Monday, December 17, 2007

Electrical Facials - Metal Fillings

Why is protected intellectual property?

Dear Reader,

were the last blog or the causes of the abuse of intellectual property in the foreground, I would like today than accounts for the year 2007, the behavior of endangered or damaged owners question. In other words, it is about the objectives of the protection of Intellectual Property:

State protection goals

Away from the not discussed here welfare effects of socialization attempts in-novative and creative works of the State, the contestability of the market maintain for intellectual property. With the establishment of institutional framework once it intends to minimize the risk of market failure by economically undesirable externalities from the abuse of intellectual work results and to create incentives for state-goal-oriented research and development efforts. Second, seek state regulatory measures to limit the degree and duration of the exclusion of third parties will benefit, as effects of creative services - independent special interests of rights holders - to

  • the intensification tion of innovation and creativity competition
  • increasing economic growth and
  • promoting cultural development of society.
Private sector conservation goals

In contrast to the state is the design and exploitation of protective mechanisms by private market players focus less on market regulation and welfare-related aspects. It is therefore rather, the intent of individual need satisfaction from the economic performance of utilization of innovative and creative works followed. Accordingly, measures intended to preserve intellectual property from uncompensated private association receiving the da-out profit gained. were defined by law before the expiration of terms of protection or rights holder before amortize investment in innovation and also achieve adequate profits to the unauthorized exercise of property rights in intellectual property can be prevented. In addition, you will receive the degree of novelty of innovation and intellectual property resulting competitive advantages and unique selling points and the position taken by innovative lead market position to secure the long term and expand it if possible. To achieve this, protection measures designed to displace existing competitors or potential competitors by preventing the establishment of market barriers to the market.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

After the presentation of selected protective mechanisms in the new year I will finish the digression about intellectual property (for a detailed analysis of this issue, see the book written by me - Feuerzangenbowle Greetings - "Intellectual Property in the age of digitization and the Internet " http://books.google.com/books/duv?id=Uxye7TUZZsQC&hl=de ) and return to the usual daily satirical analysis of current developments in knowledge management and process management.

I hope you keep me as a reader weighed.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

What Is The Best Tissue Paper

Why is abusing intellectual property? Intellectual

Dear Reader,

last blog I have shown why the illegal Anneignung simply of intellectual property special. like today I question the motives of the perpetrator. In essence, three objectives make up for abuse:

  1. monetary targets

monetary targets abuse can be reduced to the following denominator: Discretionary maneuver be used on Recovering producer surplus opportunistic. This means that tortfeasor try to the intellectual benefit from implicit and explicit expectations derived from market value to acquire goods and to participate in positive external effects from the recovery of goods. However, this is selfish, against the will and without adequate remuneration or compensation to rights holders. This includes even the aspect, that interested parties with the unauthorized appropriation of intellectual achievements into account, intends to cut costs for the development or acquisition of merchantability, reputable and / or high-empirical intellectual property. Secondly, incorporate other innovative and creative works in the production of substitutive copies. Meeting imitators or counterfeiters with the offers on the effective demand, decrease the investment returns of the owners. translations

  1. competition Strategic Objective

There are a number competitive strategic objectives of abuse, some in-delayed directly or monetary consequences can lead to. Once injuring win customers for pirated copies and imitations, they expand their market share and reduce the use of original documents, respectively, the market shares of rights holders. Closely related to this objective can be concluded that be through adoption and imitation of intellectual achievements ex ante uncertainty about the innovation and success, not least, market development and reduce risks of penetration. In addition, the theft and misuse of intellectual resources offers the opportunity to circumvent monopolies, through innovative Pioneering leadership or legal protection of property rights of autonomy have been created. Competitors, yet not serve the markets or market segments from original suppliers are also able,

  • artificially created, for example, on legal protection periods,
  • resource-dependent, as manifested in the skills and know- how of employees, and / or
  • economically induced, for example, as a result of economies of scale,

to reduce market entry barriers. In addition, abuse can to the development of of new intellectual assets are aligned, that can later open up new markets or market segments.

  1. attention Economic aspects

Even the pursuit in a hobby, self-expression, to acquire fame and Pro-minenz and personal challenge in manipulating and Kompromittierungsversuchen can be targets of abuse of intellectual achievements. In this target category, not least the issue of free transfer of copied illegally appropriated and results of intellectual work falls to third parties.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Genital Warts - Support

Ownership - Why the abuse is so easy!

Dear Reader,

in continuation of the Post series on "Intellectual Property" Today I would like answers to the question of why the abuse of intellectual property, or more accurately the illegal Anneignung and utilization of intellectual resources particularly easy or rewarding.

in the properties of intellectual property is the key:

first
digitization of Intellectual Property

E
first Starting point for a differentiated assessment of the economic protection-be-ACTION being allowed various forms of intellectual property is - as a counter-piece to the physical manifestation - its digitized. The degree of digitization determined, as shown in the description of other properties with examples, major opportunities and costs of reproduction and distri-bution of human intellectual achievements. Intellectual property, such as music, software, films, to transfer to digital units, means that he or associated inherent information in data chain (Binary code) to convert. These increasingly easy and less costly process can be symbolically described as a transition from atoms to bits. There are also intellectual property that can be digitized so far. These include materialized results of intellectual work, such as sculptures and paintings.

second first copy costs and the ability to reproduce intellectual property s

cost curves

the creation and specification of intellectual property are often high and also devoted to the initial investment (first copy costs) which bear the fixed cost nature. In relation bear in its reproduction is often much smaller variable costs. Such a cost structure draws in the majority of relevant cases to the economies of scale. The reasons for this are to be sought, in essence, that fall disproportionately with proportionally increasing production volume by fixed costs, average unit costs. The extent and the possibilities for the realization of economies of scale are particularly determined by the degree of digitized innovative and creative works.

The total cost curves of material not digitized intellectual goods in accordance with non-negligible variable costs approximately that of traditional physical production processes. One example of automobiles and give medical device, causing the relatively high development costs. These goods can not be reproduced without considerable effort. For their reproduction is required, to name just a few conditions,
  • expensive technical aids, such as machinery and tools,
  • infrastructure requirements, for example, extensive facilities, and
  • physical inputs, intermediate products and materials.

also require manufacturers methodological skills, experience and know-how in both unerring ability to see the material in innovative and creative works contained information and for its transmission through materials processing to other physical objects.

Strong First Copy Cost structures can be found in industrial Strien-high empirical level, that is, industries in which innovation is often random or be found through great effort, but then by easy to copy (digitized) formulas, diagrams can be expressed and codified or descriptions. These include the chemical, pharmaceutical and microelectronics. But the production of digitized media products is usually characterized by relatively high first copy costs. Producers of such intellectual property, the use of digital reproduction technologies, the possibility of the creation of copies for resale to achieve economical. Compared to the conditions for the physical reproduction of intellectual property costs involved, although rather small, but crucial to the willingness to appropriate intellectual property against the will of the owners and use.

quality and time effects

quality and time effects of reproduction are also important. They are - as the cost of reproduction - closely related to digitized. A copy of digitized intellectual property is no different from the original, and each copy is an original. Digital copies can also produce no particular time in any quantity. For non-digitized results of intellectual work is, however, that making a copy is usually associated with a loss of quality and obviously requires a lot of time.

third Distribution of Intellectual Property

regard to the distribution possibilities for intellectual property is also an inherent differentiation is necessary. Not digitized intellectual property can be transported only in physical form through traditional channels of distribution between two geographically separate locations. In general, this requires support, sometimes even packaging and distribution services from supplier insofar economic calculations do not deliver or are not qualified to, the involvement of intermediaries.

intellectual property in the digital state, however, using electronic Data channels, such as the Internet, will be distributed directly to interested parties. Even considering the cost of using the transfer of technologies and knowledge relevant for the absorption components of the cost of digital distribution in relation to the physical transport is rather low. For a digital data transfer is needed, for example, no carrier in the conventional sense and packaging material. Finally, draw even in consideration that can be shortened depending on the transfer capacity of the networks at the time of distribution processes digitized intellectual property.

4th non-rivalry the use of Intellectual Property

Another feature different education imprints intellectual property is the non-rivalry of their consumption, which means they can be used multiple times or simultaneously by any number of market players in different places. Since the intellectual benefits of no worth even wear out, become obsolete, not by use and not the consumer, the satisfaction of needs from the use of individual actors is not affected in any way. Software works as unchanged even after many applications and copies. This representation is already clearly that can not rival intellectuals deprived of goods interested buyers first, hardly, even if they are not willing to pay the asking price. For as soon as you sell a copy, it is more than one potential provider of uses. couple

Taking into account the various possibilities, intellectual benefits of physical objects or to merge, the implied generalization of the positioning results of intellectual work as an unlimited resource must be qualified, however. There are intellectual assets origin or content to their economic recovery demand - divorced have to compete or their consumption of a "traffic jam risk 'subject - the possibility of reproduction. These include intuitive materialized intellectual property, for example, realized product innovations. Innovative and creative works that fall into this category combine property, located on properties that can be rather close to a limited availability.

outlook for the next post, "The calculus of harm"

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Make My Own Championship Belts Online

Intellectual property - What would the music industry 5 years ago have known

Dear Reader,

I take do not like in the post-series "Intellectual Property" anticipate, but today I must comment on a daily review (18/10/2007) of the mirror: http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0, 1518, 512,095.00. html . There, under the heading " discontinued model recording industry reports that the famous singer Madonna from her previous record company Warner Music off and received a lot of money for a contract with concert promoter Live Nation. The article goes on to say (quote): " musicians can now with live performances concerts - deserve much more than by a landslide - and the associated marketing declining CD sales. "

From the review described farewell to the traditional business models in the music industry, I prefer at least for me to conclude that only / not enough my book on the topic" Intellectual property in the age of digitization and the Internet. .. Have an economic analysis of abuse calculations and protection strategies read "Well, I admit, it was a scientific work (dissertation) The material is interesting but dry and sober presents nevertheless be found in the book and the following paragraph:..

" success has to be particularly promising is the following Approach proved. Easily copied goods are offered for a small fee or waive injured players to pursue their legal claims. For a temporary deployment or demonstration of skills is hard to imitate the other hand, demands a premium price. This principle is to use some music groups. They take the abuse of their works consciously accept and hope that the accelerated market-dring-ung quickly to achieve a high level of awareness and win a large number of interest-res-sen-ten concerts. Since the ticket prices for such events Ver-an- within certain limits are set freely, it is estimated as a replacement for lost-ene proceeds from the sale of music albums rather in terms of Ge-profit-maximization as the cost recovery. . Additional revenue can be in the program from the trade in (not digitalizeable) memorabilia achieve "

the way, the work is now about 5 years old It has, however -. As the Spiegel article shows - not affect their timeliness lost. If you are interested in the work, I still have a handful of free copies in stock. Please send inquiries to hachenberger@hotmail.com . Even better It would, of course, potential customers would buy the book. Your Internet ordering address: DUV .

Monday, October 15, 2007

Men In Spandex Disco Jeans

protections for intellectual property - an overview

Dear Reader,

Why now enjoy sharing networks for music, ebooks, videos and software are so popular? There are many reasons, but the one that is crucial - more effective compared to regular retail prices low, indeed almost negligible for the purchase and the other is the lack of protection mechanisms, respectively, low costs of abuse - through digitization and the Internet. Today I'd like I only give you an overview of protection mechanisms:

first culture of determined protection

develop culturally conditioned in any society norms and values that can act as protection mechanisms for intellectual property. Under standards means interpretation independent ideas of what behavior of members of society - seems appropriate - within certain tolerances. Values are enduring beliefs that the individual, a community, or that within certain social systems for desirable or respected and lived. influence beyond the immediate objectives of norms and values, the judgments of actors on specific situations, such as the observance of property contracts, but their action plans. Recognized misconduct is punished through social sanctions such as withdrawal of friendship or ostracism. As a result of the country dominated by societal influences and largely unknown protective effect of norms and values, however, no generalizable, economic well-founded statements on the enforcement of property rights formulated in intellectual achievements. In the next posts I will therefore refrain from a closer look.

second Government-initiated protection

Government intervention in the market for intellectual goods mainly comprise
  • the behavior controlling legislation ,
  • the statutory collection of compulsory fees and taxes ,
  • their distribution of compensation payments and subsidies, and
  • the public provision of Intellectual Property .

are enshrined in laws restrictive regulations that securing exclusive Results of intellectual property rights in labor service. With their help is if the government juris-marginal conditions for the exercise of property rights and intended for the damage caused by abuse regulation. In its scope laws must be obeyed by all members of society. State institutions to control the law-abiding behavior and punish rights violations through defined Gesetzesver automatisms. With forced fees (taxes) and tax is about money demand services, public entities on the basis of legal regulations. Their discharge is controlled, sometimes sanctioned. The survey of compulsory fees particularly serves the pursuit of regulatory goals. Examples include the assigned fee includes the use of intellectual property, for example, GEZ-charge, royalty-fee, VG-word tax. In this particular case, fees charged by aiming to compensate for negative external effects of the abuse of intellectual property by compensation to rights holders. By contrast, tax revenues allocated to the budget and subject to any predetermined purpose. You can, for example, to subsidize economically desirable innovation or to refinance the state provision using innovative and creative works, such as refinancing of public service broadcasting.


third private Economical protection

The emphasis in the next few posts on the possibilities of the endogenous ex-assurance of market allocation processes by private entities. You can choose from various fraud protection and response mechanisms. To prevent abuse testing can even be waived disclosure of strategically important resources , such as knowledge or technology. In addition, capture technical protection solutions the special characteristics of the intellectual benefits which it is difficult to be observed consumer behavior arising risk of abuse. These include copy protection technologies, rights holders to submit information about adverse actions such as making illegal copies of (screening). Infor-mation asymmetries between buyers and sellers of intellectual work products and the resulting abuse incentives can also have marketing policies slow, implemented for example in differentiated services contract in the acquisition of innovative and creative works. Depending on their preferences to choose the buyers perceived as optimal bid itself, and thus their behavior, respectively intentions manifest abuse (Self Selection). To increase the attractiveness of permitted practices in dealing with intellectual property, also lends itself to the institutional merger abuse or threatened geschädig-ter-market players and potential damage to. It would be conceivable, for example, the fusion of innovators and their competitors. In view of competition policy constraints of the latter protection solution and their limited applicability to the particular interest here Anbieter-/Nachfragerbeziehung it is only considered in the next posts on the edge.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Waxing Causes Yeast Infections

attack on the intellectual property - an excursion to abuse causes and management strategies

Dear readers,

had until a few years, especially manufacturers of promising product innovations as well as reputable fashion - suffer brands and luxury goods despite expensive legal protection economic damage caused by imitation and plagiarism (see example - taken from the Manager magazine) abuse directed today to a greater extent on providers of information goods. Information Near intellectual property such as movies and software, can - if it does not exists as such - with simple technical assistance funds be transferred to a digital format. proves the greatest challenge of digitizing that requires the making of digital copies of a few seconds, caused negligible cost, and digital copies are completely identical to their original. This fact makes the one hand developers and producers to produce in a short time cost perfect copies of any number of re-use. On the other hand, increases the risk of abuse, as prospective drawn with respect to changes in cost / benefit ratio also

  • the circumvention of licensing or royalty fees into the equation and / or
  • as a provider of facility to use spiritual and creative achievements occur , to participate without the right holders of the revenue.

Although the radical consequences of the ongoing digitization of the markets today can be seen only in part is obvious that the Internet is simplified further abuse. get over this global computing and communications network perpetrator access to a virtually unlimited amount of valuable economic information. These can, if they are not offered free to acquire a relatively simple means and without pay. Also, there is almost no barrier, digital piracy at any time disclose online, eg via P2P file-sharing. Given the intensification networked communications, and the increasingly easy, fast and inexpensive electronic information distribution must therefore be on the Internet with new forms and dimensions of the abuse of intellectual property expected.

would deliver in the next post I especially answers to the following questions:

  • What facilitates the abuse or hinder the protection of intellectual property?
  • what degree do the digitization and the Internet impact on abuse and protection decisions?
  • What are the economic objectives are the abuse and the protection of the results pursuing creative work?
  • go hand in hand with what economic consequences of abuse and protection measures for the development, allocation and use of innovative and creative works?
  • What measures are particularly effective, respectively ineffective in the prevention and detection of harmful behaviors?

I would like to invite you warmly at this point to comment on this subject with discussions.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Steam Showers(complaints)

From GPOWM to WOGPM

Dear Reader,

in the recent past have different design approaches of process and knowledge management in business process oriented knowledge management (gpoWM) merged . business process oriented knowledge management aims to the flow of knowledge within and between business processes through process-oriented processing and structuring of knowledge about the processes and knowledge to promote within the processes. This contract includes support inefficient enriched routine processes (see
http://knowledgeandinformationmanagement.blogspot.com/2007/08/wissensmanagement-deckmantel-fr.html ) is not enough. For even simple nature Processes to deliver a clearly defined result can, through
  • missing or conflicting process requirements,
  • unnecessary steps,
  • unnecessary or illogical division of work over a number of people, organizational units and / or locations, unclear
  • unclear responsibilities of the parties involved,
  • or non-measurable parameters for the input and output of the steps and
  • frequent adaptation of the organizational responsibilities according to internal / external requirements

achieve a high complexity and thus are knowledge intensive. Esp. management processes tend to close such a bureaucracy. In these cases it is simply wrong, the resulting inefficiencies, meaning high costs, long lead times, high error rates of cure, etc., by "intelligence amplification" of the staff to do.

is intensified this problem when the processes are defined knowledge management as a "bell jar" on the inefficient (routine) business processes (eg by addition of process descriptions to binding targets for Wissensexplikation, storage and distribution - for an appropriate modeling method see KMDL ). The overall complexity of the process landscape is growing because leading to a higher command and control effort. In addition, the analysis is still unresolved problems of efficiency of business processes and the development as well as the implementation of optimization measures more difficult if not impossible.

The knowledge-based business process management (woGPM) takes a different approach. It aims to identify and analyze possible sources of error and transforms the process necessary for the prevention of errors in knowledge process instructions and / or technical systems. The focus on process orientation are as a central design principle of corporate structures and the reduction of process complexity through modularization, sequencing and automation of routine tasks.

looks in detail before the concept of knowledge-based business process management, in a first step, the processes of a classic risk and vulnerability analysis of these series. In this phase, it is especially so to assess the quality or the "maturity" of a routine process using various criteria. These include legal, processing time and error rate as well as number of participants, organizational interfaces, used tools (such as forms, IT systems, machines) and - particularly relevant for the next steps - the process to be in the know. The results of the process analysis provide the first evidence for possible optimization measures:

  • avoid regulatory gaps and contingencies,
  • establishment of clear responsibilities in the process,
  • reduction of process interfaces,
  • specify clear procedures and clear process goals ,
  • automation of processes.

The next step, the identified process knowledge is classified. Based on the performance analysis of processes can be distinguished Nutzwissen, supporting knowledge and knowledge Blind:

  • Nutzwissen is essential for the process. It includes the knowledge of responsibilities (who), processes (how), performance parameters (what) and knowledge in the form of necessary skills.
  • knowledge helps support the process participants their roles, tasks and objectives to better understand and engaging them in the overall context of the business process, ie the recording of customer requirements through to fruition (why, why, why). Examples of supporting knowledge are the results of customer surveys and information to competitors.
  • Blind knowledge is not needed, because the process involved, directly or indirectly benefit to. Outdated information or documented truisms make blind knowledge dar.

During the actual process optimization (Phase 3) defines the future knowledge landscape:

  • is blind knowledge to eliminate (for example, by retraction of old manuals).
  • supporting knowledge is kept to an absolute minimum (eg by focusing on key information to selected customers and competitors).
  • Nutzwissen is - if possible - to explicate (from the knowledge carrier decoupling) and integrate into the processes (such as the change from manual processes to IT-based workflows).

All Nutzwissen can not be in a limited period (project) and not fully explicated. Knowledge "obsolete" and only leads to benefits for a specified period. In addition, business processes to changing conditions (such as technical progress) to-ge must be adapted. Knowledge Business Process Management is understood therefore as a control loop, which has the goal, not the people but to make work processes more intelligent and less error-prone steadily.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Congestion Remedies For Preggos

knowledge management - a cover for bad process management

Dear Reader,

several months ago, I had the opportunity to speak with a true-captain of the German Navy. In passing, the family name of the captain was a sailor. What a coincidence! In an intensive discussion on knowledge management, we were relatively quick to respond to the fundamental question: What is the goal of knowledge management ? Should you check with Wikipedia, one finds the following global definition: Knowledge management deals with the possibilities, the knowledge base of a company to exert influence. Not very satisfactory, is not it? What makes a company the company and so is the knowledge base of a company represented? The essence of our discussion was this: A company is a project owned by several people usually are. The activities for the implementation of the project, respectively, to achieve the corporate objective need to be displayed in the processes. The processes are implemented by people, ie the management and staff, and machinery.

were too bulky This description we understand at least in a position to both the Navy and a corporation or a nonprofit organization as a company. The people working for a company with their skills and abilities are essentially the knowledge base that is trying to influence the knowledge management. Did we answer the question of why knowledge management is important? Knowledge management aims to combine knowledge with business processes so that business objectives - budget in time, in, in quality - can be achieved. Finally we had to match our understanding of the process, with the following Results:

processes are defined by a method (process) and earnings (output). Both can be known or unknown. So far, so good. Are you still awake? Until we have come to this realization, several pots of coffee and meeting dozens of cookies were destroyed.

Why the long preface? After a break in the fresh air, it went right to the point. The finding of the master, so that the Navy requires professional knowledge management, since almost any use constitutes an emergency and the emergency operators to quickly get in touch with each other and have to rely on expert knowledge, is undoubtedly correct. In the same breath he also said: "... for the routine processes of knowledge management" "Why do you need ..." (meaning me) to my arguments that

  • the procedures are known but can be very complex, especially when more than one person / organization units are involved in a process, not
  • the responsibilities of the parties involved can be clearly defined and
  • the inputs to the process or its output (result) are not clearly defined,

I received in reply: "Then process management poor. There is a clear chain of command, clear orders and complying with the commands missing by the command receiver . Such an answer can only get from an old, combat-proven warrior of the Navy. But in these words is a lot of truth. The design approaches of knowledge management to help in these cases does not really. They conceal or camouflage the real problem: bad process management.

will now no doubt that military discipline will replace the individual thinking. However you should consider when asked for the introduction of a knowledge management system, always check it is not reasonable would reduce

  • process complexity, eg by dissolving interfaces
  • would clarify the responsibilities clearly, for example in job descriptions and organizational charts or
  • the service relationships internally / externally, eg to control over service levels.

Be clarify these points, it may be no longer necessary to manage knowledge. Unfortunately, this approach is not as simple as implementing a corporate wikis or blogs.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Bosch Wfl 1601 Manual User

Smart People - Processes vs silly. Clever processes - stupid people? - Laces or not even done once all

Dear readers,

My oldest son is now learning to tie shoelaces. Now you have to say, he is 3 ½ years, has a strong fine motor skills, but laces, because he has never paid attention. , Will take care of Mom and Dad '. Now in kindergarten, but he has to prove himself independently. And although I give him the necessary skills would like, it's hard to explain to him why and when to loop through which the laces. yes, a stupid invention is such a rare laces. My son asks then still. "Dad, . Why do I do that "" This keeps the loop, looks good, and that they later aufbekommt. "Counter-argument to my son," My sports shoes are better and my rubber boots and "Since he has no doubt right. Which it can, moreover, all alone off and on. In one is a velcro on it and rubber boots, because you have to do nothing at all, simply tuck your feet or pull out again.

can now say that the boy is too small. But in time he will soon learn to tie his laces itself. I stand on the side of my son. Why does it need laces, if there are Velcro closures. This is easier and holds just as well on the fashionable aspects of Velcro fasteners, they must not discuss with a 3-year-old. "I want to just play football, hurry up, Daddy." Watching my eldest can also very good. He noticed that I have the laces of my shoes out of convenience and not open my while tightening use a shoehorn. The question again: Why do we need laces?

To the actual title for this blog to pass on: for tying shoelaces, it needs intelligent people. The process is complex. For closing and opening velcro it needs less intelligence, just as for using a shoe horn. There 's the intelligence in the process , someone thought ahead! I conclude from the current shoe laces of the shoe manufacturer offers that this knowledge is not shared by all. Perhaps this is also the fact that we humans have to prove every day how intelligent we are superior to all creatures, the crown of creation. As can be somewhat prove when there is no such challenges. Laces, Microsoft Windows / Office, washing machines, TV remote controls, cell phones, Digital cameras, all bursting with features, comes with a manual that is more extensive than the mission documents for the Apollo missions, and - much worse - is error prone. German over-engineering; KOTC (Keep trying others constantly - to "Z" I found no English word ;-)) instead KISS (Keep it simple stupid).

this may be done privately and not a form of leisure activity (I spend way, a week at least 1 hour in order to ensure the viability of my home PCs - albeit without actual use), are highly complex Processes and systems from the perspective of a process manager a thorn in the eye. Complex processes require skilled employees. Processes continue with increasing complexity tends to be longer. Temporary staff costs x = process costs. Simple mathematics. The cost for any errors not counted. What makes a process more complex:
  • number and illogical series of activities
  • number of decisions
  • number of people involved
  • number of interfaces
  • number of tools (forms, tools and IT systems ...)

Small example Compliant - credit application in a bank: Fill

  • form - including booking number
  • customer's signature to obtain capture
  • data in the booking system - Book number
  • generate data in the accounting system with form data match
  • form for customers starting with A - H to Cologne ...

Already in this short clip to show several problems:

  • redundant data entry
  • contradictory sequence of activities
  • error rate / correction effort
  • distributed responsibilities (person / place)

How can you cure this problem? Here is the recipe for Pate: The transfer is necessary for the process knowledge in process specifications. Henry Ford led the way: clear

  • clear concerted process steps (input / output and time / clock)
  • responsibilities (everyone has a job)
  • ...

Now is one or the other the question: where's the challenge maybe the fun? Who wants to be happy as Charlie Chaplin tighten in his masterpiece "Modern Times" just screws. Well, here is the principle of who delivers the shortest possible time the best quality at the lowest cost, the market will dominate. This optimization problem is for every company different. And certainly there are still many companies who make their services and products so much money that they can afford the "Keep the fun / challenge" of their employees. But do not forget: The competition is . What do you think why the Chinese economy is growing so fast?

Monday, April 23, 2007

Escape Bottomless Party



had what I read today in the Financial Times Germany ". Dear sequentially " This is the title of an article whose main message makes me smile. Microsoft researching again on a solution to the great problems of our time. But for this problem Microsoft is in some way responsible. It is about the excess of information and communication.

Here's a quote: "E-mails, Internet and phone calls are fighting for the attention of the user, device make by blinking, vibrating and twirping sounds attention and entice many things at once and nothing done right. It's about nerves - and a lot of money. The New York consulting firm Basex has extrapolated to a survey of managers, that the American economy each year go through these disruptions $ 588 billion lost. "

Has anyone ever filed in this connection at Microsoft for damages? A little anecdote. One can in entering into a new Outlook e-mail link to a sound. One of my colleagues has set as a signal "Windows XP Critical Fehler.wav" (you can find in \\ Windows \\ Media), and at a level that allows the signal to advance to the men's room. Fortunately, I sit with my colleague not same office and not on the same floor.

But further in the text. Now a smart Microsoft software ( oxymoron ?), Which can be integrated into various communication tools (in development), to detect if the contents of a message important (see Bozo filter in the last post) or whether the recipient of the message especially receptive, is not involved in a conversation, or to do other important things added. Only if the aforementioned conditions are met, the message is delivered. Great! Unfortunately, there is the possibility of FTD not to comment directly, but the first thing I could think of was this: Why switch off the mobile phone not just from Outlook or terminated - at least for a few hours - or, or, ... Buy It would be protected from potential "attacks".

But no, the first modern man feels alive and important when it comes around it flashes, vibrates and fiepst and apply all these signals to him. That makes him part of the whole. Just do not lose the connection, always available. Do you know the basic principles of the time or better self-management?

Here are the Eisenhower method : All tasks are based on the criteria important / unimportant and urgent / not urgent distributed in four quadrants. All tasks in Quadrant unimportant / not urgent are not done.

  • The Y-axis describes the importance of a task. If an object is located above, it is important. Is it settled down it is not important.
  • The X-axis describes the urgency of the task. Is an object located on the right, the task is urgent. If the task is located on the left, it is not urgent.

This results in four possible combinations of the factors importance and urgency of their duties in a particular way of processing is assigned (see chart on Wikipedia).

How many of your e-mails and phone calls are the lower left and how many of the assigned to the upper right field? In my estimation: more than half the lower left ( trash ), the rest divided among the remaining fields. Leap. What does Microsoft? The company is working on a software that allows only the information immediately to penetrate me that are urgent and important:

It is so convenient to be immature.
I Have a book that understands for me,
a pastor who has conscience for me,
a doctor who assessed me for diet, and so on
(Author's note: "a software that allows for I selected information "),
need as I even try not to himself.

Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804), German philosopher

Are you immature?


Thursday, March 22, 2007

How Should Discharge Look Before Your Period

The escalation of not knowing and not finding or the pros and cons of knowledge bases

Imagine this: You're need information about the products or processes of your company.

used to have a telephone directory or you knew someone who knew the one who's familiar with whether in sales, development, purchasing, or even outside the company. Everything was very personal, after two or three phone calls one had the required response. The experts - provided little to do and narcissistic tendencies base available - either felt or perceived importance, and they were tired of the constant questioning.

latter was probably the norm. For if an expert is sitting around and not just waiting for the rush of the ignorant, no, he is actively involved in projects, preferably in several ( Matrix project organization is the magic word). Consequence: experts got more and more tasks: 110 percent utilization rate (which is mathematically nonsense - a glass is filled to 100 percent, that is full - fuller than full, huh?). Nevertheless remained the dependence from the knowledge of experts outside of its project activities. How come then to the knowledge. What then lies closer to "find i ch must be the one who knows what I do not know " elektronifizieren to the whole process. At the beginning of e-mail, which was the view of experts is no real relief, though - he could e-mail once a day and then edit one or the other to delete it. That was not with phone calls. The always came unplanned.

Here's a little anecdote from the book Dilbert Future (2000) by Scott Adams, p. 57f. I quote: "I want a voice system that protects me from the calls as far as possible. In particular, my answering machine has the following functions:

  • talk show host mode: Does news of slow speakers automatically faster
  • First / Last Ten: Clears up to the first and last ten seconds the entire message. What people say in between is never worth the trouble of listening.
  • Laber-Ex: A rude voice callers, who can not take short cuts off the word and says: "Leave 'finally understood your fucking phone number? I have to do other things "
  • point guard: speech recognition system that determines whether a caller is speaking an unfamiliar call-back number on tape. If so, the caller is disconnected and played in the following text: "What is a language that be - Nuschelianisch or what? Take your sandwich down and try's again. "

In addition, my telephone system have a voice stress which blocks calls from Induviduos before the first ring.

Bozo Filter: Here's Scott Adams' Bozo filter. Please answer with yes or no. Scott Adams will benefit from this call in any way?
Induviduo: Um ... yes. Yes, he will.
Bozo Filter: liar! Click.

With such advanced technology would probably be enough today, the telephone.

recognize Little by companies, however, that communication via e-mail does not really generate efficiency gains. Especially not when it comes to bringing to omissions in experience.

, Half of the emails that I receive is marked as important (Exclamation point in Outlook), the e-mail with a meal plan for next week. understand the view of the canteen. sell food is their only source of income . "

Next step: Intranet - always a good idea. We asked the experts to explicate his knowledge, to write good German. This Generat is provided on the intranet to all interested parties. Did you go through this process with several experts to quickly find thousands of pages of HTML and ten thousand more pages of self-proclaimed experts who spread across corporate wikis, blogs and other achievements of the social networking their spiritual outpourings. But what is it important? From the perspective of the company anything. This is the human capital, knowledge base, the foundation for competitive advantage. From the perspective of the problem-plagued information seeker only a number or a process description. No employee would ever think to search through all the information, to read words. Then he would be himself an expert.

So how do you find that really important? In many companies, the route as follows:

  • Man goes to the intranet.
  • You look on the intranet.
  • We find nothing in the intranet.
  • Man calls to a hotline (if any).
  • The hotline is on the intranet.
  • The hotline looking on the intranet.
  • The hotline does not find anything on the intranet.
  • The hotline connects callers with the nominee for the subject matter experts (available on the intranet).
  • The expert immediately gives the right answer.
  • The expert is annoyed.

wait, that was not the beginning of the whole. Where is then that is progress or in other words, where the fault lies in the system?

answer to the first part of the question:

  • From the perspective of Information seekers: no progress - the path is perceived as slow and bureaucratic.
  • the view of experts: No progress - although he will not be harassed for any triviality, but he received more calls since the hotline number and knows his rigorous forward difficult in any case.

answer to the second part of the question: In the next post's - Review of "Information Nautical - way through the knowledge jungle

Friday, February 16, 2007

Remove Smell From Luggage

The power of the mass - believe in education companies


Right now to Carnival see again on all the television or here in North Rhine-Westphalia, live and in color on many roads in the best case omitted swaying and singing, but usually drunk and babbling in unison, at worst bawling people. Pinches you in passing along his eyes a little, so that blurs the image, and does not on every single sound, one has the sense of hearing instead of voices loud sound of the sea and to actually see one or the other wave in the swirling mass. mass is the key word. Carnival and honest officials, reputable seller, doctors and representatives from other professional groups are in selected locations, such as ceremonial meetings, together and suddenly become "ONE .
  • one in the clothes: according to the motto - who has the most original costume = ugliest
  • one in thought and action: laughter to tears the diaphragm, drinking on strike to the liver, senseless songs to sing along to the neighbors eardrum burst.

like to propose that the German views about the severity, is well known. But in the anonymity of Carnival, camouflaged by blödoide panels, we can really get out of the sow. Since no one knows us, we lost in the crowd, and sometimes with no more black ... or white - everything is gray . Yes gray - because after Carnival begins the dreary Lent and Easter all flesh that is to avoid (Latin carne vale of Abschiedsruf "live meat well."). So at least the religious, historical background.

see my words that I'm not a carnival tradition. Although I like "candy" for the rest I can not (yet?) Do not heat. Despite my ambilvalenten attitude I came in a quiet moment of reflection to the following realization: Between Carnival and the way how to communicate in business, there are certain parallels.

  • There are two Cases usually have a opinion leader or a group with leadership. Carnival and the triumvirate (virgin, prince and farmer), in companies such as the manager.
  • The triumvirate orders organized gaiety, the manager sets the objectives for the next year.
  • The inclined carnival tradition, follows the call of his trio, singing and drinking - well ... we've done that. The staff brought out in itself, does his best to achieve the set goals.

And here is entering from a psychological point of view to interesting effect. We humans can namely like lead or deceive. Incidentally, I'm not a fan of "Millionaire." Nevertheless, the show has for years been very successful. Shall I tell you the secret of success. You, the audience put themselves automatically into the role of the guessers and there is still an important aspect to bear. You have to the game not really thinking. The correct answer is as guaranteed. You just need to know whether A, B, C or D. And just in case you just follow the opinion of the public (Masse!) or intellectually superior phone Jokers. We are educated as children to this conformist behavior. "Match up with - is part of the whole - does not conflict "

Why should" be at work "differently. Someone sets the road map and we started running. Goes wrong, the thing was nobody to blame and everybody wants to have known all along how it could have done better. When asked why the "know-alls" have not brought his concerns from the outset to express to get most of the answer but no one listens to me. "Sometimes it but are just colleagues, the single" Revolutzer "discipline again. "Match up with - otherwise we run the risk with you still go under." Already Management by mushrooms: The first to put his head out of the earth, is pelted with mud or cut off.

I notice, I actually wanted to refer the issue of power of the mass to something else. Well, sometimes I'm not the master of my thoughts.

The problems described above are also reflected in new forms of communication such as wikis, blogs and podcasts, that is user-generated content. Who says that the information on Wikipedia are correct? However, hardly any user the information in this database is critically examined, with the exception of some attention-needy "alls" - deliberately I am moving. It just consumed. Must be true! Control takes too long. One may for the information from Wikipedia unlikely to lead to problems because it is a universal encyclopedia. But what happens when a company implements a wiki solution in which the expertise of engineers and best-practices to store sales staff. Who will secure the quality of information? An overriding objective team of experts? (Control / governance). Rare. This is contrary to the spirit of social computing. In my experience, the wins, the first thing an information produced - the first mover. Whether right near correct, incomplete or incorrect, the consumers of this information will assume that the author made no mistakes, yes - is omniscient. And with the use of information can sometimes even the wrong thing to be declared to be correct =
Self-fulfilling Prophecy .

The fool thinks himself wise, but the wise man knows that he is a fool. William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

PS: There was a time in Germany, where Jews have been referred to as dirty. She was locked in ghettos, shot her misery and the rest of the population showed the pictures as a deterrent. Yes - Jews are dirty. Like this Back then many thought. Hardly anyone wanted to know the truth. Died by millions.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Wording For Wedding Welcome Baskets Letter

Customer orientation vs. Employee orientation

Dear Reader,

you know for sure the phrase has become the sayings of the modern service economy: "The customer is king " or "The customer is our focus." In a buyer's market bold are those principles certainly a good guide for staff and a clear signal to customers. And let's face it - who is not happy that many companies that are doing business, the customers see as king and be treated that way. Who does not like is the boss in the ring, is being courted not like, even if one in his heart of hearts knows that sometimes it's all about keeping up appearances of customer focus, a lot is just a facade for fear they could leave with loud cursing the store and its competitors to run, which usually cooks only with water.

What in the past week but had to hear from a representative of a large German retailer, made me doubt even on the usefulness of its customer focus. This company is the principle: "The customer is always right" This principle is also at every available opportunity to the employees - indoctrinated - I would have said almost. So: No matter what the customer wants, DU employees are stupid, you people are doing what the client says. I really want as a customer?

  • Why I go to a hairdresser?
  • Why I let my car repaired in the workshop?
  • Why do I buy my new plasma television at a retailer?

Because the employees of these companies are competent they know what they do, they are professional! I do not know or only partially. I am still trying out to cut our little son's hair yourself - old miser. If I'm honest, the hairdresser can see the result to a more from, on the other, the process would not take an hour. But I've saved 10 euros. Great. Fortunately, our son was still no sense of an optimal haircut. I had protested in his place long ago and requires a professional. say

the employees, the customer is always right, ie in reverse to underestimate the competence of its employees. The consequences of this human image Freudian (the superego = company, I = employees) are obvious. The employees feel in their decisions and their action is not confirmed, the motivation for the initiative is lost. For the customer determines what made is. The customer is always right. Almost like the drill in U.S. prisons. The people dull. The Drill Sergeant screaming "crawling in the dirt!" And the prisoners screaming just blunt "Yes sir !!!". (Source: http://www.caica.org )

What a nightmare. For me, absolute customer orientation does not look like this: I have as a client the right to have a company does everything possible to meet my needs, not just my expectations überzuerfüllen. skilled and dedicated employees are indispensable and a motivating, as respectful communication of company policies, the best foundation.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

How To Make Dota Bots

wikis, blogs, podcasts - the tale of sweet porridge

Dear Reader,

you know the tale of sweet porridge? If so, you can skip the next paragraph:

Brothers Grimm - The sweet porridge

It was a poor but good little girl who lived alone with his mother and they had nothing to eat. As the child went into the woods, and met him as an old woman who knew her sorrow, and gave him a little pot, which when she said: "Cook, cook," cooked it good, sweet porridge, and when she said, heard, "Cook," get up, so it back to boil. The girl wanted brought the pot home to his mother, and now they were of their poverty and hunger, and ate sweet single B rei, as often as they. Upon a time the girl had gone, her mother said, "Cook, cook," as it cooks, and eats his fill, and now they want the pot to stop cooking, but she does not know the word. So it went on cooking and the porridge rose over the edge and still it cooked, the kitchen and the house full, and the second house and then the street, as if it wanted the whole world sick, and is the greatest need, and no one knew how to . At last when only one single house remained, the child came home and just said, little pot, "Get up, since it stopped and gave up cooking, and who wanted to return to the town, who had to eat his way.
Did not you also feel that many companies (mother) - supported by software vendors and IT consultants (daughter) - technologies for Support internal communication and knowledge management to introduce (pot). Examples of such pots only blogs, wikis and podcasts were mentioned. And it is not in practice so that companies know full well how to bring the technology up and running, but then more or less to lose control of it and give them the information (sweet porridge) emblematic of the ears out swells (see first blog) .

Let me give this example: On the KnowTech of 2006, before representatives from Siemens Siemens employee Weblog. In addition to thoroughly business-related issues was found - as far as I can remember - even one entry, entitled "Power Point diseases." As if the officers suspected it, I would ask for more whimsical items, came in the explanation of the screenshot to note that in the summer of 2006, a weblog for the soccer World Cup was, which was concluded recently. Sorry, there was no time to ask about the business benefits of such messages.

Here is the verse from Goethe's sorcerer's apprentice: "The spirits that I cried,` I'll lay! "(Source: Google Images). The technologies are there, but it lacks the control, new German: Governance . Consequences: Each employee is motivated, encouraged, or feel obliged to share his knowledge with others, in which he ausspeichert ALL that in his opinion, other, or maybe just himself benefit to and whether the recognition of colleagues. I see the entries under the heading "Power Point diseases" intellectual right before my eyes.

  • If more than 20 bullet points per slide useful?
  • enough of an image on a slide?
  • A b the font size that can be seen in 5 feet away anything more?
And so the principle of voluntarism and Fair Play - propagated idea of a community - is preserved, it engages in the action can not intervene and grant the employees. Says company sales statistics and best practice examples, among the criticisms of the presentation style of expensive consultants and the results of the last game of the Bundesliga. You are, that there are still companies like Siemens do much good to their employees.

The above mentioned technologies only one company providing benefit if they are controlled, at least to some extent, is also the view of Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia doubt. Recently I read a comment on this: (source Spiegel Online, "Wikipedia founder calls out Wikipedia" of 17 October 2006). There you will find the following passage: "Wikipedia has repeatedly advised of serious errors in individual articles in the headlines. ... Sanger wants the Citizendium community creates its own Charter, cover one kind of mission statement in the objectives, management rules and rights of members. Watchdogs to monitor compliance with the Charter and rule in extreme cases, members who do not comply. Articles on Citizendium will be processed in principle as in Wikipedia to public inspection. However, Sanger will allow this only to registered users. This would also be targeted with their real names and register a valid e-mail address.
So: Is the principle of "Trust is good - control is better"? The degree of control is the case Knaxus. Too much and the people lose the desire, too little and the pot is overflowing. One of my feeling useful, and above all pragmatic, ThyssenKrupp has already presented in 2004 at the KnowTech: (Source: Waste Hoff: A group wants to know what he knows, in: Gronau / Petkoff / sign Auer. Knowledge management - change, value creation, growth Proceedings , P. 45-53, 2004, Munich)
  • Thematic knowledge is summarized knowledge stores. Knowledge is structured by a shop floors, rooms, shelves and folders. Each Knowledge Shop is run by a shop owner. He determines who gets access to what information may or upload information. In the knowledge stores can ask questions, discuss topics and know-how carriers are identified.
  • To the individual stores of knowledge with each other (semantically) to network and visualize content dependencies and connections, thematically related / close to stores of knowledge to streets and neighborhoods are summarized.
  • Several streets and neighborhoods are a city of knowledge. Each Science City is a "mayor" in front. Will decide on the admission of new knowledge stores.
  • Several knowledge cities form a knowledge country with a registrar as escalation in conflicts of interest.
  • is the sum of the knowledge states from the knowledge base of the company.
Summary: One should always have someone in the company who knows the magic formula for blogs, wikis and podcasts:

potty, stand!

Or

In the corner, broom! Broom! You have been! For calls you only as a ghost to his purposes, first out of the Old Masters.