AMANDA COOPER
O-PERA, 2010
Information (data, facts,
context)
 Explicit (concepts,
processes, procedures,
principles)
 Tacit (experience,
subjective judgement,
doing/action)
 Knowledge conversion
(socialization, codification
combination)
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Purpose?
 System improvement
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What knowledge?
 Research knowledge, local knowledge, professional
knowledge
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KM Processes?
 Social, iterative, multidirectional
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Who is involved in KM?
 2 or more different groups
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MINISTRIES OF
EDUCATION
•Policies
•Processes
•Resources
SCHOOLS
DISTRICTS
COMMUNITY
PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
MEDIA
BETWEEN ORGS &
Levels of Leadership
Different Departments
Different Professional Roles
•Outcomes
WITHIN ORGS
KM INTERMEDIARIES:
THE MISSING LINK
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify organizational/ departmental needs
Inventory of existing structures (people,
tasks, tools)
How does knowledge flow (or fail to)
between personnel, departments, outside
organizations?
Mapping KM across organization/
department can help to identify assets,
show gaps, and highlight areas for
improvement
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Organizational knowledge exists in:
 People, tools, tasks
 Roles or organizational structures
 Processes, Procedures
 Technological structures
 Culture
Knowledge can be transferred many ways:
Member-member, member-tool, membertask, task-tool, and so on
PROBLEM
GAP
Dearth in knowledge
Knowledge Gap
Information Overload
Needle-in-a-haystack
No ways to find, share knowledge
Infrastructure Gap
Lack of research literacy or skills
Skills Gap
Resistance despite evidence
Behavior Gap
Lack of Interaction
Silos Gap
Lack of understanding despite interaction
Communication Gap
Contradictory views, results in competing
choices
Alignment Gap
Source of Problem unknown
Outcome Gap
Problem known, need successful model or 3rd
party
Expertise Gap
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Time
Resources
Training
Consensus
Infrastructure
Policies
Technology
“know how”
Designated roles
leadership
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Awareness
Alignment
Money
Professional
development
Mentorship
Systems
Sustainability
Communication
Clear goals
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Products (fact sheets, process maps, how-to
guides)
Events (professional learning communities,
conferences, speakers, professional
development)
Networks (between departments,
organizations at the local, national and
international levels)
GAP
KM Strategy
Knowledge or
Tracking gap
Needle-in-ahaystack;
Infrastructure gap
Awareness gap;
skills gap; knowhow gap
Alignment gap;
Behaviour gap;
Attitude gap
Silos gap
Conducting new research; earmarking funding/grants for research
on priority topics
Searchable research databases; utilizing technology to share
research (shared space, wikis, listservs)
Linkage frequency
gap
Communication
gap
Outcome gap
Policy gap
Plan an information campaign; circulate relevant materials;
professional development sessions; in-service coaching
This requires multiple strategies: policies and training to effect
change; building shared direction and understanding through
dialogue
Building networks and teams across diverse departments within the
system
Scheduling and coordinate meetings, preparing relevant materials,
elists
Cultivating knowledge about demands of different roles; teaching
necessary skills
Tools to assess organizational strengths and weaknesses
surrounding KM
Put policies in place for KM strategies to be planned
AMANDA.COOPER@UTORONTO.CA