Knowledge Management Persuasive

It is difficult to execute the Practice of Knowledge Management given by MARA without the collective commitment of MARA staff members. It requires a high level of positive mindset and pro-active approach in managing to the target groups.

I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the MARA Human Resource Director, Encik Ibrahim bin Ahmad for the trust given by him and of course to make this project in the line of successful. To MARA Staff Training Institute, Encik Nor Hashimi bin Mahat for given me the chance for attending this course and to execute this project. I would also like to thank the members of JT Frank Academy Sdn Bhd for their hospitality and helpful in making my project successful. My special thanks would definitely goes to the Chief Knowledge Architect, Dr Frankie Ow for the most best guidance and as well to Mr Moi Kok Wah for the patience and great journey to the knowledge management. I am indeed grateful to the members of CIKM and colleagues of ILHAM for their continuous dedication, help and commitment to grant the successful of POKM in ILHAM. I am certain, by the Grace of Allah, may all our efforts be sincere and the blessings of Allah be upon us.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The rational of this project is to establish and implement the practice of knowledge management in ILHAM in order to be an excellent training centre and human capital development in MARA.

The aim is to enlighten and to raise the capacity for knowledge and innovation and nurturing “Global Class Mindset” among the practising community members in Human Resource Department. The responsible will takes the practising community members to achieve significant and sustainable performance by adopting 8 key self driven mindsets and habits. The internalisation of these mindsets and habits will transform individuals, practising community members, teams and organizations to be more self-driven, pro-active, collaborative and innovation for innovation intensity, customer responsiveness and as well operational excellence.

The early Practise of Knowledge in MARA

CORPORATE PROFILE

Majlis Amanah Rakyat, The Council of Trust for the Bumiputera or MARA is an agency under The purview of the Ministry Of Entrepreneur And Co-operative Development(MECD), Malaysia. It was established as a statutory body on 1st March 1966 by an act of Parliament as a result of the First Bumiputera Economic Congress resolutions in 1965 to promote the participation of Bumiputeras, particularly those in the rural areas, in commercial and industrial activities. In order to achieve its objective, MARA provides Bumiputeras with commercial or industrial assistance and training.

CORPORATE VISION

To be an outstanding, self-reliant, autonomous and trustworthy organization:
▪ An active catalyst and driving force
▪ A commercial and industrial network centre
▪ A resource, training, research & development centre
▪ A thinking organization

CORPORATE MISSION

To be the custodian of trust, to raise the status and dignity of Bumiputera though various economics, educational and social activities.

CORPORATE OBJECTIVE

To create a competitive, sustainable and strong community of Bumiputera entrepreneurs, especially those in the rural areas, though encouragement, guidance, training and assistance to participate in the commercial and industrial activities.

COPRORATE DEVELOPMENT

To this end, MARA has developed a Strategic Plan (PSM 2006) which will serve as a beacon to structure our activities for the next 10 years until 2015. Our strategic intent is focused on the “3K Concepts”, namely to the development of the k-entrepreneur, the k-worker and establishing MARA as a k-based organization.

The PSM 2006 is a result-oriented action plan to bring about changes within MARA to achieve three strategic objectives, to expand Bumiputera’s equity in national economy, to increase the numbers of competitive Bumiputera’s workforce and to establish MARA as a competent and responsive organization. The PSM reinforces MARA mission to establish a Bumiputera Commercial and Industrial Community (MPPB) and is aligned to the Third Outline Perspective Plan (OPP3) within the Vision 2020 framework.

MARA has been in existence concurrent with the First Malaysian Plan (MPI, 1966 – 1970). For almost 40 years, MARA, together with other government agencies, has been entrusted with the dual objectives of the New Economic Policy (NEP) that was to eradicate poverty and to re-structure the community based on the national unity policy.

The mission is even more relevant today as MARA have yet to achieve the target of 30% Bumiputera-owned equity. MARA is exploring new initiatives to nurture the entrepreneurial traditions among the Bumiputera so as to wean then off fixed-salary civil service jobs. This is appropriate to the MECD’s tagline of Entrepreneurship id the Career of Choice.

HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT OBJECTIVE

To ensure planning and staff recruitment are based on at least 95% of the needs To plan and ensure that staff development training fulfills the competency requirements so that 70% of the MARA staffs can achieve a minimum score 80% in their annual work appraisal To provide facilities and welfare services to benefits all MARA staffs according to their entitlement

MARA STAFF TRAINING OF INSTITUTE OBJECTIVE

To train at least 70% of the MARA staffs to be more competency and quaity in their job and task To upgrade and develop the process for staffs training system to be more systematic and efficiency To develop human capital intelectual skills and expertise in various aspect to upgrade their services To conduct surveys on training and development into a dynamic training courses To transform human capital to be more positive accordingly to public service ethics and religious needs To upgrade leadership and organizational management qualities

ORGANISATION CHART OF MARA

ORGANIZATION CHART OF ILHAM

EDUCATION UNITTECHNICAL UNITMANAGEMENT UNITMANAGEMENT SERVICE UNIT

EMERGENCE OF KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY AND ITS IMPACT

A global economy in which information travels at lightening-fast speeds is an important factor. In the past 50 years, economies have changed from labor-oriented, production-valued systems to intellectual and skill-valued systems.

The world is practising Agriculture Economy back in 1850s. Intense utilisation of specialised knowledge drive people to stregthen a country’s capability to innovate, adapt and create. Therefore, the revolution of industrial has changed where steam technology was innovated by James Watt in 1860. After that, Henry Fayol and Federick Taylor introduced Scientific Management. The world then changed to Production based Economy (p-economy) where people directed management approach has been implemented.

In 1977 to 1981, the Production based Economy has transformed the world into Information Technology when first personal computer was introduced and it move from Production based Economy to Knowledge based Economy (k-economy). This paradigm shift in computing following data processing 1945 till 1965. The present emphasis on k-economy has been induced largely by the rapid developments in information and communication technologies(ICT) in th1990s.

Figure 1 shows the economic transformation of the world :-

The move forwards a k-economy is consistent with Malaysia’s objective of developing a strong and resilient economy driven by high factor productivity and efficiency. In additional, k-economy will complement and accelerate he change from an input driven to a productivity driven growth strategy, a major policy thrust initiated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The 5 key Thrusts of Ninth Malaysia Plan:-

Malaysia started to lay foundation for the k-economy in the mid 1990s, among others, with the launching of the National IT Agenda (NITA) and the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). The objectives of NITA is to formulate strategies and promote the utilization and development of IT, the key enabler of k-economy.

As the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (2002) had very perceptively pointed out :-

Recognising the critical need for knowledge as input, Malaysia has embarked on the transformation from the input-driven growth strategy that has served her well in the past to one that is increasingly driven by knowledge in order to achieve sustainable high growth and development.

Knowledge is information that is interpreted and used by decision makers to meet their goals. There are four components of the knowledge based economy development, which is computer infrastructure, infostructure, education & training and research & development Technology (R & D).

These are the characteristics of a knowledge based economy :-

• Has abundant resources
• No location barrier
• A highly educated labour force
• A high level of per capita wealth
• Open cosmopolitan society attractive to global talent
• Well connected to other global knowledge nodes
• A shift from top-down hierarchical organizational structures to flatter shared-structures such as networks of semi-autonomous teams
• Skills and knowledge are key assets
• Information and communications technologies(ICTs) are pillars of the knowledge-based ecnomy

There are six essentials for Malaysia’s successful functioning as a K-based economy :-

• A conducive external environment
• A condusive domestic environment
• Sustained competitiveness
• Productive partnership between the public sector, the private sector and the community • Private sector as the vanguard
• Good corporate governance

In order to assess Malaysia’s readiness to become a knowledge based economy, the Knowledge-based Economy Development Index (KDI) was developed. It compares Malaysia’s position relation to 21 other countries which are mainly developed. The KDI is derived from the four components of the knowledge-based economy to drive a knowledge-based economy.

In terms of the KDI, Malaysia is in 17th position, as shown in chart below :- Several initiatives have already commenced to facilitate the smooth development of a knowledge-based economy. Malaysia accelerate its efforts during the Third Outline Perspective Plan (OPP3) period, particularly in the area of human resource development (HRD), science and technology (S&T), research and development (R&D), infostructure and financing to position itself prominently in the global map of knowledge base economies. It also undertake measures to ensure that all segments of Malaysian society have equitable access to the new opportunities.

As concluded, in a k-based economy, human capacity building is a pertinent area of concern. In essence, a k-based economy propose that human learners endeavour to seek knowledge, build, generate and utilize new knowledge using tools of learning and tools of technologies, also known as the hard skills of learning.

WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TO US

Before I attend the CIKM at JT Frank Academy, my concern about knowledge management is all about ‘technology thing’ or a ‘computer thing’, the elements that will accelerate with my jobs. In regards of that, I understand a bit of the concepts of k-workers, k-economy, k-based organisation and many others but for knowledge management, my mind remains of technology.

After a few days of attending the course, I find that knowledge management is more than technology. In fact, technology is just one of the enabler from knowledge management. Knowledge management is concerned with the entire process of discovery and creation of knowledge, dissemination of knowledge, and the utilization of knowledge then I am strongly driven to accept that knowledge is much more than a ‘technology things’ and that elements of it exist in each of my jobs.

OVERVIEW OF THE PRACTISE MANAGEMENT

Knowledge management is to acquire and indentify the right information to the right people at the right time, and helping people create knowledge and share and act upon information in ways that will measurably improve the performance of an organisation and its practise of knowledge management.

The practise of knowledge management is to achieve significant and sustainable performance by adopting the 8 key self-driven mindsets and habits. The internalisation of these mindsets and habits transform individuals, teams and organisations to be more self-driven, pro-active, collaborative and innovative.