Investment on Intellect

Investment on Intellect  

Like any other professional, a HR Professional, should also aim for reaching the top of the ladder in the corporate hierarchy. And investing on intellect is the way forward

If we study the recent past, we will find that the HR Function has gained immense importance in business organizations. HR is being treated as a business partner and is involved in all the business decision-making and strategy. In most of the forward looking/growing organizations, rather it is the HR which is driving the business.

Like any other professional, a HR Professional, should also aim for reaching to the top of the ladder in the corporate hierarchy. If one doesn’t have any ambition/aspirations, he will keep on doing routine things and add no value to the organization and the self. Further, as a HR Professional, one should always try innovative ways to keep the employee morale high and make them happy. In today's scenario HR persons are role model for others. In the time of crisis, people are looking towards HR. So, they are carrying huge burden on their shoulders. 

A couple of months back, as a part of the promotion of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, actor Anil Kapoor had visited our office. The very next day, the HR team had a discussion and all were saying that in spite of being 50+ how Anil Kapoor is maintaining himself and doesn’t look-like a father of an actress. I replied by saying that these film industry people are earning due to their outer appearance, it is their bread and butter, they are investing heavily in maintaining themselves. They need to look young and smart to remain in the business else no one takes them in their movies. Vis-à-vis, a service class person is said to be earning through his mind/brain but unfortunately we never think of maintaining/grow it by investing in the form of skill/knowledge up-gradation through learning, reading and networking. We engross ourselves so much in day-to-day activities that we forget that aspect of development.

In a corporate set-up, you must have observed that the organizations keep on upgrading technology, plant and machineries, IT software and hardware to keep them ahead in the business and remain afloat in the market. On HR front, the HR person's biggest asset is his intellect. As a HR Professional, have we ever given a thought that how much we are investing on our intellect in terms of time, efforts, money, learning, development, etc.?
 
We are investing heavily on clothess, toiletries, perfumes footwear, dining, touring and travelling, etc. Instead of personal intellect growth, we started thinking of having vehicles, homes, etc. from the very beginning of our careers. Have we ever given a thought that what percentage of our earnings are we investing on our real asset i.e., our intellect? If we closely watch and observe the successful senior HR professionals, we will find that they all are spending couple of hours every day in reading / other developmental initiatives and it is in the range of 3-4 hrs during the off days

Every professional should start investing at least one percent of the monthly take home salary in learning and development initiatives.

Some of the basic areas where we can make the investment are:

• Books - Try to read the management and HR best-sellers. This will give you an edge over others and believe if you keep on reading books on regular basis you will feel rejuvenate and full of energy

• Business Daily - Reading any business daily will keep you updated on the current business and economic scenario. You may use the information in your HR planning and in any business linked strategic decision

• Magazines - One should read atleast one general magazine, one business magazine and a couple of HR magazines. The magazines will give you the current insight in details of the respective fields

• Networking - One of the effective way of networking is to take the membership of the professional bodies like National HRD Network, Indian Society for Training and Development, National Institute of Personnel Management, All India Management Association etc. Attending and interacting with fellow professionals during the meets will update you on the latest happening in the HR Field and the practices followed by the different companies

• Distance Learning - This is one of the formal ways of enhancing knowledge in the field of HR. One may join HR specialized courses of reputed Institutes. This will help them in enhancing/refreshing the HR concepts 

This will certainly help in seeing HR Professionals as great business leaders in the future.

 

 

How do I change my own behaviour?

How do I change my own behaviour?

 “How do I change my behaviour?” is a million dollar question. A lot has been written and talked about by psychologists, professionals, star CEOs and religious gurus. This question remains as the one question that has as many answers as there are people, each convinced of their method for bringing the change. Yet people feel hungry to seek this answer for themselves.

I feel compelled to add in my two bits to this existing ocean of answers for two reasons; first because I believe there are still a vast majority of leaders at workplaces who don’t ask the question in the first place and second, there are many who don’t care enough to ask it often enough.

I have learnt that getting the right answer to this question is actually not important; it’s in trying to find the answer, the process of experimenting towards it that is far more useful and indeed more relevant. It is this process which helps people discovers their true selves other than their self image.

This self discovery is not just the first step but also the essential environment in which to undertake the journey of becoming a leader. Without it or very little of it, the journey of leading may seem assured and easy yet he may find himself struggle more in getting “back on the horse” if derailed by adverse events. I would even argue that such leaders are far more vulnerable to derailment from the slightest nudges. Imagine then how the colleagues feel working with such leaders!

I have been fortunate to see the growth of leaders who went on to create impact with whatever they did. I have seen the following consistently unfold for them:

Alert curiosity

The leader is constantly alert and curious about self and the others around them. He constantly observes for the underlying feelings, assumptions, principles and frameworks. He is completely attentive and listens with complete presence - not distracted by the background noise of unending stream of emails, phone calls and competing demands on his life. A moment in the situation that he is engaging in right now is the only moment that he pays attention to.

He does not hesitate to ask innocent questions and state what he observes honestly; for example, on outlived organization policies, how it deals with customers, on his own and others’ behaviour and its impact, etc. Soon enough, the people around the leader start developing respect and confidence in him.

Extraordinary exertion

This alert curiosity creates a state of relaxed and confident self in the leader and makes him constantly aware of the consequence of behaviors or the lack of it. I have seen the leader build on this to then pursue the issues around him, including in himself, with a single minded focus. Thus, giving rise to an extraordinary exertion on whatever he chooses.

I know a colleague of such a leader humorously quip that “Vikas is like a dog with a bone on any aspect, he keeps coming at you relentlessly until you change what you do”. That leader I know would work on himself with the same spirit. He may not always be successful in changing his own behaviors, and would then reach out for support from his colleagues and friends.

This extraordinary exertion leads to successful accomplishments through minor skirmishes, major battles and indeed the war.

In conclusion, as you continue working on the process of changing your own behaviour, you will soon recognise that every behaviour is equally capable of appearing as strength in one situation and as a drawback in another. Leaders soon learn to work to their strengths and are mindful of the situations where they would be a drawback.

The quest for changing behaviour then soon becomes irrelevant. Wise leaders then choose to ask “In this moment, am I being alert and curious?” And that to my mind is the most relevant question.

 

 

Junagadh

Junagadh Location of Junagadh in Gujarat and India
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District(s)	Junagadh
Population	225,000 (2007[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 107 m (351 ft)
Codes[show] • Pincode • 362 00X • Telephone • +0285 • Vehicle • GJ-11
Website	www.junagadhmunicipal.org

Coordinates: 21°31′N 70°28′E / 21.52°N 70.47°E / 21.52; 70.47

See Junagarh for disambiguation.

Junagadh is a city and a municipal corporation, the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills. Literally translated, Junagadh means "Old Fort". It is also known as "Sorath", the name of the earlier Muslim-ruled Princely State of Junagadh.

History

mauryan dynasty

Ashoka's Rock Edict at Junagadh

An impressive fort, Uperkot, located on a plateau in the middle of town, was originally built during the Mauryan dynasty by Chandragupta in 319 BCE The fort remained in use until the 6th century, when it was covered over for 300 years, then rediscovered in 976 CE The fort was besieged 16 times over an 800-year period. One unsuccessful siege lasted twelve years.^[1]

An inscription with fourteen Edicts of Ashoka is found on a large boulder within 2 km of Uperkot Fort^[2]. The inscriptions carry Brahmi script in Pali language and date back to 250 BCE On the same rock are inscriptions in Sanskrit added around 150 CE by Mahakshatrap Rudradaman I, the Saka (Scythian) ruler of Malwa, a member of the Western Kshatrapas dynasty^[3]. Another insciption dates from about 450 CE and refers to Skandagupta, the last Gupta emperor. Old rock-cut Buddhist "caves" in this area, dating from well before 500 CE, have stone carvings and floral work. There are also the Khapra Kodia Caves north of the fort, and the Babupyana Caves south of the fort.

The Maitraka dynasty ruled Gujarat in western India from 475 to 767 CE The founder of the dynasty, general Bhatarka, a military governor of Saurashtra peninsula under the Gupta empire, established himself as the independent ruler of Gujarat approximately in the last quarter of the 5th century^[4]. However, James Tod states Maitraka rule ended as early as 524 CE^[5].

[edit] Solanki dynasty

The Solanki, of the Chalukya dynasty, ruled Gujarat in the 11th and 12th centuries. The two large step wells (vavs) of Uperkot Fort were both commissioned by Rah Navghan I (1025-1044 CE)^[6] Muslims conquered Gujarat in 1299 and the Sultanate of Gujarat was formed in 1407. Mahmud Begada (Mahmud Shah I) invaded Junagadh in 1467. The city was annexed to the Gujarat Sultanate; the city foundation was laid for Mahmudabad in 1497. Strong embankments were raised along the river, and the city was adorned with a palace, handsome buildings and extensive gardens. When the Portuguese took over the ports of Diu and Daman in the 16th century, a fifteen-foot cannon, made in Egypt in 1531, was abandoned at Uperkot Fort by a Turkish admiral opposing the Portuguese forces at Diu.

[edit] Mughal rule

Junagadh Nawabs and state officials, 19th century

Mohammad Bahadur Khanji I, who owed allegiance to the Sultan of Ahmedabad, founded the state of Junagadh by expelling the Mughal governor and declaring independence in 1748. Mohammad Bahadur Khanji I, who assumed the name "Zaid Khan" when he came to power in Junagadh, was the founder of the Babi dynasty. His descendants, the Babi Nawabs of Junagadh, conquered large territories in southern Saurashtra and ruled over the state for the next two centuries, first as tributaries of Baroda, and later under the suzerainty of the British. Nawabs of Babi dynasty:

• 1735 - 1758 : Mohammad Bahadur Khanji I ^[7]
• 1758 - 1775 : Mohammad Mahabat Khanji I
• 1775 - 1811 : Mohammad Hamid Khanji I
• 1811 - 1840 : Mohammad Bahadur Khanji II
• 1840 - 1851 : Mohammad Hamid Khanji II
• 1851 - 1882 : Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II
• 1882 - 1892 : Mohammad Bahadur Khanji III
• 1892 - 1911 : Mohammad Rasul Khanji
• 1911 - 1948 : Mohammad Mahabat Khanji III

Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II, the Nawab of Junagarh, with young, Mohammad Bahadur Khanji III. 1870s.

Bahadur Khanji III (r. 1882-1892), Nawab of Junagadh, and state officials, 1880s.

Mohammad Rasul Khanji, Nawab of Junagadh, Bahaduddinbhai Hasainbhai, Wazier, Junagadh, 1890s.

[edit] British period

Flag of Junagadh, during British period

The East India Company took control of the state in 1818, but the Saurashtra area never came under the direct administration of British India. Instead, the British divided the territory into more than one hundred princely states, which remained in existence until 1947. The present old town, developed during the 19th and 20th centuries, is one of the former princely states which were outside but under the suzerainty of British India.

The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh was constructed on the land presented by Jinabhai (Hemantsingh) Darbar of Panchala, and dedicated on Friday, May 1, 1828 A.D.

[edit] Accession of Junagadh to India

Main article: Indian Integration of Junagadh

During the period spanning the independence and partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the 565 princely states that had existed outside British India under British suzerainty were given a choice of acceding to either India or Pakistan or remaining outside them. Although the states were theoretically free to choose, Mountbatten stated that "geographic compulsions" meant that most of them would choose India. Mountbatten took the position that only states that shared a common border with Pakistan should choose to accede to it, but he had no power to impose this point of view on the states.

On September 15, 1947, Nawab Mohammad Mahabat Khanji III of Junagadh, a princely state located on the south-western end of Gujarat and having no common border with Pakistan, chose to accede to Pakistan ignoring Mountbatten's views, arguing that Junagadh adjoined Pakistan by sea. The rulers of two states that were subject to the suzerainty of Junagadh — Mangrol and Babariawad — reacted by declaring their independence from Junagadh and acceding to India. In response, the nawab of Junagadh militarily occupied the two states. Rulers of the other neighbouring states reacted angrily, sending troops to the Junagadh frontier, and appealed to the Government of India for assistance. A group of Junagadhi people, led by Samaldas Gandhi, formed a government-in-exile, the Aarzi Hukumat ("temporary government").^[8]

India believed that if Junagadh was permitted to accede to Pakistan, communal tension already simmering in Gujarat would worsen, and refused to accept the Nawab's choice of accession. The government pointed out that the state was 80% Hindu, and called for a plebiscite to decide the question of accession. India cut off supplies of fuel and coal to Junagadh, severed air and postal links, sent troops to the frontier, and occupied the principaliites of Mangrol and Babariawad that had acceded to India.^[9]

Pakistan agreed to discuss a plebiscite, subject to the withdrawal of Indian troops, a condition India rejected. On 26 October, the Nawab and his family fled to Pakistan following clashes with Indian troops. Before leaving, the Nawab had emptied the state treasury of its cash and securities.

On 7 November, Junagadh's court, facing collapse, invited the Government of India to take over the State's administration. The Dewan of Junagadh, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, the father of the more famous Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, decided to invite the Government of India to intervene. Bhutto wrote a letter to Mr. Buch, the Regional Commissioner of Saurashtra in the Government of India:

Letter Inviting India to Intervene
Dear Mr. Buch, After discussion with Mr. Samaldas Gandhi at Rajkot on October 1, Capt. Harvey Jones, senior member of Junagadh State Council, brought certain proposals for the consideration of the Council. The Council were prepared to accept them under protest but before a final decision could be communicated to Mr. Samaldas Gandhi it was thought necessary to ascertain the opinion of the leading members of the public. A meeting was therefore held this evening and the view of the leaders was unanimously expressed that instead of handing over the administration to the Indian Union through the so-called Provisional Government, it should be directly given over to the Indian Union, through the Regional Commissioner at Rajkot. The Junagadh Government, therefore, has requested that in order to avoid bloodshed, hardship, loss of life and property and to preserve the dynasty, you should be approached to give your assistance to the administration particularly with a view to preserve law and order, which is threatened by aggressive elements from outside. This arrangement is sought pending an honourable settlement of the several issues involved in Junagadh's accession. We have already wired to His Excellency Lord Mountbatten, Mahatmaji, Prime and Deputy Prime Ministers of India, Hon'ble Abul Kalarn Azad and the Governor-General and Prime Minister of Pakistan. I hope you will kindly respond to this request. Yours sincerely, Sd/S.N. Bhutto, Dewan, Junagadh.

^{[dubious – discuss]}

The Government of Pakistan protested, saying that since the Nawab had chosen to accede to Pakistan, the Dewan had no authority to negotiate a settlement with India. Also, if India could acquire Kashmir (with an overwhelming Muslim majority) because its ruler had decided to accede to India, then Pakistan could claim Junagadh.

The government of India rejected the protests of Pakistan and accepted the invitation of the Dewan to intervene. ^[10] A plebiscite was conducted in February 1948, which went almost unanimously in favour of accession to India.^[11] Junagadh became a part of the Indian state of Saurashtra until November 1, 1956, when Saurashtra became part of Bombay state. In 1960, Bombay state was split into the linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, in which Junagadh was located.

Geography

View of Girnar Hills from Damodar Kund

Junagadh is located at 21°31′N 70°28′E / 21.52°N 70.47°E / 21.52; 70.47.^[12] It has an average elevation of 107 metres (351 ft).

Rainfall

The average annual rainfall of the Saurashtra region is about 775.0 mm with a standard deviation of 75.1 mm. Monsoon rainfall averages 680 mm with a variability of 61 %. Rainfall for the months of June, July, August and September averages 194, 338, 187 and 105 mm, with the corresponding coefficients of variation being 150, 69, 87 and 84%, respectively. The monsoon from June to September is received in 33 rainy days with a late season long dry spell.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[13] Junagadh had a population of 168,686. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Junagadh has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 67%. In Junagadh, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Events

• Shivratri Mela - At the foot of Girnar mountain (Talati) in the month of MAHA 9 starts on mela for next five days. About ten thousand people visit.

• Girnar Parikrama:- Starts from Kartik 11 to 15 thousand people. The periphery of Girnar hills on foot about 40 km. Enjoy the religious and natural beauty.

• Girnar Competition:- Every year, between the 1st and the 10th of January, a Girnar Climbing Competition is held by Gujarat Government. Anyone who climbs up 5,500 feet (1,700 m) within 2 hours gets a certificate from the Government of Gujarat, and the winner gets lots of prizes.

Places of Interest

Chhatri of Lord Swaminarayan's Charanavind on top of Swaminarayan temple

• GIRNAR The mountain, 6 km. from Junagadh city, has five principal peaks. It has roughly 8,500 steps. The third peak, Gorakhnath, at 3,661 ft (1,116 m) above sea level, is the highest. The area of the hills is approximately 10 km. To ascend the hills a stepaway is built UPPER KOT certainly worth seeing Jain tamples. Spots to visit Bhimkund, Satpuda, Gaumukhi Ganga, Pathar chati, Bhairavjap, Bharatvan Sheshavan, Hanumandhara. The peak of Ambaji, with a height of 3,330 ft (1,010 m)., is famous for the temple of Ambaji. Kamandal kund; stepway diverts between temples of Gorakhnath and Dattatreya. The path to Dattatreya temple is difficult (photo gallery), but on the top of the peak is a small temple on the padukas of Guru Dattatreya.

• ASHOK SHILALEKH:- About 2 km east of Junagadh and 3 km from the foot of Girnar Hill, between the two places, is an edict of Emperor Ashoka inscribed on a rock dating from the 3rd century BC. The Ashokan edicts impart moral instructions on dharma, harmony, tolerance, and peace. An uneven rock, with a circumference of seven metres and a height of ten metres, bears insciptions in Brāhmī script etched with an iron pen.^[14]

• SAKKARBAUG ZOO - This is the oldest zoo in Gujarat and the 3rd oldest in India. The rare Gir lions are bred and supplied to other zoos.

• THE WILD MUSEUM - In the same premises as the zoo. Rare specimens of art furniture, stuffed animals, ancient coins, Persian Sanskrit inscriptions and various other articles of interest.

Bahauddin Makbara, mausoleum of the Wazir of Junagadh.

• MAKABARA - Nawabs were buried here. This is a fine specimen of medieval structure.

• JAIN DERASAR - Excellent Temple on Girnar Hill at 3,100 feet (940 m). There are many temples with excellent design.

• NARSINH MEHTA NO CHORO - This place is said to be one where the great poet Saint and reformer Narsinh Mehta held his assemblies of discovers in 15th century. Some believe that Lord Krishna held a traditional "Rasleela" dance for his devotee Narsinh Mehta.

• UPPER KOT - Uperkot is an impressive fort located on a plateau in the middle of town. It was originally built in 319 BC. It was covered over for 300 years, then rediscovered in 976 AD. It was besieged 16 times over an 800-year period. One siege lasted twelve years, but was not successful. Visitors enter the fort through a large gate. Some parts of the fort’s walls are 20 m high. If, after entering the gate you turn left, you will come to Jama Masjid, which was built on top of a Hindu temple. It has 140 pillars supporting its ceiling.
  • Further down the road are what are believed to be old Buddhist caves, said to be 1,500 years old (dating from before 500 AD). They are carved into the rocky hill and have stone carvings and floral work. There are also the Khapra Kodia caves north of the fort, and the Babupyana caves south of the fort.
  • There is a huge, fifteen-foot cannon, made in Egypt in 1531. There are also two interesting large step wells (vavs) here. The 11th century Navghan Kuva has a circular stairway that descends over 50 m down into the well. The Adi Chadi Vav descends 170 steps.

• DARBAR HALL MUSEUM - Picture gallery , textiles, arms gallery, the kacheri, the hall which was used by Nawabs of Junagadh to hold their darbar. The Durbar Hall and Museum has an interesting collection of weapons, thrones, silver articles, costumes, paintings, tapestries, and palanquins on display. It is not far from the entrance to the fort.

• GAYATRI MANDIR & VAGHESHWARI MANDIR - On the way to Girnar Talati, are both of the beautiful temples of Maa Gayatri and Maa Vagheshwari. At every navratris, a mela is held.

• SONAPUR - Where many statues of saints are erected. It also has a Sai Baba temple and serves as a cemetery.

• DAMODAR KUND - Built in 500 a.d., this often reconstructed kund (water reservoir) is a check dam. This kund is about a km before the bottom of Girnar Hill. It is a sacred bathing tank. Close to Damodara Kund is Revati Kund. It is said that Revata left Dwarka and moved near Girnar Hill after his daughter, Revati, married Lord Balarama.

• DAMODARJI TEMPLE Near Aswatthama Hill, which is north of Damodara Kund, is the Damodarji Temple, said to have been built by Vajranabha, Lord Krishna’s great-grandson.

• DATAAR HILLS - 2,779 feet (847 m) high stepway is built for going up shrine of Jamiyalshah Datar.

• SCIENCE MUSEUM - Gujarat’s first and the only private science museum. More than 60 working science projects based on science facts. Which can be operated by visitors. Worth visiting attached one small aquarium and evening open air garden restaurant garden café serves south Indian and Punjabi dishes since 1981.

• WELLINGTON DAM - Built by the Britishers near the foot of Datar hill. The three sides and a garden in front it affords an enchanting view.

• MOTI BAUG - The best garden the campus of agricultural university and botanical garden. It also houses the Junagadh Agricultural University Campus which has total land area of 754.62 ha and 2485 ha including 17 sub centers and 1500 manpower with annual budget around 28.5 crores. Having very nice pari talao.

• Mujkund Caves - Famous place where Krishna ran and came from mathura after which he was named as Ranchod Rai

• Ayurvedic Museum- Ayurvedic Museum is located at the Ayurvedic College at Sardarbag in the western part of town. The personnel are helpful to those interested in learning something about this ancient and natural medical treatment.

• NARSINH MAHETA LAKE- A beautiful lake constructed by joint effort of the people of Junagadh near Talav Gate.

• BAHAUDDIN COLLEGE(Arts & Science)- Gujarat's first science college built by the Nawab's vazeer "Bahauddin" who was brother in law of Nawab.

• BEHT - Bhagvatinandji Education and Health Trust [See http://www.beht.org] has been working in the many places of Gujarat, and is well-known for its work in Junagadh since many decades. In junagadh dist, BEHT has boarding school of 1200 capacity in Champarda, an educational institute for girls in Junagadh itself and many elderly houses and Ashrams located throughout the Junagadh.

• KESAR KERI (MANGOES)- Junagadh is famous for Kesar Mangoes (Safaron Mangoes). As name says Kesar mangoes are very sweet and looks like safaron color.

• Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh - Mandir made by Lord Swaminarayan

• SWAMI VIVEKANANDA VINAY MANDIR, JUNAGADH - It is one of the oldest secondary and higher secondary schools of Gujarat. Widely spread in a very big land with a very large playground, gardens and a very oldish dombs. The very special thing about this school's one of the lagendary students named Dhirubhai Ambani. Till date the Birthday of this person is widely celebrated with a verious cultural programs. Every year one of the Ambani family's visit is must. Now a days very famous for 11th and 12th standard (Science Stream).

• Junagadh is also emerging as the Educational hub of the Saurashtra.

How to reach Junagadh

Air: The nearest airports from Junagadh is Rajkot which lies at 105 km.

Rail: The railway station of Junagadh lies on Ahmedabad-Junagadh and Rajkot- Junagadh line and connects it the major cities of the country.

Road: State transport buses link the city with all the major cities of the state.

Best time to visit: August to March; during rainy season to visit Girnar and in winter for many events occurring in city.

See also

• Asiatic Lion
• Gir Forest National Park
• Siddis
• Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Junagadh
• mendarda
• Shri Damodar Hari’s Temple

References

1. ^ "Uperkot Fort", India9.com.
2. ^ M1 Ranchodji Amarji, Târikh-i-Soraṭh: A History of the Provinces of Soraṭh and Hâlâr in Kâthiâwâd, pp. 36-46, Trubner & Co. (1882) - translation of the edicts.
3. ^ "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", Project South Asia.
4. ^ "Ancient Rulers of Gujarat"
5. ^ James Tod, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, vol. I (2002), pp. 177, 187.
6. ^ "Junagadh - In the Shadow of the Holy Girnar", India Profile
7. ^ Nawabs of Junagadh British Library.
8. ^ Lumby 1954, pp. 237–238
9. ^ Lumby 1954, p. 238
10. ^ Lumby 1954, pp. 238–239
11. ^ Furber 1951, p. 359
12. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Junagadh
13. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved on 2008-11-01. 
14. ^ Keay, John (2000). India: A History. New York: Grove Press. pp. 129–131. ISBN 0802137970. 

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Knowledge management

Knowledge Management (KM) comprises a range of practices used in an organisation to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organisational processes or practice.

An established discipline since 1991 (see Nonaka 1991), KM includes courses taught in the fields of business administration, information systems, management, and library and information sciences (Alavi & Leidner 1999). More recently, other fields have started contributing to KM research; these include information and media, computer science, public health, and public policy.

Many large companies and non-profit organisations have resources dedicated to internal KM efforts, often as a part of their 'Business Strategy', 'Information Technology', or 'Human Resource Management' departments (Addicott, McGivern & Ferlie 2006). Several consulting companies also exist that provide strategy and advice regarding KM to these organisations.

KM efforts typically focus on organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, the sharing of lessons learned, and continuous improvement of the organisation. KM efforts overlap with Organisational Learning, and may be distinguished from that by a greater focus on the management of knowledge as a strategic asset and a focus on encouraging the sharing of knowledge. KM efforts can help individuals and groups to share valuable organisational insights, to reduce redundant work, to avoid reinventing the wheel per se, to reduce training time for new employees, to retain intellectual capital as employees turnover in an organisation, and to adapt to changing environments and markets (McAdam & McCreedy 2000)(Thompson & Walsham 2004).

KM efforts have a long history, to include on-the-job discussions, formal apprenticeship, discussion forums, corporate libraries, professional training and mentoring programs. More recently, with increased use of computers in the second half of the 20th century, specific adaptations of technologies such as knowledge bases, expert systems, knowledge repositories, group decision support systems, intranets and computer supported cooperative work have been introduced to further enhance such efforts.

In 1999, the term personal knowledge management was introduced which refers to the management of knowledge at the individual level (Wright 2005).

More recently with the advent of the Web 2.0, the concept of knowledge management has evolved towards a vision more based on people participation and emergence. This line of evolution is termed Enterprise 2.0 (McAfee 2006). However, there is still a debate (and discussions even in Wikipedia (Lakhani & McAfee 2007)) whether Enterprise 2.0 is just a fad, or if it brings something new, is the future of knowledge management (Davenport 2008) and is here to stay.

Research

A broad range of thoughts on the KM discipline exists with no unanimous agreement; approaches vary by author and school. As the discipline matures, academic debates have increased regarding both the theory and practice of KM, to include the following perspectives:

• Techno-centric with a focus on technology, ideally those that enhance knowledge sharing and creation
• Organisational with a focus on how an organisation can be designed to facilitate knowledge processes best
• Ecological with a focus on the interaction of people, identity, knowledge, and environmental factors as a complex adaptive system akin to a natural ecosystem

Regardless of the school of thought, core components of KM include People, Processes, Technology (or) Culture, Structure, Technology, depending on the specific perspective (Spender & Scherer 2007). Different KM schools of thought include various lenses through which KM can be viewed and explained, to include:

• community of practice (Wenger, McDermott & Synder 2001)
• social network analysis ^[3]
• intellectual capital (Bontis & Choo 2002) ^[4]
• information theory ^[5] (McInerney 2002)
• complexity science ^[6]
• constructivism ^[7] (Nanjappa & Grant 2003)

 

Dimensions

Different frameworks for distinguishing between knowledge exist. One proposed framework for categorising the dimensions of knowledge distinguishes between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge represents internalised knowledge that an individual may not be consciously aware of how he or she accomplishes particular tasks. At the opposite end of the spectrum, explicit knowledge represents knowledge that the individual holds consciously in mental focus, in a form that can easily be communicated to others.^[8] (Alavi & Leidner 2001).

Early research suggested that a successful KM effort needs to convert internalised tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in order to share it, but the same effort must also permit individuals to internalise and make personally meaningful any codified knowledge retrieved from the KM effort. Subsequent research into KM suggested that a distinction between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge represented an oversimplification and that the notion of explicit knowledge is self-contradictory. Specifically, for knowledge to be made explicit, it must be translated into information (i.e., symbols outside of our heads) (Serenko & Bontis 2004).

A second proposed framework for categorising the dimensions of knowledge distinguishes between embedded knowledge of a system outside of a human individual (e.g., an information system may have knowledge embedded into its design) and embodied knowledge representing a learned capability of a human body’s nervous and endocrine systems (Sensky 2002).

A third proposed framework for categorising the dimensions of knowledge distinguishes between the exploratory creation of "new knowledge" (i.e., innovation) vs. the transfer or exploitation of "established knowledge" within a group, organisation, or community. Collaborative environments such as communities of practice or the use of social computing tools can be used for both knowledge creation and transfer ^[9].

Strategies

Knowledge may be accessed at three stages: before, during, or after KM-related activities. Different organisations have tried various knowledge capture incentives, including making content submission mandatory and incorporating rewards into performance measurement plans. Considerable controversy exists over whether incentives work or not in this field and no consensus has emerged.

One strategy to KM involves actively managing knowledge (push strategy). In such an instance, individuals strive to explicitly encode their knowledge into a shared knowledge repository, such as a database, as well as retrieving knowledge they need that other individuals have provided to the repository ^[10].

Another strategy to KM involves individuals making knowledge requests of experts associated with a particular subject on an ad hoc basis (pull strategy). In such an instance, expert individual(s) can provide their insights to the particular person or people needing this (Snowden 2002).

Other knowledge management strategies for companies include:

• rewards (as a means of motivating for knowledge sharing)
• storytelling (as a means of transferring tacit knowledge)
• cross-project learning
• after action reviews
• knowledge mapping (a map of knowledge repositories within a company accessible by all)
• communities of practice
• best practice transfer
• competence management (systematic evaluation and planning of competences of individual organization members)
• proximity & architecture (the physical situation of employees can be either conducive or obstructive to knowledge sharing)
• master-apprentice relationship
• collaborative technologies (groupware, etc)
• knowledge repositories (databases, etc)
• measuring and reporting intellectual capital (a way of making explicit knowledge for companies)
• knowledge brokers (some organizational members take on responsibility for a specific "field" and act as first reference on whom to talk about a specific subject)
• social software (wikis, social bookmarking, blogs, etc)

Motivations

A number of claims exist as to the motivations leading organisations to undertake a KM effort ^[11]. Typical considerations driving a KM effort include:

• Making available increased knowledge content in the development and provision of products and services
• Achieving shorter new product development cycles
• Facilitating and managing innovation and organisational learning
• Leveraging the expertise of people across the organisation
• Increasing network connectivity between internal and external individuals
• Managing business environments and allowing employees to obtain relevant insights and ideas appropriate to their work
• Solving intractable or wicked problems
• Managing intellectual capital and intellectual assets in the workforce (such as the expertise and know-how possessed by key individuals)

Debate exists whether KM is more than a passing fad, though increasing amount of research in this field may hopefully help to answer this question, as well as create consensus on what elements of KM help determine the success or failure of such efforts (Wilson 2002) ^[12].

Technologies

Early KM technologies included online corporate yellow pages as expertise locators and document management systems. Combined with the early development of collaborative technologies (in particular Lotus Notes), KM technologies expanded in the mid-1990s. Subsequent KM efforts leveraged semantic technologies for search and retrieval and the development of e-learning tools for communities of practice ^[13] (Capozzi 2007).

More recently, development of social computing tools (such as blogs and wikis) have allowed more unstructured, self-governing or ecosystem approaches to the transfer, capture and creation of knowledge, including the development of new forms of communities, networks, or matrixed organisations. However such tools for the most part are still based on text and code, and thus represent explicit knowledge transfer. These tools face challenges in distilling meaningful re-usable knowledge and ensuring that their content is transmissible through diverse channels ^[14](Andrus 2005).