...Storytelling at its Best Caitlin Lawrence ENG-114-90 Storytelling is at the centre of human experience. It is a compelling form of communication, a way to interact with each other. Storytelling is as ancient as humankind, it predates the written word and even the spoken word! Through stories we let people know what is important to us: our struggles and our life lessons, our beliefs, our values, our traditions, our hopes and our dreams. Telling stories is a way to honour our past, describe our present and shape our future. The Storytelling in Organizations bring narrative insights into the contemporary business scene by documenting and promoting the constructive role and widespread importance of storytelling in corporate, non-profit, small business, education, and other settings. Further, by clarifying the dynamic, integral relationship between narrative and organizational development, advances the role of storytellers as workplace consultants. Organizational stories provide an effective way to convey fundamental understandings necessary to workplace design and culture. The specific kind of knowledge that stories communicate is crucial. While information can be said to be the lifeblood of every organization, information alone is never enough. Crucial to success are stories that speak to the heart of why information matters. Stories supply facts with meaning, and value propositions with illustrations; they testify to core beliefs and kindle aspirations that motivate and...
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...Knowledge Management (KM) refers to practices used by organizations to find, create, and distribute knowledge for reuse, awareness, and learning across the organization. Knowledge Management programs are typically tied to organizational objectives and are intended to lead to the achievement of specific outcomes such as shared intelligence, improved performance, or higher levels of innovation. Role of knowledge management The goal of Knowledge Management is not to capture all knowledge, but rather manage the knowledge that is most important to the organization. It involves applying the collective knowledge and abilities of the entire workforce to achieve specific organizational objectives. * Increases customer service-responding to customer’s faster with more relevant and complete information gains sales and retains clients. * Compliance with regulations- effective knowledge management will reduce the cost of audits and assist in complying with regulations such as health and safety. * Reducing administration labour cost-less movement of information around and outside the company saves staff time and cost of labour. * Better collaboration- projects requiring content and information from different departments and external parties benefit from easy access allows greater team work and competition. * Reduce wastage of time and mistake-Access to constantly updated information from an easy to locate source prevents repetition of work on out of dated documents...
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...The importance of communication in implementing organizational change: a review of the literature for information organizations Kelly M. Gordon San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science Foundations Workers at all levels of an organization, be they CEOs, middle managers, or entry-level staff, recognize that change is inevitable. However, the successful implementation of organizational change in response to changes in an organization’s external environment can be one of the greatest challenges top-level leaders face. Regardless of how far-seeing and meticulously planned organizational change may be, it will not be effectively implemented unless it is communicated to an organization’s staff in such a way that resistance is overcome, fears are assuaged, confusion is minimized, and buy-in by all affected individuals is secured. Kurt Lewin (as cited in Evans, Ward, & Rugaas, 2000) was one of the first to develop a model of behavioral change in his 1951 book, Field Theory in Social Sciences. Lewin described three stages as being necessary in the implementation of a change in a person’s behavior. The first of these is unfreezing, the stage during which a person becomes ready to learn or acquire a new behavior, perhaps by recognizing the ineffectiveness of a current behavior or by learning about the benefits that would accrue if the new behavior were implemented. The second stage is the change itself, which will involve a trial period...
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...•To understand how to develop culture for knowledge transfer •Various techniques for knowledge retention such as after action review, etc. •To understand knowledge validation process •Metrics for measuring the outcome of knowledge processes 2 Benny Cheung Principles of Knowledge Engineering and Management (ISE531) The Knowledge Processes •Knowledge consists of patterns of information in form of rules, applicable to explain or predict phenomenon (e.g. apple drops due to gravity). •Knowledge processes are what individual and collective use to produce, transmit, acquire, store and use knowledge. •Knowledge management deals with knowledge processes and a knowledge environment. •There are a number of primary knowledge processes which are: •knowledge production (or creation or generation) •knowledge acquisition •knowledge sharing •knowledge retention •knowledge validation •knowledge transfer (or diffusion). Benny Cheung 3 Principles of Knowledge Engineering and Management (ISE531) Knowledge Production •Knowledge production is a process that creates new knowledge through the reconstruction of older concepts and invention of new ones. •Knowledge is constructed from concepts that already have through further observation of events. •Knowledge claim is a set of rules believed to be true. •All knowledge creation (personal, group, organization and global) occurs through learning. 4 Benny Cheung...
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...Section 1 Organizational Culture: set of artifacts, values and assumption that emerge from the interaction of organizational members Open social system operating a dynamic environment. CRITERIA to identify something as culture: 1. Deeply felt or held 2. Commonly intelligible 1. Accessible to a cultural group Organization = Ordered and purposeful interaction among people. Purposeful, because its members produce (supero-rdinative) goal-directed activities. Organizational communication is a continuous process through which organizational members create, maintain and change the organization. (it includes business communication) N.B. All organizational members take place in it; messages are produced to create a shared meaning of messages, but it is not always achieved. Those messages vary in form according to various factors (power distances, roles, goal, method, non-verbal), and to be fully understood have to be considered in their contexts Culture: "the collective programming if the mind that DISTINGUISHES the members of one group tor category of people from another" (Hofstede 2001) Is both a process and a product; is confining (imitates groups) and facilitating (gives us a way to better understand what is happening) Cultural Symbol = physical indicators of organizational life (Rafaeli & Worline 2000) ARTIFACTS: visible/tangible, are also part of them norms, standards, customs and social convention. Norms: pattern of behaviors or communication...
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...Information overload is a situation that has concerned many organizations. However, through the use of technology and ever-changing systems, organizations are developing new ways of controlling this problem. What is information overload? This is what some say in respect to information and what is happening to organizations in today’s fast paced hi- tech world; we are being overloaded with technological advances and information to the point where we will not be able to handle all this information and eventually burst. In actuality it is very improbable such an event will occur, with the advances that have allowed for such a great quantity in the flow of networked information has also allowed for that information to be managed successfully. Also organizations understanding of how to manage knowledge as well as holding an understanding to the relationship between information, data, knowledge, and wisdom are crucial to their success in not being inundated by mass amounts of information. This is no new problem to the human populous either, mankind has been dealing with this since our beginning and will continue for our existence; this is what allows us to succeed and be successful as a species in whole. At the beginning of Man’s very existence information has continually been compounding, and man has successfully been collecting and improving upon past lessons. Along with continually building on knowledge man had to come to terms with a way to store the knowledge and pass it...
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...safely. Those employees, and the knowledge they embodied, would be hard to replace. Changing workforce demographics, marked by an aging labor force, more competitive recruiting, and faster turnover among younger employees, are creating unprecedented knowledge-retention problems in many industries, threatening to reduce the capacity for innovation, growth, and operational efficiency. A recent study of 26 firms conducted by the Accenture Institute for Strategic Change documented the danger lost knowledge poses for organizational performance in the global chemical industry.1 But, of course, operational and institutional amnesia imperil more than just the chemical industry. This article outlines a set of “better practices” that organizations currently are implementing to address these concerns. The practices shared here are not claimed to be “best in class,” because the challenges of knowledge retention are so new that a rigorous comparison cannot be established. At this moment, no I one is ready to claim that they know what “best practices” are when confronting the threat of losing knowledge critical to organizational performance. Nevertheless, the early success of the initiatives described in this emerging area provides useful lessons about the options global...
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...Book Review of Lincoln on Leadership, Executive Strategies for Tough Times Authored By Donald T. Phillips This report has been completed by Karie Jeisel and Gregory Heintschel DDS For Management 6013, October 2009 Book Overview Author, Donald T. Phillips, wrote Lincoln on Leadership after realizing that many strategies on effective leadership being taught to business leaders today are those which Abraham Lincoln so eloquently employed during his presidency. Phillip’s book points out fifteen different leadership principles that stand the test of time and can be taught and used to improve business strategic planning techniques, models for changing organizations and leadership performance and effectiveness. Abe Lincoln cultivated a deep understanding of the human nature of people. Through this concept, he practiced several principles that led him to meet his goals and his larger vision for the nation to remain united. By spending most of his time with people to understand their nature and motives, Lincoln used the knowledge he gained and his keen ability to persuade in a positive manner rather than using coercive power. His basic philosophy of persuasion, support and delegation was exactly the style of leadership needed to pull the country back to together during the Civil War. Abe appealed to his subordinates’ sense of self-efficacy. He knew the value of making requests and empowering others as opposed to issuing orders. Everyone today can improve his or her leadership...
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...Managing Organizational Communication Scope —The subject of managing organizational communication encompasses both formal and informal communications throughout an organization, including communications to employees, with employees and from employees to upper management. This discussion reviews the basics of effective organizational communication, the importance of a communication strategy, the role of different communicators within the organization, types of messages and vehicles, training for better communication, and methods for measuring results. Overview- Communication is a vital management component to any organization. Whether the purpose is to merely update employees on new policies, to prepare for a weather disaster, to ensure safety throughout the organization or to listen to the attitudes of employees, effective communication is an integral issue in effective management. In order to be successful, organizations should have comprehensive policies and strategies for communicating with its constituencies: employees, stakeholders and the community at large. Issues involving organizational communication arise in every HR discipline. For content on communications issues in specific HR contexts, see: •Benefits: Communication•Business Leadership: Communication•Compensation: Communication•Consulting: Communication•Diversity: Communication•Employee Relations: Communication•Ethics & Sustainability: Communication•Global HR: Communication•Labor Relations: Communication•Organizational...
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...and force field pressures. growth, identity, and new broom pressures. All of the above Question 2. 2. (TCO A) Which of the following best shows a company responding to identity pressures? (Points : 7) McDonalds when they started selling coffee drinks and salads Domino’s pizza’s new crust and pizza recipe Dairy Queen when it invented “the Blizzard” The Wall Street Journal when it went online All of the above Question 3. 3. (TCO B) Which of the following best defines the “Six Box” model of diagnosing change? (Points : 7) Includes purpose, structure, rewards, and helpful mechanisms Is based on the conceptualization of the organization as a transformation process Can be a starting point for an organization that has not given attention to the trends that may impact its future operations Includes strategy, structure, process, and lateral capability Includes structure, style, skills, super-ordinate goals, etc. Question 4. 4. (TCO B) Using a model like the Burke-Litwin Model to assist with diagnosing change will help the leader to do what? (Points : 7) Create change agents who act more like caretakers than interpreters Conceptualize the change from fuzzy to a clear map Hire more employees when unemployment levels start to drop Empower change agents to increase expenses for tax reasons All of the above Question 5. 5. (TCO C) The Burke-Litwin...
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...Knowledge Management “Each of us is a personal store of knowledge with training, experiences, and informal networks of friends and colleagues whom we seek out when we want to solve a problem or explore an opportunity. Essentially, we get things done and succeed by knowing an answer or knowing someone who does.” Knowledge Management is one of those terms comprised of very slippery components. What is knowledge, after all? And what is management? If we think of knowledge as what we can write down and what we know in our heads, we can at least visualize what it is we need to start managing. Knowledge and information – or “data arranged in meaningful patterns” – are not synonymous. While information is a type of knowledge, its value comes from its interpretation within a context. As Davenport and Prusak (1998) explain, transforming information into knowledge involves making comparisons, thinking about consequences and connections, and engaging in conversations with others. According to Wikipedia, “knowledge” can be defined as “awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation”; Plato formulated it as “justified true belief ”.Put differently, we might best describe knowledge as “know-how” or “applied action.”is no “one size fits all” or “ready to use” prescription for KM. While it might be tempting to simply copy a strategy that was successfully used by others, this could be a costly mistake. As with any sound strategy, our KM practices should be closely...
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...a, culture exploring; b, establishing culture display platform; c, event advertising. Blanc de Chine should make full use of their products’ cultural value and advertise their concept by appropriate methods to gain loyal customer and enhance competitiveness. Table of Contents: I. Introduction and Background.......................................................................................4 II. Hub Scrap Metals and Organizational Infrastructure Efficiency...........................5 III. Research ..................................................................................................................... 6 A. Why is Organization Infrastructure...
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...communication organizations can reduce turnover, increase productivity, and improve the atmosphere of the office. Currently many techniques are available to use to improve the information sharing and problem-solving skills among the employees of an organization. Information technology has also had a positive effect on promoting these things. Effective communication is important in every organization, especially in the health care industry and can be achieved through implementing new techniques to promote knowledge sharing. In my most recent place of work only one technique had been attempted to promote sharing information and ideas. This technique was quarterly scheduled meetings. During the meetings every aspect of the job was discussed including areas that needed improvement, how to make the necessary improvements, and a brief period of discussion in which everyone was allowed to converse and share ideas and information with one another. I believe that this technique was ineffective because there was a small crew who did not work together and allowing only quarterly meetings in my eyes had a reverse effect. Communication was at a standstill as many of the employees did not feel as if their input had any value because they were not provided with other opportunities to voice their opinions. At most of the quarterly meetings there was mainly silence when the opportunity to speak was there. Numerous additional efforts could have been made in an attempt for my organization to increase...
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...Assignment 2: Case Study students can find and use additional (updated) information on the organization for their assignments Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, December 2005 Available online at: http://www.tlainc.com/jkmpv6.htm Knowledge Sharing Practices In KM: A Case Study In Indian Software Subsidiary Sachin Bhirud1, Lewlyn Rodrigues1, Pradeep Desai2 Manipal Institute of Technology1, Philips Innovation Campus2 [pic] ABSTRACT: This study is concerned with the knowledge sharing practices in Knowledge Management (KM) for innovation. This paper investigates a wide range of functionalities under the purview of KM that supports different set of organizational activities. Knowledge sharing practices in the organization are also explored for the purpose of formalization and sharing best practices and experiences within the organization [pic] 1. Introduction The main objective of KM is to manage organizational knowledge to create new knowledge. The new knowledge is created by combining existing knowledge pieces or by generation of novel concepts through knowledge sharing. The KM and innovation is linked by knowledge sharing as depicted in Figure 1. 1.1. Knowledge Management Knowledge Management (Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Allee, 1997; Alavi and Leidner, 1999; Hsiangchu and Tsai-hsib, 2000) is the process of managing the organization’s knowledge by means of systematic and organizational specific processes for acquiring, organizing, sustaining,...
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...an aberration. Ten years however means it is time for a change. Since 2004 the manufacturing industry has seen some ups and downs, however more specifically to the firm, it has been a continuous down. The time is now to reverse that trend, and it starts with a new culture of sustainability. There is money to be made, and there is money to be saved. Under the circumstances of having little financial flexibility for investment and development, prioritizing the saving is paramount. Cutting down costs across the board, whether they are resources, expenses in travel, as well as energy, will serve to be prudent both short and long term alike. Furthermore, positioning the company as a leader in the market of sustainability, as an organization that is forward thinking, changes everything. Systemic and cultural changes will not only alter perception in the market place, but bottom line long-term concrete profitability. Companies worldwide have made this a focus, investing both time and money in strategies that address the competitive landscape shaped by resource scarcity, regulatory uncertainty and economic volatility. (MIT Sloan, 2012) No longer a buzzword, this is moving to the market norm. It is time to embrace it and begin to reap the reward. This is not only a strong strategic business case, it is imperative to compete. Hurdles The arguments against sustainability exist. One of the main arguments or hurdles is measurement. There are too many metrics that claim...
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