Knowledge Mobilization: Research Administrators as Brokers in the New Knowledge Systems

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Knowledge MobilizationResearch Administrators
as Brokers in the New Knowledge Systems

• By
• Paul J Graham, MLIS
• Harley D Dickinson, PhD
• University of Saskatchewan

CAURA Conference Halifax, NS, May 2008
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Contents

• Part 1 Knowledge System in Society
• The State of things
• Part 2 Knowledge Brokering
• Identification of your contribution
• New roles in Knowledge Management
• Part 3 KM Applications
• Knowledge Metrics
• Unit considerations

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Part 1 Knowledge System Knowledge System
Management Cycle
Production
Storage Retrieval
Holzner Marx, 1979
Knowledge System
Implementation
Transfer
Utilization
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Part 1 Knowledge SystemKnowledge System
Management as Interface

• Research Interface
• Many administrators find themselves in an
  Interface between sub-systems of academics and
  other university administration, such as other
  Research Administrators, Financial services and
  contracts and office representatives to name a
  few.
• Role Development as Broker
• As an interface to various stakeholders,
  Knowledge Brokering comports well with the roles
  and responsibilities of Research Administration.

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Knowledge Work Changes
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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringWhat is Brokering?
Some common Characteristics

• Terminology of Roles
• Brokers, Boundary Spanners, Intermediaries, etc.
• General Functions
• Communicative Functions
• Links, Connects, Manages, Networks
• Document to People People to People links
• Sustains or maintains such structures
• Types of Activity
• Reactive // Proactive Brokering
• Brokering forms part of the Job, not THE job

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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringLevels of Brokering
Knowledge

• Institutional
• Research Impact (Canada)
• Institute of Knowledge Transfer (Liverpool,
  England)
• Implementation Units (British Government)
• Proposed Integrated SSRL KMO (U of S
  Saskatoon)
• Individual (Professional)
• Community Liaison Officers (CLOs, Australia)
• Consultants

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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringTypes of Brokering.
R. Havelocks 1986 Typology

• Producing or Providing Knowledge
• Relay Station, Transformer, Synthesizer
• Linking People or Products
• Locator, Linkage Catalyst, Linkage Process
  Facilitator
• Application and Implementation
• Implementation Assister, User System Mobilizer

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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringHighlighting the
Three Important Types for RAs

• Linkage Catalyst
• By being the broker who facilitates Face-to-Face
  meetings and finds and helps to secure resources
  you become the visible agent who links knowledge
  mobilization for your area.
• Locator
• Identifies unmet needs or locates the individuals
  who could utilize available resources.
• Transformer
• Translating difficult funding documents into a
  success story narrativetell your success story.

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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringRise of Knowledge
Management as New Knowledge System

• Knowledge Management
• Knowledge management addresses the generation,
  representation, storage, transfer,
  transformation, application, embedding, and
  protecting of organizational knowledge. (Hedlund,
  1994)
• Social and Technical Characteristics
• Tacit to codified knowledge transfer
• Information Systems (computer technology)

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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringRise of the Knowledge
Manager as Type of Broker

• Rise of Knowledge Manager
• Organizing Communities
• Understanding work methods
• Building knowledge skills
• Assessing invisible knowledge achievements
• Building knowledge friendly culture
• Developing Knowledge Strategies
• Similar to Brokering
• Tacit Knowledge Transfer
• Document knowledge Transfer

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Part 2 Knowledge BrokeringKnowledge
Manager//Broker in Health

• KM actively improves information translation and
  transfer by creating a dynamic interface that
  enables access to useful health information
  within a community of practice. . . Knowledge
  brokering is a key element in providing the right
  information to the right people at the right time
  and right place to enable more effective job
  completion.
• Rolls et al., 2008 Building a State Wide
  Knowledge Network

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Part 3 KM ApplicationsKnowledge Mobilization
Tools Techniques

• Bibliometric Analysis
• Citation Analysis gap analysis Knowledge
  Production
• System Mapping
• Logic Models and Concept Mapping
• Recording your Brokering Contribution
• Information KM Statistics
• Educational Component
• Narrative
• Formal Education

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Part 3 KM ApplicationsChampion Knowledge Based
Management Structures

• Organic System of Management
• Emphasis on Lateral horizontal flows
• Based on authority of knowledge, rather than job
  title
• System wide approach
• Job definitions are less precise and more
  flexible duties change with problem changes
• Employees Identify with professional
  organizations as much as organizational job
  description

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Part 3 KM ApplicationsOrganizational Factors

• Knowledge Planning Guides
• Organizational Readiness Absorptive Capacity
• KT planning guides
• Approaches to Cohesion
• Organizational Level (Learning Organization)
• Group or Unit Level (Community of Practice)
• Individual Level (Dual Identity Approach)

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Conclusion

• Three Main Points
• Consider your role in a knowledge system within
  the university
• Identify what type of brokering youre doing and
  what brokering you might facilitate
• Whether institutionally or individually, consider
  the factors that provide evidence for your
  contribution and how they might be effectively
  championed.

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Special Acknowledgements

• Special thanks to University of Saskatchewan
  Research Administrators Laura Zink and Trina
  Evitts for their input and support in the
  formation of this presentation.
• Special thanks also go to the CIHR who funded the
  knowledge Utilization Policy Implementation
  project this funding helped stimulate ideas for
  following up on the roles involved in Knowledge
  Mobilization.