Recommendations

I've been doing more research into Knowledge Sharing and its impacts on organizations and its a HUGE issue. Im wading through pages and pages and pages of stuff right now but its pretty fascinating and it would work with whichever direction we adapt. I think it could quite possibly be much more meaningful for the company than the location we even pick.

SIEMENS have had a knowledge management system like this for many years and i have a number of other examples including HP and others who see it as a key area of their company and it itself becomes a driver and massive system of knowledge which can be mined for information, you could even use it to create some kind of mini WIKI as afterall wikipedia is just a knowledge sharing system in the simplist use of the technology.

I'll work on some kind of write up about it over the weekend buit i think it is probably a much bigger issue than where to locate (when we break down 4 similar locations, im not saying if you go to the place where there is no staff its gonna work we know it wont but this is a massive issue that many worldwide companies are now utilizing)

LEt me know what you think

I'd love to spend part of the presentation pitching it to be board, its an enormous tool that RIM has the infrastructure and compencies to set up quickly and operate efficently.


Joel






Heres some info from one source i just saw on the SIEMENS website:


Siemens Makes Knowledge Management Hall of Fame One of twelve enterprises to be named to one of the world`s "top 10" listSiemens has been named one of the world`s top 10 Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises--an award that recognizes world-class efforts in managing knowledge that lead to superior performance. The award is based on the fourth Annual Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) study, conducted by Teleos, an independent knowledge management research company, in association with The KNOW Network. One of 12 select enterprises named to the MAKE Hall of Fame, Siemens was honored with a top ranking in the "Ability to Develop and Deliver Knowledge- Based Goods/Services" performance dimension, according to Teleos. Ranked 17th overall in 2000, Siemens climbed to seventh in the 2001 study. To select the MAKE finalists, senior executives at Fortune Global 500 companies and a panel of chief knowledge officers and leading knowledge management practitioners were asked to nominate companies and rank them against eight key drivers of outstanding performance. These eight knowledge performance categories reflect a company`s:
· success in establishing an enterprise Knowledge Culture
· top management support for managing knowledge
· ability to develop and deliver knowledge-based goods/services
· success in maximizing the value of the enterprise`s intellectual capital
· effectiveness in creating an environment of knowledge of sharing
· success in establishing a culture of continuous learning
· effectiveness of managing customer knowledge to increase loyalty/value
· ability to manage knowledge to generate shareholder value "Siemens is the only German company to have ranked in the top 20 in each of the last four years," said Guenther Klementz, Siemens Knowledge Officer. "The jump from 17 to seven reflects the enormous efforts the company is making to create and share knowledge on a global basis. "Today, Siemens boasts both a Corporate Knowledge Management organization and more than 150 knowledge management projects worldwide," Klementz said. "Siemens` ShareNet - linking 13,000 telecommunications sales and marketing experts in more than 80 countries - is the most notable of these projects. "CEO Dr. Heinrich von Pierer is convinced that one of Siemens` top priorities is to increase efficiency and customer value by electronically networking and managing company knowledge," Klementz added. "The ultimate goal is to enable all Siemens employees to access the company`s unequaled pool of knowledge." The Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises study is administered annually by Teleos, an independent knowledge management research company. The KNOW is a group of leading knowledge-based organizations dedicated to benchmarking and sharing best knowledge practices leading to superior business performance.

Alternatives?? alternatives

New Location Criteria (RIM has used before):
· The city/region has to already have a pool of talent that houses a mature skill set.
o City/region has existing base of software or hardware companies.
· City/region has to have universities with strong technical programs.
o RIM can expand co-op programs and graduate recruitment initiatives.

Issue:
· Issue of how to transfer RIM’s young and dynamic corporate culture to these locations.

Alternatives:

Expand within North America New York, USA

Prons
1. Surrounding by top universities There is one university in New York listed in the top 25 of top 100 list of the top university engineering faculty.
2. World capital, rich talent pool
3. Sophisticate technical infrastructure
4. Top engineer and up to date mindset
5. Easier to control:
a. Similar cultural background with RIM Headquarter
b. New York is in the same time zone with Waterloo.
6. Listed as one of top 7 IT communities of 2008

Cons
1. Neglect local culture impact – surging subscriber area such as china, India
2. High salary expenses
3. High cost – rent, house, transportation
4. Existing 5 US locations- self competition

Expand Internationally [Outside of North America] United Kingdom

Prons
1. Sophisticate technical infrastructure
2. Multi-cultural area – France, German, Italy
3. Listed as one of the top 7 IT communities of 2008
4. Has 3 universities listed in the top 25 of the list of the top university engineering faculty

Cons
1. Harder to control:
a. different cultural background with RIM Headquarter
b. UK is not in the same time zone with Waterloo.

NEED TO CHECK TO SEE IF THERE ARE OTHER SOFTWARE/HARDWARE COMPANIES IN UNITED KINGDOM [if we are using the requirements that RIM has used in the past].

Expand within Waterloo

Prons
1. Existing resources
a. Universities
b. Government support
2. Listed as one of the top 7 IT communities of 2007
3. Multi-cultural country
4. Nice living environment
5. Loss immigration policy

Cons
1. Space scarce
2. Limited creativity

RIM in the news today: might help with HR issues

RIM: We record all employee phone calls
Wed Mar 4, 2009 11:49AM EST
See Comments (5)
y_tech: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/127824
Buzz up!on Yahoo!
Kind of creepy news trickling out of Research in Motion, the company that makes the phenomenally successful Blackberry. In an interview with ZDNet, the company's CIO, Robin Bienfait, said that RIM records, well, pretty much everything you do within its walls, including your personal phone calls.
Specifically, "all actions carried out on RIM's internal network" are logged, which means emails, web browsing, and phone calls, all recorded for posterity. "I record everything," said Bienfait, putting it bluntly.
Many office workers are accustomed to IT oversight of their computer habits -- email is backed up for legal and data security purposes (though it's rarely ever read) and many companies restrict employees from visiting certain websites -- not just gambling/gaming/porn but also career and sometimes even "gossip" sites. But recording every phone call? Even for die-hard "employer rights" advocates, that's a tough one to swallow.
Naturally Bienfait is concerned about leaks, as the company, like most of the current-era tech world, jealously guards the details about its upcoming product line. Should word get out about what RIM is working on, untold amounts of damage could be rained down on the company. Why, just imagine how many people would be knocking off the BlackBerry Storm and its mega-button design had they gotten wind of it in advance...
For the most part, employees seem to accept the Big Brother treatment, but things get dicey when employees have to deal with personal issues on work time -- say, a divorce proceeding or medical conversations -- things which they'd probably rather not have recorded permanently by Bienfait's crew. Her advice: Bring in a cell phone and take the call there instead.
Just don't do it on your corporate BlackBerry. Those are of course monitored too.

Hey people,

watch this clip, i don't know if it is offical or what, but its sure funny,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9uBC4PH3oE

From Wallstrip

l0lz

Chak

Hey guys

im feelin a little out of the loop this week, not by any of your own faults its just been a hellish week unfortunately.

I've been working at strategy info but it seems to just play into the parts that everyone else is working on so if someone wants me to work with them on their info let me know.

I've been doing a bit of planning for the actual write-ups for the SWOT and if it works with you all i'll put that all together this weekend (after we finalise what we want to be included)

I have also been looking at a broader look of the company just for some good terms and ideas to bring into the writeup such as The Value Chain (how primary activities starting at R&D drive the production and in turn marketing and sales) and also things like Competitive Advantage and trying to find info on the impact of new models on older model sales but dont have much on that one (if anyone does let me know)

I am working on something in regards to Drivers of PRofitability (ROIC) also so we can use that as aprt of recommendation should we suggest that the R&D spending be increased to a prefered *(yet maintainable) level.

Anyways let me know if you need me to swich mindsets for something, ive finalyl got a few days off this weekend so i can get some real quality time in "case-mode"

Joel

p.s. can you get email updates of posting? HAvent used blogger for so long i cant remember and its hard to get round my firewall at work to post.

RIM SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

• To date R&D and engineering has been the core of RIM’s success
• R&D was continually delivering award winning products
• R&D operations are spread out as far as number and location of employees
• RIM’s cryptographic and software source code has built a strong reputation
• Strong corporate culture has made people happy and resulted in low turnover
• Recruiting the best and brightest talent from the University of Waterloo

WEAKNESSES

• R&D spending has dropped significantly as a percentage of sales
• The core work is still occurring solely at the Waterloo headquarters
• Historical growth strategy: sourcing local talent and making selective acquisitions
• Talent and space are getting scarce in the Waterloo region
• RIM’s career site doesn’t allow for applicants to be processed for different jobs
• An internal resistance to any R&D locations outside the Waterloo area
• Only room from vertical integration because of privacy concerns with coding

OPPORTUNITIES

• Industry is experiencing explosive growth
• A good indicator of revenue growth is R&D spending as a percentage of sales
• Recruiting to students from other Universities across Canada
• Grow the R&D team through existing locations
• Bring in resources through acquisitions of troubled companies
• There would be more R&D sources
• There may be an expansion in a strategic market
• Expand operations globally where some business operation already occur

THREATS

• The industry is driven by engineering innovation and technological advances
• Various companies with their software platforms
• Industry experiencing explosive growth and increased competition
• Apple with the iphone pursuing North America business segment
• Growing demand for qualified engineers to deliver for customers and investors
• The was limited talent left in the Waterloo area for hiring
• Attracting talent outside Waterloo was hard as competitors are also hiring
• Hiring new graduates from various school in Canada
• Hiring/creating international jobs for employees across the world

Question

Hi Everyone,

I was asked by another group if we would be able to switch slots for meeting with Jo-Anne next week.
The only issue I can see is that they see Jo-Anne on Thursdays, and Joel said that he had already booked Tuesdays off at work.
Just respond and let me if the change is possible or not. No worries if it doesn't work.

Thanks,
Danielle