Adopting a pragmatic bottom-up approach, this book explores the knowledge in international organizations and the dynamic interactions between stakeholders. It also proposes taxonomy and practical tools to classify the various knowledge products and to contextualize knowledge initiatives in international organizations. This book is expected to help international organizations develop a more comprehensive understanding of the process of becoming knowledge focused, and how KM can address their situation, while taking advantage of investments in KM systems. Knowledge audits in the form of interviews, developed as part of the study, helped understand contextual issues facing the international organizations and the strategic KM systems proposed and implemented. The result is a novel, and comprehensive discussion about managing knowledge in international knowledge-intensive organizations, suitable for graduate-level students and international organizations alike.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

The business environment has changed. Sharper competition requires organizations to exhibit greater effectiveness in their operations and services and faster creation of new products and services—all hallmarks of the knowledge economy. Up until now, most of the knowledge management literature has focused on technology, systems, or culture. This book moves to the next stage, to focus on the people—the knowledge workers themselves. Noted expert Karl Wiig synthesizes recent research findings in cognitive science and related fields to describe how people actually work. He focuses on how people learn, remember, make decisions, solve problems and act—in general, how knowledge relates to work behavior. By understanding how people work, managers can improve effectiveness to gain competitive advantage.

The business environment has changed. Sharper competition requires organizations to exhibit greater effectiveness in their operations and services and faster creation of new products and services—all hallmarks of the knowledge economy. Up until now, most of the knowledge management literature has focused on technology, systems, or culture. This book moves to the next stage, to focus on the people—the knowledge workers themselves. Noted expert Karl Wiig synthesizes recent research findings in cognitive science and related fields to describe how people actually work. He focuses on how people learn, remember, make decisions, solve problems and act—in general, how knowledge relates to work behavior. By understanding how people work, managers can improve effectiveness to gain competitive advantage.

The publication of this book heralds a new field of management, thought and practice. The advocates of the 'knowledge economy' have to date focused almost exclusively on how managers can increase the internal productivity of their knowledge assets and intellectual capital. The important next step is understanding that a large and rapidly increasing proportion of the value of business transactions is in knowledge itself. Once this is recognized, managers must devote their attention to how to maximize the value of that knowledge to customers, and tie that directly to developing enduring and profitable relationships. Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships guides the reader to understanding the increasing importance of information and knowledge in business transactions and client relationships. It then goes on to present in an extremely practical fashion what knowledge organizations can do to enhance the value of the knowledge they deliver to clients and use that to develop profitable relationships. This is done by presenting underlying theoretical framework, a variety of tools for structuring relationships and presenting knowledge to clients, and numerous case studies and examples of firms which have implemented these concepts successfully. Fills a gap in present knowledge literature in the customer knowledge area Practical tools and effective case studies with world-recognized companies Shows how knowledge organizations of all kinds can increase their competitive edge by adding value to their clients

A surprisingly simple way for students to master any subject--based on one of the world's most popular online courses and the bestselling book A Mind for Numbers A Mind for Numbers and its wildly popular online companion course "Learning How to Learn" have empowered more than two million learners of all ages from around the world to master subjects that they once struggled with. Fans often wish they'd discovered these learning strategies earlier and ask how they can help their kids master these skills as well. Now in this new book for kids and teens, the authors reveal how to make the most of time spent studying. We all have the tools to learn what might not seem to come naturally to us at first--the secret is to understand how the brain works so we can unlock its power. This book explains: Why sometimes letting your mind wander is an important part of the learning process How to avoid "rut think" in order to think outside the box Why having a poor memory can be a good thing The value of metaphors in developing understanding A simple, yet powerful, way to stop procrastinating Filled with illustrations, application questions, and exercises, this book makes learning easy and fun.

"This book provides comprehensive coverage of all areas (people, process, and technology) necessary to become a knowledge-based enterprise. It presents several frameworks facilitating the implementation of a KM initiative and its ongoing management so that pertinent knowledge and information are always available to the decision maker, and so the organization may always enjoy a sustainable competitive advantage"--Provided by publisher.