The document discusses empowering knowledge workers in the Arab world through knowledge management. It covers several topics including defining knowledge management, cultural dimensions that impact knowledge sharing, challenges with transferring knowledge from expatriate workers, and opportunities to create an environment where knowledge workers can thrive, such as investing in education and innovation. The overall goal is to understand how to establish a knowledge society and leverage knowledge as a competitive advantage in the Arab world.

1. Empowering Knowledge Workers
in the Arab World
(by creating a Knowledge Environment)
1
John P. Girard, Ph.D.
john@sscs.ae
www.sscs.ae
Knowledge Sharing – Nothing New?
2
Knowledge Management is the
creation, transfer, and exchange of
organizational knowledge to achieve
a [competitive] advantage.
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
KM Middle East 2011: The TLC of KM
3
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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2. Putting our Task in Context
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Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Drucker on Knowledge Workers
5
“Every knowledge worker in modern organization is an
"executive" if, by virtue of his position or knowledge, he is
responsible for a contribution that materially affects the capacity
of the organization to perform and to obtain results.”
Source: The Effective Executive – 1966
“Finally, these new industries differ from the traditional 'modern'
industry in that they will employ predominantly knowledge
workers rather than manual workers.”
Source: The Age of Discontinuity – 1969
“. . . the center of gravity of the work force is shifting from the
manual worker to the knowledge worker.”
Source: Management - 1973
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Putting our Task in Context
6
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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3. Empowering Knowledge Workers
7
Chapter 8: Productivity
Through People
1982
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Putting our Task in Context
8
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Hofstede: Cultural Dimensions
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Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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4. Putting our Task in Context
10
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Arab Knowledge Report
11
www.mbrfoundation.ae/Arabic/pages/AKR2009.aspx www.mbrfoundation.ae/English/pages/AKR2009.aspx
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Macro Level Goals
12
“Chief among the reasons for
the current Arab interest in
establishing the knowledge
society is the desire not to
miss out on the anticipated
effects of the knowledge
revolution and to be alert to
the roles it plays in
generating progress, whether
on the political, economic, or
social level”
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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5. Key Concepts
13
Chapter 4: Information and
communications technologies
in the Arab countries: The
pillars and tools of knowledge
Chapter 5: Arab performance
in research and innovation
Chapter 6: Building the
knowledge society in the Arab
world: A vision and a plan
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
We must consider the Arab View
14
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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6. We must consider the Arab View
16
Learn lessons
from others
to avoid
repeating their
errors.
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Putting our Task in Context
17
More questions than answers!
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
A little TLC goes a long way!
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Leadership
•Transparency
•Vision and example
Measurement
•Resources (including time) Leadership
Technology Culture
Technology
Process
•Help or hinder •Need to Share vs
Culture
Need to Know
•Ease of access
•Privacy
•Tending toward
free •Content Creators
and Joiners
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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7. Technology - Leadership
19
“On the ICT axis, the Arab
states have made reasonable
Progress”
“The weakest point in Arab
knowledge performance may
be the lack of enabling
environments appropriate to
the establishment of a
knowledge society”
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
New Technology
20
The Newest is always Best …
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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8. 22
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Emphasis on Soft Skills
23
It is clear that Arab CEOs favor soft skills
such as problem-solving and
communication skills over the ability to
perform routine tasks. The International
Labor Organization corroborates these
finding when suggesting that
employability is closely linked to the
capacity of an individual to adapt to
change and the ability to combine
different types of knowledge and build
on them by managing self-learning
throughout his/her working life
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
KM Enablers and Barriers
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9. KM Opportunities and Challenges
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Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Expat Know-how Transfer
26
When asked to identify whether there
was an adequate transfer of ‘know-how’
expatriates to national staff, 74% of Arab
CEOs believed that this was the case.
That said, the proportion of CEOs in the
UAE and Qatar who shared this view
was lower than the Gulf average of
70%. Conversely, confidence was much
higher amongst CEOs in the Levant at
88% and North Africa at 85%, results
that can be attributed to the higher
national productivity and educational
levels prevalent in those sub-regions.
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Expat Knowledge Transfer
27
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10. 28
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Knowledge Economy Index
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http://info.worldbank.org/etools/kam2/KAM_page7.asp
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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11. Knowledge Index
31
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/kam2/KAM_page7.asp
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Exchange and Transfer of Knowledge
32
TACIT
n Ext
tio ern
za a
i
ial
liz
Soc
ati
on
EXPLICIT
TACIT
on
Co
ati
mb
liz
Measurement in
Leadership na r a ti
on
Inte
Technology
Process
Culture
EXPLICIT
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
The impact of not . . . sharing
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According to Computer Associates . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH39xjXaLW8
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12. Seminar Today:
Knowledge Sharing in a 2.0 World
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Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Generation Z
35
Are we ready for them?
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Empowering Knowledge Workers
in the Arab World
(by creating a Knowledge Environment)
36
John P. Girard, Ph.D.
john@johngirard.net
www.johngirard.net
www.km-me.com 12 info@km-me.com

13. ICT Index
37
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/kam2/KAM_page7.asp
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Innovation
38
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/kam2/KAM_page7.asp
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
Education
39
Empowering Knowledge Workers in the Arab World © 2012, John P. Girard, Ph.D.
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