与发展的人力资源需求。连锁店的生命在于标准化与商业模式的复制，然而由于地域广泛，传统的培训方式受到了新的挑战。好利来拥有自己的培训学校，其师资与规模可满足一次性接纳培训学员200多人，这种方式对新员工为期三个月的职前培训非常有效，然而对于在职管理人员与员工，却只能每年召集一到两次进行集中培训，不仅会花费巨额培训费用，而且培训时间短，培训的效果与信息量远远不能满足员工发展与学习的需求。 “人”是知识的载体，而“知识”的真正价值则来自于“分享”。企业与员工的成长需要培养并形成学习的氛围与知识分享的文化，从而加速员工学习、创造与运用知识经验。好利来在十年的探索与实践中沉淀了大量的专业知识与经验，却由于覆盖地域广阔而难以传播与推广。同时，市场变化速度加快，消费者日益成熟，竞争对手在不断成长，为了稳固市场的领导地位，必须随时调整公司战略，而每一次战略重点的转移，都意味着公司以往积累的经验与知识将面临全面的更新，因此，好利来需要有一种新的促进员工成长的模式与方法，结合公司战略，将不断更新的知识、经验与资讯源源不断地输入给每一位员工，为员工的学习提供明确的方向与良好的条件。 知识管理规划 良好的绩效产生需要几个条件——知识、技能、价值观——所以知识管理需要围绕着知识和技能两个专题进行展开，才能为产生良好的绩效打下基础。顾问与好利来公司的经理结合好利来公司的现状况与对知识管理的要求，对好利来公司的知识管理体系进行规划。由于好利来公司的行业性质，好利来公司选择了知识与人的分离——编码战略。即知识首先从开发者那里提取出来，使之与开发者分离。 为更好的将知识管理与好利来公司的人力资源管理体系相结合，将好利来公司的知识管理体系划分为几个模块，每个模块实现不同的功能： 专业知识功能模块 在分析公司的战略方针的基础上，对关键岗位进行工作分析。找出关键岗位要充分实现其职能所需要的专业知识。然后再对专业知识进行提炼、归纳、总结与筛选，形成关键岗位的专业知识。员工可以通过系统地学习专业知识，获得在知识上的提高。 岗位技能与经验模块 岗位技能模块中，又分为两个小的模块。一个模块是岗位技能区、一个是专题技能经验区。对岗位技能的挖掘，也就是对公司隐性知识的挖掘，通过对重要岗位的绩效优秀者的技能进行挖掘，为员工树立绩效标杆，同时告诉员工实现优秀绩效的途径与方法，模块主要是针对岗位。专题技能经验模块是针对公司有影响的重大事件，将重大事件中的过程中的得失总结出来，让重大事件中所得到的经验变为组织记忆。 竞争情报模块 竞争情报模块是为了有效跟踪竞争对手，为好利来公司总部、各个城市公司提供决策支持而设置的。公司负责竞争情报的市场部门可以通过得到每个城市所搜集到的竞争对手的动向，经过加工与处理后，分析、研究竞争对手，为全公司的决策做支持。同时，由向每个城市提供市场部门的研究、分析成果。 学习与互相动模块 在知识管理中，员工之间的互动交流中，对工作中所遇到的问题深入探讨，产生新的火花。员工通过对专业知识与技能的学习，在互动区域内展开讨论，还可以通过员工交流区向同事请教，总结、发表自己在工作中的心得。 运用上述四个功能模块，实现了好利来知识管理的功能，通过将专业知识、岗位技能的学习与员工的任职资格体系相结合，使对专业知识与岗位技能的学习、掌握与员工的晋升、调薪相结合，就可以实现员工激励，将企业的目标、利益与员工的个人目标、利益在一定程度上结合起来；通过对岗位技能的挖掘，将实现优秀绩效的技能挖掘出来，员工通过学习优秀技能，提高工作绩效，将绩效管理与知识管理有机的结合起来。同时定期对知识的更新、技能进行挖掘，将公司的发展战略与知识管理相结合起来，使员工所学习的知识与技能始终支持公司战略的发展。好利来知识管理对企业的借鉴作用 好利来公司内部引入知识管理，将潜在的、分散的技能开发出来，进行有效的传播非常有必要的。好利来公司在建立知识管理系统时候，也遇到很多问题，而且这些问题都是有普遍意义的问题。 知识管理必须结合员工的绩效管理 知识管理的目标就是通过对知识的挖掘、开发与共享，最终实现员工绩效的提高。企业不是学校，企业对员工培训、学习的投入都需要从业绩上得到回报，只有切实提高员工的绩效，知识管理的投资对于企业来说才是有意义的。在进行店经理经验挖掘的时候。他们分别从绩效出众与绩效普通的店经理中随机抽样选择了各10名访谈对象，并分别进行了访谈与调研。他们发现，在各项行为技能中，绩效出众的店经理与绩效普通的店经理有着明显的不同，他们在自己的工作岗位上进行着持续而主动的创新，而这些创新与不同正是好利来知识管理中所要追寻的东西，是值得传播与交流的宝贵经验。比如，在“客户关系维护”方面，每一个连锁店都会拥有一批固定的团队或家庭消费者，这些固定顾客给连锁店带来了稳定的收入来源。因此，维护与这些固定顾客的关系，提供优质服务是连锁店经理一项重要的行为技能。知识管理人员拟定了三方面的问题去映射与寻找不同店经理行为技能的差异：“你怎样对客户进行分类，怎样确定不同类型客户的需求与特点？”“你与客户的沟通计划是怎样的？都有哪些沟通的方式？”“怎样提供个性化的服务？”在与20位店经理的访谈中发现，绩效普通的店经理在客户关系维护方面遵循了公司的统一规定：建立客户档案，团队与家庭消费者分别依据消费金额、职业、收入作了分类，定期与客户进行电话沟通，提醒客户生日并传播好利来的最新促销信息，这些行为与方式看似已无懈可击，然而与绩效突出的店经理们的方式方法作对比时便看出了明显的差距；绩效突出的店经理们在客户分类与客户沟通方面做了更为细致的工作，他们通过大量的沟通工作赋予了团队与家庭消费者除消费金额、职业、收入之外的，如工作生活环境、家庭成员、性格特征等方面的属性，将客户类别区分得更细致与具体，并以此作为沟通与服务的依据；在与客户的沟通方面，他们将研究这些客户的需求作为重点，每季度会选择不同类别客户中的代表发放问卷以征询意见与了解需求，并以此作为连锁店产品与服务改良的依据，每年召开2－3次顾客焦点座谈会，去更深层次了解顾客需求。也正是由于这些工作方式与标准的差异，令这些店经理管理的连锁店总会拥有更高的顾客满意度与更稳定的营业收入。知识管理工作人员将这些行为方式总结与提炼出来，形成一系列非常有价值的经验文本经验，如《客户分类方法》、《客户电话沟通技巧》、《客户焦点座谈会执行方案》等等，并添加至知识数据库向所有的连锁店经理推广这些先进的方法。通过上述方式，可以效的为员工树立绩效标杆，通过对技能标杆的学习，可以为员工提高绩效提供有效果方法。知识管理与激励机制知识管理建立的一个重要前提是员工充分的使用知识管理系统，提高自身素质，最终实现绩效改进。那么，知识在知识管理系统建立起来以后，如果没有和相应的激励机制相结合，就会很难被有效利用。那么，怎样与员工的激励机制相结合呢？我们知道，员工的成长、晋升、担任更重要的岗位的时候，不光需要是经验的积累与过往优秀的绩效。还需要适应新岗位的知识与技能。知识与技能是适应新岗位的必要条件。所以，在知识管理系统中体现了对本岗位同级别知识与技能的学习，还包括了对上级别岗位的知识与技能的学习，员工通过利用知识管理系统，学习技能与知识，为升职、提薪打下基础。好利来公司就是通过对不同级别岗位的经验、知识进行挖掘，为员工提供学习的途径。并且定期的组织认证与考试，员工通过了企业内部的认证与考试后，可以获得提升、加薪。好利来公司为关键岗位建立了上升通道，比如，为店经理、领班、城市营运经理、城市公司经理建立了上升通道，并且将每个级别所需要的知识与技能明确出来，员工可以按照上升通道的指引，不断的学习与提高。这样，就将知识管理与员工的激励措施有机的结合起来。所以，企业在运用知识管理的时候，一定要考虑与员工的激励机制相互结合，知识管理系统才能是有生命力的系统。知识管理必须与公司的发展战略相互结合随着公司的日益发展，消费环境的变化，公司的战略重点也时刻的发生变化。当公司的战略重点发生了变化的时候，也需要公司根据公司战略重点的变化，更新公司的知识体系，这样，知识管理才能配合公司的战略重点的转移，最终实现支持公司战略实现的目的。在以往遇到的企业当中，有很多类似的情况。公司的业务重点已经发生了变化，而公司内部骨干员工的知识结构却没有发生变化，结果就是公司的战略转形无法得到有效的支撑，其结果是花费了大量的时间和资源，才走上了正轨。中山有一家生产塑料制品的台资公司。产品以往都是销往海外，当海外定单减少时，公司决定开拓大陆市场，并且让主管出口的台湾经理开拓大陆市场，由于对市场、游戏规则的不熟悉，公司花费了大量的时间与精力，最后以失败告终了。对于这个问题有两个解决办法，一个是起用懂得大陆市场的专业人员，一个是培训内部员工。培养内部员工虽然时间长，见效慢，但公司了解内部员工，减少了初期的磨擦，不失为一个好的方法。在好利来公司中，以前的产品定位是蛋糕，所以门店的管理、员工的管理是公司管理的重点，知识管理也需要相应的支持公司管理的重点。当公司的产品定位发生了变化，从单纯的蛋糕变为月饼等包装食品，那么公司的管理的重点也变为了渠道、促销、经销商管理的时候，知识管理的重点也应该发生相应的变化。所以，知识管理只有与公司的战略相结合，才能为企业的持续发展提供动力。知识管理本身就是一个很新的课题，可以肯定，将来，有更多的企业会通过引入知识管理，以提高企业的绩效。好利来的知识管理系统给不同层级的员工开启了一片崭新的天地，透过不同的知识功能模块，好利来员工仿佛打开了一扇扇知识与经验的窗户，当然，在体系运作初期会有很多不完善的地方，还需要不断的探索与完善。总之，经过不断的探索与完善，知识管理必然会发挥其强大的生命力，为企业发展提供源源不断的动力。
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作者：蔡巍 来源：www.hrclub.com
池塘里面住着很多鱼，一直过着平静的生活。一直到有人搬到了池塘边生活，他们平静的生活被打破了，因为有人经常来池塘边钓鱼。于是，池塘里的鱼越来越少，鱼儿都非常紧张。但是鱼儿却发现住在池塘东面的鱼没有几条被人钓走，于是大家纷纷去求教。住在池塘东面的鱼也不知道为什么。大家开会分析，住在池塘东面的鱼全是草鱼，他们只吃草为生，原来，由于草鱼只吃草，钓鱼人用的蚯蚓就没有了用处。这个优秀的经验马上在鱼儿之间传播开来，大家都不会去吃悬浮在水中的蚯蚓了，很少有鱼被钓走。 鱼是通过什么方式来减少被人钓走呢？分析鱼儿从大量被钓走到很少被钓走的变化，我们会发现其原因是因为鱼儿通过分析池塘东面的鱼很少被钓走的现象后，进行分析与探索，找出了原因，并且在鱼群中推广而产生的结果。也就是说，是一个分析、挖掘数据与经验，将隐性的知识挖掘出来，变为显性知识，并进行推广的过程，这就是我们通常所说的知识管理。对于企业来说，知识管理就是对一个企业的知识与技能的捕获——不论这些知识和技能是存在于数据库中、被印刷于纸上亦或是存在于人们的脑海里——然后将这些知识与技能分布到能够帮助企业实现最大产出的任何地方的过程。 故事里面的鱼是聪明的，他们知道如何从经验中吸取教训，以后避免少犯同样的错误。联系到我们的企业的运作，会发现我们的企业经常在犯同样的错误。一个错误在一个企业出现过，随着人员的变更，以后还可能再次出现。员工优秀的经验没有得到及时的利用、传播、沉淀，随着员工的流失，公司失去了大量的知识资源，大量的培训费用也往往变成了员工跳槽时个人的砝码。所以，不论是大企业，还是广大的中小企业，引入知识管理，加强知识管理非常必要。然而，在实际的操作过程中，如何将知识管理落实、让员工自觉的利用知识管理系统，如何进行知识挖掘，如何与公司的战略相结合，都存在一系列的问题。 好利来公司也和普通企业一样，面临着同样的问题。为有效的解决这个问题，好利来公司经过一年多的管理实践，有效的引进知识管理，并且与公司的人力资源管理体系很好的结合起来，为我们提供了很好的案例。对广大的中小企业，尤其是飞速发展中的企业，有很多借鉴作用。 好利来对知识管理的需求 以经营饼店业务为主的好利来公司的战略重点一直很明确，那就是建立属于自己的销售终端，迅速扩张与占领市场。从创业至今近十年，好利来利用连锁经营模式高速的现金流编织了一张庞大的零售网络，目前已拥有员工5000多人，在全国50多个城市开设了200多家连锁店，同时在北京和沈阳建设了现代化的食品工业园，以满足月饼与包装食品的市场需求。 拥有如此良好的基础与资源，好利来却在近一年来放慢了迅速扩张与占领新城市的步伐，真正的原因不是缺乏市场机会，亦不是因为缺乏资金，而是因为内部员工的成长速度已经满足不了公司扩张与发展的人力资源需求。连锁店的生命在于标准化与商业模式的复制，然而由于地域广泛，传统的培训方式受到了新的挑战。好利来拥有自己的培训学校，其师资与规模可满足一次性接纳培训学员200多人，这种方式对新员工为期三个月的职前培训非常有效，然而对于在职管理人员与员工，却只能每年召集一到两次进行集中培训，不仅会花费巨额培训费用，而且培训时间短，培训的效果与信息量远远不能满足员工发展与学习的需求。 “人”是知识的载体，而“知识”的真正价值则来自于“分享”。企业与员工的成长需要培养并形成学习的氛围与知识分享的文化，从而加速员工学习、创造与运用知识经验。好利来在十年的探索与实践中沉淀了大量的专业知识与经验，却由于覆盖地域广阔而难以传播与推广。同时，市场变化速度加快，消费者日益成熟，竞争对手在不断成长，为了稳固市场的领导地位，必须随时调整公司战略，而每一次战略重点的转移，都意味着公司以往积累的经验与知识将面临全面的更新，因此，好利来需要有一种新的促进员工成长的模式与方法，结合公司战略，将不断更新的知识、经验与资讯源源不断地输入给每一位员工，为员工的学习提供明确的方向与良好的条件。 知识管理规划 良好的绩效产生需要几个条件——知识、技能、价值观——所以知识管理需要围绕着知识和技能两个专题进行展开，才能为产生良好的绩效打下基础。顾问与好利来公司的经理结合好利来公司的现状况与对知识管理的要求，对好利来公司的知识管理体系进行规划。由于好利来公司的行业性质，好利来公司选择了知识与人的分离——编码战略。即知识首先从开发者那里提取出来，使之与开发者分离。 为更好的将知识管理与好利来公司的人力资源管理体系相结合，将好利来公司的知识管理体系划分为几个模块，每个模块实现不同的功能： 专业知识功能模块 在分析公司的战略方针的基础上，对关键岗位进行工作分析。找出关键岗位要充分实现其职能所需要的专业知识。然后再对专业知识进行提炼、归纳、总结与筛选，形成关键岗位的专业知识。员工可以通过系统地学习专业知识，获得在知识上的提高。 岗位技能与经验模块 岗位技能模块中，又分为两个小的模块。一个模块是岗位技能区、一个是专题技能经验区。对岗位技能的挖掘，也就是对公司隐性知识的挖掘，通过对重要岗位的绩效优秀者的技能进行挖掘，为员工树立绩效标杆，同时告诉员工实现优秀绩效的途径与方法，模块主要是针对岗位。专题技能经验模块是针对公司有影响的重大事件，将重大事件中的过程中的得失总结出来，让重大事件中所得到的经验变为组织记忆。 竞争情报模块 竞争情报模块是为了有效跟踪竞争对手，为好利来公司总部、各个城市公司提供决策支持而设置的。公司负责竞争情报的市场部门可以通过得到每个城市所搜集到的竞争对手的动向，经过加工与处理后，分析、研究竞争对手，为全公司的决策做支持。同时，由向每个城市提供市场部门的研究、分析成果。 学习与互相动模块 在知识管理中，员工之间的互动交流中，对工作中所遇到的问题深入探讨，产生新的火花。员工通过对专业知识与技能的学习，在互动区域内展开讨论，还可以通过员工交流区向同事请教，总结、发表自己在工作中的心得。 运用上述四个功能模块，实现了好利来知识管理的功能，通过将专业知识、岗位技能的学习与员工的任职资格体系相结合，使对专业知识与岗位技能的学习、掌握与员工的晋升、调薪相结合，就可以实现员工激励，将企业的目标、利益与员工的个人目标、利益在一定程度上结合起来；通过对岗位技能的挖掘，将实现优秀绩效的技能挖掘出来，员工通过学习优秀技能，提高工作绩效，将绩效管理与知识管理有机的结合起来。同时定期对知识的更新、技能进行挖掘，将公司的发展战略与知识管理相结合起来，使员工所学习的知识与技能始终支持公司战略的发展。好利来知识管理对企业的借鉴作用 好利来公司内部引入知识管理，将潜在的、分散的技能开发出来，进行有效的传播非常有必要的。好利来公司在建立知识管理系统时候，也遇到很多问题，而且这些问题都是有普遍意义的问题。 知识管理必须结合员工的绩效管理 知识管理的目标就是通过对知识的挖掘、开发与共享，最终实现员工绩效的提高。企业不是学校，企业对员工培训、学习的投入都需要从业绩上得到回报，只有切实提高员工的绩效，知识管理的投资对于企业来说才是有意义的。在进行店经理经验挖掘的时候。他们分别从绩效出众与绩效普通的店经理中随机抽样选择了各10名访谈对象，并分别进行了访谈与调研。他们发现，在各项行为技能中，绩效出众的店经理与绩效普通的店经理有着明显的不同，他们在自己的工作岗位上进行着持续而主动的创新，而这些创新与不同正是好利来知识管理中所要追寻的东西，是值得传播与交流的宝贵经验。比如，在“客户关系维护”方面，每一个连锁店都会拥有一批固定的团队或家庭消费者，这些固定顾客给连锁店带来了稳定的收入来源。因此，维护与这些固定顾客的关系，提供优质服务是连锁店经理一项重要的行为技能。知识管理人员拟定了三方面的问题去映射与寻找不同店经理行为技能的差异：“你怎样对客户进行分类，怎样确定不同类型客户的需求与特点？”“你与客户的沟通计划是怎样的？都有哪些沟通的方式？”“怎样提供个性化的服务？”在与20位店经理的访谈中发现，绩效普通的店经理在客户关系维护方面遵循了公司的统一规定：建立客户档案，团队与家庭消费者分别依据消费金额、职业、收入作了分类，定期与客户进行电话沟通，提醒客户生日并传播好利来的最新促销信息，这些行为与方式看似已无懈可击，然而与绩效突出的店经理们的方式方法作对比时便看出了明显的差距；绩效突出的店经理们在客户分类与客户沟通方面做了更为细致的工作，他们通过大量的沟通工作赋予了团队与家庭消费者除消费金额、职业、收入之外的，如工作生活环境、家庭成员、性格特征等方面的属性，将客户类别区分得更细致与具体，并以此作为沟通与服务的依据；在与客户的沟通方面，他们将研究这些客户的需求作为重点，每季度会选择不同类别客户中的代表发放问卷以征询意见与了解需求，并以此作为连锁店产品与服务改良的依据，每年召开2－3次顾客焦点座谈会，去更深层次了解顾客需求。也正是由于这些工作方式与标准的差异，令这些店经理管理的连锁店总会拥有更高的顾客满意度与更稳定的营业收入。知识管理工作人员将这些行为方式总结与提炼出来，形成一系列非常有价值的经验文本经验，如《客户分类方法》、《客户电话沟通技巧》、《客户焦点座谈会执行方案》等等，并添加至知识数据库向所有的连锁店经理推广这些先进的方法。通过上述方式，可以效的为员工树立绩效标杆，通过对技能标杆的学习，可以为员工提高绩效提供有效果方法。知识管理与激励机制知识管理建立的一个重要前提是员工充分的使用知识管理系统，提高自身素质，最终实现绩效改进。那么，知识在知识管理系统建立起来以后，如果没有和相应的激励机制相结合，就会很难被有效利用。那么，怎样与员工的激励机制相结合呢？我们知道，员工的成长、晋升、担任更重要的岗位的时候，不光需要是经验的积累与过往优秀的绩效。还需要适应新岗位的知识与技能。知识与技能是适应新岗位的必要条件。所以，在知识管理系统中体现了对本岗位同级别知识与技能的学习，还包括了对上级别岗位的知识与技能的学习，员工通过利用知识管理系统，学习技能与知识，为升职、提薪打下基础。好利来公司就是通过对不同级别岗位的经验、知识进行挖掘，为员工提供学习的途径。并且定期的组织认证与考试，员工通过了企业内部的认证与考试后，可以获得提升、加薪。好利来公司为关键岗位建立了上升通道，比如，为店经理、领班、城市营运经理、城市公司经理建立了上升通道，并且将每个级别所需要的知识与技能明确出来，员工可以按照上升通道的指引，不断的学习与提高。这样，就将知识管理与员工的激励措施有机的结合起来。所以，企业在运用知识管理的时候，一定要考虑与员工的激励机制相互结合，知识管理系统才能是有生命力的系统。知识管理必须与公司的发展战略相互结合随着公司的日益发展，消费环境的变化，公司的战略重点也时刻的发生变化。当公司的战略重点发生了变化的时候，也需要公司根据公司战略重点的变化，更新公司的知识体系，这样，知识管理才能配合公司的战略重点的转移，最终实现支持公司战略实现的目的。在以往遇到的企业当中，有很多类似的情况。公司的业务重点已经发生了变化，而公司内部骨干员工的知识结构却没有发生变化，结果就是公司的战略转形无法得到有效的支撑，其结果是花费了大量的时间和资源，才走上了正轨。中山有一家生产塑料制品的台资公司。产品以往都是销往海外，当海外定单减少时，公司决定开拓大陆市场，并且让主管出口的台湾经理开拓大陆市场，由于对市场、游戏规则的不熟悉，公司花费了大量的时间与精力，最后以失败告终了。对于这个问题有两个解决办法，一个是起用懂得大陆市场的专业人员，一个是培训内部员工。培养内部员工虽然时间长，见效慢，但公司了解内部员工，减少了初期的磨擦，不失为一个好的方法。在好利来公司中，以前的产品定位是蛋糕，所以门店的管理、员工的管理是公司管理的重点，知识管理也需要相应的支持公司管理的重点。当公司的产品定位发生了变化，从单纯的蛋糕变为月饼等包装食品，那么公司的管理的重点也变为了渠道、促销、经销商管理的时候，知识管理的重点也应该发生相应的变化。所以，知识管理只有与公司的战略相结合，才能为企业的持续发展提供动力。知识管理本身就是一个很新的课题，可以肯定，将来，有更多的企业会通过引入知识管理，以提高企业的绩效。好利来的知识管理系统给不同层级的员工开启了一片崭新的天地，透过不同的知识功能模块，好利来员工仿佛打开了一扇扇知识与经验的窗户，当然，在体系运作初期会有很多不完善的地方，还需要不断的探索与完善。总之，经过不断的探索与完善，知识管理必然会发挥其强大的生命力，为企业发展提供源源不断的动力。
免责声明：中国人力资源网知识库频道登载此文出于传递信息之目的，绝不意味着中国人力资源网赞同其观点或证实其描述以上内容均搜集整理于互联网，仅供网友学习与交流,无意侵犯版权。如有侵犯您的利益,请告知。将尽快删除。
作者：蔡巍 来源：www.hrclub.com
Monday, July 12, 2004
N J Wong
9 July 04
Ever since I tried Google (www.google.com) in 1999, I stopped using other
search engines such as Yahoo or Alta Vista because Google always returned
more relevant search results than the other engines. I also liked Google's
spartan interface which was a breath of fresh air as compared to the
extremely "busy" interfaces on the other search engines.
I read a news article that Microsoft is revamping its search engine to be
more like Google. I was thus extremely surprised to see that Microsoft has
actually copied Google's interface:
http://www.msnsearch.com/
However, Microsoft is not the only company that has copied the Google
interface apparently. Alta Vista has done exactly the same thing too:
http://www.altavista.com/
And others:
http://www.search.com/
http://www.ask.com/
****
However, the joke is, I can find things faster on the Internet than I can
find files that I have on my own hard disk. The Windows XP Search program
(accessed from "Start | Search") takes a long time to search my 160 GB hard
disk (searches running more than 2 minutes is not uncommon).
There is actually a shareware software that improves on files searches on
your hard disk. AVAFind can locate any file on my 160 GB hard disk in less
than 5 seconds! It achieves its magic by using index files that are
intelligently updated in the background whenever you create, delete, or
rename a file. Of course, this index files takes space. On my 160 GB disk,
it takes up 120 MB (or 0.12 GB). This is a inconsequential considering that
it allows me to get search results within 5 seconds.
If you are frustrated with the slow performance of Windows Search, I
suggest you try AVAFind. Because this is Shareware, if you don't register
the software (ie. purchase it) after 30 days, the "premium" facilities will
be disabled. However, the search engine functionality is not crippled, so
it is still usable even after the 30 days trial period is over. This is
sufficient if you are only need to occasionally use this utility to quickly
find long forgotten files that are lurking somewhere in the darkest reaches
of the directories in your hard disk:
http://www.think-less-do-more.com/avafind/
***
However, AVAFind only allows you to rapidly find files using their file
names. It doesn't find files using their contents.
You can search for files by their contents with the slow performing Windows
Search. However, there is a bug in Windows XP. In Windows XP Search, you
will not be able to find files using their contents in a consistent manner
if Windows XP doesn't like the file extension.
If you are running Windows XP, you can test this bug yourself. Create a
text file in your C:\ drive and give it a filename like "xpbug.txt". In
this file, add the text "This is a test" and save the file.
Now, make copies of this file to new files with names like "xpbug.bas",
"xpbug.doc", "xpbug.sql", and finally "xpbug.htm". Call up Windows XP
Search, and specify the following:
1. All of part of the file name : xpbug
2. A word or phrase in the file : This is a test
3. Look in :
If you run the "Search" button, you will find that only the files
"xpbug.txt" and "xpbug.htm" will be shown. The files with the "doc", "bas",
"sql" extensions cannot be found.
Because I do a lot of programming in Visual Basic and SQL, I am unable to
use Windows XP Search to help me find my program files that are named with
these extensions when I need to search by content. Note that Windows Search
does not have this bug when running on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows
2000. This flaw is very specific to Windows XP, which Microsoft never
bothered to fix (even though there had been complaints about it since 2001
when Windows XP was launched).
Luckily, there is a freeware program called Agent Ransack that resolves
this Windows XP flaw. Agent Ransack does not index your files, so it is as
slow as Windows Search. However, when searching by file contents, Agent
Ransack don't have the bugs afflicting Windows XP. Agent Ransack also has
another useful feature: it has a preview window that shows you where in the
file that the search phrase is located.
http://www.agentransack.com
Windows XP users should definitely download this as Windows XP Search is
buggy.
9 July 04
Ever since I tried Google (www.google.com) in 1999, I stopped using other
search engines such as Yahoo or Alta Vista because Google always returned
more relevant search results than the other engines. I also liked Google's
spartan interface which was a breath of fresh air as compared to the
extremely "busy" interfaces on the other search engines.
I read a news article that Microsoft is revamping its search engine to be
more like Google. I was thus extremely surprised to see that Microsoft has
actually copied Google's interface:
http://www.msnsearch.com/
However, Microsoft is not the only company that has copied the Google
interface apparently. Alta Vista has done exactly the same thing too:
http://www.altavista.com/
And others:
http://www.search.com/
http://www.ask.com/
****
However, the joke is, I can find things faster on the Internet than I can
find files that I have on my own hard disk. The Windows XP Search program
(accessed from "Start | Search") takes a long time to search my 160 GB hard
disk (searches running more than 2 minutes is not uncommon).
There is actually a shareware software that improves on files searches on
your hard disk. AVAFind can locate any file on my 160 GB hard disk in less
than 5 seconds! It achieves its magic by using index files that are
intelligently updated in the background whenever you create, delete, or
rename a file. Of course, this index files takes space. On my 160 GB disk,
it takes up 120 MB (or 0.12 GB). This is a inconsequential considering that
it allows me to get search results within 5 seconds.
If you are frustrated with the slow performance of Windows Search, I
suggest you try AVAFind. Because this is Shareware, if you don't register
the software (ie. purchase it) after 30 days, the "premium" facilities will
be disabled. However, the search engine functionality is not crippled, so
it is still usable even after the 30 days trial period is over. This is
sufficient if you are only need to occasionally use this utility to quickly
find long forgotten files that are lurking somewhere in the darkest reaches
of the directories in your hard disk:
http://www.think-less-do-more.com/avafind/
***
However, AVAFind only allows you to rapidly find files using their file
names. It doesn't find files using their contents.
You can search for files by their contents with the slow performing Windows
Search. However, there is a bug in Windows XP. In Windows XP Search, you
will not be able to find files using their contents in a consistent manner
if Windows XP doesn't like the file extension.
If you are running Windows XP, you can test this bug yourself. Create a
text file in your C:\ drive and give it a filename like "xpbug.txt". In
this file, add the text "This is a test" and save the file.
Now, make copies of this file to new files with names like "xpbug.bas",
"xpbug.doc", "xpbug.sql", and finally "xpbug.htm". Call up Windows XP
Search, and specify the following:
1. All of part of the file name : xpbug
2. A word or phrase in the file : This is a test
3. Look in :
If you run the "Search" button, you will find that only the files
"xpbug.txt" and "xpbug.htm" will be shown. The files with the "doc", "bas",
"sql" extensions cannot be found.
Because I do a lot of programming in Visual Basic and SQL, I am unable to
use Windows XP Search to help me find my program files that are named with
these extensions when I need to search by content. Note that Windows Search
does not have this bug when running on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows
2000. This flaw is very specific to Windows XP, which Microsoft never
bothered to fix (even though there had been complaints about it since 2001
when Windows XP was launched).
Luckily, there is a freeware program called Agent Ransack that resolves
this Windows XP flaw. Agent Ransack does not index your files, so it is as
slow as Windows Search. However, when searching by file contents, Agent
Ransack don't have the bugs afflicting Windows XP. Agent Ransack also has
another useful feature: it has a preview window that shows you where in the
file that the search phrase is located.
http://www.agentransack.com
Windows XP users should definitely download this as Windows XP Search is
buggy.
Wired News: Searching for the Perfect OS: "'We all have a million file folders and you can't find anything,' Jobs said during his keynote speech introducing Tiger, the next iteration of Mac OS X, due next year.
'It's easier to find something from among a billion Web pages with Google than it is to find something on your hard disk,' he added.
The solution, Jobs said, is a system-wide search engine, Spotlight, which can find information across files and applications, whether it be an e-mail message or a copyright notice attached to a movie clip. 'We think it's going to revolutionize the way you use your system,' Jobs declared. "
'It's easier to find something from among a billion Web pages with Google than it is to find something on your hard disk,' he added.
The solution, Jobs said, is a system-wide search engine, Spotlight, which can find information across files and applications, whether it be an e-mail message or a copyright notice attached to a movie clip. 'We think it's going to revolutionize the way you use your system,' Jobs declared. "
Sunday, May 09, 2004
TagGen® Office is a complete software solution for developing and maintaining metadata schemas, creating meta tags, verifying compliance and creating a metadata index for your Enterprise.
Wanted: Information Architects!By Patricia B. Seybold, CEO and Sr. Consultant, Patricia Seybold Group
Imagine that it five years in the future. The people in your company are gone. There nothing left but a pile of information--electronic and printed artifacts of what your business once was and what it did. A visitor arrives from outer space and wants to sort through these artifacts to understand what kind of business this was: What services and products did this organization provide? To whom, where, and to what benefit? The researcher also wants to get a picture of all of the issues the people in your organization dealt with, what they cared about, and what actions they took and were planning to take. This mythical task is no joke. It actually describes the task confronting most organizations today as they prepare to become more transparent to customers, regulators, and internal and external stakeholders. Much of the activity that we see in "content management" projects today centers around "information findability." How do we make it easier for the people within our organization and outside our organization to find the most relevant, current, accurate information they need to carry out the functions theye trying to accomplish? The term that wee heard frustrated end-users, employees, and customers use over and over again is "google." Why can I just oogle?our Intranet and get the answers I need? It works on the World-Wide Web, why doesn it work within our organization? And when I do search and find stuff, there too much of it, I can tell which is the right piece of information for my needs. It takes me too long to sort through it. I have to pick up the phone and call people until I get the answers I need. This information findability problem isn going to magically go away by slapping Google or any other search engine across our company Intranets. Nor will a search engine really solve your information classification, organization, and refinement problem.
Every organization in the world is now in need of information architects who can survey our littered electronic landscapes and make sense of what we do, how we do it, and help us organize, classify, archive, and refine the vast amounts of information--both structured and unstructured--that is now much more visible than ever before. Certainly, search and discovery and pattern-sensing technologies will certainly help alleviate the problem of having too much disorganized information at our fingertips. Presumably, our mythical visitors from outer space would be able to use electronic probes to turn all the information artifacts into patterns of conversations grouped into topics. From that discovery process, they be able to begin to analyze and to classify the services and products we offered, the benefits and costs associated with those products, and the issues we faced and dealt with. They be able to spot who our customers were, who our suppliers were, and what relationships existed among all the various stakeholders. They would also discover and/or create a classification structure that would describe our organization and its offerings. They find lots of redundancies, duplicates and near duplicates, but they be able to cluster these together and eliminate the noise so that only the salient and more important facts would remain. They would uncover the most authoritative sources of information within the organization and surface the core classification schemes that turned this chaos into order. They be able to index and abstract all of the most critical documents so that they could quickly digest the salient points that were made in any spreadsheet, document, email, memo, or report. In short, they make the workings of our firm visible, comprehensible, and orderly.
Ie just described the job of information architects, librarians, information professionals: to analyze a body of information; to detect patterns; to classify those patterns into groupings that make sense; to establish authority files for core information (official product names, accurate customer records, current prices, etc.); to develop thesauri to map variants against the elements in the authoritative sources so that variants can be easily grouped together and understood as the same, or very similar entities); to index and abstract the salient points from every important communication.
Every company is in desperate need of these information architects and other information professionals. We all need professionals who can make sense of the mess of information wee created and is now exposed. We need professionals who can establish classification schemes, taxonomies, authority files, thesauri, and other tools that will enable our organizations to create and distribute information that is easier to quickly understand and to assimilate. Luckily, these professionals are available. You can find them in your research libraries, in your publishing groups, in your database design and data management groups, and in your content management teams. It time to elevate the importance of this role within your organization. Begin now, before your company drowns in a sea of disorganized and dysfunctional information.
Imagine that it five years in the future. The people in your company are gone. There nothing left but a pile of information--electronic and printed artifacts of what your business once was and what it did. A visitor arrives from outer space and wants to sort through these artifacts to understand what kind of business this was: What services and products did this organization provide? To whom, where, and to what benefit? The researcher also wants to get a picture of all of the issues the people in your organization dealt with, what they cared about, and what actions they took and were planning to take. This mythical task is no joke. It actually describes the task confronting most organizations today as they prepare to become more transparent to customers, regulators, and internal and external stakeholders. Much of the activity that we see in "content management" projects today centers around "information findability." How do we make it easier for the people within our organization and outside our organization to find the most relevant, current, accurate information they need to carry out the functions theye trying to accomplish? The term that wee heard frustrated end-users, employees, and customers use over and over again is "google." Why can I just oogle?our Intranet and get the answers I need? It works on the World-Wide Web, why doesn it work within our organization? And when I do search and find stuff, there too much of it, I can tell which is the right piece of information for my needs. It takes me too long to sort through it. I have to pick up the phone and call people until I get the answers I need. This information findability problem isn going to magically go away by slapping Google or any other search engine across our company Intranets. Nor will a search engine really solve your information classification, organization, and refinement problem.
Every organization in the world is now in need of information architects who can survey our littered electronic landscapes and make sense of what we do, how we do it, and help us organize, classify, archive, and refine the vast amounts of information--both structured and unstructured--that is now much more visible than ever before. Certainly, search and discovery and pattern-sensing technologies will certainly help alleviate the problem of having too much disorganized information at our fingertips. Presumably, our mythical visitors from outer space would be able to use electronic probes to turn all the information artifacts into patterns of conversations grouped into topics. From that discovery process, they be able to begin to analyze and to classify the services and products we offered, the benefits and costs associated with those products, and the issues we faced and dealt with. They be able to spot who our customers were, who our suppliers were, and what relationships existed among all the various stakeholders. They would also discover and/or create a classification structure that would describe our organization and its offerings. They find lots of redundancies, duplicates and near duplicates, but they be able to cluster these together and eliminate the noise so that only the salient and more important facts would remain. They would uncover the most authoritative sources of information within the organization and surface the core classification schemes that turned this chaos into order. They be able to index and abstract all of the most critical documents so that they could quickly digest the salient points that were made in any spreadsheet, document, email, memo, or report. In short, they make the workings of our firm visible, comprehensible, and orderly.
Ie just described the job of information architects, librarians, information professionals: to analyze a body of information; to detect patterns; to classify those patterns into groupings that make sense; to establish authority files for core information (official product names, accurate customer records, current prices, etc.); to develop thesauri to map variants against the elements in the authoritative sources so that variants can be easily grouped together and understood as the same, or very similar entities); to index and abstract the salient points from every important communication.
Every company is in desperate need of these information architects and other information professionals. We all need professionals who can make sense of the mess of information wee created and is now exposed. We need professionals who can establish classification schemes, taxonomies, authority files, thesauri, and other tools that will enable our organizations to create and distribute information that is easier to quickly understand and to assimilate. Luckily, these professionals are available. You can find them in your research libraries, in your publishing groups, in your database design and data management groups, and in your content management teams. It time to elevate the importance of this role within your organization. Begin now, before your company drowns in a sea of disorganized and dysfunctional information.
The Business of Knowledge Management in the Knowledge-aware Organisation
Formal surveys and anecdotal evidence both indicate that knowledge management has gained general acceptance as a business concept. However, despite this acceptance, many businesses have yet to fully implement an effective knowledge management program. This paper examines the challenges facing organisations that are preventing successful implementation. In particular it focuses on the need for the knowledge-aware organisation to recognise the business of knowledge management, that is the effect of knowledge management on the profitability and competitiveness of an organisation.
Formal surveys and anecdotal evidence both indicate that knowledge management has gained general acceptance as a business concept. However, despite this acceptance, many businesses have yet to fully implement an effective knowledge management program. This paper examines the challenges facing organisations that are preventing successful implementation. In particular it focuses on the need for the knowledge-aware organisation to recognise the business of knowledge management, that is the effect of knowledge management on the profitability and competitiveness of an organisation.
Opening the Knowledge Portal
Internet portals that deliver electronic services to citizens are appearing faster than you can say "Yahoo!" But in the rush to go online, many governments may be overlooking the portal's potential for knowledge management.
North Carolina is the latest state to launch a high-profile state portal. Working with Andersen Consulting, Bell South and the king of portals, Yahoo, the state has ambitious plans to construct a portal where citizens will be able to apply for a fishing license, check a stock quote, read e-mail and schedule appointments on a calendar, along with a host of other services.
The project, known as "North Carolina @ Your Service," is the latest in a series of state and local government portal initiatives that are sweeping the country. The Center for Digital Government, a research firm based in Folsom, Calif. (and a division of e.Republic Inc., which publishes Government Technology), lists more than 30 portal projects underway in states and localities, and that list is constantly being updated.
Unfortunately, building a portal with knowledge-sharing capabilities isn't as easy as it may appear. Simply providing links to other resources and a few catchy features, such as stock quotes and weather reports, only takes knowledge sharing so far. One of the fundamental problems with knowledge management in government is the inability to update and classify the constant stream of information that pours into its databases. Failure to electronically tag documents means they can't be properly indexed and searched once they are dumped into an agency's Web server.
That's why people like Eileen Quam are so important. Quam is an information architect for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. For the past year, she has been working with 13 different state agencies to organize, classify and index tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the state's environment.
The result is "Bridges," a unique, collaborative effort at knowledge sharing. Using a software tool from Ultraseek Corp., she has been able to put all sorts of electronic documents into a hierarchical directory similar to those found on such popular portals as Yahoo.
Comparing her work to a library cataloger, Quam has the tough task of persuading other agencies to cooperate and place meta tags in each document they file on their servers. But the hard work pays off in spades when it comes to knowledge sharing. "We are showing people how they can gather information in a much more effective way," she said. "By creating an environmental portal, it allows people to find answers to their questions a lot faster than searching without the directory."
Internet portals that deliver electronic services to citizens are appearing faster than you can say "Yahoo!" But in the rush to go online, many governments may be overlooking the portal's potential for knowledge management.
North Carolina is the latest state to launch a high-profile state portal. Working with Andersen Consulting, Bell South and the king of portals, Yahoo, the state has ambitious plans to construct a portal where citizens will be able to apply for a fishing license, check a stock quote, read e-mail and schedule appointments on a calendar, along with a host of other services.
The project, known as "North Carolina @ Your Service," is the latest in a series of state and local government portal initiatives that are sweeping the country. The Center for Digital Government, a research firm based in Folsom, Calif. (and a division of e.Republic Inc., which publishes Government Technology), lists more than 30 portal projects underway in states and localities, and that list is constantly being updated.
Unfortunately, building a portal with knowledge-sharing capabilities isn't as easy as it may appear. Simply providing links to other resources and a few catchy features, such as stock quotes and weather reports, only takes knowledge sharing so far. One of the fundamental problems with knowledge management in government is the inability to update and classify the constant stream of information that pours into its databases. Failure to electronically tag documents means they can't be properly indexed and searched once they are dumped into an agency's Web server.
That's why people like Eileen Quam are so important. Quam is an information architect for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. For the past year, she has been working with 13 different state agencies to organize, classify and index tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the state's environment.
The result is "Bridges," a unique, collaborative effort at knowledge sharing. Using a software tool from Ultraseek Corp., she has been able to put all sorts of electronic documents into a hierarchical directory
Comparing her work to a library cataloger, Quam has the tough task of persuading other agencies to cooperate and place meta tags in each document they file on their servers. But the hard work pays off in spades when it comes to knowledge sharing. "We are showing people how they can gather information in a much more effective way," she said. "By creating an environmental portal, it allows people to find answers to their questions a lot faster than searching without the directory."
Minnesota Metadata Guidelines - Dublin Core (MMG-DC)
The Foundations Project has developed information architecture to improve public access to environmental information within Minnesota State agencies. Called the Minnesota Metadata Guidelines - Dublin Core (MMG-DC), this information architecture also enhances Internet search and retrieval accuracy. The MMG - DC includes the following: 15 qualified metatag elements known as the Dublin Core, the Legislative Indexing Vocabluary thesaurus, the Inktomi/Ultraseek search engine, TagGen metatagging software, and the processes for incorporation of metadata into electronic resources. The latter is called Best Practice Guidelines for Web Metadata.
The Foundations Project has developed information architecture to improve public access to environmental information within Minnesota State agencies. Called the Minnesota Metadata Guidelines - Dublin Core (MMG-DC), this information architecture also enhances Internet search and retrieval accuracy. The MMG - DC includes the following: 15 qualified metatag elements known as the Dublin Core, the Legislative Indexing Vocabluary thesaurus, the Inktomi/Ultraseek search engine, TagGen metatagging software, and the processes for incorporation of metadata into electronic resources. The latter is called Best Practice Guidelines for Web Metadata.
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Dear friends and family,
Before you go making a list of dos and don'ts for the New Year resolution, I would like you read this article which I firmly embrace. I can't recall which forum I shared this similar vox populi about New Year resolution, so bear with me for another year. I, for one, believe that resolution doesn't have to start on the 1st of every new year. It can start anytime you choose to, so long you carry it out till the end. Even if it ends after 2nd January, then give yourself a pat on your back. Because it has a beginning and an end. That should be your focal point rather than to erase it and start again on the 1st January.
I'm not being cynical here but I feel that this new-year-resolution program, workshop, or even diary thing is nothing but commercial exploitation which many motivational speakers and their likes employ.
Look, this article or my opinion is not an ammunition to beat you up if you are the ‘victim’. On the contrary, I'm trying to shred some pressure off you. Hands up for those who made new-year-resolutions but never wait till its harvest time or worst no patient to plough them.. The point I'm making here is not to get so hyped up with the beginning and forget about the ending. OK? Finito!
Now if you still want to throw those rotten eggs, be my guest … c”,)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Ode To Endings Copyright 2003 Maya Talisman Frost
Beginnings are overrated.
At this time of year, it's customary to think about new beginnings. We promise to try new things, to learn new skills, to become better in some way during the new year. By February, we've forgotten what we were so excited about starting just a few weeks earlier.
We've become quite good at beginnings. It's the endings that could use a little more work.
There's a certain thrill in starting something new, but it's far more satisfying to end something well. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: "Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending."
Endings are far more interesting. It's sort of like picking up a novel. There's really no commitment required to read the first page. You expect the author to take you on a journey. You may become engrossed in the book, or you may lose interest in it. You may end up loving the story, or you may slap the book closed midway, wondering how it ever made it to the bestsellers list. There's nothing inherently fulfilling about starting a book. There is merely the vague promise that it may deliver something meaningful.
ENDING the book is a different story. You've been somewhere, you've met some characters, you've followed the twists and turns of the plot. When you finish that last page, it's generally with a sense of accomplishment and, if you're lucky, a little sadness that the story has come to its conclusion. You can reflect a bit and think about what you've experienced by reading the author's words. You're not the same person you were when you started the book.
Beginnings are for beginners. Birth, the ultimate beginning, is the one starting point we all share, but it doesn't guarantee anything. Our role as humans is to learn how to live well so that by the end of our years on this planet, we have by our choices and actions created a satisfying end to our story.
Let's practice that one year at a time. I'd like to propose an ode to endings. Instead of coming up with your usual list of New Year's resolutions, think of a select group of year-end closings. What are you ending? What are you finishing well at the end of 2003?
We too often grasp at the notion of starting fresh without really finishing old business. There's something immensely rewarding about figuring out what you're ready to leave behind in order to make room for new activities, friends, projects and thoughts in the year ahead. We keep piling things on, but there's beauty and power in becoming intentionally selective.
Maybe you don't need to start something new at all. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to ensure a healthier, happier, more prosperous new year is to let go of things that are no longer important to you.
We sometimes frame our resolutions as promises to end something---to quit smoking, to stop overeating, or to get out of debt. Those are good goals, but I challenge you to scratch the surface here. Think bigger, deeper, harder. Look at your opinions, your beliefs, your views that are no longer serving you well....and let go. Give them up. Celebrate their endings.
For the next week, focus on ending something well. Put some thought into it. Think about what you've learned, what you've gained, and where you're headed. Don't even consider making any New Year's resolutions until you're ready to close the last chapter of 2003.
About 2400 years ago, Euripedes said: "A bad beginning makes a bad ending." If you're ready for a terrific 2004, it's only because you've fully finished 2003 and taken stock of what it offered.
Vow to begin 2004 well by ending 2003 beautifully.
Cheers!
Before you go making a list of dos and don'ts for the New Year resolution, I would like you read this article which I firmly embrace. I can't recall which forum I shared this similar vox populi about New Year resolution, so bear with me for another year. I, for one, believe that resolution doesn't have to start on the 1st of every new year. It can start anytime you choose to, so long you carry it out till the end. Even if it ends after 2nd January, then give yourself a pat on your back. Because it has a beginning and an end. That should be your focal point rather than to erase it and start again on the 1st January.
I'm not being cynical here but I feel that this new-year-resolution program, workshop, or even diary thing is nothing but commercial exploitation which many motivational speakers and their likes employ.
Look, this article or my opinion is not an ammunition to beat you up if you are the ‘victim’. On the contrary, I'm trying to shred some pressure off you. Hands up for those who made new-year-resolutions but never wait till its harvest time or worst no patient to plough them.
Now if you still want to throw those rotten eggs, be my guest … c”,)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Ode To Endings Copyright 2003 Maya Talisman Frost
Beginnings are overrated.
At this time of year, it's customary to think about new beginnings. We promise to try new things, to learn new skills, to become better in some way during the new year. By February, we've forgotten what we were so excited about starting just a few weeks earlier.
We've become quite good at beginnings. It's the endings that could use a little more work.
There's a certain thrill in starting something new, but it's far more satisfying to end something well. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: "Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending."
Endings are far more interesting. It's sort of like picking up a novel. There's really no commitment required to read the first page. You expect the author to take you on a journey. You may become engrossed in the book, or you may lose interest in it. You may end up loving the story, or you may slap the book closed midway, wondering how it ever made it to the bestsellers list. There's nothing inherently fulfilling about starting a book. There is merely the vague promise that it may deliver something meaningful.
ENDING the book is a different story. You've been somewhere, you've met some characters, you've followed the twists and turns of the plot. When you finish that last page, it's generally with a sense of accomplishment and, if you're lucky, a little sadness that the story has come to its conclusion. You can reflect a bit and think about what you've experienced by reading the author's words. You're not the same person you were when you started the book.
Beginnings are for beginners. Birth, the ultimate beginning, is the one starting point we all share, but it doesn't guarantee anything. Our role as humans is to learn how to live well so that by the end of our years on this planet, we have by our choices and actions created a satisfying end to our story.
Let's practice that one year at a time. I'd like to propose an ode to endings. Instead of coming up with your usual list of New Year's resolutions, think of a select group of year-end closings. What are you ending? What are you finishing well at the end of 2003?
We too often grasp at the notion of starting fresh without really finishing old business. There's something immensely rewarding about figuring out what you're ready to leave behind in order to make room for new activities, friends, projects and thoughts in the year ahead. We keep piling things on, but there's beauty and power in becoming intentionally selective.
Maybe you don't need to start something new at all. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to ensure a healthier, happier, more prosperous new year is to let go of things that are no longer important to you.
We sometimes frame our resolutions as promises to end something---to quit smoking, to stop overeating, or to get out of debt. Those are good goals, but I challenge you to scratch the surface here. Think bigger, deeper, harder. Look at your opinions, your beliefs, your views that are no longer serving you well....and let go. Give them up. Celebrate their endings.
For the next week, focus on ending something well. Put some thought into it. Think about what you've learned, what you've gained, and where you're headed. Don't even consider making any New Year's resolutions until you're ready to close the last chapter of 2003.
About 2400 years ago, Euripedes said: "A bad beginning makes a bad ending." If you're ready for a terrific 2004, it's only because you've fully finished 2003 and taken stock of what it offered.
Vow to begin 2004 well by ending 2003 beautifully.
Cheers!
Measuring the success of knowledge management
ways to keep score of the success of a knowledge management project
Once a KM project is deployed, a company can do several things to ensure its success. There should be constant communication within the organisation to reinforce the message that KM will yield great benefits for the firm.
It is also critical that the firm instills a knowledge sharing mindset as an integral part of the corporate culture.
Driving the KM concept
Employees can be encouraged to share their knowledge by giving them incentives. Think of ways to "institutionalise" KM. For example, you may want to peg an employee's appraisal to his use of KM. Or, employees that use KM extensively could be rewarded with a bigger bonue at the end of the year. Consider designating someone to be in charge of KM. This person could help drive the KM concept forward, hence demonstrating that your company is serious about its KM strategy.
Consider also forming a KM team to ensure that knowledge and information provided are accurate and updated regularly. A feedback forum should be implemented to provide a channel for employees to offer suggestions on how to further improve KM deployment.
One approach to measure the success of a KM project is to use specific KM metrics such as the number of hits on the company's Knowledge Portal or the number of ideas shared and implemented. Companies can also consider another approach, using a Balanced Scorecard to gauge the success of the project and indicate how results are achieved.
Keeping Score
The Balanced Scorecard approach helps to focus on four key perspectives of a business: finance, customer relationship, internal business processes and learning and growth.
The scorecard attempts to answer these questions:
- what is your firm good at?
- how can your company improve and create new business revenues?
- how do your customers view your firm?
- what can your company do to offer greater shareholder value?
Measures drive performance. Without proper metrics in place, evaluating KM's success would not only be difficult but making the necessary improvements to fine-tune the project would also prove to be an issue.
ways to keep score of the success of a knowledge management project
Once a KM project is deployed, a company can do several things to ensure its success. There should be constant communication within the organisation to reinforce the message that KM will yield great benefits for the firm.
It is also critical that the firm instills a knowledge sharing mindset as an integral part of the corporate culture.
Driving the KM concept
Employees can be encouraged to share their knowledge by giving them incentives. Think of ways to "institutionalise" KM. For example, you may want to peg an employee's appraisal to his use of KM. Or, employees that use KM extensively could be rewarded with a bigger bonue at the end of the year. Consider designating someone to be in charge of KM. This person could help drive the KM concept forward, hence demonstrating that your company is serious about its KM strategy.
Consider also forming a KM team to ensure that knowledge and information provided are accurate and updated regularly. A feedback forum should be implemented to provide a channel for employees to offer suggestions on how to further improve KM deployment.
One approach to measure the success of a KM project is to use specific KM metrics such as the number of hits on the company's Knowledge Portal or the number of ideas shared and implemented. Companies can also consider another approach, using a Balanced Scorecard to gauge the success of the project and indicate how results are achieved.
Keeping Score
The Balanced Scorecard approach helps to focus on four key perspectives of a business: finance, customer relationship, internal business processes and learning and growth.
The scorecard attempts to answer these questions:
- what is your firm good at?
- how can your company improve and create new business revenues?
- how do your customers view your firm?
- what can your company do to offer greater shareholder value?
Measures drive performance. Without proper metrics in place, evaluating KM's success would not only be difficult but making the necessary improvements to fine-tune the project would also prove to be an issue.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
What are weblogs?
Along with ‘storytelling’, weblogs (AKA blogs, k-logs or klogs) are seen as the latest killer application in the Knowledge Management and learning arena.
Very simply, weblogs found their origins as personal lists of webpages (and associated commentary) as recommendations to other surfers - they were quite literally an individual's log of the web.
Knowledge Management based weblogs (K-logs) extend this concept to include those pieces of information that will be of use to both the author and others at a later date.
Thinking about it logically, most of us already ‘blog’ on a daily basis. We see interesting articles/websites, participate in productive meetings, have ideas, communicate views etc. but we store these things in our minds, notebooks or personal PCs rather than in a standard format that both we and others can benefit from when the information is needed.
How do weblogs work?
A blog consists of a number of entries or items. Each item has a title, a short description, a URL (if appropriate), the name of the author and the posted date.
There are different types of blogs:
Personal blogs - as previously described.
Information blogs – which comment on, and point to web resources on, a specific topic such as Desktop Agents or postal regulation.
Shared blogs - where a number of people or a team publish to a single blog.
Individuals maintain their own blogs, either singularly or as part of different process-based, organisational or project teams. From a corporate blog directory, readers choose those of interest by subscribing. These preferred blogs appear on a single page for ease of use. Both live and archived blogs are accessible via taxonomy and search based routes.
Why should Businesses use weblogs?
Unlike more traditional document management or knowledge base systems, weblogs are personal, easy to use and focused on supporting the individual’s way of working. Importantly, people maintain information that is of interest to them and it is a secondary benefit that this information can be accessed by the whole of the organisation. This is a short-term fix to solving many of the organisational and behavioural aspects of implementing knowledge management, as the WIIFM is obvious to the individual. The utilisation of blogs would also be one of the first steps in creating a knowledge sharing culture as users can see the benefits of sharing first hand rather than having to take a leap of faith.
As the utilisation of blogs grows, the organisational level benefits kick in. People are put in touch with people (blogs are indicators of experts and common interests) and information. The stored information also creates the backbone of a permanent corporate knowledge base with new people easily able to see what their predecessor spent their time working on, the information sources they used and the people they interacted with.
Can I see some example weblogs?
Most Internet search engines currently do not index weblogs but a blog search facility is available at The MIT Media Lab. They have spidered and indexed the content of over 11,500 (and growing) weblogs and feature the most popular blogs at http://blogdex.media.mit.edu
What software do I need?
Current software products include:
Userland Software (http://www.userland.com), whose Radio Userland product allows you to store your blog on their website.
Blogger http://www.blogger.com.
Conversant http://www.free-conversant.com.
But how long will it be until the big players include similar functionality in their software?
Along with ‘storytelling’, weblogs (AKA blogs, k-logs or klogs) are seen as the latest killer application in the Knowledge Management and learning arena.
Very simply, weblogs found their origins as personal lists of webpages (and associated commentary) as recommendations to other surfers - they were quite literally an individual's log of the web.
Knowledge Management based weblogs (K-logs) extend this concept to include those pieces of information that will be of use to both the author and others at a later date.
Thinking about it logically, most of us already ‘blog’ on a daily basis. We see interesting articles/websites, participate in productive meetings, have ideas, communicate views etc. but we store these things in our minds, notebooks or personal PCs rather than in a standard format that both we and others can benefit from when the information is needed.
How do weblogs work?
A blog consists of a number of entries or items. Each item has a title, a short description, a URL (if appropriate), the name of the author and the posted date.
There are different types of blogs:
Personal blogs - as previously described.
Information blogs – which comment on, and point to web resources on, a specific topic such as Desktop Agents or postal regulation.
Shared blogs - where a number of people or a team publish to a single blog.
Individuals maintain their own blogs, either singularly or as part of different process-based, organisational or project teams. From a corporate blog directory, readers choose those of interest by subscribing. These preferred blogs appear on a single page for ease of use. Both live and archived blogs are accessible via taxonomy and search based routes.
Why should Businesses use weblogs?
Unlike more traditional document management or knowledge base systems, weblogs are personal, easy to use and focused on supporting the individual’s way of working. Importantly, people maintain information that is of interest to them and it is a secondary benefit that this information can be accessed by the whole of the organisation. This is a short-term fix to solving many of the organisational and behavioural aspects of implementing knowledge management, as the WIIFM is obvious to the individual. The utilisation of blogs would also be one of the first steps in creating a knowledge sharing culture as users can see the benefits of sharing first hand rather than having to take a leap of faith.
As the utilisation of blogs grows, the organisational level benefits kick in. People are put in touch with people (blogs are indicators of experts and common interests) and information. The stored information also creates the backbone of a permanent corporate knowledge base with new people easily able to see what their predecessor spent their time working on, the information sources they used and the people they interacted with.
Can I see some example weblogs?
Most Internet search engines currently do not index weblogs but a blog search facility is available at The MIT Media Lab. They have spidered and indexed the content of over 11,500 (and growing) weblogs and feature the most popular blogs at http://blogdex.media.mit.edu
What software do I need?
Current software products include:
Userland Software (http://www.userland.com), whose Radio Userland product allows you to store your blog on their website.
Blogger http://www.blogger.com.
Conversant http://www.free-conversant.com.
But how long will it be until the big players include similar functionality in their software?
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
KM Competency
The Ark Group has done a great job with the competency table below:
Early Stage of KM implementation
Have some knowledge of KM but want to know more about KM implementation in the organisation
Need to know:
o How to communicate KM to the organisation or department in the initial stage
o How to link KM with business requirements
Looking at setting up:
o Pilot projects for Communities of Practice
o An intranet
o A taxonomy
Assimilative Stage of KM implementation
Already implemented pilot projects in the organisation and will be implementing KM on an organizational basis
Looking at other KM tools and processes to complement existing ones, demonstrating returns/formation of metrics
Need to find solutions to challenges such as:
o Managing the organizational culture
o Overcoming political resistance to KM
o Aligning KM to the business strategy
Looking for ways to move to the next level of KM implementation
Mature Stage of KM implementation
Already implemented KM initiatives on an organisation-wide scale
Have a mature set of taxonomies, a sophisticated intranet design and established several CoPs
Need to find solutions to challenges such as:
o New technologies to enhance existing KM strategies, setting up of content-management systems or portals
Facing challenges on:
o How to set up an organizational memory and storytelling
Other themes include:
o Innovation, knowledge retention and continued integration of systems
Ref: KM Asia 2003
The Ark Group has done a great job with the competency table below:
Early Stage of KM implementation
Have some knowledge of KM but want to know more about KM implementation in the organisation
Need to know:
o How to communicate KM to the organisation or department in the initial stage
o How to link KM with business requirements
Looking at setting up:
o Pilot projects for Communities of Practice
o An intranet
o A taxonomy
Assimilative Stage of KM implementation
Already implemented pilot projects in the organisation and will be implementing KM on an organizational basis
Looking at other KM tools and processes to complement existing ones, demonstrating returns/formation of metrics
Need to find solutions to challenges such as:
o Managing the organizational culture
o Overcoming political resistance to KM
o Aligning KM to the business strategy
Looking for ways to move to the next level of KM implementation
Mature Stage of KM implementation
Already implemented KM initiatives on an organisation-wide scale
Have a mature set of taxonomies, a sophisticated intranet design and established several CoPs
Need to find solutions to challenges such as:
o New technologies to enhance existing KM strategies, setting up of content-management systems or portals
Facing challenges on:
o How to set up an organizational memory and storytelling
Other themes include:
o Innovation, knowledge retention and continued integration of systems
Ref: KM Asia 2003
Sunday, November 30, 2003
About Boxes and Arrows
Boxes and Arrows is the definitive source for the complex task of bringing architecture and design to the digital landscape. There are various titles and professions associated with this undertaking—information architecture, information design, interaction design, interface design—but when we looked at the work that we were actually doing, we found a “community of practice� with similarities in outlook and approach that far outweighed our differences.
Boxes and Arrows is a peer-written journal dedicated to discussing, improving and promoting the work of this community, through the sharing of exemplary technique, innovation and informed opinion.
Boxes and Arrows strives to provoke thinking among our peers, to push the limits of the accepted boundaries of these practices and to challenge the status quo by teaching new or better techniques that translate into results for our companies, our clients and our comrades.
Boxes and Arrows is the definitive source for the complex task of bringing architecture and design to the digital landscape. There are various titles and professions associated with this undertaking—information architecture, information design, interaction design, interface design—but when we looked at the work that we were actually doing, we found a “community of practice� with similarities in outlook and approach that far outweighed our differences.
Boxes and Arrows is a peer-written journal dedicated to discussing, improving and promoting the work of this community, through the sharing of exemplary technique, innovation and informed opinion.
Boxes and Arrows strives to provoke thinking among our peers, to push the limits of the accepted boundaries of these practices and to challenge the status quo by teaching new or better techniques that translate into results for our companies, our clients and our comrades.
MDLinx
links healthcare professionals and patients to tomorrow's medical knowledge, and provides the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry with highly targeted, interactive marketing, education, content, and research solutions.
MDLinx's proprietary content aggregation technology is the industry leader in the health care vertical market. Currently, MDLinx owns and operates a network of 34 Websites and over 700 different, daily e-mail newsletters that provide highly focused content to 255,000 physicians and healthcare professionals, as well as to a growing number of patients.
Through MDLinx's software and expert medical team, the company solves the needs of both healthcare professionals and healthcare marketers. For healthcare professionals, MDLinx has created a network of comprehensive one-stop sites for each medical specialty and therapeutic category that provides the focused information healthcare professionals need to stay current. MDLinx recently launched PatientLinx, a free website that provides reliable clinical updates for patients. For healthcare marketers, MDLinx provides a comprehensive online marketing solution that utilizes specialty focused Websites, e-mail newsletters, licensing content, CME solutions, and market research offerings to reach the highest quality audience.
Using the power of the Internet, MDLinx puts clinical physicians a mouse-click away from the most up-to-date medical news in their specialty and subspecialty. With software that scans hundreds of the most trusted peer-reviewed medical publications, we can locate top articles and reports in a given specialty area, and categorize them by very focused subspecialties. We eliminate the need to surf the Web, saving doctors valuable time better spent with patients. Simply put, MDLinx is one-stop-medical-resource for physicians.
links healthcare professionals and patients to tomorrow's medical knowledge, and provides the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry with highly targeted, interactive marketing, education, content, and research solutions.
MDLinx's proprietary content aggregation technology is the industry leader in the health care vertical market. Currently, MDLinx owns and operates a network of 34 Websites and over 700 different, daily e-mail newsletters that provide highly focused content to 255,000 physicians and healthcare professionals, as well as to a growing number of patients.
Through MDLinx's software and expert medical team, the company solves the needs of both healthcare professionals and healthcare marketers. For healthcare professionals, MDLinx has created a network of comprehensive one-stop sites for each medical specialty and therapeutic category that provides the focused information healthcare professionals need to stay current. MDLinx recently launched PatientLinx, a free website that provides reliable clinical updates for patients. For healthcare marketers, MDLinx provides a comprehensive online marketing solution that utilizes specialty focused Websites, e-mail newsletters, licensing content, CME solutions, and market research offerings to reach the highest quality audience.
Using the power of the Internet, MDLinx puts clinical physicians a mouse-click away from the most up-to-date medical news in their specialty and subspecialty. With software that scans hundreds of the most trusted peer-reviewed medical publications, we can locate top articles and reports in a given specialty area, and categorize them by very focused subspecialties. We eliminate the need to surf the Web, saving doctors valuable time better spent with patients. Simply put, MDLinx is one-stop-medical-resource for physicians.
KM Toolbox
The following ‘toolbox’ presents some of the most common tools and techniques currently used in knowledge management programmes. The aim is to give an introduction, to present an overview of what is involved, and to provide some pointers to further resources.
Each item in the toolbox follows a common format:
What is it?
What are the benefits?
How do I go about it?
Are there any other points I should be aware of?
Resources and references
The following ‘toolbox’ presents some of the most common tools and techniques currently used in knowledge management programmes. The aim is to give an introduction, to present an overview of what is involved, and to provide some pointers to further resources.
Each item in the toolbox follows a common format:
What is it?
What are the benefits?
How do I go about it?
Are there any other points I should be aware of?
Resources and references
