Mobilizing Knowledge Management towards digital rights

by Shiladitya Sunny Ghosh & Sanjoy Kr. Mitra

Inomy.com, August 16: We are on the threshold of a new economy, which is marked by the freedom of information, wireless revolution and the rise of free markets, worldwide. In this economy the rules of competing will be compared & contrasted (whetted) on the maturity of nations' Knowledge services - driving stimulation & drawing sensation for the "Intellect economy".

As we move from 'Knowledge management' to 'Knowledge mobilization' in the era of globalization, emerging economic, social and political scenario - the following three points will assume significant dimensions: Environment Empowerment & Employment - as in job opportunities, necessary in that order.

The trio will attract the riveted attention of the world. As markets open up, old order further changed to the new order - Knowledge Management and nurturing resources will be the key driver in bridging digital divides across intra and Inter-national regions.

I am looking forward to a wireless world where everyone is connected, yet no one is connected. As a Knowledge Worker, I am also looking at those developing nations, which are on the threshold of modernization, for these will be the sources, which will primarily power the wireless world. Biogas, Solar power and Intellectual gray power of these nations are what will power KM in the global space.

I firmly believe that the teeming millions of Asian, African and Latin American who now run into billions will now drive knowledge management into the early decade of this millennium. It is from these vast masses of people that knowledge management will draw its sustenance. The power of the people will be manifested and new digital rights will emerge.

The Asian, African and Latin nations are on a 'catch up' mode now. China, India, Indonesia, along with a host of other East Asian nations will carry the bulwark of knowledge management. 'These are the 'Sleeping Giants'

Playing the role of middleman between these threshold nations & arrived economies will be a handful of lateral agencies, such as the W3C web accessibility initiative, and Internet Societal Task Force which has managed to create a platform for bringing equality of knowledge distribution for more than 500 million disabled people across the world.

An experiment cited by Masafumi NAKANE about the "Miss Internet" contest in China led to recognize the 24year old disabled women Chen Fanhong demonstrating the equality that can be realized using information services over the world wide web. These are example of KM, igniting "Global consensus of knowledge services".

The current role of knowledge management will be to bring up levels of literacy, education and awareness of human rights and most importantly digital-rights in role as fellow villagers in the global village. An experiment carried out in India "Gyandoot" is a case in point.

How dairy farmers in Gujarat India have cooperated and made India the largest milk-producing nation in the world is a success story of its kind. The entire episode resulted in creating 'AMUL'. A success story now taught in the management curricula.

How women in Japan express themselves using knowledge gateways depicts a great example of a local global nexus of empowerment, enhancing the life of minorities. Allowing people of the lower levels to raise a voice in the Japanese social hierarchy on subjects such as marital name changing & forceful sexual practices have raised Knowledge Management platforms to represent the "Human face of economies".

These are the successes of knowledge management & digital infusion. Local, ethnic, national content, community grids and context management will be another area where knowledge management will have a key role to play, as nations move towards partnerships; a partnership of knowledge, technology, music and digital democracy.

(Shiladitya Sunny Ghosh is the Head - Knowledge Management Practice at NetGalactic & Sanjoy Kr. Mitra of SCB India is currently involved in a self-initiated research on grass root Knowledge Services across the world named, “Mobilizing Knowledge Management towards digital rights”. They can be reached at sunny@netgalactic.com & sanjoy001@hotmail.com)