Knowledge Management Evolution

Knowledge Management in the context of the RUFORUM Network (Part IV)

I came across three ways that the evolution of Knowledge Management has been mapped out by different authors / organizations / communities. 

The KMWorld website describes 3 stages of KM evolution:

1. First Stage of KM was about Information Technology. There was excitement in the opportunities provided by the internet and possibilities of sharing information and knowledge. Emphasis was on establishing communication and sharing infrastructure - intranets, emails
2. Second Stage of KM was about Human Resources and Corporate Culture. This stage recognized that KM was not just about information technology - but the people and the organizational culture mattered. This stage also marked the beginning of communities of practice. 
3. Third Stage of KM elevated the importance of Taxonomy and Content Management. There was recognition that content management and its accessibility and find-ability were important – including the structure of that content.

 In her Blog Nancy Dixon considers the three eras of KM to be:

1. Leveraging Explicit Knowledge – and focusing on documentation of information and knowledge in accessible databases. This phase emphasized capturing of best practices and lessons learned, building repositories and databases. KM was viewed as a “library or a warehouse with inputs and outputs”. 
2. Leveraging Experiential Knowledge – through supporting communities of practice. Methods suc as Q&A were used by workers to share their tacit knowledge. Processes such as After Action Reviews were institutionalized to support “continuous learning in teams and projects so that what was being learned in the field could be continually updated”. Expertise Locator systems supported the location of experts and “knowledge harvesting”. 
3. Leveraging Collective Knowledge – has been done by “a few leading edge organizations that have developed new practices for making use of their organization’s collective knowledge”.  This phase is characterized by Knowledge Café’s, organizing conversations that produce new knowledge, strategic use of Web 2.0 social media - Wiki’s, blogs, Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Nancy reckons that most organizations are still focused in leveraging experiential knowledge. She also alludes to the fact that organizations that are lagging behind in KM are “still struggling with getting good content management in place”.

CTA & Co-Capacity outlined the evolution of KM as below:

1. KM as ICT or Information Management – this phase is similar to the first stage of KM described by KMWorld. Knowledge was perceived to be written or digitised content. KM was about ICT tools such as online databases, online libraries, information management (IM).
2. KM as Human Resource Development or Human Talent Development – this phase saw the shift towards the personal side of knowledge. It had been realized that knowledge was not contained in ICT systems, but was personal and subjective: “knowledge is in people”. This phase placed emphasis on technical, management and personal trainings, appraisal talks and formulating personal goals.
3. KM as an organizational approach – This phase emphasized a focus on people interacting in an environment, such as within a company, a network or a community. This phase involved introduction of concepts such as ‘knowledge-intensive environments’, ‘knowledge-workers’, capacity building of stakeholders - strengthening organizations and partners in their capacity to effectively apply knowledge and use information.
4. KM as an integral approach, optimising knowledge ecosystems – this phase aims to develop improved ‘knowledge environments’ in which individuals, organisations and networks/communities are prepared to create added and sustainable value for their partners, clients and members. This is based on the principles of systems thinking and is also related to organisational learning and innovation systems. Integral KM develops and balances out five important dimensions of knowledge intensive environments: 

•  Root aspects - strategy, values & culture, structures & governance, management & leadership, and skills & staff
• Knowledge processes - knowledge creation, storage and use
• Enablers - communication, systems & technologies, learning and M&E, and internal innovation
• External factors - stakeholders participation, external influences and external resources
• Brokering, adoption and monitoring & evaluation of knowledge products & services

Part V will discuss Knowledge Management Evolution and where we are as the RUFORUM Network.

Knowledge Management for Networks

Knowledge Management in the context of the RUFORUM Network (Part II)

Knowledge Management for networks varies from Knowledge Management within a single organization. Knowledge Management for a network considers dozens or more organizations that have come together for a specific purpose. Members of these networks still have their individual/institutional Knowledge Management strategies to worry about. The assumption is that all the members of the network are able to participate effectively in knowledge identification, capturing, evaluation, retrieving, generation and sharing for the benefit of the network. Members of these networks could be scattered across the globe, using different languages and having different knowledge management systems. The design features of a Knowledge Management Model for a network must include:

1. Support for the goals of that network, 
2. Enhancing the network structure and promoting the natural interactions  
3. Enhancing communication, feedback, learning, documenting and efficient sharing of knowledge in the network. This could be achieved through the use of the emerging information and communication technologies. 

The RUFORUM Network can be considered to be a combination of a decentralized and centralized network. The RUFORUM Secretariat is at the center of the network to facilitate the agreed core-activities of the network. Other activities occur among and between the network members and these activities are not necessarily coordinated by the RUFORUM Secretariat – but have been inspired through the spill-over effects of the mainstream activities of the network.

The RUFORUM Network was formed by African universities for the purpose of benefiting from working together. The member universities collectively respond to challenges related to their limited capacities. They collaborate to implement post-graduate agricultural training programs and conduct quality, development-oriented agricultural research. The RUFORUM Network has become a strong platform for sharing lessons learned, connecting people, mentoring agricultural students and agricultural faculty, championing community action research and spearheading innovations related to information and communication technology for agricultural development.

The RUFORUM Knowledge Management model is best defined through the RUFORUM Theory of Change. Conceptually this model has five key knowledge nodes – the Secretariat, the RUFORUM governance bodies, the 46 member universities, the RUFORUM National Chapters and the strategic partners. Knowledge and information flows between and among these five key nodes. A number of platforms are facilitated by the Secretariat to connect people and promote learning and knowledge sharing – these include the Biennial Conferences, Annual General Meetings, Thematic Groups Meetings staff meetings and the use of social media and the website. Listed below is the description of the five knowledge nodes:

1. The RUFORUM Secretariat is hosted by Makerere University in Kampala Uganda and coordinates the activities of the RUFORUM Network.  
2. The RUFORUM Governance Bodies provide overall guidance to the network – these include the Board of Directors, International Advisory Panel (IAP) and the Technical Committee (TC).
3. The 46 RUFORUM member universities in 22 countries are the key players in the network. The focus faculties are those in the agricultural and related sciences. Champions are nurtured to support the goals of the network   
4. RUFORUM National Chapters are a key mechanism used by the RUFORUM network to enable member universities to liaise with a wider range of key stakeholders in agriculture and thus shape a common agenda to improve post-graduate training and research. National Chapters are created in each member country to bring in participants from the universities, National Agricultural Research Systems, related government ministries, the private sectors, farmer organisations and others. 
5. Strategic Partners are carefully identified to support the goals and mission of RUFORUM. These include other networks of universities from USA, Europe, Africa, the Pacific and Asia; Regional Economic Communities; Continental and International Agricultural Research Consortia; international Non-Governmental Organisations; and others

De Man et al (2008) identified four problems confronted by networks when implementing Knowledge Management: (1) How to motivate members to share knowledge, (2) How to prevent members from learning while not sharing, (3) How to ensure that the right knowledge is efficiently availed to a network member and (4) How to overcome cultural, time and knowledge gaps.

These problems are also being faced by the RUFORUM Network that I work for. It is important that all members of the RUFORUM network have the capacity to participate in knowledge identification, creation, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing.

Part III will discuss the Emerging Knowledge Management Strategy for the RUFORUM Network.