This is a rather lengthy response to Peter Bond's comment - but it is the
only way I can explain why such tosh infuriates me. As for applying for a
research grant - well, if the programme sorts out exactly what it means,
instead of employing the latest management fashion jargon, I may be tempted
from retirement to do so.
Let’s take a look at this ‘Executive Summary’ – note that it has to be an
‘executive summary’ these days – a simple ‘Summary’ would be much too
simple.
I've separated the original from my comment by -------
--------------------------------------------
This programme takes as its starting point the critical role which knowledge
and learning play in economic competitiveness and organizational
performance. The knowledge-base of the enterprise – what it knows how to do
well – is seen as playing a key role in profitability and growth.
-----------------------------------------------
To begin with we have the reification of the organization, which,
apparently, has now acquired the capacity to ‘know’ – a capacity that is
peculiarly the property of human minds (at least as far as we are able to
differentiate between the mental capacities of humans and other animals).
And what does this statement actually mean? I assume it means that
organizations that are run by and employ intelligent people are likely to
succeed better than those that do not. So why not say so?
------------------------------------------------
Although knowledge has always been important to economic activity, a number
of factors have combined to make it one of the most crucial factors in the
current environment. These include scientific and technological changes
which have enabled knowledge to be communicated, packaged and analysed in
new ways, the increasing rate of innovation, and the development of networks
which enable new processes for producing and applying knowledge.
-----------------------------------------------
We now have the absurd proposition that ‘knowledge’ – what we know – can be
packaged and analysed and that new processes can be found for producing
knowledge. I think the brain scientists would be interested to know what
the latter may be, since they are still uncertain as to how knowledge is
produced in the human mind. And the mind is the only place in which it can
be produced. Information is communicated, packaged and analysed and modern
technologies enable us to do this faster and in different ways.
-----------------------------------------------
As a result of these changes, business organizations, including those in
hitherto mature or craft-based sectors, are having to acquire and apply
knowledge from a much wider range of sources, both internal (as generated
from the analysis of market and customer information) and external (as
acquired from supplier firms, universities and research institutions).
-----------------------------------------------
Information, not knowledge is acquired by these means: it may then be used
and processed by intelligent people to increase their knowledge of the
business, of the production processes and of the market and competition
within the market.
-----------------------------------------------
Relevant forms of knowledge include 'learning by doing' by the firm itself,
the knowledge encoded in technologies, embodied in people, embedded in
standards and routines or obtained by various forms of networking with other
organisations.
-----------------------------------------------
Knowledge cannot be encoded – data and information are encoded; knowledge is
not ‘embodied’ in people, it is the result of a process of understanding and
learning by people, nor is it ‘embedded’ in standards or routines – these
are the result of people applying their understanding of phenomena to
describe how things should be done. Nor is knowledge obtained from other
organizations – information may be so obtained
-----------------------------------------------
The study of the evolution of knowledge addresses the challenges which these
developments create for business organizations and managers. Increasingly,
it is not the possession of knowledge itself which provides competitive
advantage, but the ability to continuously acquire, integrate and apply
knowledge from a variety of sources which ultimately leads to success. These
processes involve developing and managing knowledge and learning as directly
productive resources for the firm, and not as a cost or an accidental
by-product of its activities.
-----------------------------------------------
Quite what the ‘study of the evolution of knowledge’ might be I do not know.
The rest of this paragraph simply requires the replacement of ‘knowledge’
with ‘information’ to be intelligible.
-----------------------------------------------
As yet, we have only a limited understanding of what shapes an
organization's ability to exploit knowledge more effectively than its
competitors.
-----------------------------------------------
This strikes me as a quite unproven assertion – we know perfectly well, for
example, that one of the main determinants of successful innovation in
business is the extent to which the organization undertakes effective
training programmes. We also know that such programmes are regarded of
marginal value and are likely to be one of the first things to go when
market conditions turn against a company.
-----------------------------------------------
This is partly because knowledge and learning cannot be treated as
commodities; they are not easy to identify or measure and they are closely
bound up with the way organizations and the people within them think, work
and interact.
-----------------------------------------------
A curious admission when the previous paragraphs give the impression that
knowledge can be commodified. How do we ‘produce’ and ‘package’ knowledge if
it is not a commodity? This illustrates the degree of confusion that arises
when insufficient analysis is undertaken when adopting the latest management
fashion.
-----------------------------------------------
It follows that the more effective development and exploitation of knowledge
involves not simply increasing our ability to communicate, but may also
require shifts in practices and relationships amongst organizations,
managers and employees.
-----------------------------------------------
Just as Peter Senge has been urging for some years under the label of ‘the
learning organization’, or as Hammer and Champy urged in BPR – and just as
difficult to achieve when such ‘shifts in practice’ are associated in
employees’ minds with downsizing and job loss.
-----------------------------------------------
This programme will mobilize the distinctive contribution of UK social
sciences and international research to develop a better understanding of the
processes which enable and constrain such shifts, and thereby enhance UK
organizations' ability to grow and exploit their knowledge-base.
-----------------------------------------------
Not on this basis, it won’t!
So what might an intelligibly re-written version look like? This is only a
quick attempt, but I suggest that it is more meaningful, less consultancy
jargon-ridden and, perhaps, a better guide to what the ESRC ought to be
interested in:
We believe that organizations managed by and employing intelligent people
will succeed best in the competitive global economy. Information is a
crucial factor in today’s business climate. Its organization, dissemination,
analysis and use have all been affected by developments in information and
communication technologies.
As a result, business organizations must acquire information from many
sources – on business methods, technology, the market and competitors – and
ensure that the information is effectively used in the organization to
improve employees’ and managers’ knowledge of the business.
Information may be gained through experience in the firm, or from persons,
documentary sources, and other organizations. However, the mere acquisition
of information is not sufficient to ensure business success: the information
must be effectively disseminated, organized, debated and used in business
processes for an organization to succeed.
How information may be effectively applied in organizations to achieve
competitive advantage is not well understood. Its application to problems
requires effective management of communication in the organization, new
training programmes and the management of people to achieve information
sharing.
This programme aims to investigate these issues and, as a result, advise
organizations on best practice in information management and the management
of people to achieve information sharing and innovation.
Happy Easter,
Tom Wilson
--------------------------
Professor Tom Wilson, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
University of Sheffield
[log in to unmask]
http://informationr.net/tdw/
-----------------------------
Tom ,
From the strength of your feelings and previous comments on this list I hope
you will be applying for a research grant.
--
peter bond
Lawton-David
Consulting and Learning Facilitation in:
Business Strategy, Knowledge and Innovation Management
<[log in to unmask]>
+44(0)151 638 5941; 07903 144931
|
