Dear members,
On one of the WA groups of HR, Administrator of the groups, Mr Rajaram Thorve, had raised the topic for discussion. The topic for the discussion is Copy and Paste Culture. He had raised the following questions:
Q. 1 Have we used to COPY-PASTE culture at educational and professional life?
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that whatever stuff/information/data available on GOOGLE is authentic and true in sense as far as Human Resource Management is concerned?
Q. 3 How does it impact on our professional capabilities as we do not think OUT OF BOX to arrive at solutions?
I have given replies to the questions. It is as below:
+++++
Dear Mr Rajaram Thorve,
The replies to your questions are as below
Q. 1 Have we used to COPY-PASTE culture at educational and professional life?
Reply: - In the erstwhile era, typewriters were used to type a document. Typewriters had advantage over manual writing because multiple copies could be produced and that with speedier than writing by hand. However, making corrections on a typed document was not possible. To make corrections, re-typing the whole document was only the solution. Amidst this, when MS Window and especially MS Office were invented, it solved the problem of re-typing. Before taking a printout, one could make corrections and take a printout. Therefore, need of corrections and creation of multiple documents gave birth to “copy and paste” activity. Over a period, it was done so repetitively that it was ingrained in our life and became part of our culture, be it in professional or personal life.
Nevertheless, “copy and paste” has not become part of our culture just because of its easiness. Partially, it is result of our plagiaristic mindset. Instead of wasting the time, people just go to a search engine, and copy whatever available on someone’s work without qualms. This is because of disregard of copyrights.
Not just advent of e-mail communication, mushroom growth of WA groups or other forms of social media has fuelled this culture further. Large number of members, just copy some article from some website and upload on the WA groups. How many group members really come forward and share their workplace experience of implementation of the contents of the article? Few and far between but the administrators allow the copy and paste activity for the years together!
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that whatever stuff/information/data available on GOOGLE is authentic and true in sense as far as Human Resource Management is concerned?
Reply: - Those who uploaded the information on the various websites, were also humans. They are also prone to commit mistakes. Verification of the authenticity of the information is the user’s responsibility. Verifying the authenticity apart, it is important to check the suitability, applicability and above all the grammar also. But then zealots of “copy and paste” culture take the things too far and accept everything at its face value. That happens because of the lack of personal standards.
Q. 3 How does it impact on our professional capabilities as we do not think OUT OF BOX to arrive at solutions?
Reply: - Too much dependence on the “copy and paste”, activity reduces human’s creative abilities. Creating something new is a time-consuming activity. “Copy and paste”, reduces the time spent in doing the job. While all the copy and paste activity is not bad and for clerical activities, where jobs are repetitive, it is helpful and improves the productivity but at higher level, it starts diminishing one’s ability to generate new ideas. Life exists beyond Google also. But to take glimpse of that life, one has to get up from the chair and involve in the study or research activity. That is not easy!
To reduce the culture of “copy and paste” Asian countries in general and India in particular needs to implement copyright laws strictly. Those who violate these laws need to be brought to book. When violators are given exemplary punishment, that will be the beginning of the creative culture.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
On one of the WA groups of HR, Administrator of the groups, Mr Rajaram Thorve, had raised the topic for discussion. The topic for the discussion is Copy and Paste Culture. He had raised the following questions:
Q. 1 Have we used to COPY-PASTE culture at educational and professional life?
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that whatever stuff/information/data available on GOOGLE is authentic and true in sense as far as Human Resource Management is concerned?
Q. 3 How does it impact on our professional capabilities as we do not think OUT OF BOX to arrive at solutions?
I have given replies to the questions. It is as below:
+++++
Dear Mr Rajaram Thorve,
The replies to your questions are as below
Q. 1 Have we used to COPY-PASTE culture at educational and professional life?
Reply: - In the erstwhile era, typewriters were used to type a document. Typewriters had advantage over manual writing because multiple copies could be produced and that with speedier than writing by hand. However, making corrections on a typed document was not possible. To make corrections, re-typing the whole document was only the solution. Amidst this, when MS Window and especially MS Office were invented, it solved the problem of re-typing. Before taking a printout, one could make corrections and take a printout. Therefore, need of corrections and creation of multiple documents gave birth to “copy and paste” activity. Over a period, it was done so repetitively that it was ingrained in our life and became part of our culture, be it in professional or personal life.
Nevertheless, “copy and paste” has not become part of our culture just because of its easiness. Partially, it is result of our plagiaristic mindset. Instead of wasting the time, people just go to a search engine, and copy whatever available on someone’s work without qualms. This is because of disregard of copyrights.
Not just advent of e-mail communication, mushroom growth of WA groups or other forms of social media has fuelled this culture further. Large number of members, just copy some article from some website and upload on the WA groups. How many group members really come forward and share their workplace experience of implementation of the contents of the article? Few and far between but the administrators allow the copy and paste activity for the years together!
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that whatever stuff/information/data available on GOOGLE is authentic and true in sense as far as Human Resource Management is concerned?
Reply: - Those who uploaded the information on the various websites, were also humans. They are also prone to commit mistakes. Verification of the authenticity of the information is the user’s responsibility. Verifying the authenticity apart, it is important to check the suitability, applicability and above all the grammar also. But then zealots of “copy and paste” culture take the things too far and accept everything at its face value. That happens because of the lack of personal standards.
Q. 3 How does it impact on our professional capabilities as we do not think OUT OF BOX to arrive at solutions?
Reply: - Too much dependence on the “copy and paste”, activity reduces human’s creative abilities. Creating something new is a time-consuming activity. “Copy and paste”, reduces the time spent in doing the job. While all the copy and paste activity is not bad and for clerical activities, where jobs are repetitive, it is helpful and improves the productivity but at higher level, it starts diminishing one’s ability to generate new ideas. Life exists beyond Google also. But to take glimpse of that life, one has to get up from the chair and involve in the study or research activity. That is not easy!
To reduce the culture of “copy and paste” Asian countries in general and India in particular needs to implement copyright laws strictly. Those who violate these laws need to be brought to book. When violators are given exemplary punishment, that will be the beginning of the creative culture.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar