Suitcases
20-Jan-04
Suitcases
Cindy LEMCKE-HOONG
cindylemcke_hoong@yahoo.co.uk
...as humans, we should be like a suitcase…, we should have this double identity: Individual/Suitcase. As Individuals we should be able to pick ourselves up and put ourselves down… …IF, as a Suitcase, we are carried all the time, we may become too heavy and tiring. …if we are not taken up when needed we may find it inconvenient.
As a Suitcase
…it is important to pick up right views, right actions, right speech, right thoughts, compassion, morals, good connections, and diligence. Without taking these up, where does the meaning and value of life lie?
As an Individual
...people who are concerned about social harmony will not be able to let it go. Those people with righteousness cannot let go of any violation of social justice and may become cynical and resentful. However, if they do let go of everything, they will no longer be the heroes and sages carrying the torch for social causes that benefit humanity... We let go and pick up only after careful consideration weighing priorities because letting go and taking on are both sides of the coin and are just as important.
The Individual/Suitcase "balance"
...the anger, jealousy, sorrow, and suffering in human hearts are too heavy to carry. We should let them go. However, responsibility, social justice, and compassionate vows should be taken up. Although what we let go or take up may not be good, we only need to keep in mind that we should be like a suitcase. When we need to take up things: we do so; and when we should let go: we let go.
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius
What has "suitcase" to do with KM? One might wonder. How on earth can the actions of "letting go" and "picking up" be an important element of KM? Does trust play a role here? Does trusting someone allow us the freedom to "let go" of something? If I trust the editor will do a good job in editing this article, does it mean I am able to "let go" my fear that he could mess it up? Similarly, once we set-up a CoP, can we "let go" of guiding the community, therefore allowing the new team to grow? Will our feeling of "ownership" prevent us from releasing the stronghold on the team? Will our pride come in the way and prevent us from "seeing" we are no longer needed in a community, or a community is out-growing us? …therefore time to "let go"?
The writing on TRUST by Miguel ("The Mechanics of Trust", on this H-SIG, dated January 6th, 2004) created quite a busy week for the H-SIG.
…I, on the other hand, wanting this article to create some silences…
Quiet moments that allow us to think and reflect. Reflect on our behaviour, our life, our innermost thoughts and feelings. Reflect on why sometimes it is so difficult for us to give something up, to walk away from a situation, to completely empty our emotions and start all over.
Empty spaces to contemplate what it is that stops us from accepting there should be differences. Between people. Situations. Something that works here might not apply there. How do we acquire the ability to isolate the why(s) and walk away with total peace, the ability to see into the needs of others, and perhaps have the strength to give away what is most precious to us, allowing the other person to "pick-up" what he/she is (has been) longing for?
Detachment to look at some of the things that are happening around our work place. Take the restructuring efforts that are/were taking place within some organisations. What would it be like if the interest of the CEO in the bonuses were not there? Would more employees be allowed to keep their jobs therefore making it possible to retain knowledge within the company, and keep it as intact as possible?
When an employee in such a restructuring company, I always wondered (spoke out loudly on many occasions), while many from the top management were making millions from dumping their stock options, while the morale of the employees was at the bottom, what it would have been like if one of the higher ranking officers had been willing to "let go" of 20,000 USD and had had a party for 2,000 employees? What would have been the "picking up" from this 20,000 USD? …Priceless...
How we deal with our "suitcases" influences our decisions and our lives. And others around us. Do we have the courage to walk away when we are no longer needed nor effective? Can we forego some "things" for the sake of others?
What would knowledge sharing be like if we were all able to "let go" of our knowledge without apprehension?
Thoughtfulness is the way to deathlessness, thoughtlessness the way to death. The thoughtful do not die: the thoughtless are as if dead already. Dhammapada
© 2004 C.L-H
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- Author:
- Cindy Lemcke-Hoong
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- KnowledgeBoard
- Date:
- 20-Jan-04
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- Human and Social, Human Side of KM
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Japan's suitcase is opening over here
http://www.knowledgeboard.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=124054&d=1&h=417&f=418&dateformat=%o%20%B%20%Y
After living in Japan for a year during 30 country project work, I have always rated Japanese KM as one of the 3 most interesting (but then as a kid I loved Alice's explorations Through the Looking Glass)
We have a wonderful japanese host of the above thread-
hope your suitcase is ready to travel!
Chris Macrae, Community Roll- BA 1ST Maths York Uni, Black Swan of Conversation & OSUK & Maheo, co-ed EU KMEI&valuetrue&net-Economist
Undoubtedly we can have some doubts...
Yes Jozefa, it is one of the H-SIG aims to discriminate between trustworthy information and not so relevant one. Indeed how can one pretend to reach any kind of "truth" or "good" knowledge" if one has no opportunity to check the most elementary items that have to be integrated into the larger landscape of knowledge and knowledge management?
And too much information is no problem in itself as you tend to imply, but how much trust can we put in the overflow of information? That is another issue. And how can people with original ideas be heard then? And is guru-ing one of the solutions? Certainly not (IMHO, as they say!). Let's take some distance, away from some of the quasi fundamentalists of "certainty" and "it is so, because we think so"!!!
I'M IGNORANT ASWELL!
So much of what I have read from your recent postings Cindy sits well with me because they are straightforward and simple, I find myself nodding and agreeing with your observations. This has prompted me to make the following statements from things that have been said:
I agree there is too much information now available which in turn is taking us more time to sift through rather than saving us time. The complexity around KM sometimes clouds more common sensical approaches often used in training circles that involves stopping and reflecting before taking action. We should stop gathering and start using what we have, see corresponding thread at http://www.knowledgeboard.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=123353&d=pnd
The issue of validation of information raises important questions for me, does my knowledge have to be validated? Is my opinion worth less than someone elses if it is not? I feel comfortable that my knowledge is of value if I am eclectic and take the best bits and adapt it to context I need.
Sometimes we can pretend we are communicating through a plethera of words but in actual fact be saying nothing at all!
Philosophically --- YES ! Let me be IGNORANT !
Hi Jacques,
Yes. The more I know, the more I do not know.
One of the problems I have is, seems to me everyone is giving out information, but how do I know which one is correct? In order for me to make sure what I repeat to the next person is going to be 'correct', I have to do a whole lot of comparison, checking, validating etc.
Therefore all these information highway that lead me to knowledge is not saving me times at all! Instead it brings me a sluice of confusions.
One day, we are going to go back to what it was before. We will only listen to a few persons that we trust. Life is much simpler that way. In fact if we look at the bloggers world, it is going that way. Only a few reputable persons their blogs are being accessed all the time. Which means we have to build our own reputation on one hand, on the other we only go to reputable sources for knowledge. So what do all these mean to KM, to KS??
If only I can be IGNORANT !!
Cindy
Cartoons and suitcases
I came accross a strip ("Calvin and Hobbes") the other day, which reminded me of the issues raised in your article, Cindy.
Calvin, who is reading a book, turns to Hobbes and says:
Pict-1 "The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action."
Pict-2 "Once you become informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of gray."
Pict-3 "You realize nothing is as clear and simple as it first appears. Ultimately, knowledge is paralyzing."
Calvin tosses his book and adds, "philosophically" (?):
Pict-4 "Being a man of action, I can't afford to take that risk."
To which Hobbes replies, not less "philosophically":
"You are ignorant. But at least you act on it."
Chris Anderson
"There's Treasure Everywhere" 1996
Have I understood you well? And does this little cartoon bring some water to your "Suitcases"?
Some backing from Confucius an advantage? a relief?
Cindy,
It might not be so extraordinary to feel lost in the oceans of information we see are extending further and further.
Lessons from some of our elders can help, can't they?
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." Confucius
Who would say Confucius was short-sighted?
Part II
...Continue
Wisdom is out there. But it is a confusing mess as far as I am concerned. We are overloaded with information, and yet we do not know if we know enough, or if what I know is good because there are so many contradicting sources/info out there. For the average person (not the utral smart ones) the digital age is pushing them away because perhaps what they are looking for is JUST ONE TRUSTED SOURCE? like it used to be around our dinner table from our parents? from our elders around the water well?
Just some of my observations. I will attempt to write more if I think others are interested in my crazy thinking. This is after all a mighty sophisticated thinking place. And what I have here is only everyday observations of my simple life and happenings around me.
Cindy
Part I
Hello Helen and Jacques,
I will attempt to give a high level of my own observations. By the way I am no way close to 'teaching' the thinking of Buddha and Confucius. Their teaching influenced my behaviour and thought processes because I grew up in that environment, and of course I was Chinese educated. Western thinking influenced me greatly during the 2nd phase of my life, and I think right now (3rd and last phase)I am merging and comparing the ever so confusing east/west medley of my life.
When Olaf and myself were searching a name for our website, I remember I just could not get these images out of my mind: women carrying babies, old-men and women talking and exchanging ideas and stories. And young kids and adults sitting listening intently. And all these around a well. That's why we called our website - The VillageWell.
The situation you mentioned in Kenya, Helen, is no different from my own childhood. We did not have television, radio, internet to distract us. My grandmother, mother and uncles were our ONLY souce of entertainment and knowledge. We depended on them. We respected their wisdom because we cannot find it anywhere else.
Fast forward to present day family life. The digital age. 9 years old in Japan is using lap-top to do their homework. They retrieved info from the internet. They no longer need their parents. They have sources out there that replaces there parents. There is not much to hold the family together.
Fast forward to present day office life. We are given a desk-top to do our job. We become generalist rather than specialist. An engineer has to do the job of a secretary of creating powerpoint, excel datasheet, faxing, typing etc. Where do we have time left to do a 'quality' engineering job?
Fast forward to present day organization life. Was it Xeros that came up with the new age lift-style of 'water-cooler' thing? What are we trying to reproduce here? The Village Well concepts. BUT, there is a great difference here. We do not need to 'drink' knowledge from this water-cooler concepts. The PC on our desk never leave us alone, never stop tempting us to go back to 'IT' for information. Therefore will it work? For a while perhaps. And soon everyone is locking ourselves back in our room again. Because sharing knowledge is not something we can artificially reproduce. Sharing has to have more ingredients add to it to make it happened.
Fast foward to present day EU policies. Since my returned I saw programmes for Youth Forum, Young trainers, Young researchers. I do not see programme for the aged and the dying? What happened here? Forgotten species? Where is programme to link the young and the old? Why the silos? Why the division? Why making a very large segment of the population feel unwanted? (By the way I am one of them) Why not creating the picture of The VillageWell...bringing the old, the young, the babies, the family together?
Continue .......
Kenyan appreciation of wisdom
Hi Jacques.
That is a good question. When I think of my early days in East Africa - the old people were revered because of the wisdom they had acquired and in a largely illiterate society, they were the tribe's history book.
As education spread, wisdom was no longer quite so highly esteemed out there in the cities, but in the rural areas it was still respected. This was really evident when you consider President Jomo Kenyatta's title - Mzee - meaning old and wise.
Here in Europe I get the feeling that wisdom is not appreciated at all, it's the quick fix that counts. The question should surely generate lots of discussion
What about a possible link between KM and wisdom?
Cindy,
It is interesting to see that quote of Confucius in your text. What you offer us is knowledge: something to be learnt. And learning means reflection, which is the noblest way to wisdom. It seems we should make use of your teaching. But what is the current attitude to wisdom these days? Is it a value to be considered in our digital society?
What do H-SIG readers think?
Jacques
Would complexity be more complex than expected?
What has come to my mind after a few days (weeks), in relation to Cindy's reflections, is that KM is far from being linear. Everybody would have told me so before, of course, but who had underlined the transient nature of our knowledge, crazes, competencies.
Could it be that "anything" has more dimensions than we ordinarily think or even imagine, even in our wildest dreams? This would add a significant number of questions to our apprehension of KM approaches.
Does it give you the creeps, or do you feel stimulated?
Jacques
Opened Suitcases of World Individuals
“…as humans, we should be like a suitcases…” with necessary and impracticable things or fancies. It may be closed, ajar (halfopened) and opened suitcases.
But all told Individuals with multicultural diversity have the right to view, thought, act, write, speech, paint, build and use any another sign systems for communications. Anybody Individual is the part of a national community with unique language sign system. From this viewpoint we often look at Individual Suitcase as a huge valise with value-true of a national culture.
At beginning of human civilization the Latin notion “cultura” was used as the language sign of a ability to cultivate a dirt. Eventually this term became the common sense of abilities, practices, knowledge, sciences, arts etc.
For communications between Individuals is needed language sign system. I think that any Suitcase saves sounds and movies as an universal sign system that don’t call a translation. We can understand music sounds and film movies more quickly than long non figurative text or gorgeous speech.
I think that in multi-language network info-surge we should be noble, easy for understanding and ready to language compromise as an opened suitcases with knowledge treasury.
My King is Russian language, any foreign language is for my as ladies and gentlemen, Neutral Sign System Esperanto is my trump card, that opens to me World Individuals because it is an opened Suitcases.
For example many value true about China I find in journal “El popola Cxinio”, that also reads Ragnar Baldursson - Iceland Diplomat en China.
Is not how much to contribute, but what you can contribute
Hi Helen,
Sorry for my late response. Time constrains plus I wanted more time to reflect.
Payment. Yes. We all want payment/reward in some sort. We all need some materials comfort. Perfectly normal. How much materials comfort each must have is relative. So is knowledge. So is recognition of our standings in the society. These are the things that make us feel secure in this life. These are ‘external things’ we cannot take along. So why are we acquiring them? Can we do with less of them? Will I be less intelligent if I share what I know with someone else? These are the questions each of us will have to answer according to our needs. Therefore you are no different than me. Or anybody else.
But can we survive with a lot less? And by giving something away we always end up with something new. Take the case of knowledge sharing. If I do not talk to anyone but just hold on to what I know. I will forever keeping to the same level of what I know (of course in between I pick up more knowledge from readings, from reasoning mentally etc.). And the ‘new reasoning’ that I manage to produce will be strictly my own point of view. Very limited and stale. What if I meet with 5 persons who share the same interests (same knowledge inclinations)? Talking and hashing together, new ideas, new knowledge emerges. But this will carry the weight of 6 different views. What I am saying here is nothing new. But making people do more of it is the under-lining key element of the teaching of Buddha…what do you want/need to keep in your ‘suitcases’?
You wrote: “Only the very saintly, otherworldly people contribute purely for the sake of betterment of others…” I DO NOT agree with you at all!
Contributions do not have to be significant. And the impact does not have to be great. The contributor should feel comfortable with what he/she can afford. The point here is what can I give up (contribute)? Not I should give more than Mr. A.
Just some of my thoughts.
Cindy
Citizen of the World
Thanks Vitaly for the link and translations.
I am very surprised indeed. I am honour to learn that I am not the orgininator of that term. For me that is the easiest way for me to handle when I have to travel between countries. Adjust, and readjust etc.
Perhaps if we could all practice more of this concept, we might find we are not really that much different from one and other.
Cindy
Gymnastique linguistique
Hello Cindy,
Hello Chris,
Hi all who have a thinksuitcase.
There is interlanguage exercise by the question from Cindy.
Forgive me mine non-native English.
Best wishes
Great Thinkers
Hello Vitaly,
Do you by any chance have the English translations? I would love to know what they say.
Thanks
Cindy
Greetings to all Citizens of this World from Great Thinkers
Look at this suitcase with citations of Great Thinkers and the World Citizens
East meet West
Hi Chris,
Here is one link that I found recently while looking into language barrier. http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/hofstede.htm
It is from Hofstede. From a few of your postings, I think he is not your first choice.
Cultures is such an 'impossible' thing to learn. In fact I don't think one can 'learn' cultures at all. After spending almost all my life forever as a foreigner in one country or the other, I basically ignored cultures altogether. I just cannot pretend to be someone I am not.
I just go anywhere and be 'me'. Citizen of this world. I know it sounds bogus. But that is the most natural way I know how to survive. I look for the middle way. It is insane to see people pick up a book on Culture Shock about China or Venezuela, and then expect to know how to behave when he/she steps out of the plane?
I am sincere, open, curious, and most of all practice EQUALITY in my approach in dealing with everything/everyone in the country I happend to reside at that moment. At the sametime I like the people around me to understand I am not 'them' therefore I might not play by their rules. There bound to be frictions after the initial 'newness' wears off. Honey-moon is over. What can we say? Get down to business and try to adjust and work out the differences. Just pure, simple, basic human interactions.
Of course I over simplified things. I am not a scholar in these subjects at all. These are just my 30 odd years of personal experience, plus growing up in Malaysia: a multi-cultural, multi-races, multi-languages, multi-religious country. Looking back, I always credited Malaysia for giving me the best foundations in understanding what 'being different' means.
Do not forget to carry two things with you wherever you go: be sensitive, be considerate.
Cindy
what would you suggest a western school-kid bookmarks first?
One link to start exploring the most opposites of eastern insights or culture through ages?
----------------------
running notes:
on wisdom - alumni of spral dynamics make this one of their core practices; as i understand it they profile civiliations/cultural wisdoms at about 12 levels of progression; 2 interesting pattern rules- even though many of us today might be at level 8?, in specific context we lapse into lower level wisdoms and behaviours; up to level 8 , anyone seeing some group behaving at a lower level hates them enough to justify a prejudicail class system to keep them apart
on wisdom - its interesting that all the world's main religions make their golden rule relationship reciprocity, and almost everyone of the world's biggest organsiations currently governs by the mathematical opposite system
Reflection on KM ethics
Having read Cindy’s thought provoking article made me think - reflect - on Knowledge Management and my own involvement with the concept.
I used to think that KM meant that we collaborate for the tribe, company, family’s, and our own, increased survival and betterment. But now I realise that it is not far fetched to assign the notion of “what’s in it for me” as the driving force. We all want some sort of reward. Whether this reward is a ‘soft’ – intangible – reward, of feeling good, or increased standing amongst people whose opinion one respects, or ‘tangible’ such as money, there is always a need for some sort of payment, even if this frequently is not acknowledged.
Only the very saintly, otherworldly people contribute purely for the sake of betterment of others. The young and idealistic may be included in this category at times, but as people age and hard experience turns idealism into acceptance or worse, cynicism, the concept of KM is no longer so clear-cut.
In my own case I have certainly gone from altruism to consideration of things like time, returns on of my ‘gift ‘of KM sharing. It sounds unpleasant, but having searched my soul, it is true. Only in rare cases will I today (gratis) give freely of time, experience and insight that has been hard won with living and working in many different countries and cultures.
So extending this to others brings the thought – will KM develop into two diverging clusters, one where we work and share knowledge for the sake of money, where consideration for the individual is disregarded for the sake of personal gain, and one where the reward for sharing is harder to show, where KM is a direct barter? That is - I will share my knowledge now, but with the explicit understanding that I can call upon you when I need your expertise?
I hope that that latter will gain ground and that unwritten agreements will be the norm. And will it still be known as Knowledge Management or will it just be considered normal human interaction?
Will travel if it is meant for me. IS IT?
Hello Chris,
I am not even sure if this posting has anything to do with the theme of Suitcase. But I will at least attempt to answer some of your questions. Beware. I never claimed expert in anything.
Been to Japan for 6 weeks, two of my very closed friends are Japanese. That is so much I am related to Japan on a personal level. But then 1/3 of the Japanese language is based on Hanji, and of course if we traced our history back to around 12 hundreds (am I right?) years ago, you will find there are lots of what in Japanese cultures are based on Chinese Cultures. Trades and exchanges of learning between the two countries flourishes during those times. Just that they are always slightly different. Some of the things we Chinese invented even mistakenly labled as Japanese inventions by the Americans after WW-II. Things such as Tofu, Bonsai just name a few.
Same as Chinese cultures, the Japanese culture is very much influenced by the thinking and teaching of Confucius and Buddha.
But as always it is the people (human) that will 'change and mould' things. China is huge and went through many invasions and internal fights. China was ruled by 'foreigners' that created conflicts, frictions and mistrusts. Japan on the other hand is more homogeneous and did not suffer the isolation of being a communist country. Therefore I can safely say that Japan is lucky to be able to keep most of the ancient traditions and thinking. China on the other hand, on top of the unChinese communist thinking they also endured the sufferings of the cultural revolution during Mao and the Gang of Four. They were brain-washed by their own people to say it mildly. Therefore I cannot say the Chinese from China these days, especially those that we see in the west and in the big cities in China is a good representation of the 'traditional' Chinese values. And most of all do not forget China is still suffering. Japan has been stabled since the 60s.
Therefore, will the Chinese KM the same as the Japanese KM? I have been thinking about that for quite a while. In fact I wonder if KM will ever work in China. Chinese is not Japanese. I always think we Chinese resemblence a plate of sand. Very individualistic. Japanese is cooked glutinous rice. They stick together. I don't think the KM we know as today will work well for the Chinese.
On the other hand I have no problem to accept how KM works in Japanese companies from the case studies. TO me is very typical Japanese. Top down and encompassed everyone.
I hope I answer what you are looking for from me.
Cindy