The hottest asset today that any organization seeks to have is IPR - Intellectual Property Rights. It's this drive that led me to compose this post !!
In today's context, where globalization and technology is re-defining the way the business is done and where ideas spread faster than speed of light, it is imperative for organization to protect the ingenious contributions of its employees in form of IPR.
IPR cover a wide range of intellectual outputs such as publicity material, work of art, a product design, a logo, chemical formulations, computer softwares etc. When a company have IPR over a particular assest, the other companies that use the same have to pay fees to the beholder of IPR. It is in this way that an organization can differentiate itself from the pack and also, continue to earn from its innovations.
An IP consists of various elements:
1. Trade Secrets : Trade secrets, as the name suggests, conform the unique knowledge that an organization or a person has developed using skills,people,and resources. This knowledge is supposed to provide competitive advantage to the organization in the marketplace by virtue of the fact that no one else knows the secrets. The strategies to maintain trade secrets involve cautionary steps such as restricting the availability of the knowledge, getting everyone who knows the secret to sign Non-disclosure agreement, mark any written material as Proprietary and Confidential.
2. Patents : Research and development is an expensive enterprise. The grant of patents to an organization ensure legal rights to company that ensure that the company is able to redeem the expenses incurred. An invention, usually a process or product, that ensures a novel approach and a significant improvement over the existing knowledge is patentable. A patent is provided by the Patent office and isvalid for 20 years.During this period no one can use, manipulate, and market the patented product or process without paying royality to the beholder. After 20 years, either the patent has to be re-inforced that inculcates some fees or a company has to for go the patent.
Patents are important becuase they allow space to organization to deploy there break-through products and services openly in market rather than holding on to it. Patents generally protect functional technology whereas copy rights protect artistic and written material.
3. TradeMark : The main purpose of a trademark is to serve as a differentiator from the products and services of other people in the marketplace. A consumer will begin to associate a particular registered trademark. Therefore a trademark should be carefully selected so that consumers can directly connect with the Trademark in this competitive marketplace. For instance the trademark of Tata group, the T in blue and white color directly associate every product or service offered by the group. The thought process behind selected trademark is significant and should be conducted by the top executives.
4. Copyrights: Basically a copyright protects expression of an thoughts and not the idea itself. Copyrights protect literary work such as softwares and advertisements, novels, poems and the like, and artistic work such as painting, photographs, sculptors etc.
5. Domain Names: A domain name is unique IP address on the internet. Domain names provide an easy way for the consumer to reach you in the over-crowded internet space.
Seems like lot of Gyan !! :)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The HCL Way
In today’s knowledge arena, employees are most important. In past it was the process that was important. Today it is the people. Nobody understands this better than Vineet Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies.
He has brought some very interesting changes and speaks of an innovative approach to manage employees. Some of his innovations are:
1. The managers at HCL are rated both by Seniors and their subordinates
2. The rating is available at the intranet and anyone can see it, even the juniors
3. There is an online help desk approach and every employee, be it a fresher or senior executive opens a ticket there for absolutely any issue they may have. Furthermore, it is the employees who close the ticket and no on else.
4. His philosophy is Employees first, customer second even in front of the customers.
5. Mr. Nayar replies to each and every question or query that is posted on a common forum personally everyday week.- He does this on Sunday morning
Amazing Leadership !!
He has brought some very interesting changes and speaks of an innovative approach to manage employees. Some of his innovations are:
1. The managers at HCL are rated both by Seniors and their subordinates
2. The rating is available at the intranet and anyone can see it, even the juniors
3. There is an online help desk approach and every employee, be it a fresher or senior executive opens a ticket there for absolutely any issue they may have. Furthermore, it is the employees who close the ticket and no on else.
4. His philosophy is Employees first, customer second even in front of the customers.
5. Mr. Nayar replies to each and every question or query that is posted on a common forum personally everyday week.- He does this on Sunday morning
Amazing Leadership !!
A new dimension to my beloved blog
I am commencing this new label to capture my reading and my understandings of various article I read, situation I face, and people I observe. I hope this helps me track my progress, improve my understanding, and help me excel in this key subject!!
According to the Tata Leadership Practice, the three buckets a Leader should focus are:
> Leadership of Result
> Leadership of Business
> Leadership of People.
Amazing categorization I must admit. Of course, it is not tough to moot upon 10 more such buckets. However, I think above categorization follows the MECE [Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive] principle. Today I will venture to write on the first bucket - Leadership of Result
Results, a conception that has followed each one of us from the Kinder garden days. How much did you score in the exam? What position did you secure in your class? A lot would depend upon the results. A report card would decide whether I get chocolates, new cricket bat, a new red Bicycle or I get scolding, no vacation trips to relatives, and reduced cricket hours in the evening. We all have experienced similar instances in our lives and we have been nurtured to get results. So, what does result mean to leaders?
To me, the Results mean two things to leaders- first, to maintain the fire within themselves to achieve stellar results and second, to act as a spark plug to fire the zeal within their people to achieve even better results. I also believe that these increasingly simple looking two lines of "gyan" is among the most difficult things to achieve. A leader has to show and, more importantly, maintain exceptional energy level, establish high standards, and perceive things before its too late.
In addition, a successful leader has to provide breakthrough means to his team to achieve results. In doing so, leader needs to nurture innovation, maintain customer focus, and consistently educate his followers about the importance of results. I personally feel from my experiences that when people are informed about the importance of the work delegated to them and hence, recognized for their contribution, they are generally much more responsive, motivated, and energetic.
Ahhh..Beautiful composition I guess to kick-start my rejuvenation to give this blog a new avtaar.
A voice that echo currently in my mind is from a dear friend who would criticize such articles that reading and writing such articles is one thing but showing this attitude is another and "impossible" in bureaucratic, political set-ups in corporate world. I concur partially with him. Of course implementing this knowledge is paramount. However, I am also of the opinion that we work in two ways - First when we take risks, fail / pass, and learn from practical mistakes and second, when we learn things first and strive to implement them and continue to learn.
Isn't the second point the reason we all went to Kinder Garden. If only, I were to know these attributes earlier, perhaps I would have received more chocolates, more cricket kits, and more red Bicycles.
According to the Tata Leadership Practice, the three buckets a Leader should focus are:
> Leadership of Result
> Leadership of Business
> Leadership of People.
Amazing categorization I must admit. Of course, it is not tough to moot upon 10 more such buckets. However, I think above categorization follows the MECE [Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive] principle. Today I will venture to write on the first bucket - Leadership of Result
Results, a conception that has followed each one of us from the Kinder garden days. How much did you score in the exam? What position did you secure in your class? A lot would depend upon the results. A report card would decide whether I get chocolates, new cricket bat, a new red Bicycle or I get scolding, no vacation trips to relatives, and reduced cricket hours in the evening. We all have experienced similar instances in our lives and we have been nurtured to get results. So, what does result mean to leaders?
To me, the Results mean two things to leaders- first, to maintain the fire within themselves to achieve stellar results and second, to act as a spark plug to fire the zeal within their people to achieve even better results. I also believe that these increasingly simple looking two lines of "gyan" is among the most difficult things to achieve. A leader has to show and, more importantly, maintain exceptional energy level, establish high standards, and perceive things before its too late.
In addition, a successful leader has to provide breakthrough means to his team to achieve results. In doing so, leader needs to nurture innovation, maintain customer focus, and consistently educate his followers about the importance of results. I personally feel from my experiences that when people are informed about the importance of the work delegated to them and hence, recognized for their contribution, they are generally much more responsive, motivated, and energetic.
Ahhh..Beautiful composition I guess to kick-start my rejuvenation to give this blog a new avtaar.
A voice that echo currently in my mind is from a dear friend who would criticize such articles that reading and writing such articles is one thing but showing this attitude is another and "impossible" in bureaucratic, political set-ups in corporate world. I concur partially with him. Of course implementing this knowledge is paramount. However, I am also of the opinion that we work in two ways - First when we take risks, fail / pass, and learn from practical mistakes and second, when we learn things first and strive to implement them and continue to learn.
Isn't the second point the reason we all went to Kinder Garden. If only, I were to know these attributes earlier, perhaps I would have received more chocolates, more cricket kits, and more red Bicycles.
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