KM ASNI/ISO Standards Meeting LO20481

J.C. Lelie (janlelie@wxs.nl)
Sun, 24 Jan 1999 15:01:23 -0800

Replying to LO20420 --

Hello Vana,

I wrote:
> > The VALUE of certification has a meaning in communities that values
> > certificates. That's why i had to obtain my CPIM, because the APICS
> > community values that certificate. I wanted to belong, so i had to pass
> > the tests. It is like an initiation rite.

To which you added:
> This is indeed a value of certification, but I would argue that it is an
> extrinsic and not intrinsic value. I felt that the origianl question
> (Scott's) was directed at intrinsic values.

I did not consider the direction of Scott's question:

>>> The key is VALUE. Thus my question as to the value of certification in
>>> Knowledge Management.

However, I would say that the extrinsic value (meaning the value that a
person, a group, a community, a nation attributes to a certificate) is
much more greater than the intrinsic value (meaning the value of the
paper, the frame surrounding the paper (and i have seen some nice ones
once), the price paid for the service of "supplying" a certficate, the
costs of attaining a certificate). For if this wasn't the case, we would
use certifcates in trade in stead of dollar bills.... The value of a
yellow towel, i quoted, is psychological.

It now occurs to me, that a share of a company is also sometimes called a
certificate, in't it?. And that a British Pound note also contains (or
contained, or even was) a certificate by the king or queen that the bank
of England will pay you a golden pound. So perhaps one of the true laws of
economics (bad money always drives out good money) also applies to
certfication programs (bad certificates always drive out good
certificates).

Kind regards,

Jan Lelie

-- 

Drs J.C. Lelie CPIM (Jan) mailto:janlelie@wxs.nl LOGISENS - Sparring Partner in Logistical Development - Mind@Work - est. 1998 - Groupware for team consensus - http://www.mindatwork.nl + (31)70 3243475 Fax: idem - GSM: + (31)654685114

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