Mohammad Mosaddek Hussain :
Nowadays the knowledge management, knowledge economy, knowledge driven society, knowledge culture and knowledge organization are used commonly in various seminar, symposiums, workshops and conferences without its objectives and goal in the community, society and organization but this term should be clarified for exerting it to the process of development on our own interest and overall development of the society as a whole.
To speak significantly, knowledge society development is not simply a specialised research area where a closed academic science, internal growth and also it does not mean a simple transfer of information and technology that can be written down and communicated by mass-media or transmitted by a consultant approach to the industry.
The knowledge today gets a limit in the knowledge growing in society that means there is not a knowledge growth in all levels in the society. As a matter of fact the effective incorporation of the understanding of knowledge growth in society is depending on the efficient integration of the knowledge in the citizen understanding and as a direct consequence in the organization of the appropriated division of labour getting a more and more qualified work-productivity.
Therefore the diffusion and exploitation of integrated embodied knowledge in the changing citizen mentality and attitudes may be just as important as the creation of new knowledge in the contest of the Knowledge Driven Society (KDS).
This KDS can be optimised on the way of the process that see a continuous extension of the frontiers of Europe till the proper geographical and historical limits. In fact this strategy acts in the integration of Knowledge and Development; so that the fundamental consequence is that European KDS will assume a different aspect in respect to the past of industrial society, because generally it will be based on a National approach of socio-economic development. But, in the developing countries, this KDS are not given due importance in the development process for many sectors that can be a success pillar for national development. In the recent years, some nations are aware of the essence of KDS and trying to integrate it to the national development process sector-wise.
Defining the components of development of European KDS it is also considered important to underline the following distinction a) in the industrial society knowledge capital is embodied more in advanced technologies through the transfer of knowledge into a push bottom productive technology and not too much in cultural understanding of citizen b) in the post industrial Knowledge Economy the Knowledge Capital need to be more oriented to implement the cultural-democratic approach through an “e.democracy” strategy, for giving to the citizen the real opportunity to be protagonist with a more direct power on the developmental choices and preferences.
The incorporation of integrated and shared knowledge, the knowledge progress will not conduct simply an acquisition of knowledge, but the factual results will be more directed on a change in ways of thinking about the future productive socio-economic development of Europe, that will be more useful for enhancing human resource potential in the context of an effective development of the post-industrial Knowledge Society as a whole.
2)- The focus of this “mental change” approach will be consolidated on the growing of “quality of the production” as a matter of fact the “Quality of Product and Processes” is in an indicator of the competitive ability to grow up the added value of production in the international market for instance the environmental quality and safety standard defines a most important piece of the growth of competitiveness of the world wide knowledge driven economy.
Though the thinking of a different way in respect to the past development of industrial society, the key-forces behind the knowledge driven economy are powerfully depending not only by the generation of new Knowledge, but also by the strength of exploitation of Knowledge Management, in fact Knowledge Management Innovation has become to play the predominant part in the creation of the more effective use and exploitation of all types of knowledge in all manner of productive activity.
As it is assumed that in future, various forces will be connected with the Knowledge Management ability to driving economic transformation, which denotes a consequence of the development of “e. learning” facilities oriented to understand the best practices of Knowledge Economy developed in local developmental context, in a way that will become possible to grow up a critical mass of shared European knowledge by means a long distance applications of communications technology. In reality, Knowledge Management exerts its value on ITC learning innovation permits the expansiveness of the sharing of knowledge; the proliferation of knowledge products, the rapid scientific and technological advance; the increasingly global competition; and the growing up of citizen’s scientific and cultural understanding, that strongly contribute to the shifting consumer demand of the quality of production, giving a fundamental and particular attention to the environmental sustainability and the human safety as well.
Exerting to the needs of innovative knowledge management, that will be able to take in consideration the evolution of the “Quality of Products and Processes” that becomes the fundamental indicator of the global market and marketing competitiveness. The major contemporary best practices of KDE get a point of convergence in the recent restructuring of centrally planned economies, towards decentralised networking economies. As a result many “Extended Enterprises” are becoming today successful “multi-enterprises and Institution corporations” in the competitive business world.
Equally various types of changes in social interaction, have made the focal point of the Knowledge Management Innovation as well as the more important assurance as an Innovative Knowledge Management able to drive of competitive advantage and to be a source of economic growth. In turn the transformation of the nature of competition generate a need of the development of a “Mental Change” strategic plan for all the following categories of workers for creating a development mindset.
a. Enterprise’s Managers – who have to think far more about realising advantage through knowledge;
b. Employees – who need to change the skills and to learn for adjusting their working ability in the different work environments
c. Investors, Entreprenuers and Financiers – who need to recognise and to assess the value of “intangible assets”
d. Policy Makers and Planners – who must create a climate conducive to success to the competitive new challenges created by the ITC -business application to a wider exploitation of new products and processes.
This dire need of “Mental Change” processes should be considered to the social and economical points of view, that today drastically conduct to some great fallacies in much contemporary economic decisions. It is a pity that till now obsolete way of political thinking, find their conceptual bases from a traditional believing to an obsolete culture of the past development of the industrial society ; therefore, thinking in this oldest way policy decisions sometimes do not understand the expansion of the knowledge driven economy that will create a development and peaceful environment in this competitive business age.
3) Needless to say that the Government has a central role of institutional and cultural change in the creation of a new knowledge based economy, this because the Governmental Institutions are elected by citizens; so they need to co-ordinate the adjustment of the territorial business strategies, within the goal of the vital problem of the new employment creation, in a way that is possible for the Governmental Institution, to drive the local economic competitiveness from the territorial level forward the macro-economy wider European level.
In future the importance of knowledge sharing of best practices and human capital resources labour assessment, can give in a long term perspective to the Governmental Institution. a renovate societal power, able to develop an efficient strategy of Knowledge Economy, based on an increasing importance of knowledge, creativity and skills of people in the day to come.
Due to rapid changing need, the Governmental Institution can contribute to develop a new economic equilibrium in the Knowledge Economy dynamics of transformation, by means of accrossing the impact of the fundamental socio-economical factors that seems to be effective in the globalization canvass relating to competitive age of knowledge creation in various sectors of development wheel.
In the events of changing context, where some unexpected developmental needs of market’s globalization, requires to be taken in new consideration for re-enginering the working program of the organization or enterprise..
4) Premise: Research and foresight for the development of Knowledge Economy in a wider global Society- Scientific and Technological Objectives of the -Integrated Project. Like the programme of mental change for creating capability among people and employees
· Regarding the complexity of the contemporary relations between science and society, there is a real need for multidisciplinary research and prospective on ITC studies, in order to facilitate not only a better understanding of citizens of the different interactions between science and society that needs to grow up for the development of the Knowledge Economy in a global aspect but also to enhance the ability to respond to emerging crises and questions of the global market for the sustainable integrated development through a competitive policy.
(To be continued)
The innovative networking issues of sharing knowledge that need to be covered in a creative manner of Information Technology of Communication, it would be conducive to proceed to changing the socio-economic interaction patterns between “advanced research & productive work” for improving “e.govern innovation” through the direct partnership of local and national participation.
Broad goals on Science & Society issues : Creating M-Change (Mental Change)
· First of all, the M-Change Project is intended to strongly support the strategic goal to create the most competitive and dynamic Knowledge-Based Economy.
· Secondly, The project M-Change is also part of the process of creating and strengthening research through the production of creative and integrated knowledge to create competitiveness.
· Thirdly, the M-Change project is to be intended to contribute to implementing Citizen’s debate on the future of the Knowledge Economy for growing a dynamic and flexible new networking Entrepreneurship.
More specific objectives of M-Change action plan may be :
· Putting responsible science growth at the heart of “e.govern” policy making
· Bringing science innovative, policies closer to citizens by ITC interactive Communication
The project M-Change will be subdivided in some “sub-projects” oriented to develop Regional or National comparative RTD studies and promoting various interactive dialogues on “Science and Society” for improving Knowledge Economy in the wider dimension in the Europe as a whole.
Various kinds of project partnership will be of direct interest to citizens and focused on the general issue of the European Knowledge Driven Economy cognitive and actuative advancement.
To fulfil those goals and objectives the FP6.-CITIZEN-3 proposal, it will be centred on the need to develop a “Mental Change approach especially about the issues regarding the sustainable development of networking entrepreneurship among RTD innovation and SMEs Competitiveness ( i.e. favouring for instance “e.work flexibility” “e.learning on the job innovation” “environmental economy”, “gender equality in science and society”…. an so on)
It is desired that each “sub-project” corresponds to the promotion of a “Virtual Community” of to favour the participation by scientists and SMEs operators and Citizen in forums and hearings, that will be organized at Regional or National levels (or Inter -Regional particularly cross-border or trans-national level), where some particular issues are also of pan-European interest.
The “science and society” forums, eager to improve the European Knowledge Driven Economy, will be encouraged, inter alia through the development of a database listing scientists with communication skills by appropriated partnership well expert in making information more accessible by means “e.Ediction” and “e.learning on demand” dissemination practices presented through WEB-PORTALLS written in diverse European Languages.
To identify current economic conditions, aiming to assess the successive description of the key action of the M-Change Working plan proposals, for improving an “e.government” innovative strategy in favor of the development of future Knowledge Driven Economy. Therefore each partner need to build up a “survey-analysis” around a careful and thoughtful approach to distinguish (a), the old industrial society condition of development from (b), the potential economic impact of the future Knowledge Economy.
This beyond indicated distinction, is an initial requirement to be done by each partner, aiming to describe the successive forecasting about the needs of “Mental Change” in “e.govern innovation” oriented to develop strategic choices and actions, based on the identification of economic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) in a Regional inter-regional or National or Transnational thematic new look of strategic reinforcement of European Research Area ( ERA).
All last but not at least partners can suggest some aspects of their Action /Research sub-projects on their local opportunities to contribute to the European Knowledge driven Development.
Partners can be taken into consideration, to overcoming of the obsolete criteria of development of the industrial society; some of the following issues emerge here:
· Growth and increasingly value of “Weightless Economies” (through new relationship between tangible and intangible added value to quality of production)
· Networking Extended Enterprises aggregation into a Business Strategy of Knowledge Economy
· Knowledge change and Technological ITC innovation in contemporary KDE.
· e.Education innovative strategies as well as for instance: on the job long distance training addressed to implementing Knowledge Economy understanding (particular contents in this field will be : Gender Equality, Ethics and Environmental values in Knowledge Economy, conception and criticisms on intellectual property European regulation and so on)
· Stakeholder’s Clusters and Virtual Community development in favor of SME’s competition policy in the context of the European Knowledge Economy.
Therefore there is the possibility for a new economic growth which is potentially unbounded because of the nature of an extended advanced knowledge economy applications using ITC advanced methodologies, that will be very different from the role applied to knowledge in the obsolete industrial growth.
Therefore the Mental Change proposal will be to realise an important contribute to the Knowledge Economy developing and communicating by ITC methods, post industrial growth theories and best practices .
Following those considerations goals and objectives the “Mental Change” FP6- project, promoted by of LRE/EGO-CreaNET of the University of Florence Italy, would like to aggregate interactive and proactive research teams and industrial partnership in collaboration with Governmental Institutions, to develop a “collaborative intelligence management”, aiming to give an important result, in the development of new way of thinking in Knowledge Economy application, to furthering understanding and practising the contemporary European strategy on Knowledge Economy.
In conclusion it may be said that for the contemporary business sustainability, if the partnership consortium becomes able to share innovative knowledge for re-vitalising the old industrial cognitive, in a new way of developmental thought, that need to be appropriated to the future Knowledge Economy growth in many regions.
