Knowledge of Management

April 13, 2010

LIFETIME EXPERIENCE:

(Published in ET dt.16.11.2007 under CD))

In Both The Great Epics of India , Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not with

celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan

lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their

victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, " While Ravan was a

brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share

whatever knowledge he can. "

The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan's side and whispers in his ears,

" Demonking, all your life you have taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you

an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with

you. For that you will be surely be blessed. "

Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and

says: " He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything. " Ram

looks at his brother and asks him softly, " Where did you stand while asking him

for knowledge? " " Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly. "

Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman

watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan's feet.

With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, " Lord of Lanka, you abducted

my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you

are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the

wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom

with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be

lost forever to the world. "

To Lakshman's surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram,

" If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet

as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy

recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but

let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are

bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things are

actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding

powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to

abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last

words. I give it to you. " With these words, Ravan dies.

There's similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the

Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of

Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhisma, their grand uncle, who lies

mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would

elude him for some time. " Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him

questions. He has a lot to tell, " says Krishna .

Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various

topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics,

morality, sex, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma's discourse is

captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva

(discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata. After

listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the

world, and this makes them better kings.

RAM ASKED RAVAN FOR HIS WISDOM BEFORE HIS DEATH. THE PANDAVAS LISTENED TO A

LENGTHY DISCOURSE FROM BHISMA AS HE LAY DYING ON THE BATTLEFIELD. THIS IN THE

CONTEXT OF ORGANISATIONS, IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge.In triumph, it is

easy to claim the material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to

claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death.

Every day, an organization churns out vast amounts of knowledge. Every day,

people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with them – knowledge which

they acquired because they are part of the organisation. They take with them

knowledge of clients, markets, business processes, tricks of the trade. These

may not be confidential information or patented information, but it is

information that gives a competitive edge.

Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new

business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to

harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable

business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made,

people have been hired and systems have been deployed.

Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking.

Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and

future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva.

Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is

described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry

and face reading. But he is cursed: if he ever gave any information voluntarily,

his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout

the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through,

but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally

learns of his brother's prowess he is furious. " Why did you not tell me all that

you knew? " All he gets in response is Sahadeva's silence. Most employees in an

organisation are Sahadevas.

Sahadevas are of two types: either they are unwilling to share their knowledge

or they don't have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge

is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category

is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no

system where they can make it available for others.

Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it.

He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his

organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of

great wisdom – not only knowledge of things that work but also knowledge of

things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it

as possible.

The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job and

especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interviews must never

be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out nor an

exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be

a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and

leaving the organisation.

Interviews work if the organisation is small. As the organisation grows in size

one needs a more formal system, at the very least a simple archival system

managed by a clerk or secretary but on a larger scale, a sophisticated knowledge

repository, a kind of electronic cupboard where at least the final version of

presentations, documents and spreadsheets of key business events can be stored.

This sounds very logical but most organisations do not do this. The effort

involved is huge and the rewards are neither immediate nor tangible. A brand

manager joining a reputed FMCG company, for example, once discovered that they

did not have the brand deck (plans, tools, research, messages) of the past five

years of a key product. What the organisation did have is the financial numbers

– but not a clear history of marketing messages it had put out before the

consumer. Previous brand managers had handed over all documents to someone and

it was kept somewhere.

But no one knew who that someone was and what that somewhere was. In the absence

of a simple archiving system, the new brand manager had to collate all brand

related background information from scratch so that he could define the future

brand positioning. A fully avoidable waste of energy and resources.

Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the

clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal

and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk's eye on every

bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by

companies to manage their knowledge.This indicates that most organisations do

not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati: they do not believe that existence

of knowledge systems improve efficiency and effectiveness and can provide raw

materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes

that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.

Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious

matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of

Ravan: it must be actually good for you.

April 13, 2010

Dear Sir,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful article. As you have rightly pointed out, Knowledge Management is still an impervious for many organization as it doest not generate instant revenue. There are many case studies in past shows that many ventures have failed in spite of having breakthrough products and services but still could not see light of the day just because of not having KM in place. I myself had gone through a tough time about convincing management to implement KM systems in the organization.

Thank you for sharing this wisdom from holy literatures.

Thanks & Regards,

Ravin

On 13 April 2010 09:32, tpmods <tpmods wrote:

LIFETIME EXPERIENCE: (Published in ET dt.16.11.2007 under CD)) In Both The Great Epics of India , Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, " While Ravan was a brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share whatever knowledge he can. "

The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan's side and whispers in his ears, " Demonking, all your life you have taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will be surely be blessed. "

Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and says: " He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything. " Ram looks at his brother and asks him softly, " Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge? " " Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly. " Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan's feet.

With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, " Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world. "

To Lakshman's surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, " If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you. " With these words, Ravan dies.

There's similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhisma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. " Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell, " says Krishna .

Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, sex, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma's discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata. After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings.

RAM ASKED RAVAN FOR HIS WISDOM BEFORE HIS DEATH. THE PANDAVAS LISTENED TO A LENGTHY DISCOURSE FROM BHISMA AS HE LAY DYING ON THE BATTLEFIELD. THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF ORGANISATIONS, IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge.In triumph, it is easy to claim the material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death. Every day, an organization churns out vast amounts of knowledge. Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with them – knowledge which they acquired because they are part of the organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets, business processes, tricks of the trade. These may not be confidential information or patented information, but it is information that gives a competitive edge.

Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed.

Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva.

Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed: if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother's prowess he is furious. " Why did you not tell me all that you knew? " All he gets in response is Sahadeva's silence. Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas.

Sahadevas are of two types: either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don't have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others.

Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom – not only knowledge of things that work but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible.

The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interviews must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving the organisation.

Interviews work if the organisation is small. As the organisation grows in size one needs a more formal system, at the very least a simple archival system managed by a clerk or secretary but on a larger scale, a sophisticated knowledge repository, a kind of electronic cupboard where at least the final version of presentations, documents and spreadsheets of key business events can be stored.

This sounds very logical but most organisations do not do this. The effort involved is huge and the rewards are neither immediate nor tangible. A brand manager joining a reputed FMCG company, for example, once discovered that they did not have the brand deck (plans, tools, research, messages) of the past five years of a key product. What the organisation did have is the financial numbers – but not a clear history of marketing messages it had put out before the consumer. Previous brand managers had handed over all documents to someone and it was kept somewhere.

But no one knew who that someone was and what that somewhere was. In the absence of a simple archiving system, the new brand manager had to collate all brand related background information from scratch so that he could define the future brand positioning. A fully avoidable waste of energy and resources.

Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk's eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati: they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.

Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan: it must be actually good for you.

April 13, 2010

Dear Ravinbhai,PranamKnowledge+management is very very important and today's rush is there to copy all new economy boom with Â hidden loop holes filled criterias which are false,pain giving,going to fail in longer run,example IF ISO certification is full proof for accountancy purpose why Enron, Satyam,Lehman brothers gone bankrupt?thanks Ravinbhai.--- On Tue, 4/13/10, Ravin Kapadia <ravinkapadia wrote:Ravin Kapadia <ravinkapadiaRe: Knowledge of Managementsacred-objects Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 1:46 AM

Â

Dear Sir,

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Thank you for sharing this wonderful article. As you have rightly pointed out, Knowledge Management is still an impervious for many organization as it doest not generate instant revenue. There are many case studies in past shows that many ventures have failed in spite of having breakthrough products and services but still could not see light of the day just because of not having KM in place. I myself had gone through a tough time about convincing management to implement KM systems in the organization.Â

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Thank you for sharing this wisdom from holy literatures.

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ThanksÂ & Regards,

Â

RavinÂ

On 13 April 2010 09:32, tpmods <tpmods > wrote:

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LIFETIME EXPERIENCE: (Published in ET dt.16.11.2007 under CD)) In Both The Great Epics of India , Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, "While Ravan was a brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share whatever knowledge he can."

The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan's side and whispers in his ears, "Demonking, all your life you have taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will be surely be blessed."

Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and says: "He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything." Ram looks at his brother and asks him softly, "Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly." Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan's feet.

With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, "Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world."

To Lakshman's surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, "If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you." With these words, Ravan dies.

There's similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhisma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. "Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell," says Krishna .

Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, sex, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma's discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata. After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings.

RAM ASKED RAVAN FOR HIS WISDOM BEFORE HIS DEATH. THE PANDAVAS LISTENED TO A LENGTHY DISCOURSE FROM BHISMA AS HE LAY DYING ON THE BATTLEFIELD. THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF ORGANISATIONS, IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.

Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge.In triumph, it is easy to claim the material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death. Every day, an organization churns out vast amounts of knowledge. Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with them â€“ knowledge which they acquired because they are part of the organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets, business processes, tricks of the trade. These may not be confidential information or patented information, but it is information that gives a competitive edge.

Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed.

Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva.

Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed: if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother's prowess he is furious. "Why did you not tell me all that you knew?" All he gets in response is Sahadeva's silence. Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas.

Sahadevas are of two types: either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don't have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others.

Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom â€“ not only knowledge of things that work but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible.

The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interviews must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving the organisation.

Interviews work if the organisation is small. As the organisation grows in size one needs a more formal system, at the very least a simple archival system managed by a clerk or secretary but on a larger scale, a sophisticated knowledge repository, a kind of electronic cupboard where at least the final version of presentations, documents and spreadsheets of key business events can be stored.

This sounds very logical but most organisations do not do this. The effort involved is huge and the rewards are neither immediate nor tangible. A brand manager joining a reputed FMCG company, for example, once discovered that they did not have the brand deck (plans, tools, research, messages) of the past five years of a key product. What the organisation did have is the financial numbers â€“ but not a clear history of marketing messages it had put out before the consumer. Previous brand managers had handed over all documents to someone and it was kept somewhere.

But no one knew who that someone was and what that somewhere was. In the absence of a simple archiving system, the new brand manager had to collate all brand related background information from scratch so that he could define the future brand positioning. A fully avoidable waste of energy and resources.

Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk's eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati: they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.

Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan: it must be actually good for you.

April 13, 2010

Hello tpmods

thanks for the great post, thanks for sharing

Thanks

RAHULSHARMA

Jai Shri Ganesh

Gajaananam bhoodha ghanaathi sevithamkabhitha jamboo palasara pakshithamumaasutham sokha vinaasakaranamnamaami vigneswara paadha pankajam--- On Mon, 4/12/10, tpmods <tpmods wrote:

tpmods <tpmods Knowledge of Managementsacred-objects Date: Monday, April 12, 2010, 9:02 PM

LIFETIME EXPERIENCE: (Published in ET dt.16.11.2007 under CD)) In Both The Great Epics of India , Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, "While Ravan was a brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share whatever knowledge he can." The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan's side and whispers in his ears, "Demonking, all your life you have taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will be surely be blessed." Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and says: "He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything." Ram looks at

his brother and asks him softly, "Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly." Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan's feet. With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, "Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world." To Lakshman's surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, "If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy

recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you." With these words, Ravan dies. There's similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhisma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. "Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell," says

Krishna . Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, sex, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma's discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata. After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings. RAM ASKED RAVAN FOR HIS WISDOM BEFORE HIS DEATH. THE PANDAVAS LISTENED TO A LENGTHY DISCOURSE FROM BHISMA AS HE LAY DYING ON THE BATTLEFIELD. THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF ORGANISATIONS, IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge.In triumph, it is easy to claim the material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death. Every

day, an organization churns out vast amounts of knowledge. Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with them â€“ knowledge which they acquired because they are part of the organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets, business processes, tricks of the trade. These may not be confidential information or patented information, but it is information that gives a competitive edge. Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed. Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and

future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva. Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed: if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother's prowess he is furious. "Why did you not tell me all that you knew?" All he gets in response is Sahadeva's silence. Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas. Sahadevas are of two types: either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don't have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The

latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others. Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom â€“ not only knowledge of things that work but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible. The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interviews must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving

the organisation. Interviews work if the organisation is small. As the organisation grows in size one needs a more formal system, at the very least a simple archival system managed by a clerk or secretary but on a larger scale, a sophisticated knowledge repository, a kind of electronic cupboard where at least the final version of presentations, documents and spreadsheets of key business events can be stored. This sounds very logical but most organisations do not do this. The effort involved is huge and the rewards are neither immediate nor tangible. A brand manager joining a reputed FMCG company, for example, once discovered that they did not have the brand deck (plans, tools, research, messages) of the past five years of a key product. What the organisation did have is the financial numbers â€“ but not a clear history of marketing messages it had put out before the consumer. Previous brand managers had handed over all documents to someone and

it was kept somewhere.But no one knew who that someone was and what that somewhere was. In the absence of a simple archiving system, the new brand manager had to collate all brand related background information from scratch so that he could define the future brand positioning. A fully avoidable waste of energy and resources. Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk's eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati: they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader

believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas. Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan: it must be actually good for you.

April 14, 2010

Dear And Respected Member,

Thank you for this posting i read this with tears and very silence manners once again my thanks.

Meenaakshi Sundharam--- On Tue, 13/4/10, Rahul Sharma <toneyrahulsharma wrote:

Rahul Sharma <toneyrahulsharmaRe: Knowledge of Managementsacred-objects Date: Tuesday, 13 April, 2010, 6:59 PM

Hello tpmods

thanks for the great post, thanks for sharing

Thanks

RAHULSHARMA

Jai Shri Ganesh

Gajaananam bhoodha ghanaathi sevithamkabhitha jamboo palasara pakshithamumaasutham sokha vinaasakaranamnamaami vigneswara paadha pankajam--- On Mon, 4/12/10, tpmods <tpmods > wrote:

tpmods <tpmods > Knowledge of Managementsacred-objectsMonday, April 12, 2010, 9:02 PM