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DATA, INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE. Valdemar W. Setzer Dept. of Computer Science, University of São Paulo, Brazil www.ime.usp.br/~vwsetzer. TOPICS. 1. Introduction 2. Concepts 3. Competence matrices 4. Uses of a competence system 5. Example of a system
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DATA, INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE Valdemar W. Setzer Dept. of Computer Science, University of São Paulo, Brazil www.ime.usp.br/~vwsetzer
TOPICS 1. Introduction 2. Concepts 3. Competence matrices 4. Uses of a competence system 5. Example of a system 6. Competence centers: social considerations 7. Conclusions
1. Introduction • In 1999, PROMON Eng. (revenues of about US$ 1 bi) wanted to build up a Competence Center on Information Technology • What is a company organized around Competence Centers
1. Introduction (cont.) • The big problem was: • What does it mean to be competent on I.T.? • What does it mean to be competent? • E.g., what does it mean to be competent on English? • To answer this question, it is necessary to know what knowledge means • But knowledge has to do with information • What is information? • What is the difference between information and data?
1. Introduction (cont.) • These concepts make it possible to build a system to help assessing employees’ competencies and selecting professionals according to desired competencies • Example of a system developed in 2001 for PRODESP, the State of São Paulo DP company (1,000 professionals on I.T.) • Considerations on implementation and assessment of competencies • Competence Centers - social issues
1. Introduction (cont.) • What is information? • What is the difference between information and data? • What does it mean to be competent in English?
2. Concepts - Data • DATA • A sequence of quantified or quantifiable symbols • E.g.: texts, pictures, recorded sound, animation • Mathematical “objects” • Purely syntactic • May be inserted into a computer, and processed by it • Everything represented in a computer is data
2. Concepts - Information • INFORMATION • An informal abstraction in the mind of a person, representing something of significance to her • E.g. “Paris is a fascinating city” • In the literature, also associated to messages • Attention: what is transmitted is data and not information! • The recipient receives the data and eventually transforms it into information
2. Concepts - Information (cont.) • Example: A table of cities and local temperature • In Chinese: pure data (may be formatted, sorted, etc.) • In English: information (makes sense) • Information cannot be stored into or processed by a computer! • What is processed is its representation as data • E.g. “fascinating” must be quantified: 0 to 4.
2. Concepts - Information (cont.) • Information may be obtained without data • E.g. feeling how cold or warm it is • E.g. feeling pain • Data is always incorporated by a person as information - as long as it is understood • “Understanding,” “significance”, “meaning” cannot be defined • Mental association between concepts or between perception and concept • Thinking is an organ for the perception of concepts
2. Concepts - Information (cont.) • Information contains semantics • Semantics cannot be formalized • It is impossible to introduce semantics into a computer (a syntax machine!) • Problem with Searle’s “Chinese Room”: he does not say what semantics is • Claude Shannon did not develop an Information Theory, but a Data Theory! • Does Information Technology exist?
2. Concepts - Knowledge • KNOWLEDGE • A personal, inner abstraction of something that has been experienced by someone • E.g.: a person who visited Paris has some knowledge about it • Cannot be described • Information can, through data • It’s in the purely subjective realm of humans and animals
2. Concepts - Knowledge (cont.) • Infants may have knowledge, but no information (they don’t associate concepts); the same with animals • Knowledge cannot be stored into a computer! • “Knowledge databases” are in fact databases! • Knowledge is always practical • There may exist information without knowledge (purely theoretical) • E.g. reading a travel guide about Paris
2. Concepts - Knowledge (cont.) • Data syntax Information semantics Knowledge pragmatics
2. Concepts - Competence • COMPETENCE • The capacity of executing some (socially) useful task in the “real world” • Data syntax Information semantics Knowledge pragmatics Competence physical activity • Examples: • Delivering speeches • Mathematician (creating and transmitting new concepts, giving classes, etc.)
2. Concepts (cont.) • Data objective Information objective/subjective Knowledge subjective Competency subjective/objective
2. Concepts (cont.) • KNOWLEDGE IN INTELLECTUAL FIELDS • In our characterization, a mathematician or a historian would have no knowledge! • Not a problem for technical areas • Way out (not accepted by everyone): • “Experience” of the Platonic world of ideas • A “universal memory” in that world
3. Competence matrices Ex: competencein ENGLISH • Understanding written language • Understanding spoken language • Speaking • Writing • Writing translations • Simultaneous translation SKILLS KNOWLEDGE AREA
3. Competence matrices (cont.) Therefore, COMPETENCE refers to a SKILL exercised over a KNOWLEDGE AREA
3. Competence matrices (cont.) This leads to a matrix representation, the COMPETENCE MATRIX Lines:knowledge areas Columns:skills • In each cell one enters a DEGREE OF COMPETENCY
3. Competence matrices (cont.) The concept of competency matrices lead to the construction of COMPETENCE SYSTEMS
4. Use of competency systems • Selection of professionals with specific profiles • Knowledge dissemination (who is competent on, knows about or has information on what) • A part of knowledge management! • Selecting professionals for • Project teams • Filling positions in the enterprise • Giving interviews • Social projects and activities • Artistic activities • Receiving specific visitors • Testimonies in judicial processes • Judicial reports
4. Uses of compet. systems (cont.) • Counting how many professional have certain competencies • Discovering weak areas in the enterprise or departments • Evaluating what is the enterprise’s expertise • Representing required in-house core competencies
4. Uses of compet. systems (cont.) • Helping dept. of human resources with training programs • Planning courses • Selecting participants for training activities • Base for promotions • Curriculum systematization and maintenance • Automatic updating upon completion of training activities (if integrated with training database)
5. Example of a system • Developed for PRODESP (1,000 IT professionals) • Tested with about 50 professionals • Implemented in Delphi for Oracle • Any number of matrices • Two levels of knowledge areas • Any number of skills per matrix, two levels • Any number of competency degrees per matrix
5. Example of a system (cont.) • 5 competency matrices: • Technical competencies in IT • Systems produced by PRODESP (hundreds) • Administrative competencies • Education • Foreign languages
5. Example of a system (cont.) • Degrees of competency (vary by matrix) • IT and administrative competencies • Theoretical knowledge (information) • Personal learning, courses without practical exercises • Practical knowledge (knowledge) • Theoretical knowledge plus practical exercises or accompanying some project without effective production • Basic competency • Up to 2 years of effective production • Advanced competency • More than 2 years of effective production
5. Example of a system (cont.) • Competencies on developed systems • Short participation (up to 2 years) • Medium participation (2-5 years) • Long participation (more than 5 years) • Foreign languages • With difficulty (needs constant help) • Well (needs sporadic help) • Very well (fluent)
5. Example of a system (cont.) • Education • High school • Professional (technician) • College degree (incomplete) • College degree • Graduate studies • Master’s degree • Doctor’s degree
5. Example (cont.) - Access security • 4 levels (types of users): • Generic (any non-registered person) • May select professionals • May register (gives password) • Personal (already registered) • May select professionals • Reads and changes his/her registration and competencies
5. Example (cont.) - Access security • Supervisor • May select professionals • Reads and changes his/her registration and competencies • Reads competencies of other people • System administrator • May read and change anything
6. Competency centers - social issues • Advantages • Optimizing allocation of human resources • Greater flexibility • Interaction with peers • Disadvantages • Disruption of social integration (no more long-term contacts within a department) • Lack of personal identity with a business department
7. Conclusions • Characterizations of information, knowledge and competency worked very well in interviews for competency assessment in 2 enterprises • Professionals were grateful for the systematized competency curriculum • Computer selects possible candidates • A subjective assessment must follow, otherwise professionals are handled as data (things)
7. Conclusions (concl.) • Problems when assessing competencies with our method • Homogenizing criteria among professionals • At PROMON: just one interviewer • Not feasible with hundreds of professionals • At PRODESP: self-assessment followed by homogenization by employee’s manager • Does not take into account the quality of a project developed by a professional • This would have to be assessed by managers • Social problems • No behavioral matrix (leadership, communication, etc.) • Should also be done by managers
7. Conclusions (cont.) • Main application: Knowledge Management Dissemination of personal knowledge: who knows what