Copyright: M. Takei1 Management for Knowledge Accumulation and Creation - A generic analysis of the...

Copyright: M. Takei 1

Management for Knowledge Accumulation and Creation

- A generic analysis of the mechanism and its application to the Myanmar situation -

Keynote speech for APSITT 2005

November 9, 2005

Makoto (Mike) TakeiWaseda University 　


What is knowledge

• The definition is irrelevant in this speech. However, for your information, the following is a way to define several related words.

• Data: objective facts and phenomena

• Information: processed data to have meaning with intention and objectives

• Knowledge: matters and criteria which are helpful to achieve objectives

• Know-how: way, technique and criteria based on experience


Importance of knowledgeTwo kinds aspects

• Physical aspects: With good knowledge you can achieve the goals faster and better,

or achieve the goals which would be impossible without it. Sometimes you may find and achieve a new goal by accumulating

knowledge for the original goal.• Psychological aspects: The success in physical aspects often brings satisfaction in human

desire of high level, such as sense of accomplishment, self realization, being well recognized. These are important factors at HR management.


Knowledge accumulation mechanism (1)

LostInput from outside

Proliferation

F(in) F(out)

F(cir)

Accumulated knowledge in organization

(Organization can be anything, like a group, section, office, company or country)

F(x) shows the amount of total knowledge in organization


The objectives of this speech is to address how to accumulate

knowledge through the mechanism

• What is success and failure of the knowledge accumulation mechanism?

• What are possible reasons of failure?

• What makes the mechanism success?


Success and failure of the mechanism

• F(inc)=F(in)+F(cir) ： Total amount of knowledge newly accumulated

• F （ inc) ＜ F(out) ： failure (of mechanism)• F （ inc) ＞ F(out) ： weakly success • 〔 F （ inc) ー F(out) at own organization 〕＞　〔 F （ inc) ー F(out) at other organization 〕：　　 strongly success


How can we have success in knowledge accumulation

• In general

Increase F(in)

Decrease F(out)

Increase F(cir)

• Subjects that Myanmar is facing

• Way to solve these subjects


Some example of ways to succeed at the mechanism

• Increase F(in)：　　 Learn from outside, new recruitment, technical aid

• Decrease F(out)： Copy before lost, learn faster

• Increase F(cir)：　　 Widen the pipe of knowledge transfer inside organization

　　 Manage knowledge operation, such as building knowledge base

　　


To understand the mechanism better Knowledge accumulation mechanism (2)

Lost

ObsoleteValue decreaseInput from outside

Internal education

Value added

improvecreation

F(in)

F(out)

F(cir)


Building knowledge base


Factors prevent knowledge accumulation mechanism works successfully

Lost

Obsolete

Value decrease

Input from outside

Value added

improvecreation

F(in)

F(out)

F(cir)

Building knowledge base

Lack of Management and GovernanceReluctance of teaching and learning

Lack of opportunitySeek only short term merit

Lack of finance

Brain drain

Little originality

Illegal copy

Limitation of foreign capital

Internal education


What should we do to overcome these common obstacles

• The answer is still the same! Increase F(in)Decrease F(out) Increase F(cir)

• Naturally, the next question is HOW?


Increase F(in):

• Learning mindset and attitudes, Learning environment and Policy for learning are important to increase F(in).

• Knowledge you will accumulate through the conference today is an example to increase F(in) to yourself, your group, your office, your company with learning mindset, environment and policy.

• Another example will be shown in the later section.


Decrease F(out):

• Identify what are uncontrollable and what are controllable and focus on the controllable.

• Uncontrollable: phenomena such as retirement,obsolescent and other organization’s effort

• Controllable: knowledge transfer before lost, continuous effort of innovation, security

• Some can be uncontrollable or controllable depends on policy, governance and management.


Examples of Way to Decrease F(out)

• National level

Policy against brain drain, illegal copy• Management level

Encouragement of internal training and

knowledge accumulation and creation• Technical level

Effort to develop own technology and methodology

Information security


Increase F(cir)：

Three major factors

• Propagate Knowledge propagation within organization

• Harmonize Harmonization between new and conventional knowledge, between one’s and others’ knowledge

• Use Practical use of knowledge


Propagate through….

• Education/ Training/Teaching• Workshop/ Team work/ Task force group• Transferring from one’s brain to shared file The points are,• Propagation within organization increases the total

amount of knowledge in the organization.• Good management and policy will encourage the

internal propagation. And how about those who do not want to share?


Sub-products by propagation(Especially to those who are reluctant to share)• Teaching is learning.• Out of the counsel of three comes Manjusri’s wisdom.

( Manjusri, or Monjyu, is the bodhisattva of wisdom and intellect)

• Drawing pictures often make the things clear and helps to find new ideas for the drawers.

These imply,• as long as knowledge is concerned, to share is not to lose

but to gain,• and effort for propagation sometimes creates new

knowledge.


Harmonize with….

• Being harmonized with conventional knowledge, new knowledge sometimes becomes much easier to be adapted or used in the existing environment.

• Harmonizing one’s knowledge with others’ will increase the amount of knowledge by complementing each other and may help to generate new knowledge.


Use, Use and Use

• Knowledge displays its value by being used.

• Knowledge confirmed by being used.

• Using knowledge often provides a chance to generate new additional knowledge for improvement or adjustment in different environment.


Accumulation mechanism and Creation mechanism of knowledge• We have already seen activities for accumulation,　 (1) Propagation sometimes creates new

knowledge (2) Harmonization may help to generate new

knowledge (3) Using knowledge often provides a chance to

generate new knowledge • Therefore, the mechanism is not only for

accumulation but also works for creation of knowledge.


Positive Loop for Knowledge Accumulation

Decrease byHR management,F(cir) management

Input from outside

breeding

Value added

improvecreation

F(in)

F(out)

F(cir)


Knowledge propagation within organizationHarmonization between new and conventional knowledge and one’s and others’ knowledge

Practical use of knowledge

Demand for further knowledge

New Knowledge



• In general

Increase F(in)

Decrease F(out)

Increase F(cir)


• Way to solves the subjects


A study on knowledge accumulation in Myanmar

• A survey was conducted to study how to apply “positive loop for knowledge accumulation”.

• A case was given, asking their opinion on possibility of its happening in Myanmar, reasons for that and way to solve to

• 64 Myanmar people with various business experience with higher education who are studying business management.


The essence of the case given

• One day, a manager realized the importance of accumulating their business knowledge.

• He hold the meeting, explain his thought and asked his staff to put their personal knowledge in shared file.

• One month later, he found nobody put anything.• He hold the meeting again, explained and asked

the same thing to do within one month.• After another one month, he found only a few staff

did some.


The first question (Q1)

• The first question was “do you think this kind of situation happens in a company of Myanmar?

Select one of the following choices.

(A) quite possible

(B) may occur

(C) seldom occur

(D) hardly occur

(E) don’t know or no idea


The answer to the first question

• 24 marked on (A), 30 marked on (B), 7 marked on (C), 3 marked on (D) and 0 marked on (E)

• There are several people who responded that this situation may not occur ( or even start ) because ether there are many companies which do not have computers or which understand the value of knowledge accumulation.

• If we subtract these answers, 24 marked on (A), 30 marked on (B), 2 marked on (C), 0 marked on (D) and 0 marked on (E)


The second question was “what are the reasons for your answer to Q1?”

• There were many answers to this question.• The answers which several people listed were; Computer illiteracy, lack of ICT infrastructure No motivation, no interest No experience, no confidence, no knowledge Little awareness of knowledge importance Working habit, resistance to change Culture, lack of volunteers spirit, no custom of sharing Management problems, instructional problems



• In general

Increase F(in)

Decrease F(out)

Increase F(cir)


• Way to solve the subjects


Clues to solve these subjects

• Several slides in the previous pages already show some clues, such as “explain the importance” and “convince reluctant people”.

• Lessons from the survey

• Lessons from Japanese industry

• My personal experience


Lessons from the survey

• The third question of the survey was “as a management, what will you do next to solve this problem?”

• There were many answers to this question, too.• The answers which several people listed were; Explain importance, clarify expectation and persuade,

encourage Training of IT, computer program, assign IT specialist Training of sharing habit, collaboration, change culture Analyze (the situation)


Lessons from Japanese industryHow Japanese industry could

achieve the following

• Encourage and give incentive people to learn and to get trained

• Make people open minded to share

• Get strong commitment


If you can make your company like a family, then….

Company is like a family

Sense of Loyalty, Mutual trust, Cooperation

Good team work, Good training and learning,Collaboration habit, Strong commitment


How Japanese companies made themselves like a family

• Life time employment

or Long term employment

or Employment till age limit (55 60 65?)⇒ ⇒• Seniority based wage system

• Relative equality


What does life time employment mean

• Settled limit age for employment

• Internal promotion and incentive

• Dismissal is the very last way and employees have very little threat of dismissal

• Reshuffle of personnel, transfer to subsidiary, transfer to related companies


The role of life time employment on knowledge accumulation and creation• Working without fear and working together

for a long time make good team work and high loyalty and morale

• Well planed internal education and training• No intentional flow of technology and

know-how to outside• Efficient accumulation of knowledge and

experience


Some notes on lessons from Japan• Family atmosphere in a company can be a sufficient

condition but we need incentive to advance as a necessary condition for knowledge accumulation.

• Not everything is the case any more in Japan, and getting less and less. Environment has changed a lot.

Still there are many companies which keep the traditional Japanese style management.

• Every country is different from others. Important thing is to learn what is good and adoptable and to deliberate how to get that, if it really helps you.


My personal experience

• Knowledge accumulation was relatively easy at a large company and difficult at a new start-up small venture company.

• Importance of knowledge does not depends on the size of the company.

• The case for the survey was made from my experience of several times.


Factors which seem work well in such situations

• Do it by yourself first.• Show some examples made by you.• Explain how did you use the knowledge base made

by you.• Make some format or frame to help others to start.• Help others to write by advising.• Continue making by yourself for a while, even after

some people started to make.• Make small competition including yourself.• Continue the above at least till most people start.


If you can successfully let people make shared file

Decrease byHR management,F(cir) management

Input from outside

breeding

Value added

improvecreation

F(in)

F(out)

F(cir)


Knowledge propagation within organizationHarmonization between new and conventional knowledge and one’s and others’ knowledge

Practical use of knowledge

Demand for further knowledge

New Knowledge


Role of ICT (1)

• How about ICT, which is one of the items listed in the answers to the second question?

• ICT will not pull or push. ICT will support.

• It is important to understand that mindset to utilize ICT makes this support very strong and effective. Without it, ICT will not so useful as expected.


Role of ICT (2) • Transmission of Knowledge ： Network

infrastructure (LAN,WAN), speed , security• Gathering Information:Ubiquitous • Open file system:www, internet, search engine• One’s brain to Shared file:PC, Database, Groupware,

software for office • Place to accumulate: PC, Server, Large capacity

memory• Utilization: Retrieval, Relational Database, Internet

search engine, Programming Language for human interface


Knowledge on ICT

• I hope you will accumulate lot of new knowledge on these ICT related items through this conference.

• And hope that you will propagate and share them with your colleagues.

• Knowledge on ICT is not exception, it is important to have success in accumulation mechanism.


Before closing

• Do not expect everything.

• Make the situation better step by step.

• Still you need continuous efforts and patience.

• To understand is the first step and the next step is to implement!


I hope my speech can help you to accumulate some knowledge on knowledge management.

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