National Conference on Knowledge Management hosted by SCMS Cochin

SCMS Cochin recently hosted a National Conference on Knowledge Management, which saw some of the leading names in the industry and academia participate and share their insights.

SCMS Cochin recently hosted a National Conference on Knowledge Management, which saw some of the leading names in the industry and academia participate and share their insights. The two-day event was held under the “Building Capacities for Consultancy Development & Knowledge Management with Partner Institution (KMPI)” Programme run by the Consultancy Development Centre (CDC). SCMS Cochin, being its Knowledge Management Partner Institute, did everything in its power to ensure that the event turned out to be a huge success. 

Given the stature of CDC and the backing it has, a lot was expected from the conference. SCMS Cochin has also earned a name for itself by hosting several events that offer a tremendous learning experience for participants. Hence, anticipation was in the air as the event began with Dr. V. Raman Iyer, Director of the institute, making the welcome address. After Dr. Iyer’s enthusiastic address, the stage was set for the dignitaries and experts in the field who shared valuable insight and advice with the gathering. The impressive list of names that the event managed to draw had already created a buzz and the talks surely lived up to it.

Mr. Rajesh Parpyani, Head-Knowledge Management & Publications, Consultancy Development Centre, New Delhi was the first one to speak. His presentation on knowledge management programs and the major issues related to it had an instant impact on the audience. The presentation also highlighted a study benchmarking the international B schools and Indian B schools.

Mr. Manoj. K. Das, launch editor of The Times of India newspaper and the Deccan Chronicle said, “Knowledge management is more or less a ‘human connect’ and a cultivation process that needs to be passed down to the coming generations.” The good thing about these talks was that the speakers like Mr. Das drew from real life experiences and tried to make concepts more relatable to the audience. His talked ended with a strong message, “Knowledge is to be gained by observing the society, harnessing it and distributing it.”   

Mr. Tobby Simon, President and Founder of the Synergia foundation and member of the Global Security Council, delivered the keynote address. He described the latter as a multi-disciplinary ‘do-tank’ with methodologies and solutions, which set the tone for the dynamic and exciting talk. His presentation focussed on different definitions of what Knowledge is according to the world’s greatest scholars and even the Bhagavad Gita. Mr. Simon had instantly piqued the interest of the gathering, which he held in rapt attention as he began to talk about the importance of ‘inter-disciplinary thinking’. Using examples of visionaries like Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Edison, he said, “What inventors and scholars had in common was Cross-Disciplinary thinking.” And, quoting John F. Kennedy, he said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”

Mr. Praveen Kammath, Global Head- Talent Transformation, Wipro BPO, added another twist to the discussion on Knowledge Management by talking about Humanoids, who are, according to him, man’s future colleagues. Talking about the importance of innovation he said, “Our innovations will become our only survival. Leadership driving knowledge culture is all about passing on and expressing the knowledge that you gained to others.” In closing, Mr. Kammath felt it would benefit the gathering, since they are or would soon be in the business world, to discuss the changing nature of an organization and the sources of organizational knowledge.

Mr. Rajesh Nair delivered a presentation on the art of knowledge management and building knowledge. For him, “Knowledge is something that needs to be disseminated to the coming generation and has to be continually built.” He focused on the important topic of Knowledge versus Creativity, and how to improve our memory and innovative drive. For those interested in understanding Knowledge Management further, he recommended a few books and movies, which seemed to be of great help to the students in the audience.

Mr. Rajeev Mukundhan took to the stage next, stating, “Knowledge Management has evolved into innovations management or insights management.” His presentation had highlights including Smart City and an interesting session on the Internet of Things, which hit the right notes with the audience. Mr. Jack Eapen was the last speaker for the day and he used the example of SunTec, a Kerala-based software product development company, to drive home his point.  According to him, knowledge-based organizations are faced with three common problems: domain knowledge, product knowledge and technical knowledge. Mr. Eapen’s talk closed with a focus on Knowledge-sharing sessions and Knowledge Olympiad, which caught the audience’s imagination.

As the productive and enlightening sessions came to an end, the mission of the conference was accomplished as the participants went home eager, enthused, and richer in an understanding of Knowledge Management.  

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