Data Source and Employees - Coursework Example

Data Source and Employees Introduction Data is an important resource to any organization. The sources of these data and knowledge should therefore be secured to ensure the information obtained from them is reliable. The process of capturing, storing and sharing of knowledge among team members should also be made effective in various ways. It has reached an era when the baby boomers are set to retire as new generation employees are invited into organizations. There is big worry as to whether these old age workers will go away with all the useful knowledge. This paper is going to discuss some sources of data and the part played by both the baby boomers and new generation workers. DQ5.1 (1)What are at least three data sources you rely on at your place of employment to do your job? Passing of information is one of the crucial things that keep work moving in any work place. Through collection of data people get to find the best resources that they need to achieve their goals in the organization. At my place of employment the three main sources of data are videos, web services and images. The three sources play a big part in ensuring what is needed is available and that the employees are coordinated in their operations[Arn12]. Videos are used as a source of information in cases where the data to be collected had been communicated through one-on-one communication and it was video recorded. It happens in many cases when as a team we attend some workshop and speeches are made. Web services are also common at my employment area. Through the web services we get to access the information we require and is globally dispersed[Bar11]. Many online platforms such as hangouts are points where we get to meet as workers who are stationed far from each other. In these areas we get to discuss and share relevant data despite the distance. Images are also important sources of data in our organization. Images of what exist in the market are usually used to decide on the different services and goods that can fit the market. (2)Discuss the effectiveness of each data source and suggest how at least one of the data sources might be improved in terms of data quality, data access, data timeliness, and data availability. The use of videos as sources of data is effective in collection of information required by the workers and even the management. The videos enable us to capture the entire session when information was being delivered. Therefore, it is a good source where data can be obtained without being altered. Web services are also effective since they enable us to get information about various factors that are not close to our organization. This source of data is most appropriate when seeking wide data that is dispersed. The effectiveness of images is illustrated by the fact that it serves as a source and store of information. The message passed through images can be supported in the future by releasing the images[DeP13]. Use of web sources can be improved by enhancing the security of data accessed through the internet. By doing this the quality of information is improved. The accessibility of web sources can also be enhanced at the work place by providing resources and initiatives needed to get online. Through improved accessibility, information will always be available at the right time. DQ5.2 (1)Based on the literature, define data, information, and knowledge. Use the current department that you work in or a project team that you have worked with and discuss how knowledge of the team members was captured, stored, and made available to others in the department or on the team. Data are figures that are presented with an aim of releasing a particular point. Data is also used to support particular phenomena. Information is data that has been categorized in a proper way after calculations and conclusions have been made. Knowledge is the know-how that someone has according to the experience he or she has been through. It is also determined by the information and data that one has been associating with for a period of time[Fre11]. Knowledge sharing was one of the most important parts of a team project I once participated in. the objective of this project was to assess the effectiveness of the marketing strategies used by our organization. Capturing knowledge from team members was done through filling of forms by the members who went to the field. After these forms were filled, they were stored for the purpose of assessment later and sharing to others. The collected knowledge was made available by creating room for every member to assess all the forms filled by their colleagues[Bor12]. (2) What recommendations to improve this process can you provide? The process that our team used to share knowledge among all the members was reliable. However, some improvements in this process could make it more effective. The first important recommendation is provision of more channels through which knowledge can be captured from the team members. Filling of questionnaire-like forms is not sufficient enough to ensure all the important knowledge is released by team members. Confidentiality of the message providers should also be enhanced. In some cases people wish to be left anonymous depending on the kind of information they have provided. Therefore, it becomes impossible for these people to provide information when they know their identity is going to be revealed to everyone. I recommend the process of making the collected knowledge available to all members to be changed a bit. For instance, one should be asked if he or she is okay with his/her identity being revealed[Fav11]. Awarding of those that keep providing knowledge to the team should also be introduced. The fellows who offer the ideas that turn out to give the best results should be awarded. Acknowledging the best contributors makes others start performing better as those at the top seek to attain more acknowledgments. Finally, this is going to enhance our team’s knowledge sharing system. DQ5.3 (1)Discuss knowledge and information that might be lost to organizations as baby boomers retire. Information and knowledge are usually categorized into two by many people. Explicit information and tacit information are the two levels of categorizing knowledge. The explicit information is one that is explained without a lot of difficulties. This makes its storage less hectic. Tacit is the type of knowledge and information that is captured with a lot of challenges[Hea11]. Tacit is also hard to comprehend making it more challenging to pass it from one employee to another. The knowledge and information that might be lost by the retirement of baby boomers are the tacit. Baby boomers are employees from the old generation. Tacit information is acquired after one has had an accumulation of experiences for years. It is the baby boomers who have the tacit information with them due to the experiences they have. When they leave their jobs the employers are forced to hire less experienced workers to replace them. Therefore, the retiring of baby boomers makes organizations to let go of experienced knowledge[Hud11]. The skills that the baby boomers have are usually productive in nature and also creative due to their experience at their work place. Hence, releasing these types of employees forces organizations to part with the creative knowledge and skills. (2)Based on the literature, do you feel organizations have prepared for this loss of knowledge? In the near future the baby boomers will be laid off from the work force but most organizations are not prepared for this move. The lack of preparation can be shown in different ways. First it is important to analyze the operations of an average number of these firms to check if plans are put in place for the old generation to pass skills to the newer generation. In most organizations there are no arrangements for this type of knowledge delivery. If making permanent operational changes is hard, it is advisable that these organizations organize programs and workshops where the two employee generations can be connected. Such connections create room for the new generation employees to acquire knowledge, skills and tips from the baby boomers who are so experienced[Hum11]. The retirement of the baby boomers is going to create some gap in the organizations. The gap will be of experienced skills. Therefore, companies need to get prepared for such uncertainties caused by retirements. One effective move that the organizations can take is finding an alternative resource to replace the missing exposed skills. The alternatives will be in charge for a period of time before the new workers can learn to adopt later on. 3)How would you describe the organizational readiness for this baby boomer exodus within your organization? The exodus of baby boomers from a company is an important stage of the company’s life-cycle. The stage is important because determines if the success of the organization will fade with the exit of these experienced workers. It is because of this reason that organizations prepare various channels through which the exit of baby boomers will take place. The organization I work in is ready for the exodus of baby boomers in different ways[Kaz13]. There are a number of activities that are adopted in this organization with a view of bringing employees of different generations together. The aim of bringing these workers together is to make the juniors to adopt some productive skills and knowledge that the experienced workers have. Hosting various events that bring people together is one of the strategies used by the organization. In these events people from different generations interact thus creating a good opportunity for the baby boomers share the knowledge and skills they have. Seminars conducted by the old generation workers also play role in getting the organization ready to lay off the baby boomers from its operations. In these seminars the information that the seniors can offer to the newly-introduced employees are passed instead of letting the retirees go home with all the resourceful knowledge they have in mind[Kie14]. 4)What knowledge might newer generations be bringing that could supplant the baby boomer knowledge? Despite the many scenarios given where retirement of baby boomers is considered a setback to the organization, entry of newer generations is also resourceful to the organization in various ways. It is important for every management team to note that the exodus of old generation is only a setback in a case where there was no proper exit plan for these employees. One of the advantages of recruiting the newer generation is the fact that it is these workers who have the best information about the market of the today generation. This is a market that is characterized by a lot of technological products and internet use. In the today business world many transactions are done online due to the many technologically advanced tools that can be accessed by many people[Tak12]. The experience of the baby boomers in the operations of the organization can be used along with the information provided by the newer generation employees to make the organization become more successful. The current generation workers are also equipped with advanced technological information. Such information about things like computers and the internet are useful when the organization will be seeking to improve its operations. Therefore, it is important to accept that both the older and newer generations offer useful information for the organization’s success[Sno11]. Conclusion As discussed in this paper, there are a variety of data sources but they can be made more effective by the organization. The importance of a reliable process of knowledge sharing in a team has also been highlighted. Finally, the paper has clearly indicated the role of the baby boomers and the new generation in an organization. Therefore all the employees play a major part in ensuring success to the company. References Arn12: , (Arnott, 2012), Bar11: , (Barrett, 2011), DeP13: , (De Preter, 2013), Fre11: , (Frey, 2011), Bor12: , (Borowski, 2012), Fav11: , (Favero, 2011), Hea11: , (Healy, 2011), Hud11: , (Hudson, 2011), Hum11: , (Humpel, 2011), Kaz13: , (Kazemian, 2013), Kie14: , (Kiewiet, 2014), Tak12: , (Takáts, 2012), Sno11: , (Snoke, 2011), Read More