Foundamentional Concepts in Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foundamentional Concepts in Application - Essay Example This article has helped me to recognize some of the key barriers to the provision of palliative care services. This study highlights the importance of palliative care nurses in facilitating communication between family members and patients, especially when family members disagree with end-of-life advance care planning. One of the findings of this study which was conducted on a small sample of patients in New Zealand was that, many of the participants were cared for by their spouses who were equally sick. Accessibility to services particularly in the rural setting also was also a challenge. One of the major issues identified in the study was the delay in making the decision to refer patients to palliative care by primary care physicians who felt that, â€Å"they were providing â€Å"good enough† palliative care themselves with the assistance of the district nurses and would refer families to hospice or hospital services when they felt it was appropriate† (McKechnie & Jay e, 2011, p. 413). It was interesting to note that throughout this research, the patients and their families were still identifying issues that need to be addressed despite the belief by their health professionals that they were doing their best. Threaded Discussion: Response to a classmate As required for this assignment, I have selected the article summary written by my classmate _______________(Name of my classmate) who has expressed her interest in the field of nursing informatics. Authors McGonigle and Mastrian remind us that, â€Å"the work of nurses revolves around data, knowledge, information and wisdom and that improvement in technology should ensure that the right care is given at the right time to the right patients at the lowest possible cost† (2009). In light of this profound thought, I appreciate the work of ______ (Name of my classmate) who has summarized an article on nursing informatics titled, ‘Examining the Unintended Consequences of Computerized Provi der Order Entry System Implementation’. After reviewing the summary, I feel that she has done a good job in summarizing the content of the article, highlighting the pros and cons of having a computerized provider order entry system. However, the write-up could have included information about facts that came as a surprise to her/him or reaffirms what she/he already knew or has experienced at the workplace. In light of the fact that President Obama has called for a massive effort to revamp the current health care system by incorporating standardized electronic health records in just about five years and slated more than $19 billion for health information technology, I would recommend my classmate to focus on the area of digital record keeping. The standardized electronic health records should be integrated and interoperable so as to ensure accuracy and quick access. Such a technology would benefit both the health care providers and the patients. Scholarly Databases at my Workpl ace At my workplace, I have access to the Mosby’s Nursing Consult and Lippincott’s Nursing Center. I utilize these scholarly databases frequently since it helps me to be in touch with the latest practices and findings in the field of nursing. Although one has to spend some time searching through these databases if they are looking for something specific, I believe that it is not very difficult to do so. Unlike other web search

Psych Case Formulation on Bipolar patient Study

Psych Formulation on Bipolar patient - Case Study Example Bipolar patients experience recurrent episodes of high or elevated moods; characteristics of mania and depression states. Bipolar disorder symptoms can lead to broken relations, and even suicide. Individuals who experience the combination of major depressive episodes and mania are diagnosed with bipolar I disorder, and individuals who experience the combination of major depressive episodes and hypomania are diagnosed with bipolar II disorder. Bipolar illness is a long term condition that can be managed throughout the lifetime of a patient; enabling the patient to lead a healthy life. This paper will deal with sequences of thought, feelings, and deeds that are maladaptive, disruptive, either for the bipolar patient; treatment options will also be discussed in this paper. Clinical data regarding to bipolar disorders is used by most researchers, who follow the bio-psychosocial approach. Bipolar disorder is a psychological disorder, analyzing it requires the combination and interaction o f biological factors, psychological process, and socio-cultural contexts. According to a survey performed by Kessler et al (2005), bipolar disorder develops in an individual’s late teens or early adult life, before the 25 years. A small percentage of bipolar patients experience their initial symptoms during childhood while a larger percentage develops symptoms later on in life. It is very hard to make a diagnosis of bipolar disorder during its onset. This can be better explained by the neurobiological model which focuses on genetic influences and biological disturbances in the brain. Most individuals go through so much anguish for years before they are correctly diagnosed and treated. This study also proved that this mood disorder may be due to problems in the frontal lobes, hippocampus, and other brain parts associated with moods. Imbalanced of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin according to research is one of the causes of late onset of bipola r disorders. Current completed epidemiological research has approximated the lifetime occurrence of bipolar I and II disorders in the general population to be 3.7%–3.9% (Hirschfeld et al, 2003; Kessler et al, 2005). The frequency in samples of patients displaying depression is much higher, ranging from 21% (Hirschfeld et al, 2005) to 26% (Manning et al, 1997) in primary care settings, and from 28% (Hantouche et al, 1998) to 49% (Benazzi, 1997) in psychiatric clinics. A study conducted by Hirschfeld et all (2000) on the development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder recommended the mood disorder questionnaire. Results from this study proved that the use of screening equipment, such as the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, can significantly improve recognition of individuals with bipolar illness, particularly among depressed patients. These results aid in the displaying of bio-psychosocial elucidations, which emphasize the impact of anxiety, negat ive thoughts, and other psychosocial and emotional responses. From the questioner, the way the participants thought about their stressors indicated the likelihood of a mood disorder. A study funded by the national institute of mental health, conducted by Frank et al (2005) revealed the likelihood of relapse due to psychosocial intervention. Careful attention is paid to the social and cultural factors that form the context, or background of abnormal behavior. From the data obtained, psychosocial inte

Henri Fayol Essay Example for Free

Henri Fayol Essay Henri Fayol (Istanbul, 29 July 1841 – Paris, 19 November 1925) was a French mining engineer and director of mines who developed a general theory of business administration that is often called Fayolism.[1] He and his colleagues developed this theory independently ofscientific management but roughly contemporaneously. Like his contemporary, Frederick Winslow Taylor, he is widely acknowledged as a founder of modern management methods. Biography Fayol was born in 1841 in a suburb of Istanbul, Ottoman Empire. His father (an engineer) was appointed superintendent of works to build the Galata Bridge, which bridged theGolden Horn. [1] The family returned to France in 1847, where Fayol graduated from the mining academy Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines in Saint-Etienne in 1860. In 1860 at the age of nineteen Fayol started the mining company named Compagnie de Commentry-Fourchambault-Decazeville in Commentry as the mining engineer. In 1888 he became managing director, when the mine company employed over 10,000 people, and held that position over 30 years until 1918. By 1900 the company was one of the largest producers of iron and steel in France and was regarded as a vital industry.[1] Based largely on his own management experience, he developed his concept of administration. In 1916 he published these experience in the book Administration Industrielle et Generale Publications[edit] Books, translated 1930. Industrial and General Administration. Translated by J.A. Coubrough, London: Sir Isaac Pitman Sons. 1949. General and Industrial Management. Translated by C. Storrs, Sir Isaac Pitman Sons, London. Articles, translated, a selection 1900. Henri Fayol addressed his colleagues in the mineral industry 23 June 1900. Translated by J.A. Coubrough. In: Fayol (1930) Industrial and General Administration. pp. 79–81 (Republished in: Wren, Bedeian Breeze, (2002) The foundations of Henri Fayol’s administrative theory) 1909. L’exposee des principles generaux d’administration. Translated by J.D Breeze. published in: Daniel A. Wren, Arthur G. Bedeian, John D. Breeze, (2002) The foundations of Henri Fayol’s administrative theory, Management Decision, Vol. 40 Iss: 9, pp. 906 – 918 1923. The administrative theory in the state. Translated by S. Greer. In: Gulick, L. and Urwick. L. Eds. (1937) Papers on the Science of Administration, Institute of Public Administration. New York.

Personality Traits of a Successful Teacher

Personality Traits of a Successful Teacher When it comes to a career the skills and personality strengths required are surprisingly similar in many ways. However, each professional career has certain strengths they tend to look for. Communication and cooperation are two of the main traits required for all careers. When I found my Signature Themes I realized how they really relate to my future career, becoming an elementary teacher. When becoming a teacher there are certain personality strengths that are required and comes naturally to some people. Harmony, Consistency, Discipline, Communication and Positivity are my five signature themes. These are just a few strengths that teachers need. A few others are obviously the ability to teach, instruct, organize, make presentations and listen. These five signature themes contribute to my future goals by creating opportunities for me to move forward in life, with a lot of positive options and pathways. Positivity is a great quality for a teacher because teachers, especially elementary teachers, need to praise there students and encourage them to be the best they can be. A positive person always looks for the good in someone or a situation. In a lot of ways, Im the person who thinks of the glass being half full instead of half empty. This is an excellent trait for a teacher because students need a positive role model in their lives, and not all have the opportunity to h ave it at home. My family is very close and family oriented, they have all gone through some rough patches and have remained positive throughout everything. I think this plays a major role on me and how I conduct and live my life. My parents are very encouraging with everything and remain positive in almost every situation. I really dont think that being a positive person can have a negative effect on a anyone. Positivity is a good trait to have and it looked up upon, it is a rare trait to have and I know that my friends really appreciate that trait of mine. Positivity is the type of this that rubs off on people and most likely its there to stay. Harmony is a wonderful personality trait of a teacher! Teachers need to have the ability to see both sides of an argument, and be open to listening with an open heart to both parties. I feel that when you argue with someone you should try and keep it to the minimum, and steer them towards harmony and happiness. Teachers bring the good out in students fighting by making them talk about down-to-earth things, things which matter to everyone and they can come to a single agreement on! A teacher understands where a child comes from and theyre background. Maybe a child is brought up by arguing parents and confrontation and fighting is alright, well thats where I as a teacher would step in and come to an agreement and steer clear of debate. Again, my family influences me a lot and always encourages my sisters and I to work it out and to not argue. My mom is a horseback riding instructor and she also has many of these traits. She remains positive and never takes sides in an argument two of h er students may be having. When it comes to harmony hurting my ambitions in life, I dont see how that is possible in any situation. Harmony is a great trait to have, especially for a teacher. Not enough teachers have this trait and I think that those are the ones that everyone dislikes. Positivity and harmony go hand and hand in the teaching world. Communication was voted the number one required trait of a teacher. When you think of a teacher and classroom what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Bulletin boards, a colorful picture that draw your attention, and makes you want to read and find out more. Exactly, teacher and communication go hand and hand, they explain, describe, host, and likes to speak in front of groups of people. I am not afraid to express myself, or to let my opinion be heard. Teachers are known for bringing projects to life and to make them exciting and energetic. People respect teachers for being able to think on their toes and create things out of nowhere. I think this personality trait fits me perfectly; this is why I think I would make a great teacher in the future. In the past, I have had a very hard time with public speaking, I do not like to get in front of a large group of people and give a speech. But when it comes to kids and being very influential it doesnt bother me at all. As I getting older and more confident in my teaching ability I feel that standing up and talking all day and teaching kids valuable information will be very easy. Balance and consistency is important to any teacher. Teachers need to have the ability to not show favoritism, everyone is treated fairly in every situation. In a teachers eyes not one child is more important than any other. Rules apply to everyone equally, no matter what. In my everyday life balance and consistency is very important to me, things need to be consistent and orderly at all times. Consistency will help me with my future plans by being organized and having a known plan, keeping me on track to achieve my goals. Lastly, Discipline is a trait of teachers, and I dont mean spanking and punishing. Discipline simple means ordered and planned, or even predictable. Routines and structure are very important. Lists, short term and long term goals get you through your weeks. When children learn then need discipline, and need a structured environment where they can learn and focus. Teaching discipline to children at a young age drastically improves theyre studying and learning techniques for the rest of their lives. In my life, check lists, post-it notes and routines get me through my day. This helps me achieve deadlines and finish all of my homework on time. Children need discipline, when things are repetitive; you learn them quicker and in most cases, easier. Having discipline in your life in never a bad thing, it makes you have more respect for yourself and others around you. I know that when I achieve my goals and still have time left I feel great. Achieving goals is such a great feeling. These five personality traits are major qualities a teacher should have. All good teachers love children and have a need to improve their lives somehow. Harmony, Discipline, Consistency, Communication and positivity are just a few of my personality traits that go towards teaching and making the world a better place. In order for me to be successful in my future goals I have to be persistent and do my best in school, when it is time to do my internship in two years, and when it comes time for me to go out into the world and become an elementary school teacher and have a positive input on young childrens lives. References Do future teachers choose wisely: a study of pre-service teachers personality preference profiles | College Student Journal | Find Articles at BNET. (n.d.). Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues Reference Articles on All Topics. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_3_39/ai_n15384396/ McKay, D. R. (n.d.). Teacher Preschool, Elementary and Secondary School Teachers Career Information. Career Planning Career Planning Guide. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/teacher.htm ReidÂÂ  , R. K. (n.d.). StrengthsQuest. Onondaga Community College Students students.sunyocc.edu. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://students.sunyocc.edu/support.aspx?menu=596id=15462 Skills in jobs. (n.d.). University of Kent the UKs European university . Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsinjobs.htm#TEACHERS

Analysis- Software Solutions :: Computer Science

Analysis- Software Solutions In order to make my database I am going to use Microsoft Access. Other possible systems I could have used are programmes such as Microsoft Excel and also a simple manual system where all the data is hand-written. I chose Microsoft Access, as this is more efficient and more professional as a whole. If I used a manual system I could have improved my problems by having all of the documents filed in alphabetical order, having more filing cabinets or by writing out documents more neatly and more tidily. Filing all documents in alphabetical order would have tidied up the documents and made them easier to find, but as documents would still be in a filing cabinet even though in alphabetical order it would still be time consuming to find them rather than a computerized system which would be a lot faster to find and therefore less time consuming. Also if you use more filing cabinets in which to store documents this may still not be very practical if the person the changes are designed for works in a small office with limited space. As well as this, by taking more care in writing and filling in documents and writing more neatly this would improve the system but it would also be inappropriate at times. This is because you are unable to take care and write neatly all of the time, as there are many occasions in which you are rushed which causes the neatness of your writing to falter. The final reason why I have opted to use Microsoft Access rather than a manual system where filing cabinets are involved is because in Access you can store about 20,000 files but if you had to store 20,000 files using a manual system huge amounts of space would be taken up and it would be very awkward to find the specific document you desire. If I used Microsoft Excel in which to store data this would improve on the current system as it is computerized but it is still not as efficient as other computerized programmes. Microsoft Excel would allow me to create tables, perform calculations, print out single documents and also print out multiple documents. Being able to print out improves on a manual system as it is a lot quicker and you do not have to keep typing documents out time and time again. Although using Microsoft Excel is a large improvement on using a manual system Microsoft Access is the one I have opted to use. This is because on Microsoft Access you are able to perform all actions

All About Nothing: The Story Of My Life Essay -- essays research paper

All About Nothing: The Story of My Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps the most important thing that has happened in my life is the fact that nothing really big or important has ever happened in my life. For example, my parents are still happily married, and nobody really close to me has evr died. All of this is very unfortunate, I am sure, because if one of these things had happened I would have been able to find a topic for this very essay which I am writing very easily, and would not have had such a hard time getting this essay in to my teacher on time. Nor have I rescued a little kitten from a tree, which when I think about it is really unfortunate because then not only would I have had a topic, but I might also have gotten my picture in the â€Å" Hillsborough Beacon,† or even in the â€Å"Somerset Messenger Gazette,† which, in the lingo of those in the news paper business, is the ‘big time.' But there is little point in even mentioning these things, because they have not happened, and thus, I am left topicless. I could try to fool you with some far out, totally unbelievable story about how I was in a car wreck involving at least two dozen cars, including the president's limousine, and how despite having broken two legs, an arm, in addition to various other body parts too numerous to mention, I managed to drag myself out of the wrecked car (A job for the Jaws of Life, for sure, had it been any other person but me in that car), and then how I managed to haul all of the other survivors, among them the president himself, out of their cars, and to safety, only moments before a small fire that was caused by the crash reached the gas tank of one of the cars causing a breath- taking chain reaction of explosions and fires seen and heard for miles around I could...but I will not. In fact, I would not have it any other way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If a highly important meaningful event had happened in my life, the chances are that I would be a completely different person today than the Bill that I am sure you know and love, and probably even worship. It could for example have made me realize how important a proper education is (Do not ask me how.). And, because of this, I could be a diligent hard working student. Thankfully, it didn't and I am not, but the point is, it could have. A scary thought indeed. My parents aren't divorced and do not abuse me, givin... ...ng him of his great failures, even if they are trying to be nice abouit it, although a great many most likely ae not, and can probably get downright mean. Even if he had won those Super Bowls his life would still be a wreck. Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, the only quarterbacks ever to win as many Super Bowls as Kelly has lost, still can not go out in public without being mobbed by fans, even though both have long since retired. And although it was most likely fun and exciting to begin with (I find excitement to be much over rated any way.), the novelty of celebrity has most certianly worn off by now, and not being able even to go to the supermarket has most likely turned in to a large pain in the neck. So, as I feel I have just proved, exiting and important events bring nothing good no matter how extremely good or bad they seem to be. This is why I enjoy my average uneventful life. However, as a personal note, if the good and kind reader of this essay would extend the deadline a few years, I could give her a really good reflective essay about the feelings that I have for the people who I have literally and figuratively crushed on my way to power as the Supreme Ruler of the World.

Knowledge Management Conocophillips Essay

We express our deep gratitude to Mr. Gurparkash Singh for his constant support, guidance and motivation which helped us immensely in completing this project. The project provided us with an opportunity to understand the fundamentals of Knowledge Management in a better manner and its application in corporate world. The insistence on taking up a project on application of Knowledge Management in energy based firm and promoting it with latest technologies used by them to get a competitive advantage. ABSTRACT We have ConocoPhillips as our project firm of Knowledge Management. We learnt a lot about the importance of Knowledge sharing in today’s firms. The company continues to make tremendous progress toward its vision of creating a work place where employees continually deliver additional value through global collaboration and expertise sharing. At ConocoPhillips, support for sharing comes from the executive level and cascades downward and outward throughout the U.S.’s 6th largest global firm. The following report describe the approach, knowledge initiatives and use of lessons learned that have propelled ConocoPhillips’ current knowledge sharing and learning platform forward. At the end of this document, we have provided metrics that demonstrate the robust growth of Knowledge Sharing at ConocoPhillips COMPANY PROFILE ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States. It is the world’s largest independent pure-play exploration & production company and is also one of the Fortune 500 companies. ConocoPhillips was created through the merger of Conoco Inc. and the Phillips Petroleum Company on August 30, 2002 and was the fifth largest integrated oil company until spinning off its downstream assets to Phillips 66 ConocoPhillips focuses solely on exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas globally. The company manages its operations through six operating segments, which are defined by geographic region: Alaska, Lower 48  and Latin America, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East, and Other International. It currently owns 8.4% of the shares of the consortium exploiting Kashagan oil field however the company seeks to reduce its non-core assets in order to use the cash for debt reduction, fund its capital program, and dividend payments. On October 3, 2012, the Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister told reporters that ConocoPhillips has informed Kazkahstan of their intention to sell their shares. In November 26, in its biggest acquisition ever, ONGC Videsh agreed to buy ConocoPhillips’ 8.4% stake in the Kashagan oilfield for about US $5 billion. The stake buy is subject to approval of governments of Kazakhstan and India and also to other partners in the Caspian Sea field waiv ing their pre-emption rights. Need of knowledge Management Smart managers intuitively understand the importance of the problems that knowledge management efforts are often designed to address: sprinkled across most organizations are people doing similar kinds of work, but they often remain unaware of one another’s expertise, successes, and failures. Some of this lack of awareness is the result of waves of downsizing, reorganizations, leadership changes, and new acquisitions. But even in the best-managed large organizations, employees who could benefit from one another’s experiences are often isolated by formal structures and mechanisms that subdivide work into different reporting channels and focus employees on local rather than global goals. To serve customers well and remain in business companies must: reduce their cycle times, operate with minimum fixed assets and overhead (people, inventory and facilities), shorten product development time, improve customer service, empower employees, innovate and deliver high quality produ cts enhance and adoption, capture information, create knowledge, share and learn. Effective knowledge management should dramatically reduce costs. Most individuals, teams and organizations are today continually ‘reinventing the wheel’. This is often because they simply do not know that what they are trying to do have already been done by elsewhere. They do not know what is already known, or they do not know where to access the knowledge. Continually reinventing the wheel is such a costly and inefficient activity, whereas a more systematic reuse of knowledge will show substantial cost benefits immediately But as well as  reducing costs, effective knowledge management should also dramatically increase our speed of response as a direct result of better knowledge access and application. Effective knowledge management, using more collective and systematic processes, will also reduce our tendency to ‘repeat the same mistakes’. This is, again, extremely costly and inefficient. Effective knowledge management, therefore, can dramatically improve quality of products and/or services. Better knowing the stakeholder needs, customer needs, employee needs, industry needs, for example, has an obvious immediate effect on the relationship management. The Knowledge Economy is the next booming economy in a world of recession. More individuals, teams, organizations and inter-organizational networks will be restructuring and renewing themselves with the primary purpose of profitably trading their knowledge to add even higher value, predominantly on the World Wide Web. Already we see more enlightened organizations developing and applying the knowledge they have about their industry, customers, partners and stakeholders, as their prime strategic asset, and at the highest point in the value chain. And many are becoming less involved, and more open to profitably outsourcing the other business operations. Around the world we hear automobile companies talking far more about their critical and key knowledge areas of design, knowledge of manufacturing , knowledge of distribution, knowledge of service and support etc as their ‘crown jewels’ or ‘master recipe’. Based on applying this key knowledge they then outsource the other business components. We hear the same from the aerospace industry, the oil and gas industry, the information technology industry, the food and agricultural industry, the healthcare industry, in fact most, if not all, industries. None of this is possible without a continual focus on the creation, updating, availability, quality and use of knowledge by all employees and teams, at work and in the marketplace. CORE CONCERN AT CONOCOPHILLIPS Baby boomers nearing retirement age pose a challenge to sustaining effective networks. At ConocoPhillips. nearly 20 percent of the employee base is eligible for retirement. In the coming years, another nearly 20 percent will qualify for retirement. These highly experienced employees possess valuable business knowledge and often serve as subject matter experts or network  leaders. It is vital to capture their knowledge and experience so that it can be reused across the enterprise and accelerate learning. Losing core team network members presents another challenge to networks of excellence. The project management network, for example, frequently redeploys and reassigns network leaders and core team members in the organization. High leadership turnover rates can lead to network disengagement and a loss of expertise. The knowledge-sharing team works closely with networks that experience changes in leadership to overcome obstacles and find ways to sustain continuous leadership â€Å"Networks of Excellence† (NoEs) Due to all these needs ConocoPhillips came with the concept of NOE’s. These internal communities of practice intended to encourage knowledge sharing. Articulating roles and responsibilities, attending to the network’s daily operations, and working to institute a culture that supports the exchange of knowledge are all crucial, but at ConocoPhillips, the foundational principle of network building is this: a Network of Excellence must demonstrate its ability to contribute significant value, either in cost savings or in revenue generation. In 2004, ConocoPhillips launched a large initiative to create internal communities of practice that would enhance knowledge sharing within the firm. For this international integrated energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very real—and the potential payoff was large. Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of assuming that technology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, senior managers understood that effective global communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. They also recognized that each had to be focused on solving difficult business year challenges. With more than 10,000 employees participating in about 100 of what ConocoPhillips calls â€Å"Networks of Excellence† (NoEs) and a growth rate of about 10 new networks per year, the company has developed a set of valuable principles for identifying, nurturing, and enabling these topic-focused communities. A culture of knowledge sharing has emerged in which network members take responsibility  for helping their globally distributed colleagues—even if they meet face to face only once or twice a month. Network Formation at ConocoPhillips Ensuring that each new network has the greatest chance to succeed is a process that begins long before the network is formed. Many authors and consultants stress the informal nature of such communities, arguing that any attempt to systematize them will crush them. ConocoPhillips found the exact opposite—that without clear and explicit links to the organization and its business purpose, networks often evolve in ways that fail to contribute to business goals. The company adheres to two fundamental principles in this regard. First, no network is created without a clear and detailed business case that specifies the value proposition to the company and is agreed on by network leaders and members. Insisting on a business case prior to the creation of a network goes against the typical â€Å"let a thousand flowers bloom† approach that is often promoted. But in many cases, uncontrolled growth of new networks saps employees’ attention and engagement, leading to neglect an d network failure. Setting a high bar at the outset means that every potential new network must have a strong business justification, which signals to potential leaders and members that the result will not be something that consumes their time without producing real business value. Today, more than 120 networks exist across the organization. Networks align with business functions to assist in the achievement of functional excellence. The portals are open, in that both contract and full-time employees have access to most network activity. Given that between 70 percent and 80 percent of organizational learning occurs informally and outside the classroom, networks support informal learning among members. Networks exist across all technical disciplines, and most arc supported by functional excellence teams. Functional excellence teams include line managers from business units and assets who are accountable for networks. Functional excellence teams provide structure, governance, and leadership required for effective networks of excellence. The knowledge-sharing leadership team (i.e., not the core group) includes representatives from various business streams across the organization who help set direction and strategy. The knowledge-sharing leadership team also provides support for reward and recognition programs organization-wide. The enterprise  knowledge-sharing team oversees network activities. Promoting Knowledge Sharing at ConocoPhillips INTERACTIVE SESSIONS They reorganized and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. More than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other. TOP LEVEL PARTICIPATION The most successful KM efforts have senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than collecting documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggered response. ARCHIMEDES AWARDS In 2005, ConocoPhillips introduced its Archimedes Awards to recognize business units and regions for the four primary types of behaviors that an effective knowledge sharing-enabled culture requires. The awards, known informally as the 4G’s, symbolize: * giving, * grabbing and * gathering knowledge, * Along with spilling one’s â€Å"guts† to prevent others from having to repeat painful lessons learned. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. These awards are given to the business units or regions that have successfully created a collaborative work force through giving, taking and applying, and sharing knowledge. Network of the Year award On an individual basis, ConocoPhillips also recognizes the most outstanding networks through the Network of the Year award. Three networks are nominated quarterly by the global governing body of high-level program sponsors, based upon several criteria of collaboration and networking  performance. Four networks are yearly selected as Networks of the Year. Being nominated is considered a high honor within the company. The awards have become highly respected symbols of global collaboration. HALL OF HONORS Regions and certain functions have created their own rewards to recognize people at a local level. For example, the North Sea Business Unit and the Operations Excellence function let people recognize their peers for outstanding efforts that promote knowledge and collaboration. As further evidence of the strength of the Archimedes Network of the Year award, in 2011, ConocoPhillips introduced the Hall of Honors to recognize networks which have produced superior results year over year. Networks which have won the title of Network of the Year three or more times are named into the Hall of Honors and retain the honor for three years. Afterwards, they are eligible again to compete for Network of the Year. The Hall of Honors represents a significant milestone in the growth and maturity of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing program and enables the recognition of more noteworthy networks. KNOWLEDGE PROMOTION TOOLS ConocoPhillips has three main tools: Ask and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki . Ask and Discuss: component has led to 100,000 exchanges. They don’t believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. The formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Knowledge libraries: and Discussion forums are embedded in each community portal. Network portals are accessed frequently; for example, ConocoPhillips recorded more than 1.3 million hits monthly on its family of SharePoint-based network portal sites during a six-month period between April and October 2009 Within each community, the Ask and Discuss forum is a place to post questions and initiate discussions. The organization tracks the number of questions posted, the number of replies, and the number of readers per question or discussion. Data show that an average of 20 people read a single reply. In other words, for just five replies, about 100 people read the responses and absorb the information contained therein. Content that complements Ask and  Discuss forums is stored in the network’s knowledge library. This content is reviewed and analyzed by subject matter experts and then posted to the library using a taxonomy developed by the knowledge-sharing team and corroborated by network leaders. Knowledge library content is quality controlled; only the most valuable knowledge is retained in the library The wiki : is the first place to look for content. All of their success stories have an economic impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing. Documented success stories, best practices and lessons learned in the form of closed discussions play a large role in providing context to Wiki articles. OneWiki has been deployed across the company and involves many networks, teams and work groups. Even at this early stage, OneWiki is proving to be a natural place to capture the insight and wisdom that accepted knowledge (lessons learned and best practices) has become. Further, the Wiki concept is familiar to people and encourages them to find and keep accumulated knowledge up† to†date. Internally branding the wiki as â€Å"OneWiki† has sent an important message that this is the one and only place for contextual, encyclopedic knowledge in ConocoPhillips. To introduce OneWiki to the enterprise, the global KS Team created a set of high†end computer†based training modules. The team meets regularly with individuals deemed content moderators to ensure they are aware of the governing standards. Closed discussions: enabling portal discussions as a way to capture and transfer lessons learned is a cornerstone of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing strategy. The sharing of discussions across sister networks yields even greater value for the company. But the latest, most exciting KS initiative is rapidly positioning ConocoPhillips to gain significant value by integrating Web 2.0 technology with the Knowledge Sharing platform. The two†pronged approach consists of Closed Discussion Items and Wiki technology and processes. Four years ago, the KS Team recognized the potential of lost knowledge retention opportunities when valuable knowledge from online discussions eventually aged on network portals. Many discussions contain detailed analysis and background information that represent an extensive body of knowledge from experienced network members. To recapture the benefit of such knowledge and provide it a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"second life,† the team actively researched the discussions that had reached closure and were deemed to have yielded a successful result. The KS team created a process and policy to encourage network leaders to officially ‘close’ those discussions. These were then turned into searchable lessons learned documents that were added to the network’s knowledge library for members and others to search and browse. This approach has proven to be a more useful and efficient means of capturing,storing, accessing and re†using intellectual capital than more traditional and costly methods MEMBER ENGAGEMENT When ConocoPhillips first began launching networks, business units perceived them as a corporate initiative that was being added to normal workloads (i.e., above the flow of work). Membership engagement has helped change that perception and is one of the building blocks required for successful networks of excellence. Creating connections between similar networks increases engagement and allows the organization to leverage knowledge more effectively. Sister networks are linked by business objectives and functions. One network currently has 16 sister networks. Network members can post Ask and Discuss questions to related networks to engage a broader audience in finding a solution. Only meaningful, out-of-the-ordinary questions approved by the network leader are posted to sister network sites. The goal is to further engage similar networks and let others know of network issues and activities. METHODS OF PROMOTING MEMBER ENGAGEMENT Network leaders are constantly aware of the need to promote engagement and increase membership. One method for promoting engagement is to transition members from e-mail to the know ledge portal to more effectively drive use of the Ask and Discuss forums. When a leader receives an e-mail message, for example, he or she may suggest that the member post the question on the network portal: this action will encourage users to become more active in the network by visiting the site rather than posting a question to a single resource. Network leaders also drive network participation by posting new announcements, events, and discussion items in the portal keeping the network fresh helps sustain members’ interest. Another strategy for member engagement involves incorporating network use into day-to- day job  responsibilities. Deliberately designing the network through business planning makes activities more relevant to individuals; the intersection between network activities and daily business functions is expanding. The goal is to link part of an individual’s performance expectations to network participation, which boosts engagement as well as know ledge sharing. CHALLENGE WITH THE NOE’S All 120-plus networks arc global, and this can present some challenges. The knowledge-sharing team works with the network leaders and network core teams to address these challenges as they arise. One such challenge is the cultural differences among various regions with regard to sharing knowledge. Whereas most Westerners are fairly comfortable with posting questions and comments to ask and discuss forums, engaging members in the Asia-Pacific region can be more difficult because employees from these cultures arc less comfortable singling out individuals. Core team members in these regions work diligently to build network participation. Time zones present another challenge for global networks. Virtual meetings are scheduled in the early morning or the evening to accommodate different parts of the world and can be repeated at 12-hour intervals if needed. Roles Several hundred employees across ConocoPhillips work on knowledge-sharing activities, most of them part-time. As mentioned, the core knowledge-sharing team supports network activities, and six full-time resources help manage networks. Each network is supported by a network sponsor and leader, a core team, network members, and subject matter experts. Network Sponsors A network sponsor provides overall guidance and visibility for the network. Sponsors are influential senior-level managers from organization-wide business streams. They secure funding and help set direction and strategy with community leaders. A network sponsor also helps create and refine the network’s business case and verify buy- in with business unit leaders. He or she supports the network through executive briefings and communication with stakeholders. Sponsors appoint, coach, and support network leaders, including linking their performance to career progression. In addition, sponsors ensure that network members’ community activities are recognized  and rewarded within their business units and globally. Network Leaders Networks of excellence are supported by network leaders who are selected by sponsors or business-unit leaders. These individuals are responsible for ensuring that core team members, subject matter experts, and other network members understand the purpose of the community and their roles and responsibilities. They work closely with the network sponsors to ensure that the focus of the network reflects business unit needs. Network leaders also seek feedback from core team members about network activity, communicate the value of participation, and solicit business unit feedback. In addition to checking the community portal for submissions and pushing new content to members and subject matter experts, leaders: * Facilitate responses for portal-based questions in a timely manner * Direct Ask and Discuss questions to the appropriate subject matter expert or member * Encourage the regular use of content with questions Leaders help train members on how to use the tools and resources available in the community. They also acknowledge member participation with awards, recognition, and performance feedback. The time spent on leadership activities varies by network. One individual may manage three networks and spend approximately 33 percent of his or her time doing this. Others may spend 20 percent of their time on managing one network, depending on other business demands. The role is integrated with job responsibilities; it is not an additional role that leaders are expected to assume on top of their day-to-day functions. â€Å"They don’t put on another hat and slop doing their other jobs,† said Miriam Fjellaker, network specialist. â€Å"The role is integrated and helps them improve their other job functions.† Core Team Members Core team members check the portal site daily for new submissions and developments and respond to Ask and Discuss questions. They also set up alerts for members on key content areas. Core team members also: * Work with network leaders and sponsors to make sure the needs and issues of the local business unit are adequately reflected within the scope and activities of the global network * Push e-mail threads to the portal as much as  possible * Communicate community activities to the business units * Empower and encourage members to use networks as part of their daily work processes Network Members Network members are encouraged to select and join the networks that relate to their work. They are also encouraged to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal and leverage network relationships to ask questions, get answers, and learn with global colleagues. Subject Matter Experts Subject matter experts share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal. They also work with the community and other subject matter experts to develop and agree on best practices. Being responsive is important, subject matter experts are encouraged to respond to Ask and Discuss questions related to their areas of expertise as quickly as possible they are expected to use their expertise to move others forward. Subject matter experts also provide input to the network leader and core team regarding how their areas of expertise should be addressed in the network’s business case and other projects and initiatives Technology for Networks SharePoint is used across the enterprise to post questions and promote knowledge sharing. A dedicated team creates and manages portal sites and networks. All networks are standardized and have the same look and feel. Cultural Enablers for Sustaining Networks Networks at ConocoPhillips vary in size, scope, and function. The goal, said Smith, is to uncover the unique personality of each network and promote a culture that works. â€Å"You can’t click your heels and change the culture; leaders have to make it happen.† The community leader is expected to brainstorm ways to shape the culture and increase engagement Pushing alerts and responding to Ask and Discuss questions are important and help promote a culture that is conducive to sharing knowledge. Knowledge sharing is indirectly linked to ConocoPhillips’s performance and incentive compensation structure. This link serves as a strong motivator for employees to  participate in knowledge sharing, and it demonstrates the organizational commitment to networks of excellence. Reward and recognition programs are designed to increase network participation. Specifically, a reward and recognition structure helps motivate employees to participate in networks and promotes a know ledge-sharing culture Training is another cultural enabler. ConocoPhillips has a number of training efforts that explain network functionality and potential. Training The Network University is the training vehicle that supports ConocoPhillips’s network activities from launch to deployment Network University provides access to documents, presentations, and role descriptions that help form and maintain networks. Quick links from the KM home page provide overviews for new and experienced members. Users can also download a FAQ on networks or link to established sites. The organization uses Network University to train network leaders. It provides detailed descriptions of roles and expectations related to network leadership. The more than 150 network leaders frequently go to the site for guidance on how to maintain networks at ConocoPhillips. In addition, less experienced network leaders are often paired with experienced leaders for mentoring purposes. New hires receive training on networks during the onboarding process. A 90-minute segment shows how to map to networks and how networks tap in to expertise across the organization to better share knowledge. Communication Communicating the value and purpose of networks of excellence is critical to sustaining engagement and attracting new members. According to Ranta, â€Å"We realized we had to get out there and tell our story if we wanted networks to succeed.† The organization continues to increase communication efforts designed to spread the word on the value of networks. Network leaders and sponsors frequently communicate success stories to network members. External validation is promoted across the organization. For example, a number of corporate magazine articles showcase the success of networks at ConocoPhillips. The organization publicizes these articles to show the value of network activity. In 2009, ConocoPhillips was named a North American Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE), and this award was also communicated  across the organization. Communication is so important to the overall success of ConocoPhillips’s knowledge- sharing program that one of its full-time knowledge-sharing team members, Yvonne Myles, is the designated communications adviser. This individual supports the communication efforts of the networks of excellence along with communication initiatives that promote networks to the larger organization and externally. Each network uses a portal to communicate activities and news. In addition to linking to key news and discussions, portals showcase award recipients and network leaders. Participation Recognition Motivating employees to participate in networks of excellence is critical. Global and local rewards programs recognize members for network participation. For example, the prestigious Archimedes Award is presented to the top networks and success stories each year and recognizes regions for their knowledge-sharing behaviors. ConocoPhillips also collects collaboration success stories to highlight the business value of networks. To date, there are thousands of success stories that provide optimal business solutions. The stories are quality controlled and stored in the knowledge repository for future access. Regional areas sometimes create their own awards. Other recognition programs are supported by peers and implemented across networks Peers may also nominate members for awards through the network portal. Online submission is quick and easy. Members are nominated for excellence in contributions, Ask and Discuss forum participation, and engaging others in trusted relationships. Some networks of excellence have an award for outstanding discussions. Winners are celebrated on the network home page. KNOWLEDGE ONLINE Knowledge OnLine is a centralized digital hub for all knowledge sharing activities, resources, and intellectual property’. It is accessed through the corporate portal. Within Knowledge OnLine, subject matter experts and community members maintain profiles that showcase their expertise. Each profile includes a member picture and incorporates technical background and project industry experience. Members attach current resumes to their profiles. They ask their experts to perform a search on their expertise to make sure they show up in the search results and it helps them to show their  expertise Global excellence leaders develop and maintain functional networks (i.e., communities) that cross all business groups. They provide leadership for their respective knowledge communities. Specifically, global excellence leaders are responsible for best-practice approvals, reference systems, and career paths for the organization, including training, required readings, and unique tools for that discipline. An additional responsibility is career development. The role is prestigious; after serving as global excellence leaders, many individuals become executives. Communities are supported by leaders, knowledge managers, a global core KM team, and subject matter experts. A centralized KM team oversees community activities and works closely with leaders, knowledge managers, and subject matter experts across the enterprise Strategy for Sustaining Effective Networks of Excellence ConocoPhillip’s KM program replicates its community, content, discussions, and profiling approaches across its 42 functional and four corporate communities. It implies a global mind-set, with consistency of purpose and practice regardless of topic or geography. It implies designing KM so that each employee can tap in to the knowledge of the organization as a whole in order to respond to a client’s needs. It also implies access to content and people from anywhere clients or employees need help to solve a problem or enhance their skill. Knowledge communities are used to drive organizational transformation. In fact, communities are often created to fill a business need or knowledge gap and then decommissioned when they are no longer relevant. A work-share community, for example, addressed practices and procedures that were required to work in New Delhi and Manila. Now these practices are embedded into daily work processes and incorporated into standard operating procedures , and the community no longer exists. Similarly, a next-generation community is currently in place to explore future technology solutions. However, when next-generation technology is implemented and begins to become the de facto way to work, this community’s content will be migrated into appropriate mainstream communities for long-term stewardship. Communities also provide work process innovation. For example, practice and procedure updates are managed and implemented in communities. A subject matter expert uses a discussion forum to collect suggestions or ideas to improve a procedure document. Using feedback from  community members, the subject matter expert will update a policy or procedure and review changes. This process helps gain buy-in for policy and procedure changes, as well as global buy-in for the practice. The approach also has an associated cost benefit. In the past, they had large budgets for this process. Today, they have set a goal of updating or reviewing one-third of the practices using a fraction of the old budget. Communities also support more distributed project execution at Fluor. The organization uses a project activity model to illustrate activities and provide project management guidance. Using the community framework, members are able to update a map and provide color-coded areas of responsibility for more effective project execution. Communities can add training materials on how to complete project activities, along with templates and descriptions. Another work process improvement is linked to the organizational communication strategy. The old practice was to disseminate information about communities through the organizational hierarchy. However, not everyone saw those communications. Now communities send newsletters to the entire community membership. As a result, messages have a broader readership (greater penetration), which ultimately helps attract new members. Each message is sent as an e-mail with a link to the latest newsletter. This draws in employees who perhaps are not familiar with the system, thereby potentially recruiting new members. Employees frequently reply to messages and are encouraged to join a particular community as part of a routine follow – up. Knowledge Loss Risk Assessment Communities help in the identification of knowledge gaps or knowledge at risk—that is, knowledge that might be lost if the individual who possesses it retires from the organization. Fluor uses a knowledge-loss risk assessment process to determine the impact of retirement and resource gaps. The assessments also effectively communicate the potential impact of knowledge loss. Adapted from the Tennessee Valley Authority model, the formula multiplies the retirement factor (how soon) against the position risk factor (uniqueness of the individual’s knowledge) to determine the total attrition factor. This process helps integrate knowledge sharing with human capital management by identifying when subject matter expertise is at  risk and when the organization should identify a successor or protà ©gà © for a subject matter expert. Measuring Networks of Excellence ConocoPhillips’s knowledge-sharing team employs both objective and subjective tools to evaluate the health of the organization’s networks, identify where weaknesses exist, and prescribe ways for network leaders to improve their networks. Measuring the business impact of networks is a regular activity for the knowledge-sharing team and network leaders. Assessing Networks for Value: Success Stories ConocoPhillips believes that â€Å"you manage what you measure.† Keeping detailed records of business impact has served to galvanize sponsorship and attract and sustain membership to networks. One way the organization assesses business value is through validated success stories. Stories are submitted by employees and document cost savings, reduced cycle times, safety and environmental improvements, and other tangible business benefits. A story may also identify a critical business or technical issue that was solved using the community. Each year, the organization collects success story nominations and selects the best examples of collaboration. Supervisors, regional representatives and the knowledge sharing leadership team review and validate each story, adding a value statement to provide quick snapshot of the business value provided. Once success stories are approved, they are posted to the knowledge library where they can be accessed by other networks. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.conocophillips.com/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConocoPhillips www.apqc.org www.ibforum.com www.aiim.org www.hrcommunication.com www.zoominfo.com