copyright ©2001, buckman laboratories international, inc. myths & other contradictions melissie...
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Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International, Inc.
Myths & Other Contradictions
Melissie C. Rumizen, Ph.D.
Buckman Laboratories
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
Welcome to New York City
– It was a fad among New Yorkers to bring home alligators.
– Which sadly would wind up disappearing down plumbing.
– Eventually producing colonies of alligators living in the NYC sewers
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
ALLIGATOR FOUND IN UPTOWN SEWER
• The New York Times of February 10, 1935
• Youths Shoveling Snow Into Manhole See the Animal Churning in Icy Water.
• Snare It and Drag It Out• Reptile Slain by Rescuers When It
Gets Vicious—Whence It Came Is Mystery.
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
Myth
• A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution or occurrence
• A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
Koan
• A paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks
• Form is usually a statement with corollary, an opposing statement
• The purpose is to derail mental processes
• The goal is to gain sudden intuitive enlightenment
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Inc.
Koan
Whatever you say a thing is– It is.
Whatever you say a thing is– It is not.
To find yourself you must lose yourself.
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Inc.
Koan
A dunce once searched for fire with a lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,He could have cooked his rice much
sooner.It is too clear and so it is hard to see.
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
Knowledge Management Is
• How an organization
– Identifies, creates, captures, acquires, shares and otherwise leverages knowledge.
• Systematic processes support theseactivities, also enabling replication ofsuccesses.
Melissie RumizenThe Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knowledge Management
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Inc.
Strategy• There is an perfect knowledge
management strategy for your organization.– Business strategy – Business goals and drivers– Core business– Other organizational efforts
• Every organization is different so that what is right for one company is wrong for another.
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Inc.
CEO Sponsorship
• Having the CEO as a sponsor guarantees success.
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Inc.
Culture
• Our organizational culture is hostile to knowledge management.
– Are sharing, using, collaborating and improving unnatural acts?
• Our culture must be changed!
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Inc.
Measurement
• Knowledge management results can not be measured.– Like IT, it is correlated to many factors,
tangling the web of casual relationships.– Over time, a successful KM effort also raises
the baseline of performance. – Besides which, the inherent goodness of KM is
such that measures are unnecessary.
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Inc.
Technology
• Information Technology Is Not Knowledge Management– In the beginning, Lotus Notes was not knowledge
management.• Although databases were a popular favorite.
– Progress has brought us to portals are not communities of practice.
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
Collaboration
• People want to share knowledge and collaborate.
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Inc.
Only Tacit Need Apply
• Tacit knowledge must be made explicit.– Important procedures, processes, projects and
decisions need to be documented. Otherwise you reinvent the wheel constantly and continually.
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Inc.
Knowledge As a Process
• Knowledge is always changing– While some areas in some fields are more
stable, mankind continues to explore and learn• Flat earth
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Inc.
Language No Barrier
• Requiring everyone to speak English solves language and cultural barriers.– Decreases errors that can creep in via
translation– Eliminates cultural idiosyncrasies
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Inc.
Knowledge Multiplies When Shared
• One plus one equals three– Three plus three
equals six– In organizations we
need to share to maximize value
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Inc.
KM is a Bad Name
• One can not manage knowledge in the traditional meaning of management as command and control.– What is knowledge anyway?
Copyright ©2001, Buckman Laboratories International,
Inc.
In spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon;In the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter snow will accompany you.
And in Farewell
If useless things do not hang in your mind,Any season is a good season for you.