Welcome to TiddlyWiki created by Jeremy Ruston, Copyright © 2007 UnaMesa Association
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To get started with this blank [[TiddlyWiki]], you'll need to modify the following tiddlers:
* [[SiteTitle]] & [[SiteSubtitle]]: The title and subtitle of the site, as shown above (after saving, they will also appear in the browser title bar)
* [[MainMenu]]: The menu (usually on the left)
* [[DefaultTiddlers]]: Contains the names of the tiddlers that you want to appear when the TiddlyWiki is opened
You'll also need to enter your username for signing your edits: <<option txtUserName>>
These [[InterfaceOptions]] for customising [[TiddlyWiki]] are saved in your browser
Your username for signing your edits. Write it as a [[WikiWord]] (eg [[JoeBloggs]])
<<option txtUserName>>
<<option chkSaveBackups>> [[SaveBackups]]
<<option chkAutoSave>> [[AutoSave]]
<<option chkRegExpSearch>> [[RegExpSearch]]
<<option chkCaseSensitiveSearch>> [[CaseSensitiveSearch]]
<<option chkAnimate>> [[EnableAnimations]]
----
Also see [[AdvancedOptions]]
The Talk Shop has a lot of people working in the background to make it what it is. Making a movie involves many more people than the main actors, there are those who create the sets, hold the lights, hold the camera, etc. All of them invisible, except for the credits at the end of the movie (which many of us don't even bother to read). The same is true of creating a building or a monument. This section is devoted to the people behind the scenes. There are people from different walks of life, recognized here for their past and present contributions. They continue to be actively involved in shaping the form and future directions of the firm.
''Mathai Baker Fenn''
''Anita Sajit''
''Uma Irudayaraj''
''Jessy Fenn''
''Roby Mathew''
''George Cherian''
''Milon Acharji''
''Akhila Doraiswamy''
''Rajagopal Iyer''
''Priya Rajagopal''
The following aims of the Talk Shop are what we work towards.
!Talk Shop aims to.....
#..build a socially responsible business (social entrepreneurship). Every business that we do will have a positive impact on society as a whole.
#..create a self-sustaining business, where everyone is treated with respect but no one is indispensable. The business is not based on any individuals capability.
#..be a national or international presence, not a local one. This will be built on the basis of individuals and units associating on an adhoc basis rather than on a traditional command line strutucture
#..aims to [[ achieve a turnover of Rs.1 crore by March 31st 2010 |MegaProjects]]
! Our bottomline
To be in business means to create wealth. We define wealth in terms of our AssEts. They include
#Our reputation
#Positive feedback that can be highlighted
#Product Development through actually doing programs and capturing the knowledge, making products that can then be offered to others, or constant improvements on our existing products.
#People- Executional skills (learning to make it happen..together), conceptual skills (learning new concepts...sharing the knowledge), Keeping the faith (an attitude....the right way to do business...faith that what we do is GOOD)
#Cash (in the bank, new projects in the pipeline, new biz plans)
#Focus- Moving away from things that are not important and increasingly focusing on what is important. Requires biz volumes to do that.
!What makes us unique
At the Talk Shop, we apply a number of theoretical approaches and skills as a foundation for our approach. Given below are the core concepts that makes the Talk Shop approach unique. These concepts are our own interpretations derived from existing approaches. To read a general introduction to concepts, check out Key Concepts on the menu to the left.
!! Commitment to life, nature and the ecosystem
We believe that for too long Management has been dominated by metaphors relating to Engineering and Market Competition, far too little has been spoken about Sustainable Growth, Nurturing, The Environment, even about Humour. The Talk Shop aims to correct this imbalance by using, wherever possible an ecological paradigm that sees growth as inclusive and not exclusive. We take metaphors and examples from life sciences, rather than the engineering sciences, which relate to objects and inanimate things.
!! Knowledge and Knowledge Management
On the KnowledgeContinuum, our primary concern is with Knowledge. Knowledge is the level where information comes into contact with a human consciousness. This means that the focus on talk shop is not on technology or on data collection but on how it is interpreted and understood. We do not view knowledge as a collection of facts. That would be information. Knowledge is an inseparable whole of three things:
* ''Facts'' - things that would normally be considered knowledge. Facts do matter, and unlike the assertion by some philosophers. ( [[ Postmodern philosophers | http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/ ]] believe that there is no such thing as a "fact", since we can only have interpretations of facts, there is no point in talking about THE FACT. It simply doesn't exist. Closer to our position, Hermeneutics ...the study of texts and how we interpret them... takes the position that there ARE facts but they are Interpreted when it comes to human context. Interpretation is the art of understanding.
* ''Emotion'' - facts are intimately connected with feelings / emotions. If we are not in the right emotional frame, we are not open to ideas. Ideas that threaten us are also filtered out. Emotions add COLOUR to a dull lifeless world. The whole idea that the [[ pursuit of knowledge (science) is value free, is so ridiculous! | http://www.calresco.org/lucas/value.htm ]]
* ''Relationships'' - Facts are interpreted in a //contetxt// . Without which there would be no interpretation possible and a fact (or //phenomenon// as it is sometimes called) never enters our consciousness. In cognitive science, the context helps us to direct our attention to some aspects of our environment and not to others. In schools students often form life long likes and dislikes to a subject based on a teacher they like or dislike. Relationships is a very important part of how we absorb and interpret knowledge
!! Cognitive Psychology
[[ Cognitive Psychology | http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/infoproc.html ]] tries to understand how the human mind processes information. The Talk Shop uses insights from cognitive psychology to understand the various phases from noticing something, to how we understand its meaning and application. We appreciate that different people have different learning skills and one size //doesn't// fit all. We help individuals understand their learning style so that they can be more effective learners. We help to package information better to aid comprehension. We use the information processing model to understand the process of knowledge transfer.
!! Information Ecology Model
*An early article on the [[information ecology (pdf) | http://www.brint.org/KMEcology.pdf ]] shows how it can be interpreted within the organizational context.
We do not believe that the information exists in a vacuum. Nor do we believe that the recipient of information, say the student, is a //tabula rasa// (blank slate). Information exists within an information ecology and hence, how new information is processed, depends on what is the context in which this new information is embedded. This means, for example, to be effective, a school teacher has to pay close attention to the world of the student. The idea of information ecology helps us to focus on how any bit of information relates to other elements of the information ecology.
!! The Multi-Stake Holder Approach
Artificial borders differentiate between customers, employees, vendors, investors, etc. Talking about customers is marketing, about employees its HR, about vendors it is logistics and investors its about finance. Somewhere in the middle of all this, we lose sight that they are all people and that they are all significant to the future of the organization. With the information explosion and the growing number of tools at our disposal, this fragmented approach no longer makes sense. See the TalkShop's [[ mission statement | http://www.thetalkshop.in/html/about2.htm ]].
!Our bottom line
Like every company, the Talk Shop's Assets are both tangible, as well as intangible. Both of them are important for us.
# Our Reputation - is steadily growing. Though satisfaction levels are high, not enough people know about us, our present aim is to increase awareness that we exist.
# Feedback - we have positive feedback, we need to find ways to USE it in our marketing strategies in a credible way
# ProDucts Development - Currently Wings and Gateway family of products have been launched, Glearning is being developed. We also have to extend Gateway to professional colleges while Wings has to be delivered to +1 and +2 students year round
#People- Having spent 3 years in preparing the ground, The Talkshop expects to open shop in 2009. We have executed programs both within kerala and outside, built good working relationships with our bank, chartered accountant and our printers. We are now developing marketing / tele marketing skills by doing!
#Cash- we have developed a positive cash position after the basic requirements are met, but much of it is is earmarked for future expansion plans
#Focus- as we grow more and more confident we are moving towards areas that we focus on and differentiate us from others. Perfect 10 for example has received less of a focus and soon it will be redundant.
Whether you are looking for a job, planning to start a business organization or become a practising professional, the biggest asset you have to build on is none other than your own reputation / brand image. Personal branding is not a one time exercise. Like all other brand management exercises, managing the personal brand needs careful planning for the entire product life cycle. The product you are at the beginning of your career is not the same as who you are in mid-career or towards the end of your career. Yet all such strategies must take into account the entire product life cycle (in this case the productive years/ working years). This program helps you to appy the principles of marketing and brand building to building a career for oneself. The participant is guided through the following stages.
!Self Marketing Principles Using the 4Ps:
* ''Product'' - Think of yourself as others would see you? What you like them to see when they look at you?
* ''Place'' - Where do you want to work? Which kind of organizations? Which country/city? Where do you want to be seen (online and offline)?
* ''Promotions'' - What do you do to promote your personal brand? Use of online sites. Use of cold calling, direct mailing, contacts, etc.
* ''Price'' - What is the total price? ( Different currency? In terms of money, free time, job satisfaction, fun activities, social positioning, etc.)
!Personal Branding
# Understanding the product and its attributes: Who am I? What are my strengths and weaknesses?
# Product Benefits: What do I have to offer other people? What do people see in me? Why do people come to me?
#Segmentation: Who are the people I want to market myself to? Which is the best way to reach them?
#Positioning - How am I different from others? ...in a way that is relevant and significant to others? What is my USP?
# Brand formulation - tangible and intangible aspects of the brand.
# Communication Strategy
## The Message(s)
## Main Media - CV, Interview, GD, Covering Letter, Internet (blog, social media, and others)
##Social and other media
# Long term - market based product evolution, life-cycle planning
The workshop takes a closer look at the individual (product) based on what does the
A brief write up about each with links to photographs and feedback wherever possible.
Anthropology was the first of the "-logies" to be coined in 1593. It is the field, devoted to the (holistic) study of //human beings//. The early days of anthropology was exciting as explorers travelled far and wide, bringing back with them stories of strange lands and even stranger people they and and adventures they encountered. Initial approaches focussed on studying "Primitive Natives" in the emerging new territories. Marco Polo's accounts of his travels have earned him the name " [[father of modern anthropology | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology#History_of_anthropology ]] ". As more and more of the world became known, there were fewer new places to go to and this phase faded out. Later on, as battle cry of the French Revolution idea "liberty, equality and fraternity" became entrenched in modern society, along with it grew the idea that all people are equal, irrespective of their race or colour. This led to anthropologists to see all cultures as equal and a growing interest in understanding contemporary and popular culture.
Anthropology is further divided into the following domains.
*// Physical or Biological Anthropology//- focuses on the biological aspects of what makes different races of people different from each other.
* //Cultural Anthropology//- the study of cultures and how they transfer //meaning// through symbols, myths and rituals.
** //Linguistics// - the study of different languages
** // Archeology// - the study of ancient cultures
Of special relevance to the Talk Shop is how cultures transmit meanings. And it does that through symbols. Symbols ( some writers call them signs) are things that stand for something else. The study of how signs convey meanings is called semiotics. A word is an example of a sign (indeed the field of semiotics was started by Ferdinand Sauzzure, a linguist). A word stands for something else. There are two ways to study the meaning of a word. One is to understand the history of its use (diachronic) otherwise called etymology. The other is how the word relates to other words at a given specific time, like a dictionary (lexicon) where one word is described in terms of another, the meaning of one set off against the other. In this type of analysis (diachronic), one sees the sign as a snapshot in time.
Another way semiotics analysis a symbol is into //syntagmatic// (related to the word syntax) and //paradigmatic//. In a sentence, like "John threw a ball", a syntagmatic analysis would be how the different words relate to each other to form a sentence with the correct sentence. However, in the sentence the word ball can be replaced with the word "stone" and the syntax would still be correct, but the meaning would change. The paradigmatic approach is the study of the words that can be substituted, thereby changing the meaning of the sentence without changing the structure of the sentence. In consumer behaviour, if someone buys an expensive watch as a status symbol, an expensive pen could be a possible substitute. Of course, if the purpose of the watch is to tell the time, then a pen cannot be substituted for the watch.
! How does a culture transmit meaning?
Rites, rituals, myths and artefacts are all symbolic elements through which a culture transmits meanings. When something is termed " //symbolic// ", it means that it has a meaning OTHER than the obvious or its physical attributes. For example an Apple is a fruit, often red in colour that grows on trees. But in the context of Isaac Newton or William Tell, the physical characteristics of the apple is less important than its symbolic meanings.
* ''A Rite'' is a ceremony that is performed at important points in a person's life, and is an important part of culture.
** Rite of Passage - denotes the passage of time and is often marked at important points of the persons life. Examples would be a ceremony to mark the time a girl becomes a woman (when she gets her first menstrual period. Or in modern societies, when a person achieves a particular age, he she is eligible for a driving license .
** Rite of Initiation - is when a person undergoes a ceremony to belong to a special group and enjoy special privileges. Graduating from medical school allows one to join the medical fraternity with the authority to prescribe medication and perform other healing rituals.
* ''A Ritual'' is a specific practice which is part of the ritual.
* ''Myths'' are stories (narratives) that tell us how things came to be (myths of origin), or of the exploits of heroes, extolling virtues and qualities that the society values (legends). While Mircea Eliade and Claude Levi-Strauss are well known for their extensive study of myths, Joseph Campbell's work is more recent. (He served as a consultant to Star Wars.)
* ''Artefacts'' are objects which are a product of a culture, as opposed to natural objects like fruits that are given symbolic meanings. The ilk of Indiana Jones have highlighted the importance of artefacts which are often treasured. Old Coins, Mummies and Pyramids of Egypt, are all artefacts of a previous culture. In modern society, our computers, auto mobiles, airplanes, even our clothes are products of a culture. They would have little meaning / use in a totally different culture. even though its hard to imagine. Culture is like air, its vital to our existence, but we perceive it only when we come into contact with cultures that are different from our own, forcing us to think...why does this have to be this way?
When we hear of diversity an cultural issues at the work place, one naturally thinks of the United States as a nation of immigrants, a great "melting pot". We are less aware of cultural and ethnic issues in India. This could be because we are so good at managing our cultural diversity (after all our constitution boasts of //Unity in Diversity//), other it could be because we are not conscious of the culture we live in. The TalkShop brings sensitive conceptual and analytical tools to the understanding of culture. Our special training programs aim to empower culturally and ethnically disadvantaged groups. The focus of these programs is for such groups to be more sensitive to the challenges that they themselves face and provide tools and techniques which can help them over come these challenges.
* '' Women in Management'' is a unique program offered by the Talk Shop for women. The clientele for the program constitutes mainly of women executives who are interested in making the best of their career. A small number of men (15-20 percent) are also allowed to register for the program, provided that they understand the focus of the program is on Women in Management. Typically the men are those who are in positions that require them to work with teams that are predominantly constituted of women.
The program is conducted in workshop format where women get to share their experiences, the challenges they face, and the solutions they have come up with. We also explore the question whether there are strategies for success that are unique to women. Conducted over two days, the program has a healthy mix of experiential and theoretical inputs.
* '' Going Mainstream '': a program that helps disadvantaged groups to integrate with the mainstream. This program is focused on groups that have been designated as disadvantaged by the government (SC/ST). Despite the efforts of the government (maybe even //because of it//), these groups are yet to be integrated into the mainstream. Reservation often helps them gain entry into institutions, but does little to help them once they have gained entry. This program is conducted in collaboration with Xavier Institute of Tribal Education (XITE - Jamshedpur)
Depth psychology is a broad term that refers to any psychological approach examining the depth (the subtle or unconscious parts) of human experience. It includes the study and interpretation of dreams, complexes, and archetypes, and it encompasses any psychology that works with the concept of an unconscious mind.
_____________________________ [[ from the Wikipedia entry on DepthPsychology | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_psychology ]]
While Depth Psychology has its origins in Psychoanalysis and related theories, it would help to explain how the Talk Shop uses Depth Psychology.
* //Look beyond the obvious//: When collecting data through qualitative , the first things that emerge are the obvious. However our world-view is structured by patterns that we ourselves are unaware of. If you are patient enough as a person continues to talk, one can understand more about how he or she thinks unconsciously.
* //Unleash Creativity through a sense of play//: When a person is comfortable and feels safe, and free, he or she tends to take on a playful attitude. In some ways similar to what Csikszentmihalyi (I can never pronounce that name) calls "FLOW EXPERIENCE", yet not quite the same. In this playfulness the person tends to try out things, be more innovative and creative. I wonder why people find it hard to perform in work situations where one is under constant pressure to produce results, do you?
* //Understand Relationships//: Psychoanalysis is the analysis of...not the person... but of a relationship. Often we end up getting angry at someone because something else is bothering us in the back of our mind. Previous (even childhood) unfinished business in relationships tend to affect present relationships. Understanding this will help us to build better relationships with each other.
! Just how deep is Depth Psychology?
Sigmund Freud was once asked:- When can we say that Psychoanalysis is complete for a person? His answer was "Probably Never". The process of understanding a person is like peeling an onion, one decides at which point to stop based on time and cost considerations, rather than because we have reached the end of exploration. Depth Psychology is not just for individuals, but is applicable for groups and society too.
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Talkshop Feedback is collected anonymously, giving them the freedom to write whatever they want. The format is open, given below are some qualitative comments. Not all of them could be included. Quite obviously this is only a sample.. originals are kept at the Talkshop Administrative Office. //''Note:-'' In the comments below, participants language has been reproduced in their own words.//
!Wings - A program that helps +2 students prepare for college and the enhanced responsibilities it brings.
#“I dont think I have the perfect words to describe how good this camp was for me. This camp was a truly amazing experience for me. ... made me think a lot of thoughts that we could have only got after months or maybe years or maybe after many years of experience... you both are what today's people need.”
#“I find urself highly sutiable to be accepted into a 'mentor' role for myself. Ur vast knowledge and truly remarkable yet entertaining presentation binds people into the seats.I learnt from u a truly important lesson. I learnt that the information and help is always available to us.”
#“ ...Actually you were not teaching and I was not understanding anything from you. Instead you made me understand myself. The talents inside me and the concept of myself inside me...This was the once in a life time experience that I'll never forget.”
#“ ... Here in this camp I got a very different experience from other camps that I have attended before. Here Mathai uncle was not a faculty to us, but one among us. Anita Aunty was .. a good friend... the outing near the river side was much fun. I really wanted this camp to be conducted every year..”
#“Relationships, feelings... these were the main weaknesses I used to have. Used to control me always. But then I got wings, wings to fly from such pits. I knew life is never simple. But now I know how to live life the hard way and still make an impression...I have much to say. Organizing this was ... I took it as my responsibility, so that my friends are happy. When I did marketing stuff..I can now say "I'm a tuff guy"... I am feeling really happy seein my friends laugh and play. Wings was a family and still is and will always be forever.Now I will live life more comfortably than ever.”
# “My FIRST EVER CAMP IN MY LIFE - AND I HAVE TO SAY ITS SIMPLY AWSOME!! at first I thought going to camp was a bad idea, but it was one of the best things that I have done in my entire life! This was the first time I have been open to these many friends....”
#(Translated from Malayalam)....I couldn't talk much in the sessions, but the confidence I got from that room ...and what I felt when I went back to the residence and talked with other...made me very happy
# “This camp was really something I'd remember for the rest of my life. That is because it helped me big time to make an important decision. That is to live the rest of my life living what I love to do rather than what would earn money.”
#“I opened up a lot. I found a lot of new friends. I thought it was going to be some kind of Army Rules Camp, following a code, blah blah blah, but I felt 3 days go like 3 minutes. .. thanks a lot for teaching me some lessons I will never forget in life”
# “Firstly I would like to say that I wasn't quite sure that I should join this camp or not bcoz I had to finalize my admission to colleges...I was about to abort at any stage where I felt (it) boring. This was my thought b4 joining this camp so that I could please my friends that my presence was there. I had no clue what this camp was, these sessions really changed my approach to life. I hide many things that I had in me..was in use in this camp. I got to know that the more you speak out something the more courage or more expressive I could stand out. I learnt that by listening you don't just help the person who talks but more importantly, I help myself understand myself more..”
#“I told everything. I'm now feeling too lazy to write.. so kindly forgive me.”
#“I never knew I had friends with such great imagination. It was amazing to know that the quietest of people even think like that.”
#“ … it was our holiday time and I was not at all willing for a camp...but it was really opposite to my thoughts. This is what made me excited about this camp. I have to say this “THIS IS THE BEST CAMP I HAVE BEEN TO”.
#“It is my first experience attending a camp... I being a person who had a wall around me that prevented me from opening up my mind has felt the change. I really used to experience lack of topic to talk. In this camp, I felt that once I feel open, subjects come spontaneously.”
#“ I have never seen a person of your age with such 'cool concepts'. This camp changed my image of mother in my mind... Anita mam you were really cool with modern view... This camp really rocked and I too rock(ed) the camp to the maximum.”
#“I enjoyed this 3 days camp... it really influenced me a lot. The presentation of the camp is something like above the words... I came across a lot of experiences that I never had in my life The camp was like my home I can feel the love and care from my friends + from Mathai Uncle and Anita Aunty.... If I continue to speak about the camp I think this paper is not enough..”
#“Dear Uncle Fenn, I am really happy to attend this camp and I am lucky to meet you, Anita Aunty and all my friends again... from the first day onwards I looked into me and my +ve and -ve everything and felt good, bad... I don't know really. I am happy to know ideas, emotions..I feel u as one of my friend and I am happy to keep in touch with u..”
#“Firstly I have been to so many camps, but this one was entirely different from the past ones. The difference that I felt is that in other camps “they” make us feel something, whereas in our camp, it was like we were working together... just to find the “real facts” that are hidden..”
''THE BEST FEEDBACK CAME FROM FR. WILSON''
//“When I heard about the program, I did not know the people involved, but I decided this MUST happen. Even though there has never been such a program in the entire history of this institution with so much noise at 3 am, I am glad to see so much enthusiasm among the young people. We must conduct more and more such programs here”//
! Gateway - a program that helps students make the transition from traditional degree courses to an MBA program
# ...your classes was an inspiration for us. You were friendly and we were able to get adjusted easily. The classes you took had a great impact in my life....
#… Even before, I have attended many “talks” but I learnt nothing from them....but this one was a really different one..within this 5 days I feel that you have become one among us and it feels pretty sad when it comes to parting..
#….For a student like me coming from science or engineering background I think it was beneficial beyond words... I am a little more confident than when I started the course. Actually I was in a total depression when I entered the course...but just due to your words, I feel I am ok. You gave a lot of fun along with informations..
#I feel the classes taken by sir has made me able to obtain a lot of information that I didn't know at all. He has correlated those relevant topics with past and present good experiences...we had a good time to share our experiences.... The way he conducted the classes ie dividing and forming groups were were too good so that we friends were able to be friendly more each other....Anita mam too had a friendly approach to me, to the whole class too.
#I have had a good experience. Actually I attended many workshop from last three years. But it was very different experience I had in this program. #The main thing I found interesting is the group forming... sir and mam, both are very friendly to all of us. And from this class we get an idea about the management program and also what is the actual role of a manager in soceity.
#I think I hae got some positive energy in me and my friends. The way you made us in teams is the most I liked of this. Because of that...we have come to know the rest of our classmates.
#...since you have told many things from your own life, I was able to understand easily.
#...As I come from an engineering background and I don't know anything about Management and Human Behaviour, your class helped me to know basics about these subjects.
! Women in Management: Strategies for success
A list of Free Stuff that we use at the Talk Shop. This means that you can use it for free too, in the case of most softare listed here, you can copy it and share it with anyone you like. Please check their respective sites for more information.
''Soon to Come - A weekly blog, review of knowledge products by The Talk Shop''
//''Links need to be added for each software''//
''Open Office''
The free //Office// software that includes a Spreadsheet, a Presentation Program, a Word Processor, a Database program and much more. It performs most tasks that Microsoft Office would.
''Irfan View''
The free graphics viewer, helps you to view photos, images, etc. in various formats. You can even make minor edits/corrections in the picture.
''Tiddly Wiki''
The software that you are using now. Its a single HTML file which can help you to create hypertext (text with links) that can be read using any browser.
''True Crypt''
An encryption software that helps you to password protect your files and even your USB Flashdrive. Only those with the correct password can read or access the data... though anyone can delete it and wipe it clean. Please read Using Passwords for a note about password safety.
''Easy - Vpn''
Log in and access your files from another computer anywhere on the internet. Secure- you decide if you want others to have access to it. Also useful for playing networked multiplayer games using the internet
''Firefox browser''
You probably have this one. Firefox is the browser that we use at The Talk Shop. It is also the one that works best with //Tiddly Wiki// mentioned earlier.
''Mozilla Thunderbird + Lightning''
Download your email and integrate it with a calendar. This combination gives you a FREE full fledged Personal Information Manager (PIM) ... as this kind of software is called. Microsoft Outlook is a popular example of PIM
''Picasa''
The free photo orgranizer from Google. Helps you to keep track of all those photographs that keep getting added to your hard disk. It also has free online storage, Picasaweb and it can be used for some editing tasks too.
Our Gateway program marks another important point in a students life. The objective of this program is to assist the student to make a transition from being a STUDENT to being a professional. For students who are about to embark on an MBA course, this program teaches you what to expect from the course, how its different from education so far, etc..
Our MBA induction program is an adaptation of the Gateway program. As an induction program, it introduces students to the current business scenario, what to expect from an MBA program and what are the skills required for it. To be most effective, the induction program should be well integrated with the subsequent MBA course. A well integrated induction program goes a long way towards setting the bar for the subsequent MBA program.
For Medical Graduates, the Gateway program gives a brief introduction to the "business of health care", helping them to understand the importance of good resource management for health care. The program will help young doctors to understand and work better with "management". For doctors who would like to explore entrepreneurial aspects of healthcare, the program will help them understand the business side of health care. A separate program, management of relationships helps doctors to understand the importance of relationships in healthcare practice.
The program introduces the students to the basic approach of management education and also a broad idea of the business aspects of being a professional. This includes entrepreneurs who may want to start business ventures in their respective areas.
This document is created using a free, open source, software called Tiddlywiki. It is a single file that is written in HTML and uses Java Script (so if it doesn't appear properly, perhaps you should see if Java Script is installed). It works best with Firefox, but should work with other browsers too, as long as you have Java Script. When displayed correctly, you should see a number of links in the text, and on the right and left sides of this document.
''Navigation''
On the right side, there is a menu which gives a list of topics that you can explore in any order you like (I recommend you start at the top and work yourself downwards). If, on the other hand, you have aready seen this document and are looking for updates, the "Timeline" on the right side will give you dates and latest updates to click on.
''What are those funny words?''
Tiddlywiki recognizes words with mixed case as a special word, a link to some other content. The funny words are all links, go ahead and explore them. You will soon get the hang of things.
''Can I use Tiddlywiki for my own projects?''
//Sure you can//!! As mentioned earlier, Tiddlywiki is free to download and adapt to your work. In fact there are a number of adaptations already in existence. To learn more and to download your own tiddlywiki to start work, go to the tiddlywiki site.
[[www.tiddlywiki.com|http://www.tiddlywiki.com]]
''G-learning''
For the past couple of years I have been worried at the rate at which the Earth's environmental health is deteriorating. I was lying alone in a rented room in europe when I heard about the disintegration of the Larsen-B ice shelf on TV. A total of about 3,250 square kilometers of shelf area disintegrated in a 35-day period beginning on January 31, 2002. Since then, I have been seriously wondering about how I can contribute towards stemming this tide of environmental disasters. Sure I do try to reduce my own carbon footprint without taking it to ridiculously extreme levels, however, I would like to do more.
Increasingly, Business and Economics have a greater role to play in shaping the world we live in, than do governments and politics. Conceived on the World Environment Day, June 5th 2009, G-learning takes a cue from E-learning. It is a name for educational initiatives towards a healthier ecology. It doesn't need much research to realize that despite the media interest, the Environment is still not high on a student's list of priorities. (I am speaking from my experience in teaching at Bschools). G Learning is an inclusive initiative (as opposed to an exclusive one) which aims at promoting the cause of the Environment and Ecology in mainstream education (given the obvious importance in grooming decision makers, we will start with Business Schools).
What can we do?
It is my observation that the reason why the environment is not popular is because of the following.
# Students percieve that environmental related issues are not important when organizations make recruitment decisions: This can only change when business firms clearly show that they DO care about environmental concerns even when the recruitment is not directly for the environmental management department. Many organizations already see the strategic advantage of the environmental platform. The task is of getting senior managers to talk about the environment to students and others. To do this we can create a network of speakers, even help them in creating the talk through background research, etc.
# Students do not see the economic sense of focussing on the environment: We need to create the business case for the environment. The economics of the environment is not limited to Carbon Trading and firms in the area of Alternative Energy like Suzlon, it is in all business processes from environment friendly production and sourcing to marketing. We need to create cases from companies that DO have enviornment-friendly processes.
# The courses on offer about Environmental Management are not inspiring: Many of these courses have their base in Environmental Engineering and is focussed on micro-issues of polution and effluent management, etc. Students are increasingly unwilling to look at issues which do not flow from a business issue. Business School Courses need to be redisgned focussing on how the caring for the environment can make good business sense. Good faculty must be inspired to take up the cause in all fields with say finance faculty teaching cases about environment based business decisions. We need to support faculty through (a) a network / platform where they can interact including faculty who are not PRIMARILY teaching environment courses, but have an interest in them (b) encouragement from the industry to come and visit them on site to see their eco-friendly initiatives and encourage them to write and talk about it (c) significant funding for such conferences that make it attractive for faculty.
As a non-exclusive initiative, the Talk Shop does not claim or retain ownership over G learning. We encourage others to also help the cause in any way they can. Our actions are based on the proverb "//It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness//".
~I-IT represents the kind of relationships we have with objects, animals and generally people we do not consider with respect. I-Thou, on the other hand, represents a relationship based on respect and trust. Respect does not necessarily mean deference.. suggesting the person to be in a better social position than oneself...it means that I treat the other person as a person like myself with feelings and emotions.
There are many ways in which we turn a person into an object, by not recognizing he is a human being. Often all it takes is a look. One looks //through// one person while another smiles and acknowledges him. The mythical creature from popular mythology, Basilisk | has the ability to turn people to stone, dont we do that all the time?
When a person is treated like an IT, she soon begins to have a warped sense of self and behave in strange ways. In many conflict situations, when a person acknowledges the other person as a human being, we are able to diffuse tension.
~I-Thou relationships that acknowledge the other person's dignity as a human being, where we treat the person with respect. As opposed to I-IT (//click on I-IT for more information//)
ProDucts
MegaProjects
FeedBack - include women in management
AboutUs
FreeBies - add links to the software home pages
CompletedProjects - this page to be maintained by Anita
OurWork - needs to be re-written completely
//This is a description of the philosophy behind The Talk Shop. It is a "work in progress", an internal document intended for those who work directly or indirectly with the Talk Shop.//
!The Tree and its Fruits
We often think of the Talk Shop as a fruit bearing tree. The fruits are the products of the organization and it is the fruits that can be sold or experienced/tasted. However fruits are a culmination of a lot of TLC (Tender Loving Care). It took years of looking after before the tree began to bear fruit. This document describes the tree more than the fruits. Feel free to click the links on the left side to explore this site. On the other hand if you are a returning visitor, the right side shows the links that I have recently updated. Still confused about how to use this site? Go to GettingStarted
''Some helpful pointers''
*What is this document intended for?
**This document is intended to provide a clear idea of the philosophy and the perspective on which the firm is based.
*Who is this document intended for?
** Apart from those who want to read and learn, it is also useful for those who have to create a presentation or proposal for the us. Since the Talk Shop is not geographically based in one location, this document provides the content that consultants and others need to describe the Talk Shop in their documents.
*When will this document be finished? Why are their sections that seem unfinished?
** This is an easy question to answer - Never. This is a document that describes an evolving/growing organization and it will never be completely finished.
*Is this material copyrighted?
** All Talk Shop material is under the most recent [[ General Public License | http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html ]] ( GPL ) unless otherwise mentioned. This means that you are free to copy and use the content from us. However please do not change the stuff and then make us responsible. If you change the material, you have to say you changed it.
In a nutshell it describes the Talk Shop and what it does. It also provides a write up on the theoretical foundations of the firm. Being a knowledge management firm, it is important to clarify our conceptual tools and theoretical perspectives. This document is not secret, but it is written for internal use. It is one place which serves as a repository for information regarding the Talk Shop
.......and oh by the way "Far From Equilibrium" is a term I lifted from Ilya Prigogine's Work
To go to the talkshop site, go to [[www.thetalkshop.in | http://www.thetalkshop.in]]
This is a general article about "//knowledge//" and some philosophical issues/insights relating to it. To see the Talk Shop's perspective on Knowledge, click on the link AppRoach
!The Complementarity of Knowledge
Knowledge has been thought of as having two different, yet complimentary aspects. Given below is a list of concepts that have been used to describe the complementarity. It is quite clear that the distinction is between the knowledge that is easily expressed in words, the kind we learn sitting in a classroom Vs. knowledge that we learn through experience and cannot easily put into words, if the former represents theory the latter represents practice. The concepts below have been used to describe this principle, though it is clear that clubbing them together is a bit of an oversimplification.
!!Explicit and Tacit Knowledge
The philosopher [[ Michael Polanyi| http://www.infed.org/thinkers/polanyi.htm ]], claimed that there were two kinds of knowledge. One kind of knowledge consisted of facts that could be clearly stated, like the atomic number of hydrogen is 1, or that the sun rises in the east. This kind of knowledge he called [[ Explicit Knowledge | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explicit_knowledge ]]. The other kind of knowledge, ( [[Tacit| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_knowing]] ) is more personal and cannot be so easily transferred. Skills like riding a bicycle or reading text are examples of Tacit Knowledge. Though we are not always aware of it, Tacit Knowledge is far more important than Explicit Knowledge. For example, if for some reason we lost all the explicit knowledge in the world (everything written or recorded in some way is destroyed), we can, with some difficulty recreate that knowledge. Practising doctors would write books on medicine while practising nuclear scientists can recreate the knowledge of that domain. However if we lost all the tacit knowledge in the world with all the texts in tact. The texts would be useless to us who did not know how to read or even why they should read.
!!Apriory and Aposteriori
[[ Immanuel Kant | http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/kant.htm ]] spoke of two kinds of knowledge, [[ Aposteriori and Apriori | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_priori_and_a_posteriori ]]. Apriori knowledge is something we can deduce or learn without having to experience it. The atomic weight of Hydrogen is an example. It is typically a statement that we derive from other statements. In contrast, Aposteriori knowledge requires us to experience it. The taste of salt, the wetness of water. It is obvious that all knowledge that you can get from sitting inside a classroom and reading books or listening to classes are apriori in nature. We gain aposteriori knowledge through life and direct experiences. Its easy to see why Apriori knowledge (or, as we say, //" Bookish Knowledge "//) makes sense only if we can connect it to real life experiences.
!!Knowing and Understanding
[[Wilhelm Dilthey | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Dilthey ]] said that we cannot explain human behaviour the way we explain the behaviour of natural objects. The term //knowledge// refers to explanation of natural laws, how objects behave. They follow the laws of cause and effect. In science questions of //how something happens and why it happens// brings the same answer. For example, how does lightning happen and why does lightning happen have the same answer. However when we ask someone how did you come here? She is likely to say she took the bus or the train. But if we ask her why did she come, she will tell us the reason why she came here, not the mode of transport.
came up with the surprising idea that human beings do not behave like inanimate objects. He said there is a difference between Knowing someone and Understanding. Understanding involves understanding why someone did something. When I see someone slapping someone else, I can, with the right equipment, study how fast the hand moved, or the force of the hand at impact. However to // understand // why a person does what he does knowledge of physics will not help us. We understand something when we understand its //relevance// to us or what we are doing.
!The Knowledge Continuum
Knowledge is often thought of as having a hierarchical structure as follows. This structure is an adaptation from different sources.
# ''Observation'' - the act of recording / capturing information, say the installation of a new counter or an attendance register
# ''Data'' - the recorded data that result from the observation, the attendance register, or just account of the number of items produced consists of data
# ''Information'' - data that is processed to reveal patterns. If you arrange all the data of how many people visited a store over a week then perhaps it will reveal more people visited the store at certain times in the week.
# ''Knowledge''- Information becomes knowledge when a human being looks at it. The famous thought experiment, //Schrodinger's cat//, shows how things change when we actually observe events. To see a video presentation of the experiment, [[click on this link |http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrxqTtiWxs4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.howstuffworks.com%2F2009%2F07%2F13%2Fhow-schrodingers-cat-works%2F&feature=player_embedded]] or read about it [[ here | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-schrodingers-cat.htm ]] and if you are wondering what finally became of the cat, [[ check this out | http://brneurosci.org/schrodingers-cat.html ]]
# ''Understanding''- [[Wilhelm Dilthey | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Dilthey ]] came up with the surprising idea that human beings do not behave like inanimate objects. He said there is a difference between Knowing someone and Understanding. Understanding involves understanding why someone did something. When I see someone slapping someone else, I can, with the right equipment, study how fast the hand moved, or the force of the hand at impact. However to // understand // why a person does what he does knowledge of physics will not help us. We understand something when we understand its //relevance// to us or what we are doing.
# ''Wisdom'' - involves a judgement and discernment. For example the Bible speaks of Solomon the wise. Wisdom helps us to choose between alternatives. It is not entirely based on facts. Judgement is based on (i) knowledge, (ii) past experience and (iii) one's values. Wisdom is never an exact science it is impossible to predict the outcome that involves wisdom. Despite all the knowledge a doctor has, often treatment involves a judgement, which may involve economic considerations and other things that our outside the domain of medical science.
# ''Realization'' - Realization is the existential dimension. Asks the larger question of where is all this going? What is the point of it all? When a person takes on a new role at work he starts by doing things that she thinks such a person //ought// to do. This kind of action is rule governed and a person at this stage takes few risks and exhibits little creativity or innovation. But at some point, the person achieves a realization and then the person is no longer acting the role, but lives it. Once this realization happens, the person is no longer rule bound and on occasion break the rule, change the rule or invent new rules. In existentialism, Sartre calls it the difference between [[ keeping good faith and keeping bad faith | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_and_Nothingness#Part_1_Chapter_2:_Bad_faith ]]. Realization also asks the question of the place of human existence, of the meaning of life itself.
Knowledge Management involves managing / optimising the following processes.
!Phases in Knowledge Management
# ''Acquistion'' - Acquisition of new knowledge can be at a personal level through experimenting or having varied experiences as well as learning from others (education, reading, apprenticeship, multimedia, etc.). Organizations acquire knowledge through (i) training (ii) R&D (iii) hiring skilled employees and (iv) mergers and acquisitions.
# ''Consolidation'' - consolidation is when knowledge is written down or some how "captured" perhaps making manuals or in some other way structuring the information. Information that is not consolidated or somehow captured, is cannot be used at all.
# ''Transmission'' - once knowledge has been consolidated it has to be then made available to others. This is transmission. Increasingly e-learning solutions are used for transmission of knowledge
## ''storage'' - A step in the transmission process includes storage of information - human memory is a good example
## ''retrieval'' - This involves the process of retrieving the information when its needed.
# ''Utilizing'' - The final phase, utilization of knowledge, for a business happens when the knowledge translates into either savings or higher earnings. For an individual there are many ways in which we utilize knowledge, sometimes we acquire knowledge as an end in itself. Utilization depends on the objectives.
[[GettingStarted]]
!About The Talk Shop
TalkShop
AiMs
OurWork
AppRoach
AssEts
ProDucts
FeedBack
CompletedProjects
AboutUs
!Key Concepts
KnowLedge
KnowledgeManagement
KnowledgeContinuum
CulturalAnthropology
DepthPsychology
SystemsThinking
RelationshipBuilding
PersonalGrowth
FreeBies
In case you are wondering, we all know that we are not going to achieve a turnover of One Crore by doing training and consulting. The way to do it is to have one Mega Project with a turnover of a Crore and above. In this section we will list these projects. Perhaps you will wonder why the project is not treated in greater detail in other places, that is because Mega Projects need their own space and their own descriptions apart from this tiddly.
*GlearNing
Talk Shop works in the following areas. To find out what makes us unique, click on AppRoach. To understand what KnowledgeManagement is, click on a topic under Key Concepts.
! Communities / Verticals
* '' Individuals/personal growth '' - we offer training and advisory services to individuals, helping them make the most of the [[ Knowledge Economy | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_economy ]]. Our long term objective is to create life-long relationships where we help individuals manage their Knowledge Portfolio.
* '' Education '' - Education is the structured way in which a society passes on knowledge to the next generation. The Talk Shop helps teachers to understand their students better and to develop effective communication skills. We help students to learn better through understanding their own learning styles and we aim to increase the variety of learning experiences that students have through innovative learning modules. We help educational institutions develop a positive culture that facilitates all round learning and development of the student.
* '' Health '' - We provide the health care industry with learning modules that focus on things other than medical knowledge. These include management concepts and also behavioural courses to help practitioners understand and deal with patients more effectively
* '' Tourism '' - The Talk Shop aims to transform the tourism space by promoting tourism as a learning experience. We see tourism as life enhancing, learning experiences.
* '' Marketing '' - The Talk Shop helps organizations understand their customers better (both internal and external), through sensitive innovative programs that utilizing a variety of channels and methods.
! What we offer
* '' Training '' - our training programs are of two kinds, //Food for Thought//, which focuses on conceptual and theoretical inputs and a set of skill-building programs which focuses on communication, learning and managing knowledge. Our training programs use a combination of interactive dialogues, depth psychology and theatre to achieve in-depth understanding of concepts and skills. Our training products are customizable to suit a variety of situations
* ''Structured knowledge products'' Grievance handling systems that ensure anonymity and accountability, products for a sensitive understanding of cultures and subcultures - both within organizations and external. (contact us for more)
* ''Custom built solutions'' - If you have a special need, we can create a product for you using our expertise.
//To read more about our offerings, click on ProDucts
! New Business
Not everybody believes that a person "Grows", apart from physical growth. It implies that there is a direction to our lives, and many people / philosophies have a problem with that. After all, once one assumes that there is a direction, it emerges into a set of value judgements. It follows that there are those who are more mature and less mature. This also means that we can now now term some kinds of behaviour as immature and other kinds of behaviour as mature. While fully acknowledging the complexities of the issue, it must be unequivocally stated that the Talk Shop does believe that a person has the capacity to grow.
!The Fully Functional Individual
[[Carl Rogers| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Rogers]] is one of the best known psychologists of the latter part of the twentieth century. Along with Abraham Maslow, and others, he was responsible establishing Humanistic Psychology as a distinct Third Force in psychology ( to read an ebook on Humanistic Psychology, [[click here|http://www.ahpweb.org/rowan_bibliography/index.html]] ).Humanistic Psychology clearly believed in the possibility of human growth. In management, this, this belief was reflected as the [[ Human Potential Movement| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Potential_Movement ]]. Like all living things, each of us has the potential to grow, however growth and maturity does not automatically happen. Part of the responsibility, a good part, lies with us. It requires a CHOICE (this part of humanism borrows heavily from the philosophy of existentialism). And what kind of person can we call //Mature//? Carl Rogers,in one of his later papers, calls it the [[Fully Functioning Individual | http://www.adpca.org/Journal/Vol4_2/4(2)5 Harman.pdf ]], //the person of tomorrow//. (The linked paper mentions 12 characteristics of such a person.
Abraham Maslow, on the other hand calls this maturation process of self actualization. He suggests there are eight ways in which person can achieve this (read about it in brief [[ here | http://www.abraham-maslow.com/m_motivation/Self-Actualization.asp ]].
!Our View
!!The metaphor of the river and the boatman
Imagine life as a river, flowing with power and strength. We also follow the river to reach the Ocean, The Source of it all. Imagine a dry twig or leaf floating on the river. The twig does not flow in a straight line to the sea. Sometimes it stuck on rocks or overhanging branches. Sometimes it spins when there are small eddy currents in the river. Thus the twig will zig-zag, spin occasionally and even get stuck here and there.
Now consider a small boat with a boatman in it, going down river. The boat is travelling in the same direction that the river is going and derives its strength from the flow of the river. Yet the boatman is the master of the river, not its slave. he deftly steers his boat downstream, avoiding rocks and overhangs, deftly steering it as it moves downstream without unnecessary zig zag or stopping.
One should strive to be a master of life, in the way the boatman is the master of the river. And a good master is one who can steer the boat with minimum effort. A master of life knows how to use the forces of life to make even difficult tasks appear effortless. This often means giving up a lot of mental and emotional baggage. Notions of how one should behave, is one of them. Those who believe in a RIGHT way of doing things will soon find themselves less and less able to be different, to lead.
!! So what are the principles of growth?
//.....to be contd.//
!This is a brief list under review for inclusion. (Needs heavy editing)
This is a list of TalkShop Products. As is true of other elements of this document, this too is in the process of constant evolution. Though our training program was launched in 2009, most of these products have along product development history. When a seed germinates much of the initial activity takes place underground before the first shoot pushes up through the earth. Similarly these products are the result of several years of conceptualizing and discussion. The products are chosen on the basis of The Talk Shop's vision and expertise, but most importantly, they are based on the current needs of society and organizations. At the TalkShop we see institutions/organizations as important sub-systems of society as SystemsThinking would put it. Hence, the way The Talk Shop contributes to society is through organizations and communities.
Please take a look at out FeedBack page to see what our participants have to say about our programs.
Training
---------------
ACADEMIC
*WinGs (program for students preparing for degree courses, often involves leaving home)
*GateWay (program for those who are moving towards a PG course, who are likely to launch a career shortly thereafter. Originally created for MBA students but customizable for other professionals too)
*QuoVadis (a quest to find one's calling in life. Not quite the usual career advice forum)
*LearningforLife ( Learning in an information rich society. Not everyone learns the same way. Personal learning strategy. How to identify relevant information, fast scanning and processing, presenting the output)
*[[ Helping your child learn|ParentingSkills ]] (Parent's role in enriching a child's mind)
*[[Helping your student learn|EducaTion]] (Educating the animated mind- customizable for audiences from school teachers to PG teachers)
*BrandMe Building a personal brand and marketing oneself.
ORGANIZATIONAL
*CultureSensitivity and diversity
*UnderStanding oneself and others.
*ManagingRelationships
*LifeOnline, new media and you
*ExecutiveCoaching - grooming individuals for top management positions.
*FoodforThought: Short presentations on current issues relating to management, behavior and knowledge management
*ReseLience: Why some people bounce back faster
Consulting
-------------------
*Sophisticated and Sensitive Culture Assessment using semiotics (internal and external)
*Stakeholder conflict management
*Secure feedback systems for whistle blowers. (Marketed to finance people)
*Managing culture: Change management, customer centric culture, strategic learning and innovation
//Academic Programs are charged at 25k per day while programs for Business Programs are priced at Rs. 50k per day. Does not include travel, board and lodging and applicable taxes.//
Training the trainer
------------------
*Level 1: Online course - theoretical basis (different modules on gen psych, group work and sociology, psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology) typical duration 3 months full time or 9 months part time
*Level 2: Internship - participate in / assist with ongoing training programs of the talkshop. No special fee, participant to be available to observe/assist training program across the country. All travel and other expenses to be borne by the individual. 6 months
*Level 3: Inner Journeys ( Customised for each individual. Content to be kept confidential. involves undertaking a personal quest and a subsequent 10 day residential workshop)
*Level 4:Provisional Certification (practice for 1 year: certified to practice, but work will be constantly reviewed by Talk Shop.)
*Level 5: Full certification assessment ( an evaluation of the person's work, personal qualities, values as well as the progress on the previous levels, involves renewal every two years by attending a workshop)
// ''A tried and tested panel of independent consultants we work with will also be included soon.'' //
Talk Shop offers programs relating to // KnowledgeManagement // and // RelationshipBuilding //
''THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE AND NEEDS WORK''
This list constitutes of current products and those in the pipeline.
!Training
# WinGs
# GateWay
# Personal Knowledge Management
!Learning tours
Tours designed to be learning experiences. For example [[ www.walkright.in | http://www.walkright.in ]]
!Research - Culture, subculture, symbols and meanings.
# Consumer Studies- Qualitative studies to answer tricky questions regarding brands, user experience, symbolic meanings, cohorts and subcultures
# Employee Studies
!New Biz
# Media- E-learning
# GlearNing
# TalentManagement
[[ Martin Buber speaks of " I-Thou " as the most important element of a relationship | http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/buber/#IThoDiaPri ]]. According to him, a healthy relationship is one based on respect as represented by THOU and not one where we treat the person as an object as represented by I-IT. Buber says that the I has no existence by itself since there is nothing else to which I could relate to. Hence Buber says that the basic unit of a relationship is I-Thou.
* How do we build I-Thou relationships?
* Do I treat my subordinate or the waiter at the table as a THOU or as IT?
Psychoanalysis tells us how important early relationships are in shaping our adult personality. Much of Psychoanalytic Theory has been the subject of controversy and debate, but there is little doubt that relationships are important in making us who we are. The Talk Shop approach to relationships build on several interconnected theoretical foundations.
Our exploration of relationships begins with [[ Sigmund Freud | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud ]] . Freud focussed his attention on the relationship between a growing child and his family, suggesting that events that take place in these early formative years have a long standing impact on how the person thinks and behaves. His theory of Psychosexual Development divides a child's life (until puberty) into five stages. Each stage constitutes of an important task that the child has to learn. Indeed Psychoanalysis is the analysis of [[ transference relationships | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transference ]] , where a person projects re-experiences and re-interprets his early childhood relationships in the safety of the therapeutic setting.
* '' The Oral Stage '' represents the early part of a child's life when he ( //much of Freud's writing focused on the male// ) learns that it is dependent on the mother for food and his very survival. It is when the child learns that it must get the mother's attention before it can be fed. Early on, Freud suggests, the child is initially governed by the ''Primary Principle'' (a.k.a ..aslo known as ..or the Pleasure Principle). When under the influence of the pleasure principle the child gets hungry and then a breast " //magically// " appears to feed him. It takes a while before the child realizes that he has to catch his mother's attention and in this sense he actually has to do something. Like many concepts in Psychoanalysis, the pleasure principle continues to operate throughout an individual's life. Whenever we indulge in fantasy that satisfies a desire, it is considered to be the primary principle at work. Daydreaming, fantasy and masturbation are all considered to be examples of the primary principle at work. If watching a movie helps us feel that in a sense the exploits of the hero are our own, it is the primary principle at work. It is not hard to imagine that it is at work in many fields of art and sports.
The child soon learns that the Primary Principle does not work in filling his need. He realizes that he needs to ACT on the environment.. say cry hard enough for his mother to hear him. The ''Secondary Principle'' is operational when he realizes that he as to act on the environment and wait for the results. If the Primary Principle was about immediate gratification, the secondary principle is about waiting and working to get what you want.
* '' The Anal Stage '' is when a child learns that there are rules that the society imposes on him. Specifically, at this stage the child learns that it is "dirty" to defecate in places other than designated places. This is when the [[Superego| http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/personalityelem.htm ]] emerges.
* '' Phallic Stage '' is when gender identity emerges. It is the age when the boy realizes that he is actually VERY DIFFERENT from his mom and thus setting the stage for the [[Oedipal Conflict, | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_complex ]], when the child realizes that his mother belongs to a different gender and he does not have her attention completely. It is the beginnings of the journey to becoming a separate individual. Journey of individuation.
It was Freud's daughter, Anna who worked on [[ EGO Psychology | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_psychology ]], a branch that developed looking at how the SELF (EGO) functions and its relationship with the world. Ego Psychology highlighted how sometimes relationships can be threatening and how we adopt[[ Defense Mechanisms | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_mechanism ]] in order to protect ourselves from such threats. (//The article from Wikipedia, in the previous link is a good read//)
The Psychonalyst best known for his writing on relationships is [[ John Bowlby | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowlby ]] (read his biography [[ here | http://attachment.edu.ar/bio.html ]] ). His Attachment Theory suggests that we invest a little bit of energy in the people and things we are attached to (love object) ( //[[click here | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_concepts_of_love_and_hate ]] for a wikipedia article on love and hate in psychoanalysis//). This is why when someone dies or goes away or when we lose something we love dearly, we feel a sense of "LOSS". The energy we invest is nothing but Libido, what psychoanalysis considers life energy, and the process of investing is called [[ Cathexis | http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/a/cathexis.htm ]]. And when the relationship is broken we have to reclaim that energy we had invested in the Love Object through a mourning process.
a //Far From Equilibrium// description
Systems Thinking is a powerful tool to analyse complex problems. Based on Systems Theory, initially formulated by Bertanaffly and others, it views complex problems as "Systems" that are themselves made of Sub-Systems. This way of thinking is particularly applicable to issues in Life Sciences. A typical example is an Ecosystem which is itself made of several subsystems, at a narrower/deeper level it is made of individual organisms that affect each other and in turn are affected by changes to the ecosystem which they themselves bring about. Individual animals are in turn made up of organ systems which are made of organs. Tissues, cells, etc. are other levels of analysis. Given below are some of the assumptions of Systems Theory:
# ''System:'' All individual units (say organisms) are part of a system and the behaviour of the individual affects other individuals and the behaviour of the group affects the individual
# ''Nested:'' Every system is constituted of sub-systems at a more narrower level and supra-systems at a more broader level
# ''Emergent Properties:'' there are properties observable at one level may not be observable in the subsystems. Eg: neither hydrogen or oxygen have the qualities of H20, which emerge when they are combined.
# ''Holistic'': Does not follow the principle of reductionism, due to emergent properties mentioned above, the approach of studying something by dividing it into parts is not always helpful.
# ''Dynamic:'' systems are in a dynamic state and to understand a system, one has to see the system in action. In life sciences, this is the difference between in-vitro and in-vivo studies. In an electrical system, when the fuse blows, it is not enough to replace the fuse, this may only be a symptom of a problem located elsewhere. Likewise, in understanding diseases, it is not only important to study how the disease pogresses within the individual, but also important to study the causes, which may lie in the environment.
# ''Dynamic Equilibrium'': Systems tend to settle down to a state of dynamic equilibrium. When this equilibrium is disturbed the system tries to recover its //balance//, through a process of self-regulation. For example, when the blood sugar in our body drops we feel Hungry and we go in search of food. Often our food-needs are more specific, like feeling the urge to eat salty snacks when Sodium levels are depleted.
# ''Complex, Multiple Feedback Systems:'' Typically systems are self-correcting mechanisms. The system achieves this through an //intelligent// series of sensors that are triggered when a parameter is outside acceptable range, then steps are instituted to correct the imbalance. This is often described as cybernetic systems.
To learn more about Systems Theory, we would recommend Fritjof Capra's books //The Turning Point// and //The Web of Life//. Please note that Systems Theory is not without its critics. But we will have to leave that for another occassion.
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Poetry, nature, beauty... these are typically not part of the discourse of business management as much as the language of engineering and science. The Talkshop adds its mite to correct this imbalance by adopting an organic, ecological metaphor.
If William Blake inspired Jim Morrison to start the music band, Doors, the inspiration for the Talkshop comes from a speech attributed to Chief Seattle. This speech inspired our vision "Nurturing Relationships" and our Mission Statement.
The Talkshop is a Knowledge Management organization. Rather than an end in itself, Knowledge Management is used in order to build better relationships, both internally and externally. We offer a range of programmes suited for individuals, firm and organizations as well as for academics.
The Talkshop Community is a community of people who share common interests in learning about topics that are close to our heart, both within the organization and outside it. The Talkshop encourages free sharing of ideas and thoughts, and nurtures the seedlings to bear fruit. The Talkshop is a Networked Organization and believes in forging partnerships with individuals and organizations both within and external to the Talkshop as an organization.
......to read more, including the Talk Shops' mission, etc, go to [[ our home page | http://www.thetalkshop.in ]].
To know more AboutUs , the people behind Talk Shop, click on the link.
The first Wings Program was conducted when a group of students came to us directly and asked if we could conduct a program that can help them be better prepared for college. The program is designed as a Rite of Passage ( to read what this is, please check CulturalAnthropology )
when young people are faced with a series of challenges. These challenges include
* Moving away from home
* Greater Responsibility over ones own life
* Facing a new environment without much social support
* Doubts about ragging and individual's preparedness to face aggressive behaviour
The program provides a lot of opportunity for students to talk about themselves and their anxieties. Students also spend a lot of time reflecting on events in their past, both good and bad. The program is a mix of fun and learning and the first day extends through most of the night too. Culminating in a party in the early hours of the morning. Other interesting elements involve Assertiveness Training where ragging/aggressive behaviour is simulated and students are taught how to handle it. The program is a noisy one and is conducted as a residential program. It is also a time of bonding when the program ends the participants take a vow (voluntary) to be there for each other.