Video on Marginal Difference

The Message

Motivation is what drives people to do their best, instead of doing the bare minimum. 

Lessons Learned

The main goal is to obtain control and power over the way we think.  Described in the video are certain attitudes assumed by members of organizations.  They are what is "good enough" and what is "inspired".  "Good enough" attitudes create stagnate work environments and negative outcomes toward innovation.  Maybe organizations can get by through this train of thinking, but they will never grow beyond it.  "Inspired" attitudes create an elevated work environment and positive outcomes toward progressive thinking.  When an organization is collectively joined in this thinking, they will have advantages over other firms.  The margin of difference between both attitudes, most of time is narrow, but can make a large difference in an organizations progress.  There are 5 specific areas in which an organization can obtain the margin of difference.  They are through social networks, social capital, conversations, engagement process and individual thinking.

Social networks are the platforms for sharing knowledge between people.  Anyone who has a stake in the firm is connected to this platform.  When there are problems, most people within a firm go to the social network to find information on solving it.  If social networks are "inspired", then operations run smoother because information flows easily and is accessible.

Social capital refers to the pool of great rapport between individuals within a company.  If the aspects of trust and respect are amongst co-workers, than the relationship between employees are enhanced.  Conversations are also important to achieving "inspired" status of an organizations' performance.  This ties into building social capital amongst each other.  If there is harmony between employees, than the conversations that are built upon their experiences in working together, create synergy within the organization. 

The engagement process has to do with the scenarios of learning, working together, and accomplishing goals.  Engagement is the way interact with each other.  It can either produce a positive outcome or a negative outcome.  If the goal is understood, than the engagement process can bring out the best in each employee.

Individual thinking is building block of all the other areas of obtaining the margin of difference.  It is up to the individual to make a decision as to how they will cope with the forces of collaboration in a positive way or a negative way.  Empowerment of the individual's thinking is what creates this understanding of striving for the best instead of what is accepted.  Positive energy is contagious.  Making a decision every day to remain positive is a great step in changing your attitude and affecting other people in the right way.

Video on Collaboration and Collective Intelligence

The panel was made up of diverse individuals with professions that focus on collective intelligence.  This included; Mimi Ito, a cultural anthroplogist who studies media usage of young people in America and Japan, Cory Ondrejka, who is affiliated with Linden Lab, known for it's creation of an online 3D virtual reality collaboration tool called "2nd Life," and Trevor Scholz, an assistant professor and researcher at University of New York at Buffalo and creator of the Institute of Distributed Creativity.

After watching the video hosted by MIT, I have a more well-rounded perspective toward the collective intelligence topics that were discussed.  Collective intelligence is described in the video as being a group of people forming together to make decisions.  This collaboration between our kind is assumed to have been existent in some form or another as long as humans have inhabited the earth.  However the video focuses mainly on the role that information technology has played in allowing collective intelligence to be fully harnessed and possibly abused.  To harness collective intelligence, it requires successfully connecting the right people with computers.

One key point made is how corporations are able to monopolize through social networking websites.  Social networking websites operate on a platform in which the user creates the content.   Once a user creates their profile, they give up personal information that is aggregated to a population for the benefit of staying connected to their friends and families.  Due to a site's volume of traffic, companies that run these websites gain ad revenue.  The more eyes that are tuned in, the higher an ad price could be.  An argument that is proposed is that the companies that run social networking sites should operate as a non-profit.  If this cannot be done other things are suggested, such as; allowing users to exit easy, to increase the transparency of the terms and conditions and also give the public control over the content that they have created.

Another key point made is that of today's youth in collective imagination through social media.  Because of social media, a small niche idea can become infectious.  One example used is that of Japan's craze of the portable technology for kids, called Pokemon.  With this highly interactive toy, in order to play, kids have to interact with each other.  One comment that relates to collective intelligence is that the kids feel they can accomplish more as a group than as an individual.  This game allows kids to do that.  An argument made is that of it being a moral hazard for society due to the indifference in traditional ideologies.  The retort is that esoteric knowledge is common that we all want to be involved in something or feel accepted.

The last key point discussed is that of the differences between professionals and amateurs and how information technology has allowed amateurs to gain professional insights.  Because of the internet users have and now are able to compare their knowledge with professional knowledge.  Now, the only difference between amateurs and professionals is their lingo.

Video on Zappos

Zappos is an online company that sells shoes, clothing, and various other consumer products.  The company is not run like many traditional companies.  With a modest approach, the company has been able to grow rapidly amongst competition through their extreme focus on their customer service by implementing core values to create a culture that revolves around a psychology of delivering happiness to their customers and employees.  This approach has allowed the Zappos to stand out amongst other online companies. 

One way they stand out amongst other online companies is through their oline ordering system.  It creates convenience and value for customers on the front end.  They provide free shipping both ways, allowing customers to try on outfits or shoes in the comfort of their own home and return the products they don't like under a 365 day return policy.  This allows for increasing returns because not only does the unique service provide repeat business individually, they tell their friends, family and other coworkers about the experience.  Rather than spending net profits on advertising and other means of growing the brand, they let the customers do the marketing for them through word of mouth. 

To Zappos, there is not a codified means of creating a great customer experience.  They feel that if the companies culture lines up right with their core values, creating a great customer experience is easy for their employees.  Another way they remain competitive is through their call center, which is dedicated to providing excellent service to their customers.  Whether it is to provide fashion help, redirect them to another company that has a product in stock, or give support on how the ordering and return process works, they strive for creating that unique moment with that customer, where they can deliver happiness.

The hiring process is detailed and ensures that each employee is a right fit for the company.  First they are interviewed for skill sets, then they are interviewed for culture match.  Candidates for the job are paid for their time of training, but for a means of weaving out bad candidates from good candidates, they are given the offer of a sum of money to quit at a certain point in training.  If they take it then the company see this as progress, because they are finding the employees that want to be there and want to make their job not just a job, but a calling.  This creates trust and long lasting bond beween the company and it's employees.  The new hires destination is not definitive immediately.  They start at the bottom level in the warehouse to learn packing, pulling, receiving, and sending.  They are then moved up to the call center and classes are provided based special techniques with concentration of their core values.  This creates a learning culture and allows for a knowledge sharing company.

The video on Zappos was very inspiring to me that I now consider taking a "Zappos" attitude and approach to my school, work, and life.

United States Heathcare and how Knowledge Management can help

According to the article from "Business Week", money is being wasted in our health care system.  One issue highlighted is the mode of providing health care.  Hospitals work on a fee for service basis.  This leads to question the efficiency of providing quality over quantity of health care.  The country is experiencing high costs from this sector due to these inefficiencies, much of which is attributable to the redundancies in treatment and errors in malpractice.  Many people, organizations, and employers are taking matters into their own hands, by providing private care, forming events, giving incentives through wellness programs, but what can be used to innovate the system?  What can make it more efficient?  What can help is to provide quality health care instead of quantity.  Knowledge management systems can be used to improve the inefficiencies and eliminate the waste by providing better services that will lead to less visits.  Doctors should be able to provide such a quality of their service that no repeat visits are required.  To do that, they would need an on-demand knowledge based system.  When performing special services to patients, whether it is while performing surgery, recommending a prescription, offering information for options in moving forward with a procedure, or even consulting with other colleagues, a system of such would lead to better quality over quantity in providing health care to America.

knowledge appropriation, importance to competitive advantage and complimentary assets

     According to an article at http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/1317/ , appropriation has two possible meanings: "the act of making usable" or the fact of “making something belong, become our property"  The term knowledge appropriability is used commonly amongst doctors and practicioners.  When using the term in the context of an individual amongst it's community, it means it is a way of gauging the validity or usefulness of knowledge through out a common practice.  A summary found on www.sciencedirect.com in searching "codification", explains how today's organizations have a high demand for intense problem-solving attributes in employees.  This demand is taking the place of more traditional, implied or tacit knowledge employees.  Through means of codification or standardization, tacit knowledge is still important, but today's technology is gradually replacing work that was once performed by humans.  I believe this more evolved, knowledge-equipped workforce has something to do with the appropriation of knowledge and competitive advantage of organizations.  The more intelligent employee is becoming a valued asset, because big systems and machines require intelligent people to develop, manage and operate.
     Knowledge appropriation is important to competitive advantage because there is gain to an organization if the creativity of a human resource is producing knowledge that is superior to competition.  An example could be how one individual develops a software that runs a robotic arm in manufacturing that assembles parts and in turn, it increases productivity, reduces costs of converting output and allows them to supply more people than other firms.
     According to wikipedia, other firms can compete through means of complimentary assets, such as; brand recognition, or marketing power.  A firms' dominance in the market or loyalty from consumers can allow it to remain competitive.  A good example on wikipedia is of the company RC COLA.  They developed the first diet drink.  Though they were first to the market, soon competitors like Pepsi, because of customer loyalty, were able to copy the drink and begin driving business to their product.

Video on Composing a Career and Life

In this video, Linda Mason, an entrepreneur operating during a recession, speaks of her life story, her decision to change her life and her dedication to giving her life meaning.  She speaks of the adversity and struggles throughout the various transitions in her career; including her work with her husband in Sudan refugee camps and all the way to the creation of a humanitarian-based organization called, Bright Horizons, which manages employer sponsored child care programs across the world.  Before the creation of Bright Horizons, she would find herself feeling depressed.  She had everything; cars, money, a house that was paid off, but had nothing that stood out as a difference maker.  She began reflecting on her life and it caused her to start leading a life that impacts others and not just herself.  The message of this video is about rethinking your life and career.  The story inspires to not take your life for granted and to take chances even if the future does not seem clear.  This message is a wake-up call for people who just settle for selfish minimum.  It asks for listeners to take hold of their own life and start managing it so that it affects others now and the ones that come later after you are gone.   Linda Mason's life story inspires me to take my life more serious and to follow my passion to make an impact on others, so that there will be a positive world even after I am gone.

Knowledge as a Strategic Asset in Companies

A company faces competition, regardless of the area of expertise from which they operate.  What can set one company apart from another is how the company develops strategy from what is known or obtained.  Strategic assets are competencies that a company possesses.  Physically, the asset could be a design, patent, copyright, an internal process, or knowledge about a specialized area.  What makes an asset strategic is how a company uses core competencies to position themselves toward reaching its' goals.  Knowledge is the most important strategic asset to companies because it gives an advantage on competition.  Knowledge is the information about the facts; the numbers in the statistics, the results from testing, or all other resources that indicate the position of a company.  A company must use all of these resources of information to construct a plan that allows them to remain competitive and to get out in front of the other companies.  Because of this better access of information, the company will have a hard to replicate lead on others and have more business amongst competitors.