Health Care Problems?

The Health Care industry is a multi-billion mess, that a information system can only fix. After learning about how much money is waisted in the form of misdiagnosis, malpractice law suites,  redundancy with patient data, and the many job positions that could be handle by a information system is completely ridiculous. The current system of most major health care providers is not evening close to closing the gap to our foreign competitors. Most of the major U.S. healthcare providers are implementing new systems, but the laws and regulations usually allow Doctors to have the final words if the system is needed or not. These laws and regulations are ruining the economic structure of the U.S., as well as our health care system. Doctors need to push their own personal agendas to the side, and realize what their sole purpose in should be, which is helping human life. A high level information system could not only save lives, but save society, and the health care industry billions. At Brighan & Women's (a Partners HealthCare institution) they are already on the path in using a knowledge information system with-in their daily work duties. Their system is a good map for many other hospitals to replicate. In a perfect world under a high level knowledge information system we can visualize going to any type of doctor for any reason, and the paper work process is completely eliminated. Because, all your personal heath care information is now stored on a global health care database. Everything that has ever been done medically to your body, is now at the click of a mouse of your treating physician. Human health care is always going to be in high demand, and to be able to offer high quality care, but at a cheaper cost to the patient, will require a global health care information system. This should and needs to be the new vision of the U.S. health care industry.

My thoughts on the video "Composing a career and life"

After hearing Linda Mason story about her career and life, I definitely believe her story is a great example of knowledge being a vital asset. It was her heart, ideas, and solutions that formulated together help so many people in need while shaping her career into something bigger than she never expected. Her knowledge alone helped grow the organization she first work for to be one of largest aid providers in the world. That story was also a good example of increasing returns. Then when she met her husband which was a complementary asset to her career and life. Mr. Mason help complete Linda's passion for helping people by being a very important asset by helping them start their business, Bright Horizons a family solution service. Linda's knowledge was so helpful to many people, and her ever growing knowledge is what shape her career and life. When she said, "leap before you look", is telling me to take risk in life, and depend on your personal knowledge assets to secure you (Video a career & life). "Finding new ways to do things and let your skills led you to opportunity", (Linda Mason) is one closing statement that tells me how knowledge is so vital to personal life, as well as business life. The two are not interchangeable.

Strategic Assets

I think every company should always treat knowledge assets an a threat, because the more knowledgeable you are within your organization; allows for greater success or growth. The law of increasing returns states if your inputs are always equal, but your outputs are steadily increasing proves that knowledge is one of the main key ingredients for growth. If organizations didn't value knowledge assets, then the law of diminishing returns would eventually put the organization out of business due to reaching their max, to then to regress based on a knowledge plateau. As an organizations knowledge assets grow or enhance, so will their revenues. That's why organizations should always value knowledge as one of their main assets.

Increasing Returns

Increasing returns to me is doing something better over time, due to an increase of some form of knowledge. I think the concept of increasing returns is based solely on increasing a work force's knowledge. When your organizations input cost stay the same, but your outputs continue to grow is an example for increasing returns. I think every business is trying to increase their returns without changing their input cost, and truly the only way to do that would be increase your knowledge assets. To produce more outputs without no more input cost is going to be the new standard in the industry, because of how bad our economy is right now. With businesses laying off, and enforced cut backs, with companies being put into position to figure out how to increase their outputs with less. Our economy problems has put a premium on knowledge, and the survival of all businesses during a tough economy is to be able to produce profits with same inputs. The law of increasing returns solely relies on knowledge assets.

Knowledge Managment in Xerox / Difficulties and Lessons Learned

Difficulties: Xerox had no problem tapping into their engineers knowledge while the economy was slow, but as soon as the economy starts to rise and jobs for all kinds of skilled workers are demanded, Xerox engineers will leave. Now on the other hand, Xerox will have to also worry about downsizing, because laying off workers doesn't mean Xerox don't need what they know, but they just can't afford them anymore. Xerox, will still need to figure out how they can capture knowledge with many difficulties that could arise.

Lessons Learned: Xerox learned many lessons from their KM. The biggest lesson learned was to always learn the work culture, and that one solution doesn't fit every community's needs. Technology should be used as a tool in the KM process, and not labeled as the primary function. KM's should always start small with short term pilot projects, so organizational weaknesses can be handled before long-term plans are made. Also, realizing that each community works differently with KM's. For example, what might work for company A, doesn't mean its gonna to work for company B.

Problem with getting Xerox engineers to use a KM, The Solution, and Benefits

Problem: Xerox was trying to cut costs by figuring out a way to capture the knowledge of its senior engineers into a knowledge management system. With ever downsizing economy, xerox felt if the could install a KM which would then save on new hires, training, and improve on customer service. Another problem xerox had was, their engineers didn't fully want to cooperate with what was required from them to make the system work. The engineers felt with their already tight work schedules they didn't have the time.

Solution: Xerox figured if they let their engineers put their name on the solution for a particular problem it then became a professional peer process. Their engineers are proud of their solutions and they just wanted to be recognized for it. Once Xerox overcame this hurdle their KM system called "Eureka" was born. Eureka, allow service technicians to tap into knowledge sharing of all of Xerox's senior level engineers.

Benefits: This allow Xerox to save 10% in labor and cost improvement within the initial roll out. Their vast return on investments allowed Xerox to launch "Eureka" in Canada, Europe, and South America, with it supporting six different languages. Eureka, has prevented at least 300,000 redundant solutions. For example, a Brazilian engineer still couldn't solve a problem, despite using Eureka manuals. His only option was to replace the customer's machine-a $40,000 cost. But before he submitted his equipment order he decided to check Eureka one more time. A Canadian colleague had entered the solution he needed a few hours earlier. The fix was only a 90 cent part.