Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Project Report On
Competency Mapping and Knowledge Management in
Krishak Bharati Co-Operative Ltd. HAZIRA
-1-
DECLARATION
Place: Surat
Date: 13.6.2009
JIGNESH R LUHARIYA
-2-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would also like to thank sincerely from the deep of my heart to all those persons who
constantly guided me and gave me the practical knowledge and materials of the subject.
I would finally like to thank all employees of KRIBHCO for their kind cooperation,
guidance and support which lead us to right direction of our research.
-3-
PREFACE
The MBA training of the Shree Samanvay Institute Of MBA, BOTAD Bhavnagar
University, Bhavnagar provides the Students an opportunity to have and insight of any large
scale unit so that we get the exposure to an Actual managerial environment of company. I am
lucky to have vocational training in a company like KRIBHCO Ltd which is considered to be
one of the largest fertilizer establishments in India.
During this period, I had an overview of the human resource department within which I
could make a detailed study of all the section which comes under the roof of human resource
management in KRIBHCO. This training will help me to correlate theoretical knowledge and its
practical applications. It was a thrilling experience while studying working of KRIBHCO and
understanding it. This programme has led me to realize the contribution of KRIBHCO to the
Fertilizer Industry of India.
I am grateful to all the employees of KRIBHCO for their cooperation and interest in my
project without which it could not have been possible to go ahead with my project.
With due honor, I present this project which consists of a brief study of KRIBHCO Ltd.
JIGNESH R LUHARIYA
MBA (First year)
SHREE SAMANVAY INSTITUTE OF MBA
BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY
BOTAD
-4-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Success of any organization depends largely on its competent employees and the extent
to which the knowledge is shared in that organization. Competency Mapping is a process
through which one assesses and determines ones strengths as an individual worker ad in some
cases as a part of an organization where as Knowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive
processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning. Hence, competency
mapping and management of knowledge and its resources play a significant role in growth and
development of the organization. Knowledge Management ('KM') comprises a range of practices
used by organizations to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge. It is divided into
stages like acquiring knowledge, sharing, storing and leveraging the knowledge both at personal
level as well as professional level.
This report is an attempt to check the competency level and study the status of the
Knowledge management in this organization. The report starts with Introduction of the
Company, its achievements and then elaborates the concept of competency mapping and
Knowledge Management; in KRIBHCO, and data analysis and interpretation on the basis of
perception of employees.
-5-
CONTENTS
Declaration
Acknowledgement
2
3
Preface
Executive Summary
Company Profile
7
1.
2.
Competency Mapping
An Introduction to Knowledge Management
21
27
3.
Knowledge Management
29
4.
34
5.
39
6.
40
7.
41
8.
43
9.
Research Methodology
47
10.
49
11.
Questionnaire
78
12.
Research Findings
84
13.
Suggestions
86
14.
Conclusion
87
-6-
Introduction to Fertilizer
Industry
land is totally fixed. So we have to produce more without any increase in arable land area. This
can be done if productivity goes up. And fertilizer plays a major role in productivity escalation.
As this is a vital commodity it is in the interest of nation that farmers get fertilizers at
reasonable rate and in adequate quantity. Looking to the poor economic condition of Indian
farmers Government of India framed fertilizer policy in 1977 based on Maratha committee
report. The purpose behind introducing this policy was to supply fertilizer to resource poor at a
price they could afford, so as to increase the consumption of fertilizer, to increase food
production, and ensure fair return to fertilizer producers.
With this twin objective, Retention Price Scheme (RPS) for fertilizers came into picture.
In this scheme government has brought the fertilizer under the preview of Essential Commodities
Act (ECA) in which the retail price of fertilizer to the farmer is notified by the Government of
India from time to time. This retail price to the farmer is uniform throughout the country and is
subject to local taxes applicable under the respective States.
Further under ECA, the government also operates a system of distribution control in
which the manufacturers including the handling agents for the imported fertilizers are directed to
sell specified quantities of fertilizers in given states/union territories. While doing so, the
logistics of fertilizer distribution including storage, transportation, handling etc. are also suitably
regulated conforming to overall supply plans of the government to meet the requirement in all
the parts of the Country.
Now manufacturers also should get reasonable rate of return as all incentive for
producing fertilizers. Manufacturers should get at least that much, which call enable them to
remain in the industry.
Government of India fixes the price of fertilizers in such a way that manufacturer's cost
of production including cost of marketing is covered and the manufacturer gets a 12% post tax
return on net worth of the unit at a pre-defined capacity utilization. Norms are fixed for
consumption of raw material, utilities, services, capacity utilization, depreciation etc. The price
so fixed is called Retention Price (RP). This price is reviewed every three years.
In a nutshell fertilizers can not be sold in open markets and producing unit has almost nil
say in fixing fertilizer price. Then how to increase profits? By operating plant efficiently only.
-8-
The work of administering the Retention Price Scheme (RPS) is entrusted to Fertilizer
Industry Co-ordination Committee (FICC) which works under the control of department of
chemicals and fertilizers.
-9-
- 10 -
- 11 -
- Surat Gujarat
- 12 -
Besides marketing its products KRIBHCO carries out various other programmed
like farmers benefit programmed, sanket Haran bima yojana, marketing of BVFCL
(Brahmputra valley fertilizer corporation limited) vred seed multiplication programmer,
gramin vikas trust (rural development trust)
A cooperative thrives on the trust of, its members. Membership of KRIBHCO is open to
government of India, national state and district and village level cooperative society. At the
initial stage, way back in june, 1981 the total membership in KRIBHCO was only 221
cooperative societies which rose significantly to 6044 cooperative societies as on march
31,2005 as against 5790 as on march 31 2004. Phenomenal progress made by the society
becomes a testimony to the ever-increasing membership over the years.
The total paid up share capital as on March 31, 2005 was rs.39, 354.15 lakh as against
rs.49, 170.72lakh in the previous year. During the current financial year, the society has
refunded share capital of rs.9700 lakh to IFFCO and government of India respectively .the
state wise membership with share capital contribution as on March 31,2005 vis--vis march
31 2004.
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MISSION: A)
B)
C)
VISION:-
OBJECTIVES: -
a) To undertake the activities for the rural upliftment and agriculture development.
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(II)
To set up storage units for storing fertilizer and other goods by itself or in
collaboration with other agency.
(III)
To act as warehousing agency under the warehousing act and own godowns or hire
godowns for the storage of fertilizers and other goods.
AWARDS: The excellence performance of the society has brought a number of laurels from various
organizations .The awards received during year were as follows: (I)
National productivity council has awarded productivity award the society for bio
fertilizer product for the year 1999-2000, 2001-2002 in the year 2003-2004.
(II)
Certificate of merit by public relations society of India, Hyderabad chapter for house
journal of KRIBHCO
(III)
Best technical innovative award for the year 2003 by fertilizer association of India.
(IV)
Certificate of merit Gujarat safety council for relining 30 lakh accident free manhours.
(V)
Hazira ammonia extension project (HAEP) rotating shield winner and certificate for
lowest disabling injury index in group-c industries.
(VI)
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Agriculture and Technical University, Meerut All India
Farmers Fair And agro Industrial Exhibition First Prize To Kribhco on 10-03-2005.
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(VII) Kribhco has won first prize for Bio-Fertilizer Production, Marketing And Promotion
Award For the year 2003 And 2004 by National Productivity Council (NPC). Award
Has been given formal function held on 10 th May,.2005 by Honble Minister For
Agriculture Shri Shard Pawar Ji.
(VIII) Special Participation Award in Corporate Sector Event Vyapar 2005 Event
Organized By Southern Gujarat Chamber OF Commerce And Industries From
February 11 16, 2005, the theme of pavilion was Development OF BioTechnology In Kribhco
HISTORY OF KRIBHCO: Encourage with the successful operation of fertilizer plant of Kalul, Kandla and
Phulpur in the co-operative Limited. (IFFCO) higher to the one and the only co-operative in
the fertilizer industry has promoted another co-operative namely
KRIBHCO Ltd to made the new giant plant of Hazira.
MILE STONES: (I) Project zero Date
31/03/1981
5/02/1982
31/03/1985
26/11/1985
1/3/1986
Urea 99%
Ammonia95%
January/September 1985
6-11-85
30-11-85
(stream 11/31)
26-11-85
13-12-85
31-12-85
Urea
- 16 -
01-12-85
(I)
KRIBHCO plant
ISO 9001-2000
(II)
KRIBHCO plant
ISO 14001
Director
05
49
Vigilance
01
Training
09
HR
58
Security
72
Material
50
Medical
31
Mechanical
172
Transportation
39
Fire safety
29
Instrument
69
88
Ms System
13
Laboratory
35
Production
365
Technical
27
Total Manpower
1112
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PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHT
Highest Production Urea
18.06 Lakh mt
(Previous Best 17.73 Lakh mt, 2003-2004)
18.05 Lakh mt
(Previous Best 17.85 Lakh mt, 2003-2004)
5.861 G.Cal/mt
(Previous Best 5.886 G.Cal/mt, 2003-2004)
8.204 G.Cal/mt
(Previous Best 8.222 G.Cal/mt, 2003-2004)
1.54 Lakh Qtls
(Previous Best 1.21 lakh Qtls, 2003-2004)
1.49 Lakh Qtls
(Previous Best 1.11 Lakh Qtls, 2003-2004)
611 mt
(Previous Best 516 mt, 2003-2004)
Rs.3608 Lakh
(Previous Best Rs.3052 Lakh , 2003-2004)
Rs.72.91Lakh
(Previous Best Rs.29.91Lakh , 2003-2004)
Rs.183.83 Crores
Rs.140.59 Crores
Proposed Dividend
20 %
QUALITY POLICY
Management of KRIBHCO, Hazira plant is committed to operate and maintain its fertilizer
manufacturing complex through quality assurance, environmental protection and to the
satisfaction of customers.
KRIBHCO, Hazira plant shall achieve this quality policy through following objectives:
1. Continually upgrading technology to improve plant efficiency & reliability.
2. Maintaining & improving the safety & environmental performance.
3. Improving the skills & knowledge of personnel.
4. Continuously improving the quality Management system.
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FUTURE PLANS
A joint venture fertilizer project in Oman:
Society has invested US$ 80 million as equity in Oman India Fertilizer plant
which has achieved commercial production on 14th July 2005. The Project has annual capacity of
16.52 lakhs MT Urea and 2.50 lakhs MT surplus ammonia and has been built at a cost of US$
969 million. Marketing of Urea produced by this plant has since been commenced by the society.
Hazira Phase-II
Society is in the process of setting up a state of the art mega size ammonia plant of
capacity of 1850 MTDP and urea plant of capacity of 3250 MTDP at existing fertilizer complex
at Hazira. Existing infrastructure facilities will be utilized resulting in saving of cost. Plant will
be based on natural gas and we have energy consumption.
Gujarat state energy generation limited (GSEG)
Society has diversified to power sector and has invested Rs. 48.75 crores being 30%
equity in Gujarat State Energy Generation Limited, a joint venture company promoted by
government of Gujarat, GSEG is operating 156 MW Power Plant at Mora, District Surat.
KRIBHCOs Hazira plant is also going to be expanded. The society is also exploring the
possibilities to set up a 200 MW liquid fuel based power project at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Society
has deposited a development security of Rs.25 lakhs with Rajasthan State Electricity Board
(RSEB). Minister of power has given No Objection Certificate (NOC).
- 19 -
GM
(P)
GM
(Material)
JGM
(P)
(Material)
CM
(P)
(Material)
JGM
CM
GM
(F&A)
GM
(P&A)
GM
(Tech)
GM
(Mai.)
JGM
(F&A)
JGM
(P&A)
JGM
(Tech)
JGM
(Maintain)
CM
(F&A)
CM
(P&A)
CM
(Tech)
CM
(Maintain)
Ammonia
Urea
Power
Purchase
Store
PHP
Process
Instrument
Project
Electrical
F&S
Mechanic
Laboratory
Transportation
- 20 -
CM
(MIS)
Civil
COMPETENCY MAPPING
In todays competitive market, companies are aware that their workforce must be properly
trained and fully competent over a range of tasks within any given work discipline.
Competency mapping is a process through which one assesses and determines ones strengths as
an individual worker and in some cases, as part of an organization. It generally examines two
areas: emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ), and strengths of the individual in areas
like team structure, leadership, and decision-making. Large organizations frequently employ
some form of competency mapping to understand how to most effectively employ the
competencies of strengths of workers. They may also use competency mapping to analyze the
combination of strengths in different workers to produce the most effective teams and the highest
quality work.
Competency mapping can also be done for contract or freelance workers, or for those seeking
employment to emphasize the specific skills which would make them valuable to a potential
employer.
Competency mapping also requires some thought, time, and analysis, and some people simply
may not want to do the work involved to sufficiently map competencies. Competency mapping
alone may not produce accurate results unless one is able to detach from the results in analyzing
past successes and failures. Many studies find that people often overestimate their abilities,
making self-competency mapping results dubious.
The value of competency mapping and identifying emotional strengths is that many employers
now purposefully screen employees to hire people with specific competencies. They may need to
hire someone who can be an effective time leader or who has demonstrated great active listening
skills. Alternately, they may need someone who enjoys taking initiative or someone who is very
good at taking direction. When individuals must seek new jobs, knowing ones competencies can
give one a competitive edge in the job market.
Usually, a person will find themselves with strengths in about five to six areas. Sometimes an
area where strengths are not present is worth developing. In other cases, competency mapping
can indicate finding work that is suited to ones strengths, or finding a department at ones
current work where one's strengths or needs as a worker can be exercised.
A problem with competency mapping, especially when conducted by an organization is that
there may be no room for an individual to work in a field that would best make use of his or her
competencies. If the company does not respond to competency mapping by reorganizing its
employees, then it can be of little short-term benefit and may actually result in greater
unhappiness on the part of individual employees. A person identified as needing to learn new
things in order to remain happy might find himself or herself in a position where no new training
is ever required. If the employer cannot provide a position for an employee that fits him or her
better, competency mapping may be of little use.
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However, competency mapping can ultimately serve the individual who decides to seek
employment in an environment where he or she perhaps can learn new things and be more
intellectually challenged. Being able to list competencies on resumes and address this area with
potential employers may help secure more satisfying work. This may not resolve issues for the
company that initially employed competency mapping, without making suggested changes. It
may find competency mapping has produced dissatisfied workers or led to a high worker
turnover rate.
Competency also means the collection of success factors necessary for achieving important
results in a specific job or work role in a particular organization. Success factors are
combinations of knowledge, skills, and attributes that are described in terms of specific
behaviors, and are demonstrated by superior performers in those jobs or work roles. Attributes
include: personal characteristics, traits, motives, values or ways of thinking that impact an
individuals behavior.
Competencies
in
organizations
tend
to
fall
into
two
broad
categories:
- Personal Functioning Competencies. These competencies include broad success factors not
tied to a specific work function or industry (often focusing on leadership or emotional
intelligence
behaviors).
- Functional/Technical Competencies. These competencies include specific success factors
within
a
given
work
function
or
industry.
Three
other
definitions
are
needed:
- 22 -
is
vehicle
for
organizational
HRD
applications
such
as:
Defining the factors for success in jobs (i.e., work) and work roles within the organization.
Assessing the current performance and future development needs of persons holding jobs and
roles.
Mapping
succession
Assigning
compensation
possibilities
grades
for
and
employees
levels
to
within
particular
the
jobs
organization.
and
roles.
Selecting applicants for open positions, using competency-based interviewing techniques ETC.
Why
Should Individual
Employees
Map Their
Competencies?
Projects an appearance as a cutting-edge and well-prepared candidate, who has taken the time
to learn about competencies, investigate those in demand, and map his/her own competencies
prior to interviewing.
Demonstrates self-confidence that comes from knowing ones competitive advantages more
convincingly, and from being able to articulate those advantages in specific language.
Secures essential input to resume development - a set of important terms to use in describing
expertise derived from prior career experience.
Gains advanced preparation for interviews, many of which may be delivered using a
competency- based approach called structured behavioral interviewing or behavioral event
interviewing.
Develops the capability to compare ones actual competencies to an organization or positions
required/preferred competencies, in order to create an Individual Development Plan.
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- 24 -
(circumstance,
action,
results)
Model.
At the conclusion of the interview, all interviewers of a particular candidate meet and compare
the behaviors they heard from the candidate that support the assertion that the candidate
possesses a specific competency. If the candidate did not offer specific examples with relevant
behaviors, after additional attempts at rephrasing the question or asking different but related
questions, then the determination is made that the candidate does not possess the competency.
The underlying philosophy here is that the best predictor of future performance is past
performance that was demonstrated by concrete, observable behavior.
A final hiring decision is made based on the total strength of competencies demonstrated by each
candidate, compared with those competencies that are considered essential for success in the
position and in the organization, and as compared with the competency strengths of the
remaining candidates for the same position.
- 25 -
Up to this point, it is implied that the main need for identifying and mapping competencies is for
individuals who may be pursuing full-time employment with an organization. However, the need
for mapping of competencies also extends to independent contractors seeking project work with
those organizations that broker their services.
- 26 -
acquisition
involves
complex
cognitive
processes: perception,
learning,
communication, association and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the
confident understanding of a subject with the ability to use it for a specific purpose.
Reliable knowledge
The knowledge based on the logical considerations and scientific calculations is known as
reliable knowledge. The degree of reliability is high regarding the information here, hence
known as reliable knowledge.
Communicating knowledge
Symbolic representations can be used to indicate meaning and can be thought of as a dynamic
process. Hence the transfer of the symbolic representation can be viewed as one ascription
process whereby knowledge can be transferred. Other forms of communication include imitation,
narrative exchange along with a range of other methods. There is no complete theory of
knowledge transfer or communication.
Situated knowledge
Situated knowledge is knowledge specific to a particular situation. Some methods of generating
knowledge, such as trial and error, or learning from experience, tend to create highly situational
- 27 -
knowledge. One of the main benefits of the scientific method is that the theories it generates are
much less situational than knowledge gained by other methods. Situational knowledge is often
embedded in language, culture, or traditions.
Knowledge generated through experience is called knowledge "a posteriori", meaning
afterwards. The pure existence of a term like "a posteriori" means this also has a counterpart. In
this case that is knowledge "a priori", meaning before. The knowledge prior to any experience
means that there are certain "assumptions" that one takes for granted. For example if one is being
told about a chair it is clear to him that the chair is in space, that it is 3D. This knowledge is not
knowledge that one can "forget", even someone suffering from amnesia experiences the world in
3D.
Partial knowledge
One discipline of epistemology focuses on partial knowledge. In most realistic cases, it is not
possible to have an exhaustive understanding of an information domain, so then we have to live
with the fact that our knowledge is always not complete, that is, partial. Most real problems have
to be solved by taking advantage of a partial understanding of the problem context and problem
data. That is very different from the typical simple math problems that we solve at school, where
all data are given and we have a perfect understanding of formulas necessary to solve them.
- 28 -
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Knowledge management is a management theory which emerged in the 1990s. It seeks to
understand the way in which knowledge is created, used and shared within organizations. A
significant part of Knowledge Management theory and practice aligns two models:
(i)
The DIKW model, which places data, information, knowledge and wisdom into an
increasingly useful pyramid.
(ii)
Both of these models are increasingly under challenge with different schools of thought
emerging which are more fully described and referenced in the main article.
An objective of mainstream knowledge management is to ensure that the right information is
delivered to the right person just in time, in order to take the most appropriate decision. In that
sense, knowledge management is not interested in managing knowledge per se, but to relate
knowledge and its usage. This leads to Organizational Memory Systems. More recent
developments have focused on managing networks (the flow of knowledge rather than
knowledge itself) and narrative forms of knowledge exchange.
Knowledge Management ('KM') comprises a range of practices used by organizations to
identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge. It has been an established discipline since
1995 with a body of university courses and both professional and academic journals dedicated to
it. Most large companies have resources dedicated to Knowledge Management, often as a part of
'Information Technology' or 'Human Resource Management' departments, and sometimes
reporting directly to the head of the organization. As effectively managing information is a must
in any business, and knowledge and information are intertwined, Knowledge Management is a
multi-billion dollar worldwide market.
HR has a key role in the KM movement. Key HR processes- corporate education, performance
management and nurturing culture, have a key role in the development of the knowledge based
enterprise.
- 29 -
Sustainable competitive advantage a firm has come from what it collectively knows, how
effectively it uses what it knows and how readily it acquires and uses new knowledge, in short
by becoming a Knowledge Driven Organization. Knowledge Management (KM) provides an
enabling framework to derive this advantage. It helps institutionalize processes to fully leverage
the collective knowledge in an organization.
Knowledge management refers to all systematic activities for creation and sharing of knowledge
so that knowledge can be used for the success of the organization. KM processes provide a
framework for connecting people to people and people to information, to develop and share
distilled learning and best practices.
- 30 -
subconscious, internalized, and the individual may or may not be aware of what he or she knows
and how he or she accomplishes particular results. At the opposite end of the spectrum is
conscious or explicit knowledge -- knowledge that the individual holds explicitly and
consciously in mental focus, and may communicate to others. In the popular form of the
distinction, tacit knowledge is what is in our heads, and explicit knowledge is what we have
codified.
Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) argued that a successful KM program needs, on the one hand, to
convert internalized tacit knowledge into explicit codified knowledge in order to share it, but, on
the other hand, it also must permit individuals and groups to internalize and make personally
meaningful codified knowledge they have retrieved from the KM system.
The focus upon codification and management of explicit knowledge has allowed knowledge
management practitioners to appropriate prior work in information management, leading to the
frequent accusation that knowledge management is simply a repackaged form of information
management.
Another common framework for categorizing the dimensions of knowledge include embedded
knowledge (knowledge which has been incorporated into an artifact of some type, for example
an information system may have knowledge embedded into its design) and embodied knowledge
(representing knowledge as learned capability of the bodys nervous, chemical, and sensory
systems).
- 31 -
Similarly, knowledge may be accessed before the project implementation, for example as the
project team learns lessons during the initial project analysis. Similarly, lessons learned during
the project operation may be recorded, and after-action reviews may lead to further insights and
lessons being recorded for future access. Note: In this context recording knowledge relates only
to those aspects of knowledge which can be codified as text, or drawings.
Different organizations have tried various knowledge capture incentives, including making
content submission mandatory and incorporating rewards into performance measurement plans.
There is considerable controversy over whether incentives work or not in this field and no firm
consensus has emerged.
- 32 -
managing intellectual capital and intellectual assets in the workforce (such as the
expertise and know-how possessed by key individuals) as individuals retire and new
workers are hired.
- 33 -
- 34 -
Just-in-time Canvassing - templates and e-mail canvassing lists that enable people
looking for experts or expertise to identify and connect with the appropriate people
quickly and effectively
Personal Content Management - taxonomy processes and desktop search tools that enable
employees to organize, subscribe to, publish and find information that resides on their
own desktops
PKM Skills
Skills associated with personal knowledge management.
Networking with others. Knowing what your network of people knows. Knowing who
might have additional knowledge and resources to help you
- 35 -
KM concepts
The Knowledge management discourse has adopted, invented and refined concepts from a wide
range of disciplines and practices. There follows a list of concepts and language in use in the
field. At the moment there is no clear consensus on what is or is not a core concept. The ordering
of the list has no significance. Some knowledge of these terms and their background could be
summarized as what one should know to be considered a proficient KM adviser and knowledge
worker
Intellectual capital - the intangible assets of a firm. These include competencies, culture
and connections that enable and foster innovation, agility, awareness, adaptation and
corporate survival. KM plays a role in mapping, recording, evaluating, stewarding,
marketing and growing intellectual capital and knowledge assets.
tacit knowledge
- 36 -
knowledge harvesting
business intelligence
knowledge transfer
social capital
social networking,
Knowledge Ecosystems
Knowledge representation
codification vs. personalization - the trade-off between capture and storage of explicit
information and making connections to people who know as well as to acquire external
knowledge yourself.
Practice vs. process - the balance between informal learning and strictly defined
repeatable activities. .
Peer reviews - inviting colleagues who have experience with similar projects to share
their tips, tricks and lessons learned before starting out.
- 37 -
Knowledge mapping & audits - discovering opportunities, knowledge gaps and charting
flows. A survey to understand where current knowledge is created and who needs it.
Narrative - growing in use in KM based on an adoption of "we always know more than
we say" to add "and we always say more than we can write down. The use of narrative is
growing in knowledge management as an alternative to content management and CoP
and is linked in part to social computing.
- 38 -
- 39 -
Linking people to people in teams through formal/informal structures, for them to effectively
share knowledge.
A community of Practice (CoP) is one such useful structure. In large organizations with
geographical spread, multiple business units, businesses, organizational silos are likely to
constrain effective knowledge of the enterprise. Communities of practice (knowledge
communities or teams) formed around core competencies of the company help overcome this
constraint.
Intranets with efficient search engines provide an effective way to connect people to knowledge
repositories.
- 40 -
We need to create a culture of sharing. Often knowledge is seen as power and in a competitive
environment there could be a tendency to hoard knowledge. Key to success of KM is creation of
knowledge sharing culture and elimination of organizational and cultural barriers for
communication. We should move from hoarding of knowledge to gain power to sharing of
knowledge to gain power.
Operational issues:
Time The typical executive is already hard pressed for time. He has no time for an additional
initiative, if it is seen as a diversion from focus on immediate results. So, it is important to
integrate KM into existing business processes in the company and embed into workflow. KM
should not be seen as a separate initiative, but should be integrated into current workflow as a
more effective way to achieve business results.
The experience of practitioners of KM demonstrates that it succeeds only when we are able to
signal to employees, strong senior management endorsement for KM. Like all organizational
transformation processes, KM needs to be led by senior management.
Knowledge Management programs are typically tied to organizational objectives and are
intended to achieve specific outcomes, these can include, improved performance, competitive
advantage innovation, lessons learnt transfer (for example between projects) and the general
development of collaborative practices.
One aspect of Knowledge Management, knowledge transfer, has always existed in one form or
another. Examples include on-the-job peer discussions, formal apprenticeship, discussion
- 41 -
forums, corporate libraries, professional training and mentoring programs. However, with
computers becoming more widespread in the second half of the 20th century, specific
adaptations of technology such as knowledge bases, expert systems, and knowledge repositories
have been introduced to further simplify the process.
Knowledge Management programs attempt to manage the process of creation (or identification),
accumulation and application of knowledge across an organization. As such Knowledge
Management is frequently linked to the idea of the learning organization although neither
practice encompasses the other. Knowledge Management may be distinguished from
Organizational Learning by a greater focus on specific knowledge assets and the development
and cultivation of the channels through which knowledge flows.
Frequent Knowledge Management practices include:
enabling technologies such as knowledge bases and expert systems, help desks, corporate
intranets and extranets, Content Management, wikis and Document Management
- 42 -
CHALLENGES
FOR
HR
PROFESSIONALS
IN
THE
KNOWLEDGE INDUSTRY
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success
The new millennium is here & this is definitely not a bad time for professionals to gear
themselves up and think about the future, their future! It is time to plan, envision, prioritize and
set goals for the new millennium.
The challenge is not just in terms of updating technologies but also in terms of keeping young
workforce motivated and challenged at all the time. This breed of young and energetic
individuals is challenging a lot of the time-tested theories of employee recruitment, staffing,
motivation and general HR practices. There are lots of challenges while recruiting these young
bloods. They are as under:
We need to increase the credibility of HR within the organization that can be done by:
a) Being accurate in all HR work
b) Being predictable and maintaining consistency
c) Meeting commitment to do what we say on time and within specified budget
d) Being personally comfortable with peers, subordinates and superiors.
- 43 -
Job rotations: Well-planned job (role) rotations across geographical locations and
businesses in a firm help not only people development, but also provide an important
vehicle for transfer of knowledge and best practices, even though an organization cannot
obviously depend on this as the main source of knowledge transfer.
Knowledge communities (Teams), as the owners and users of the knowledge, should play
an active role in developing suitable course material for the functional and business
specific courses.
E Learning is on line learning. It is made available through company web sites and
even through CD ROMs. It allows the learner to enroll in to courses or programs of
- 44 -
their choice and acquire knowledge at their own pace at the place of their choice.
Corporate online universities, exclusive learning space to induct managers or develop
future leaders, ongoing programs for sales personnel and induction into new products and
services are some of the e-learning offerings, some of the companies are making
available to their employees to develop themselves. E- Learning provides the benefit of
convenienceallows the learner to do the learning at his or her pace, flexibility Learner
does not have to sacrifice a training program because of its clash with customer or
personal visit, and ease of learning. Experience in US / Europe seems to confirm that elearning also saves cost. As of now Band width might pose some constraints, but with
fast changing IT infrastructure, even in India, this could offer interesting opportunities.
Another very useful role HR could play is to capture stories of success and failures in the
company, archive them in the company training centre for reference for future. This
would not only support learning but could prevent repeat same mistakes.
Culture Change: Leveraging collective knowledge is possible only when people value
building on each others ideas and sharing their insights. Much of this shaped by the
culture of the organization. In some cultures, where knowledge is seen as power,
knowledge sharing may be seen to be in conflict with individuals personal interest.
Therefore, institutionalization of knowledge management requires HR to focus on the
managing the culture change/mindset of the people to strengthen collaborative team
working and knowledge sharing.
- 45 -
People do not do what you tell them, but what you measure them for. HR needs to institute a
system of rewards and recognition, training and performance development practices- activities
that reinforce the discipline of sharing, documenting knowledge and reuse of others ideas with
pride to achieve business goals.
People in business most often behave in a way that increases their career opportunities, reward
individual effort or task achievement. They reward something done in a crisis, but most incentive
programs do not reward avoiding a crisis. The best KM practitioners reward employees for
learning, sharing and collaborating.
1. Identify -- Determine what knowledge is critical for the success of the enterprise.
2. Capture -- Collect critical knowledge using techniques such as interviews and best
practices submissions.
3. Retain -- Store the captured knowledge in a format where it can be easily retrieved for use
at a later time.
- 46 -
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Objective of the study: There are three main objectives of the study as follows:
1. To study the status of KM in the organization and to check the competency of the
employees.
2. To study the perception of employees on the basis of job profile towards KM
3. To practice research methodology as a student
- 47 -
Limitations of research study: While conducting research, at most care was taken to collect
data in unprejudiced manner to make this study precise and truthful. But, due to certain
unavoidable reasons, there are certain limitations which are as mentioned below.
This study engrosses only a part of total number of employees working at Surat
manufacturing plant.
Employees were busy in their work and thus did not spare much time to respond openly
to the questions asked.
Information and responses given by the respondents may be a biased due to several
reasons.
Limited time span for carrying out study also restricted the research work.
As company is too large, as per their tactics and guiding principle employees were not
ready to disclose confidential facets.
- 48 -
AGE
20-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
50 &
Above
No. of
18
28
Employees
30
25
20
15
AGE
10
5
0
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
50 & >
YEAR
0-5
6-15
16-25
26-30
30 & Above
No. of
17
20
12
Employees
- 49 -
20
15
10
EXPERIENCE
5
0
6--15
16--25
26--30
30 & >
QUESTIONS
1. Do you feel you are doing the job according to your job profile?
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
45
50
40
30
No. of Employees
20
10
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From the above table and chart we can say that 90% of the respondents agrees that
they are doing the job according to their job profile while the 10% disagree.
- 50 -
2. Do you finish every work assigned to you within the time limit?
ANSWER
ALWAYS
SOMETIMES
NEVER
No. of Employee
42
50
40
30
No. of Employees
20
10
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From the above table and chart we can say that 84% of respondents always finishes
every work assigned to them within the time limit, while 16% sometime complete their work in
time.
ANSWER
ALWAYS
SOMETIMES
NEVER
No. of Employee
45
50
40
30
No. of Employees
20
10
0
Always
Sometimes
Never
- 51 -
Inferences: From the above table and chart it is clear that 90% of respondents sometimes need
guidance from their superiors while 8% never need any guidance from their superior.
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
14
32
35
30
25
20
No. of Employe es
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From the above table and chart its clear that 28% of respondents feel they need
training to perform their work, 64% do not need training to perform their work, while 8% were
unable to say anything about this.
5. Do you feel the type of work you were performing at the time of your joining and today is
the same?
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
14
36
- 52 -
40
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From the above table and chart we can say that 28% of respondents agrees that the
type of work they were performing at the time of their joining and today is the same while 72%
respondents disagree to the statement.
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
43
50
40
30
No. of Employees
20
10
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
- 53 -
Inferences: From above we can say that 86% of respondents admits that competency mapping
helps them to do manpower planning and only 2% disagreed while 12% didnt answered.
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
30
10
10
30
25
20
15
No. of Employe es
10
5
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From above we can say that 60% of respondents admits that competency mapping is
done regularly in KRIBHCO where as 20% disagreed and 20% didnt answered.
8.
Does Recruitment and Selection processes carried out considering competency of the
individuals?
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
35
- 54 -
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From above its clear that 70% of respondents agrees that Recruitment and Selection
processes carried out considering competency of the individuals while 10% respondents
disagreed.
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
42
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
No. of Employe es
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From above its clear that 84% believes that competency mapping is helpful in
individuals career development while only 2% disagreed to the statement.
- 55 -
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
39
40
35
30
25
20
No. of Employe es
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From above table and chart its clear that 78% respondents believes that Knowledge
is critical for their organization while 16% disagreed.
ANSWER
No. of
A) Reports and
B) Meetings and
C) Experience of
journals
group
the incidence
discussions
sharing
35
24
18
Employees
- 56 -
D) Others
35
30
25
20
No. of Employe es
15
10
5
0
A
Inferences: From above table and chart its clear that 18 employees feel Reports and journals, 35
feel Meetings and group discussions, 24 Experience of the incidence sharing, and 6 feels others
are the sources of knowledge in KRIBHCO.
ANSWER
A) Formal meetings
B) Informal meetings/chat
No. of Employees
42
17
50
40
30
No. of Employe es
20
10
0
A
Inferences: Looking to above graph it can be said that 42 respondents feel that knowledge is
shared among different departments through formal meetings whereas 17 says that informal
meetings is the way to share knowledge.
- 57 -
ANSWER
A) Not in
B) Nascent stage
C) Introduction
existence at all
No. of
D) Growth stage
stage
27
Employees
30
25
20
15
No. of Employe es
10
5
0
A
Inferences: It can be inferred that 6 respondents believe that knowledge management is Not in
existence at all, 6 believe its in Nascent stage, 8 believe its in Introduction stage while 27 believe
its in Growth stage.
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
46
- 58 -
50
40
30
No. of Employees
20
10
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From the above table and chart we can say that 92% of the respondents agrees that
IT plays a part in sharing knowledge while 2% disagreed and 4% didnt answered.
ANSWER
YES
NO
CANT SAY
No. of Employee
23
11
15
25
20
15
No. of Employees
10
5
0
Yes
No
Can't Say
Inferences: From above its clear that 46% respondents agrees that knowledge is exploited, 22%
believes it is not exploited while 30% didnt answered.
- 59 -
16. Do you undertake additional personal efforts to enhance your knowledge level and improve
your competency?
ANSWER
A) Invariably
B) Frequently
C) Rarely
D) Never
No. of
13
36
Employee
40
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
A
Inferences: From above its clear that 13 employees invariably undertake additional personal
efforts to enhance their knowledge level and improve their competency, 36 take frequently, 1
take rarely and 1 never take any personal efforts to enhance their knowledge level and improve
their competency.
17. What additional personal efforts do you undertake to enhance your knowledge level and
improve your competency?
ANSWER
A) None
B) Further
C) Personal
D) Private
education and
effort
research work
30
E) Magazines
training in my
own time
No. of
20
Employee
- 60 -
18
30
25
20
15
No. of Employees
10
5
0
A
ANSWER
A) Invariably
B) Frequently
C) Rarely
D) Never
No. of
12
38
Employee
40
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
A
Inferences: From above its clear that 12 employees invariably share their learning with their
colleagues, 38 do it frequently, 2 do it rarely their learning with their colleagues.
- 61 -
19. Which one is the biggest cultural barrier in knowledge management in company?
ANSWER
A) I am in
B) Indifference
C) Lack of
D) Lack of open
position attitude
of people
significance and
mindedness
towards
recognition to
developmental
knowledge
processes
sharing
16
No. of
10
19
Employee
20
15
10
No. of Employees
5
0
A
ANSWER
No. of
13
18
Employee
- 62 -
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
No. of Employees
ANSWER
No. of
12
15
Employee
16
14
12
10
8
No. of Employees
6
4
2
0
A
- 63 -
c) Innovations
ANSWER
No. of
18
Employee
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
No. of Employees
d) Inventory reduction
ANSWER
No. of
10
10
17
Employee
- 64 -
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
No. of Employees
e) Employee development
ANSWER
No. of
12
18
Employee
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
No. of Employees
- 65 -
f) Cost reduction.
ANSWER
No. of
20
Employee
20
15
10
No. of Employees
5
0
A
g) Revenue growth
ANSWER
No. of
10
11
16
Employee
- 66 -
16
14
12
10
8
No. of Employees
6
4
2
0
A
h) Better decision-making.
ANSWER
No. of
13
19
Employee
20
15
10
No. of Employees
5
0
A
- 67 -
ANSWER
No. of
20
Employee
20
15
10
No. of Employees
5
0
A
ANSWER
No. of
10
16
Employee
- 68 -
16
14
12
10
8
No. of Employees
6
4
2
0
A
k) Improving quality
ANSWER
No. of
25
Employee
25
20
15
No. of Employees
10
5
0
A
- 69 -
l) Improving delivery
ANSWER
No. of
21
Employee
25
20
15
No. of Employees
10
5
0
A
- 70 -
ANSWER
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
No. of
11
34
18
10
Employees
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
A
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
25
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
21
Employees
- 71 -
25
24
23
22
No. of Employees
21
20
19
SA
SD
Inferences: From the above table and graph 25 employees strongly agreed that Knowledge is
crucial for KRIBHCO and 21 agreed to the same.
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
34
Employees
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
SA
SD
- 72 -
Inferences: From the above table and graph 8 employees strongly agreed that KRIBHCOs
organizational culture is supportive to KM, 34 agreed to the same and 3 disagreed to the
statement.
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
12
36
Employees
40
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
SA
SD
Inferences: From the above table and graph 12 employees strongly agreed that Critical
technical knowledge is given more preference, 36 agreed to the statement while 6 disagreed and
1 strongly disagreed to it.
- 73 -
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
31
Employees
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
SA
SD
Inferences: From the above table and graph 8 employees strongly agreed that Competent and
knowledgeable employees are given due recognition, 31 employees agreed, 7 disagreed while 2
strongly disagreed to the statement.
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
12
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
32
Employees
- 74 -
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
SA
SD
Inferences: From the above table and graph 12 employees strongly agreed that Experiences or
knowledge shared in different organizational forum/meetings in practice needs to be documented
in scientific and structural manner, 32 agreed, while 3 disagreed top the statement.
27. There is a need of a management system for managing knowledge in this organization.
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
10
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
33
Employees
- 75 -
35
30
25
20
No. of Employees
15
10
5
0
SA
SD
Inferences: From the above table and graph 10 employees strongly agreed that there is a need
of a management system for managing knowledge, 33 agreed, while 5 employees disagreed to
the statement.
ANSWER
STRONGLY
AGREE(A)
DISAGREE(D)
AGREE(SA)
No. of
STRONGLY
DISAGREE(SD)
26
20
Employees
30
25
20
15
No. of Employees
10
5
0
SA
SD
- 76 -
Inferences: From the above table and graph 26 employees strongly agreed that KM plays a
significant role in organizational development and 20 respondents agreed to the above statement.
- 77 -
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Department/Plant: __________________________
Discipline:
Designation: __________________________
Age:
20-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
50 & above
6-15
16-25
26-30
30 & above
Gender: ______________
Education qualification:
Stream
Graduate
Post Graduate
Science
Commerce
Arts
Engineering
Management
Research
- 78 -
Doctorate
QUESTIONS
1. Do you feel you are doing the job according to your job profile?
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
2. Do you finish every work assigned to you within the time limit?
Always
[ ]
Sometimes
[ ]
Never
[ ]
Always
[ ]
Sometimes
[ ]
Never
[ ]
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
5. Do you feel the type of work you were performing at the time of your joining and today is
the same?
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
- 79 -
8.
Does Recruitment and Selection processes carried out considering competency of the
individuals?
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
Others
[ ]
Formal meetings
[ ]
Informal meetings/chat
[ ]
[ ]
Nascent stage
[ ]
Introduction stage
[ ]
Growth stage
[ ]
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
- 80 -
Yes
[ ]
No
[ ]
Cant Say
[ ]
16. Do you undertake additional personal efforts to enhance your knowledge level and improve
your competency?
Invariably
[ ]
Frequently
[ ]
Rarely
[ ]
Never
[ ]
17. What additional personal efforts do you undertake to enhance your knowledge level and
improve your competency?
None
[ ]
[ ]
Private relationships
[ ]
[ ]
Magazines
[ ]
Invariably
[ ]
Frequently
[ ]
Rarely
[ ]
Never
[ ]
19. Which one is the biggest cultural barrier in knowledge management in company?
a) I am in position attitude
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
- 81 -
20. How significant is the role that effective KM can play in achieving the best result w.r.t the
following in company?
a) Improving competitive advantage
c) Innovations
d) Inventory reduction.
e) Employee development.
f) Cost reduction.
g) Revenue growth
h) Better decision-making.
1 2
k) Improving quality
l) Improving delivery
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
[ ]
- 82 -
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
SD
SA
NO.
STATEMENTS:
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
SA A
- 83 -
SD
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Employee in KRIBHCO believe that they are doing the job according to their job profile.
They finish every work assigned to them within the time limit, which shows that they are
competent, though many of them need guidance from their superiors sometimes.
Few believe that they need training to perform their job which is contradicting to their
competency level, since the type of type of work they were performing at the time of
their joining and today have changed.
Many believe that competency mapping is carried out regularly in KRIBHCO and
recruitment and selection process is carried out considering the competency of
individuals but few disagreed to this statement.
Almost all employees believes that competency mapping is helpful in individuals career
development.
Formal meetings are the major sources of knowledge in this organization informal
meeting and chats are also alternative for knowledge sharing.
An excellent IT infrastructure exists in this organization. E-mail and intranet is the major
source of sharing knowledge in the company as far as IT is concerned. Electronic media
plays a significant role in networking of knowledge in this organization.
Though employees frequently share their learning with their colleagues after attending
seminars or training but it is in a non regular manner through informal chats. It is not
institutionalized but can be structured in a proper manner as scope is there.
Some of the major cultural barriers are Indifference of people towards developmental
processes, and Lack of open mindedness.
- 84 -
- 85 -
SUGGESTIONS
In this organization competency mapping must be regularly done in order to check the
competency level of the employees.
Since many of the employees are performing different jobs to what they were doing at the
time of their joining they need training to perform the new work allotted them.
There is need for the support from the top management since it is considered a major
hurdle in effective knowledge management implementation and the employees must also
be made aware of importance of knowledge management system.
For sure and systematic implementation of KM, organization should explore possibility
of implementation of KM through some certified (accrediting) agency.
Some motivation should be given to the employees so that they take interest in
knowledge enhancement and management.
E Learning is on line learning. It is made available through company web sites and
even through CD ROMs. It allows the learner to enroll in to courses or programs of
their choice and acquire knowledge at their own pace at the place of their choice.
- 86 -
CONCLUSION
Hence, with the given research study conducted in this organization, it can be concluded that the
concept of competency mapping and Knowledge Management is in between the introduction
and growth stage that is it is ahead of introduction stage and has not reached yet to growth stage.
It has been also concluded that there is certainly a quest for knowledge in the employees and
combining this factor with highly established HR Department and advanced Information
Technology in the organization, competency mapping is need to be regularly carried out here and
Knowledge Management will definitely reach to the growth stage in due course of time in this
organization.
- 87 -