Is Your Company Encouraging Employees to Share What They Know?

Many of the things we need to know to be successful – to innovate, collaborate, solve problems, and identify new opportunities – aren’t learned simply through schooling, training, or personal experience. Especially for today’s knowledge-based work, much of what we need to know we learn from others’ experiences, through what’s called vicarious learning.

Organizations know this learning is important, which is why they invest significant resources in handbooks, protocols, formal mentoring programs, and knowledge management systems to share employees’ experiences. Yet analyst estimates suggest that the companies in the Fortune 500 still lose a combined$31.5 billion per year from employees failing to share knowledge effectively. By trying to recreate the wheel, repeating others’ mistakes, or wasting time searching for specialized information or expertise, employees incurproductivity costs and opportunity costs for the organization. Because while formal systems might help communicate established best practices (the what), they often don’t explain how an individual should apply them to their own work. As a manager for Bain & Co. summarized in Nancy Dixon’s book Common Knowledge, this approach to knowledge management offers only “a picture of a cake without giving out the recipe.”

As a result, employees rely on informal learning practices, such as shadowing or observing senior colleagues to “watch and learn” what they need to know. For instance, in a study of mobile phone manufacturing lines in China, Harvard Business School’s Ethan Bernstein discovered that line workers often showed“tips and tricks” that others could copy in order to assemble phones more effectively than could be done using the official methods. (They were especially more likely to share these informal lessons when they weren’t worried about over-scrutiny from managers.)

While this informal (and intuitive) approach can be effective, it is no longer reasonable to expect employees to simply “watch and learn” in many workplaces. Organizations across a variety of industries are moving away from work that is easily observed and replicated to work that is more nuanced, specialized, and adaptive. More and more of today’s work is knowledge-based and done by people who are geographically dispersed. And success in this work requires being able to adapt knowledge to complex, changing environments. Yet our approach to vicarious learning has not kept pace; our ways of learning from others often assume that work is still watchable and that unobtrusively imitating others is enough.

Coactive vicarious learning

My research has explored an alternative to this “watch and learn” approach. Rather than one person shouldering the burden of absorbing knowledge by passively observing others, I posit that people can more effectively learn through collaborative, two-way interactions with others at work. Throughcoactive vicarious learning, the person learning and the person sharing knowledge work together to construct an understanding of an experience, which better equips the learner to apply it in their own work.

Instead of simply relying on visible results, interactive conversation and questioning allows the learner to understand the underlying reasons behind someone else’s actions, making it easier to adapt what’s learned to a new situation or task. For example, one study found that pharmaceutical development teams were better able to translate and learn from another team’s past experience when they invited members of the other team — the “sharers” of knowledge — to actively participate in their discussion and problem-solving (vs. a “learner” team simply identifying the “sharer” team’s knowledge and then trying to replicate it on their own).

Coactive vicarious learning breaks down the one-way nature of observational learning, so both parties — not just the observer — can benefit. The learner’s questions and reactions can lead the sharer to rethink an assumption or understand an experience in a new way. It can even prompt a role reversal, where the learner contributes unique experience or knowledge that might help the sharer learn. In studies of MBA consulting project teams, I’ve found that when individuals engage in this more reciprocal vicarious learning, sharing past experiences and expertise with each other in turn (vs. only an expert sharing with a novice), they consistently receive higher client ratings on their performance.

Putting it into practice

While many teams probably engage in some degree of interactive learning already, there are several key steps leaders can take to help institutionalize coactive vicarious learning at work, so that people don’t fall back solely on formal learning methods.

Leaders tend to place a disproportionate emphasis on tools like training materials or knowledge portals partly because they are easier to manage and control. It is less clear how to manage amorphous, interactive learning processes; you can’t simply force coworkers to interact and share experiences. However, more often than not, leaders simply need to remove obstacles that discourage people from seeking or sharing knowledge and learning vicariously. They can create a structure that allows these interactions to take place organically by focusing on three steps:

Create a designated space for vicarious learning. Our environments directly affect how we interact. So it’s important to consider how physical space (or virtual space for geographically dispersed teams) can facilitate vicarious learning. For instance, it might be more difficult to have a reciprocal, two-way sharing of experience in stuffy offices where one person is seated behind a big desk in the “more powerful” chair. Creating a common space that individuals recognize as the gathering place for sharing ideas and experiences lays the foundation for these interactions to unfold.

For example, members of air medical transport teams have to learn from each other’s experiences to know how to transport a wide range of critically ill patients. In researching how they learn, I found that a disproportionate number of informal learning interactions took place in one physical space: near the helipad door. Despite having plenty of office space, this 10×15 ft. area became the unofficial, mutually-agreed-upon space for members to share and ask about prior experiences. (This space was a frequent stop during every shift, since it was near the supply room for restocking the aircraft.) Since everyone recognized this space was “in bounds” for these conversations, team members showed they were willing to either share or learn something simply by choosing to stand there.

Similarly, in pursuit of this type of designated space, when Google was designing its new corporate campus, it set out to encourage these learning conversations by planning for lots of small kitchen spaces, because they had discovered that people liked to mingle in these areas and share ideas.

License and endorse vicarious learning. Leaders should be encouraging employees to seek and share experiences often. This gives individuals license to seek out what they need to learn, without fear that they’re being intrusive or bothersome — or that it will make them look bad. People often hesitate to ask others for help or advice because it requires admitting they don’t know something important. So instead they work in isolation, redoing something that their colleagues may have already done or making similar mistakes.

Leaders can license vicarious learning by acknowledging and rewarding instances when people engage in interactive learning and recycle (rather than reinvent) a “wheel.” For instance, managers at Siemens implemented a systemof “points” for sharing knowledge and learning vicariously, similar to an airline mileage reward program. Managers can also encourage an open-door environment that welcomes employees to seek or share information — and helps dispel the notion that such behavior is bothersome.

Plant starter seeds of vicarious learning. Beyond creating the space and license for vicarious learning, leaders can encourage greater learning by jump-starting the process. This means leading by example: proactively sharing experiences with team members and setting aside time at the beginning of meetings for people to discuss challenges and problem solve together. Even one-off efforts, such as a team breakfast or “happy hour,” can plant the seed for vicarious learning that can then grow into a more consistent practice.

Vicarious learning interactions are not a panacea for an organization’s learning challenges. But it is an effective piece of the workplace learning portfolio, alongside formal efforts like training programs, feedback sessions, and knowledge management systems, and informal practices like mentoring and “trial-and-error” exercises. All of these approaches reinforce each other and promote greater learning. In fact, sequencing vicarious learning and experiential learning strategies together has been shown to improve performance compared to experiential learning alone, across a range of different tasks.

Whatever the sequence or strategy, this type of learning is critical for many organizations, and leaders play an important role in making it more systematic, frequent, and easier to deploy. Companies are sitting on far more knowledge and expertise than they realize. Creating the conditions that enable coactive vicarious learning is a central way to bring out the best a team or organization has to offer. As Lew Platt, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard (HP) famously lamented, “if only HP knew what HP knows, we would be three times more productive.”

Source | https://hbr.org/2015/

THE SCIENCE OF RECOGNITION : How to recognise and reward employees and why it goes beyond monetary incentives

Qualitative and quantitative studies conducted by the OC Tanner Institute in India revealed that the more frequently an employee is recognised, the higher their personal “customer satisfaction“ scores become. The clear connect is that frequent and effective recognition is highly correlated to increased tenure, innovation, productivity, trust and engagement.

We also discovered that employees, when recognised, have more drive and determination and are far more likely to be more connected to their organisation, have better work relationships, and a stronger sense of personal standing within the company.

Our research has also found that employee who receive strong recognition are up 33 per cent more likely to proactively innovate, and in turn generating 2x as many ideas per month compared to those who aren't recognised well. With regards to tenure, organisations that offer career achievement programmes retain their employees an average of two years longer than organisations that don't.

Currently, only 58 per cent of employees in India rate employee recognition positively. What could help increase that percentage? Public presentations and communication of recognition are critical elements, as this helps make the employee more visible to their leaders and peers.

Here are five top strategies for maximising your recognition investment:

1 OFFER A VARIETY OF RECOGNITION PROGRAMMES.

Create opportunities for employees to be recognised for all facets of their work. Recognise career and other meaningful milestones, above and beyond performance, daily effort, sales achievement, customer service and so on. This will help employees feel like they can develop and grow their career.

2 RECOGNISE PUBLICLY.

Involve senior leaders, peers and coworkers, and make the presentation a big deal. At the presentation, present a certificate that calls out the reason for their recognition. Many employees consider this a “badge of honour“ that they'll take home to share with family and friends, as well as include in their personal file for use when discussing future promotions.

3 INCORPORATE SYM BOLIC AWARDS WITH THE COMPANY LOGO.

Nearly 75 percent of employees in India feel that an award at work needs to include their organisations logo in order to further communicate its meaning. In fact, employees suggested that even gift cards that include the company logo are instantly more meaning

4 GIVE TANGIBLE AWARDS.

Whether it's a paper certificate, a trophyplaque, or another award, specific details about the achievement make for a more meaningful experience for employees, and provide the opportunity easily share it with others.

5 PERSONALISE AND CUSTOMISE AWARDS TO REFLECT THE EMPLOYEES' ACCOMPLISHMENT(S).

When employees think of their best recognition experiences, a majority received a tangible award. Again, this helps extend the overall appreciation experience.When employees use that luggage or look at that watch, they'll have a tangible reminder of your organisation's appreciation of his or her great work.

Source | Economic Times | 17 November 2015

'Libraries have to ask what people want to read'

A freewheeling conversation with the director of Bibliotheque Nationale de France

The changing educational, social and recreational role of the library is a hotly debated subject among planners and readers alike. On a visit to Delhi, Bruno Racine, director of Bibliotheque Nationale de France (National Library of France), explains to The Hindu how public libraries need to become more interactive spaces. France and India have signed an MoU for digitisation of old manuscripts in the National Library of France. India is working on a National Virtual Library with French support, and France will be seeking India’s assistance to decipher its collection in Sanskrit and Tamil. There is a possibility that all these will be made a part of the joint digital collection.

Excerpts from the interview with Mr. Racine:

Excluding research scholars, far fewer people are visiting libraries today. What is the French experience?

I have to say, the trend is downwards. But we have to make a distinction between those who read online and the ones who come to the reading room. The libraries have not emptied out. Students do come here; I suppose they like to work from here. They may not borrow books, but libraries offer a quiet place and a friendly environment for the young. To address the young, public libraries have to offer services that correspond to their aspirations and give them rooms where they don’t have to whisper and can work together. We have five million items online, excluding copyright material, and our experience shows that people tend to use online resources and confine their visits to the library for a specific enquiry. So, the answer to your question is, the number of books being consulted and the number of physical readers has decreased slightly because more and more people have moved online. 

What is the role of a public library as a public space today?

In France, public libraries are city libraries. There are two state-funded public libraries, one at the Centre Georges Pompidou, and the other which I head. I don’t have recent figures, but I think globally the trend is of fewer people coming to libraries. A lot depends on local factors prevailing in a city. If a city opens a new modern library with reading services, it can become popular. If you go to an opera, it is not cheap. Museums are not free. In France, the policy has been to orient the library to the public. The traditional librarian thinks that if the books are good for the public, they will come. This is not the way it happens now. Libraries have become more interactive now. Libraries have to understand what the public wants. Librarians have to ask people what they want to read. 

How does the public funding of libraries work in France?

The library is completely funded by the government. We had to raise money on our own for heritage acquisition, where the access to the public is not free. Ninety five per cent of the budget of the National Library is funded by the Ministry of Culture. This has always been the case, which is quite different from museums in France, which have millions of visitors and can rest a little less on government money. We have about one million visitors each year to the library. The digital library gets 15 million visitors and is growing very fast. The library in France is a very old institution whose origins can be traced back to the 14th century, the time around which kings built their library of books, which became a permanent institution at the beginning of the 18th century. The practice of acquiring books was established in the 16th century, structured in a very systematic way at the beginning of the 19th century. Whenever a book is printed, it could be audiovisual records too, it has to be deposited at the library as well. Until a few years ago, the publisher had to deposit four books with the library. Now we have simplified the process, as we don’t have the space. We ask for only one copy by the publisher. There is a law since 2006 that gives us the mission of archiving books. The paradox is, when they are online they are free; once they are in our collection, you require authorisation to access them. 

What kinds of readers visit your library?

We have two kinds of readers. We have a public library which youngsters, young students and college students visit, for which the fee is very nominal. I have proposed to the government to make it free. On the other hand, for the digital library, we get an annual grant for digitisation of printed material and journals, which allows us to digitise 10 million pages every year. We get six million euros a year which is quite significant. 

What brings you to India? What are your plans?

Digitisation knows no boundaries. We are interested in countries that are looking at digitisation, and we are trying to understand their priorities. We have an Indian collection which we can share. If we want to have a single digital portal, for instance, for France and India, which is what I would like to discuss, our formats have to be compatible. Exchange of information is always useful, in particular in the area of long-term preservation, which is a big issue for digitised heritage. Another area I am looking forward to is cultural cooperation, because in France, we are interested in Indian collections because of our shared history. Since we know that India is working on a national digital library, we have some material which could be of some interest, which would require expertise from India for cataloguing it. We have 2,500 miniature paintings, and paintings which are not the most beautiful in the world but interesting, and over 1,800 manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit in our collection and over 1,000 manuscripts, in diverse Indian languages, which we refer to as the Indian collection. 

How should the state go about funding public libraries? What should be the terms of engagement?

There are over 2,500 public libraries in France. The majority of them are run by professional librarians. Every few years, a contract is drawn between the government and the libraries, which defines goals and measures performance. Libraries are cultural institutions and they have to conduct their policy within a clearly established framework drawn between the government and the libraries. 

Source | The Hindu | 8 November 2015

Crack your interview (without cracking under)

Meeting prospective employers can be a nerve-wracking experience. From asking the right questions to picking a right belt, this guide can help you make the best impression.

Whether you're giving your first interview or the umpteenth one, there's always a bit of "How do I crack this one?" going on in your head. An interview is a daunting task — it's a power game that is always tilted towards the interviewers. But you can tip the balance a wee bit and create a favourable impression on the panel. Being in a city that has as many challenges as opportunities, here's some special advice for today's Mumbaikars.

Choose your kind of job

Mumbai has an amazing array of options when it comes to job roles. So even before you walk in for an interview, think about what work you want to do. Just because you are an IT grad doesn't mean that you have to be a programmer. You could work in an e-learning agency creating technical training modules. You could be a content writer, writing niche content for tech companies. Or, you could completely change your field and get into event management if that's what you really enjoy doing.

Partner at Ernst & Young, Devendra Parulekar strongly suggests that you reflect and find your strengths. "Trained interviewers practise the art of funnelling, where they start asking a broad range of questions and then explore the three-four areas you consider your strengths. So know what you're good at. If you're a fish, don't attempt to climb a tree."

Do your homework

 

Almost all companies in Mumbai have a website. Read up about the company you'd like to work in. If you want to join the finance team, find a senior in their finance department on LinkedIn. Writing to somebody in particular (john.doe@company.com) rather than to a generic email address (careers@company.com) increases your chances of getting a reply. Doing your homework on a company and its job profiles will not only help you bag an interview but will also impress your interviewers.

Plan for the silliest things

 

Which Mumbaikar hasn't faced the wrath of Mumbai traffic? Use Google Maps to plan your travel a day in advance. Consider factors like time of day, rain, festivals, transport strikes, waiting for the elevator and the possibility of a security check at the venue. If you're taking a train, allot time to freshen up at your destination. As a rule, you should be at the waiting lounge of your interview venue at least 10 minutes before time.

 

"Plan to deal with rain, wind or hot weather, because there's a chance that the interview will happen outdoors. Being prepared will help you focus on the interview," says Tristan Fernandes, a content writer who once had a job interview at an outdoor cafe.

Dress appropriately

Are you wearing shorts and chappals because it's a startup? Don't be so sure. If you get the chance, ask the person coordinating your interview what the dress code is. If you're not sure, be on the safer side by wearing formal or semiformal attire, based on your judgement.

Khushbu Merchant, a KPMG senior and corporate blogger, says, "If you're getting interviewed by an MNC, wear a suit to your interview. If you're a woman, blend it with a female touch. That makes an impression that you can stay in touch with your feminine side and still kick some a** at work."

Use an air-conditioned cab service to get to your interview to look your freshest. Avoid travelling by train during rush hour, if possible.

Answer questions carefully

When Akhil Parekh decided to settle in India after working in North America for nine years after his Masters, he realised that the interview styles in the two regions were very different. "Apart from technical skills, people here also focus on personal aspects. 'Are you married?', 'What do your parents do?', 'How much student loan do you still have to pay off?' This is the kind of stuff nobody asks you in North America. But in India, they probably do so to gauge how stable your background is."

In Mumbai, where job hopping is easy, companies want to make sure that you'll stay put for a while. Having greater personal and financial stability decreases your chances of looking for a job elsewhere anytime soon, giving your interviewers confidence in you.

Ask the right question

At the end of an interview, your interviewers may tell you to ask any questions you have. Don't say "Nothing" because that speaks very little of your thought process. If you draw a blank, at least ask where the job location is — many companies have a central hiring team that hires across the city (or country). So while your interview may be in Malad, the actual job may be based in Vikhroli.

Leave with clear next steps

Before you get up from that chair, ask your interviewers what the next steps are. Will you get a call back? How many days will they take to make a decision? Don't be too pushy and blackmailing the panel by telling them you have another offer on the table is not okay.

So, there you have it. Jobs are calling. Where's your CV?

 

Source | Mumbai Mirror | 27 August 2015

Resume for success Writing a winning Curriculum Vitae is a skill. How do you make a positive impression?

If you’re someone who is done with your studies and are waiting to put your knowledge to some practical use, or someone who is looking for a career change, the first thing you do is either whip up a resume or update one.

While it’s never easy to pour out into a limited amount of space, information and qualifications that make up your resume, it is definitely something that ought to be executed skilfully.

Keep it crisp

It is no longer just the generation of black ink on a couple of white sheets of paper that drone on about what you’ve done, what you will do and how you will do it. In this day and age, the two-page resume which you’ve put so much thought into runs the risk of getting rejected or completely ignored for being too stale or monotonous.

Therefore, it’s a good thing that many individuals, like yourself, have already begun thinking outside the box.

It is an accepted fact that people charged with the responsibility of scouring through scores of resumes have a very limited span of attention. Whether it’s your qualifications or past experiences, key information represented in short, neat and evenly spaced sentences makes a huge difference.

Not only is this style easy to read, you also contribute by saving up on the employer’s time even as they simultaneously learn more about you.

The ultimate goal, on any day, is how the roles that you play and the tasks that you carry out will help you grow as a professional and as an individual as well. You might be sure about what you expect to learn from a particular organisation, but the organisation itself will need to know how you can help the company grow and why you should be chosen instead of the competition.

If the section on your past experiences state that you’ve either led a team or handled a project solo, instead of only saying that you’ve done that, you could elaborate on the process and share the positive outcome. Not only does this imply that you’re capable of dealing with such assignments, it also gives a clear picture of how you can contribute.Setting aside your capabilities and accomplishments, sections of your resume that at times do end up seeming similar to a contenders’ resume, it is vital to share information that is exclusive to you alone. Be it a hobby, a talent or a work experience in a field far from what you’re pursuing now, this section equally contributes in putting you on a future employers’ radar, ultimately leading to an interview call.

It might be too harsh to make a decision based on first impressions. But, when it comes to hiring, one look is all it takes to decide if your resume, and ultimately you, are worth spending time on.

This brings us to the most interesting and creative part of putting together a resume. Today it’s all about colours, optimum usage of space, design, visuals and even the medium itself. From graphical representations to pie charts, crisp tri-fold brochures to animated illustrations, video resumes to resumes printed on actual fabric; there is no dearth of ideas.

While this certainly puts life into the tedious task of compiling a resume, it is important to first know your audience. Quirky resumes might appeal to certain types of organisations while they may be deemed as inappropriate by others.

Last but certainly not the least is the task of stopping yourself from talking any more about yourself. You might wonder if the information provided is solid enough to get you to the next round, and, honestly, this apprehension can never completely be abated.

One way to handle this situation would be to summarise the facts about yourself, your aspirations and what you can accomplish. There’s nothing like a prospective employee who can get to the point right from the start. You may start your resume with this summary or conclude with it. No matter what you choose, you are sure to come across as someone who doesn’t believe in beating around the bush.

Finally, it’s your capabilities and the creative effort you put in that will help you stand out and eventually score the position you desire.

Key information represented in short, neat and evenly spaced sentences makes a huge difference.

Source | The Hindu | 24 August 2015

Today's librarians more than keepers of books

Michele Lind doesn’t fit the image of the librarian sitting behind her circulation desk muttering “Shhhh!” every few minutes.

In fact, she says she would be thrilled — not embarrassed — if her principal walked in while kids’ chatter filled the library.

“My philosophy on quiet has changed,” said the library media specialist, who works at Roosevelt and Lewis and Clark elementary schools in Mandan. “I don’t want it to be wild and crazy and out of control, but I want it to be a little noisy.”

So do a growing number of school library heads who no longer see their sole purpose as keepers of books. They increasingly provide activities to prompt kids' imaginations and collaborate with teachers to integrate technology into the classroom.

The shift from old-school librarian to present-day library media specialist has occurred gradually over the past two decades. Still, local library media specialists find themselves debunking myths about their jobs.

Lind, for one, can see why people might question sending her students on a geocaching expedition. With GPS devices in hand, they searched their schools last year for hidden treasure.

“We are teaching them how to use technology,” she said. “We are teaching them how to apply latitude and longitude. They learn those concepts, but they are so foreign to them.”

Makerspaces

In some ways, children’s weekly visits to the library mimic those of their parents and grandparents. In Mandan and Bismarck public schools, they still check out books and listen to a library media specialist or an assistant read aloud.

“When I started, we were the study hall,” said State Librarian Mary Soucie, who worked in school libraries in the 1990s. “That’s where kids went when they were being disciplined.”

Some students today also spend their recess in the library, Lind said.

The difference? They come because they love “makerspaces,” which are designated areas within a library for kids to create anything from robotics to bookmarks.

The spaces popped up in school libraries throughout the country over the past several years, including in Bismarck and Mandan.

Library media specialists provide the supplies, then let the kids do the rest. Lind split classes into teams last year and gave each 100 red Solo cups. Each group had to come up with a way to stack the cups to ensure the structure would stand.

“I don’t think kids have time to play anymore,” Lind said. “A lot of them are on devices and computers. They forget about playing and creating.”

Misti Werle started a popular makerspaces club last year at Solheim Elementary School in Bismarck. The library media specialist, who earlier this month became the districtwide library media systems innovator for Bismarck Public Schools, regularly oversaw 25 kids who packed her library for weekly meetings after school.

“I had to turn kids away,” she said.

Collaborating with teachers

Blogs, Twitter chats, conferences and school library journals keep library media specialists up to speed on the newest tools available to enhance teaching.

The challenge is finding teachers who want to collaborate, Werle said.

“Often times, they don’t know what you can do for them,” she said.

The way she describes it, library media specialists have to advertise.

Lind knows what that's like. She researches what teachers at her schools are doing so she can devise ways to support them.

One tool she wants to try is Glogster, which she describes as a computer posterboard that can embed pictures, video and text.

“We are still trying to get that up and going,” Lind said. “It takes persistence and one teacher to set the example.”

She found some success last year teaching students email. She showed all her schools' third-, fourth- and fifth-graders how to compose and send an email, requiring them to use proper capitalization and punctuation. Every student messaged her, and she responded to each one.

One of the Lewis and Clark teachers then integrated that lesson into her class. Instead of turning in a sheet of paper with answers to questions, that teacher asked her students to email their responses to the assignment.

Split time

Lind sees the email lesson as a start to more collaboration. Part of the problem, she said, is that she’s split between two schools. She’s not always present when it’s convenient for a teacher to work with her.

That’s the case for library media specialists in Bismarck, too, which has 19 specialists split between 24 schools. Many work at two Bismarck schools, though there are several assigned to three, Werle said.

Kirsten Baesler was the librarian at five elementary schools when she started working for Bismarck Public Schools in 1989. Before she was elected state superintendent in 2012, she served dual roles at Saxvik Elementary School: assistant principal and library media specialist.

“My time as a library media specialist was the best training ground to know my responsibilities as a state superintendent,” she said. “It was absolutely essential for one to know all the standards on all the subjects for all the grade levels.”

Navigating resources

In doing so, Baesler could work better to assist teachers with classroom projects. As a young librarian, she frequently scoured the shelves and borrowed books from neighboring libraries to supply kids with an adequate amount of research materials.

“My big challenge was to make sure there were enough resources available to our students,” she said.

That changed by the time she was elected state superintendent. She taught kids to sort through the plethora of information available online, discerning reliable sources such as .gov sites from Wikipedia articles.

“There are people who say libraries aren’t relevant anymore,” said Werle, explaining that kids’ first instinct is often to turn to Google.

Students will probably find higher-quality sources in databases, which can quickly sort through articles with the search of a keyword, she said.

The State Library at the Capitol grounds in Bismarck pays more than $270,000 each year for databases, including Encyclopedia Britannica, and makes them available to school districts, Soucie said.

Werle said Bismarck Public Schools alone could not afford all those subscriptions.

“Libraries have and always will be about making connections,” Soucie said. “We’re just using different tools to do that now.”

Source | http://bismarcktribune.com/

 

General Update | Filing PF withdrawal Claims Online Likely to be a Reality in December

 The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will launch the online facility for submitting provident fund withdrawal claims in December, which would quicken such settlements and benefit its over five crore subscribers.

At present, subscribers of the retirement fund body have to file PF settlement claims manually after they leave a job or after their retirement. The online application of such claims would enable EPFO to eventually settle those within three days.

"EPFO has decided to provide the facility of online application for PF withdrawal claims. It will be launched by mid-December," a source said.

According to the source, all those subscribers whose PF and bank accounts are linked with Aadhaar number would be able to avail this facility.

Elaborating further he said that since Aadhaar number provide anywhere anytime authentication of identity on the basis of captured biometric details of a person, there would be remote chances of fraud or cheating.

A senior official said that sometimes EPFO takes more than mandated 30 days for settling provident fund withdrawals claims due to various reasons including errors while filling the manual form.

He said, "EPFO would eventually settle all type of claims including PF withdrawal and transfer within three days of filing those applications."

EPFO has planned to settle 20-30 per cent of PF claims online by the end of this financial year. During the last fiscal year, it had settled a total of 1.21 crore claims including over a million PF transfer cases.

The body has recently issued over four crore Universal PF Account Numbers (UAN) which are being seeded with Aadhaar number and bank accounts. This portable PF account would enable subscribers to have only one account while working with various employers throughout his/her life.

Source | http://profit.ndtv.com/news/your-money/article-filing-online-pf-withdrawal-claims-likely-to-be-a-reality-in-december-702148

This app trains you to read a 1,20,000-word novel in 2 hrs

It lets your eye take in huge quantities of words at an accelerated rate

In the movie Lucy, Scarlett Johansson plays a woman who ingests a drug that gives her super-intelligence, allowing her to read huge volumes of material in just minutes.In real life, Boston tech startup Spritz has made a speedreading app that allows you to do just that.

After a small amount of practice reading with the Spritz app, you should be able to read at 1,000 words per minute -a speed fast enough to let you take in a 1,20,000 word novel in just two hours.

The app has a novelty factor -it feels bizarre to let your eyes passively take in huge quantities of words at an ac celerated rate instead of leisurely scanning sentences the old-fashioned way. And as everything comes at a constant speed, you can't slow down to savour a passage or skip past the boring bits. But in terms of raw factual intake, it can't be beaten.Will consumers get used to it? Probably: They got used to the pageless pagination of the Kindle, after all.

Spritz founder and CEO Frank Waldman believes his company will give birth to a golden era of speed reading.

Samsung's line of Gear smart watches, t he impending launch of the Apple Watch, and Google Glass a l l b e g the same question: How will these new, tiny screens deliver information? Spritz solves that problem by delivering words in a stream instead of in a series of lines. In fact, Spritz is already integrated into the Gear 2 watches, Waldman said.

However, anyone who worries about constant information overload in the digital age might not be too enthusiastic about Spritz's other interesting effect: Waldman says that just because Spritz allows you to read twice as fast doesn't mean you're going to cut your reading time in half. “It enables readers to read more. if you read twice as fast you don't read half .the time, you read twice as much,“ Waldman says 

Source | Economic Times | 14 November 2014

Pvt sector must be encouraged to broaden role in scientific research

Modern India has had a strong rhetorical focus on science and technology, considering it a key element of economic growth and the development of a rational and critical worldview. This rhetoric, while uplifting, failed to impact on poverty reduction and development. Careers in science no longer provide enough remuneration or prestige to draw top-level talent. Our translation of R&D into actual production has been weak. Technological imports, whether in electronics or fighter engines, have grown rapidly. Our scientific manpower was built on a small, educated pool of scientists, most of whom chose to leave for distant shores. Despite the dawn of the computing age, India missed out on semiconductors and silicon chips. We chose to adopt and purchase, instead of innovating. 

A new science policy: India lies in the lowest quartile on R&D, both in terms of spending (<1% of GDP) and researcher count (<100 per million population). Our R&D allocation is dominated by the public sector (>80%), with universities left with a paltry 3%. In most countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, it’s the opposite — the private sector contributes the majority, with universities coming at around 20%. 

We need to address our limited scientific base. This will require a three-pronged approach focused on knowledge creation and commercialisation, inclusive innovation and subsequent knowledge diffusion and absorption. This needs to be supported by a focus on higher education, information infrastructure and innovation financing. The private sector needs to be encouraged to take greater risks in innovation, bolstered by an encouraging policy and regulatory framework. 

Public policy has its role to play. With a stronger Intellectual Property Regime (IPR), matching grants and tax subsidies, knowledge creation can be boosted. A simplified technology licensing policy, combined with good infrastructure and a stable macroeconomic environment, can work wonders. 

More physicists, fewer managers: Gross enrolments in higher education continue to remain below 20%. Just 16% of Indian manufacturing firms offer in-house training. Basic skill deficits need to be addressed by investments in primary, secondary and vocational education, and by building manager and worker skills. The quality of India’s engineers and researchers needs to be improved substantially through investment in ITIs. Financial support for early stage technology development should be addressed by regulatory efforts to deepen the pool of early stage venture capital and a promotion of pro-poor inclusive banking. Micro, small and medium enterprises should be offered viability gap funding through existing government innovation programmes. 

Expanding our technological base: Political prestige seems to drive our scientific allocation. Defence research and space are considered paramount, while our IITs are announced grandly and located in politically vital constituencies, with little consideration to their faculty and catchment area. Less than 20% of public research spending is allocated for civilian applications; 8% to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and 4% to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). Our public civilian research spending needs to go up. The CSIR, along with the ICAR and the Department of Science’s laboratories, needs to be restructured and refocused on the market, along with more fiscal and managerial autonomy. University R&D should be supported by competitive grants, along the lines of the US National Science Foundation, along with greater academic partnerships and researcher exchange programmes. The Sponsored Research and Development Programme and Small Business Innovation Research Initiative need to be expanded. 

Indian Patent Offices should be upgraded to cater to individuals and organisations. A special Court of Appeals for intellectual property rights should be set up, along with a policy think tank. Links between industry, universities and public laboratories should be strengthened by providing support for technology transfer. 

Private and inclusive innovation: Private firms need to be encouraged to spend on R&D, by expanding early stage technology development programmes and utilising public procurement to promote innovation. Tax regimes should encourage a favourable treatment of R&D. Technology parks and incubators should be expanded through fiscal incentives. Inclusive innovation is also necessary. Formal R&D efforts for the poor should be scaled up and focused on informal enterprises. The CSIR’s technology applications, like e-Choupal, should be scaled up across the country’s villages. The National Innovation Foundation’s grassroots innovation repository (>50,000 products) should be commercialised, with benefits flowing down to local communities. The Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network should be expanded to serve as an incubator for local innovation. 

Grand challenges still matter. Cleaning up the Ganga or making India clean should be showcases for innovative products and practices. By making local communities and officials compete, we could solve our budding congestion and water crisis. A simple light-touch oversight mechanism that links such local initiatives with innovation hubs and provides viability gap funding will help provide appropriate monitoring to achieve realistic targets. ‘Make in India’ can mean high technology as well.

Source | Hindustan Times | 6 November 2014

5 Ways to Stick to a Work Schedule

 

`Too much to do, too little time' -almost everyone has said this. Grappling with crazy schedules has become a way of life for many, but having a work schedule in place can maintain a balance between life and work, keep stress levels low, prioritise work and help meet deadlines. It's important that one stick to it rather than treat it as one of those New Year resolutions.

Sreeradha D Basu tells you how.

1 Plan your Day in Advance Spend the first 30 minutes of each day planning, and don't start your day until you get it done, says Vidur Gupta, director of headhunting and manpower recruitment firm Spectrum Talent Management. “The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time,“ he says.

2 Make a Work Diary Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. “This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions,“ says Gupta.

3 Prioritise your Activities One needs to define all the activities that need to be done depending on the time frame, says P Thiruvengadam, senior director, human capital advisory at Deloitte India.

“It's important to have clarity on the activities and time,“ he says, adding, “One needs to prioritise and give weightage to the different activities as well as work on the art of saying no.“

4 Don't get Distracted Once your schedule is drawn up, don't get distracted, warns Thiruvengadam. “There may be people who come to you with problems to solve or a crisis which crops up, but no matter what, don't get dissuaded from the task at hand,“ he says.

Also, it makes senses to block out distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media, especially from your smart phones, unless you use these tools to generate business.

5 Plan Smart Remember the 20/80 principle -20% of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80% of your results. So plan that effectively, says Gupta. “Plan your distractions as well, keep time for casual conversations, breaks and so on,“ he adds.

 

Source | Economic Times | 6 June 2014