Knowledge sharing in communities of practice in international

development

Lessons for other sectors?

Sarah Cummings, Knowledge Ecologist

EDO International Conference III15 May 2014

International development…

Introduce myself Development is important and challenging

field Development is embracing communities of

practice One case Evidence Lessons for others sectors?

The story…

‘Development’ field since 1983

Practitioner-researcher with focus on information and knowledge with consultancies, research and other activities

Two of the communities of practice: I’m a active member

Paper and presentation are based on two papers but also on practice experience

Own research: academic journals dominated by key institutions in UK, USA and a few other countries

Editor of the Knowledge Management for Development Journal

Introducing myself…

Knowledge Ecologist…

Ecology, not an economy Holistic: collaboration, cooperation and

coordination ‘Social’ not biological ecology Relationships and connection

www.dgroups.info

2,415 communities191,318 registered users460,000 email messages each day50% exchanged with and within African countriesShared values

Dgroups

Dgroupswww.dgroups.info

Click icon to add picture

Measured as Official Development Assistance (ODA) USD 125,600 million in 2012 Equivalent to global wine sales/China’s IT exports 0.29 of combined Gross National Income (GNI) of

OECD countries Spain: USD 4000 million in 2011 Excludes non-OECD countries: China Excludes ‘new’ actors: Gates Foundation

Development is important because…

Development is important because…

Development is important…Slide 3

Challenges facing development…Professional diversity

Challenges facing development…Cultural diversity

Linguistic diversity: English, Spanish, French, but also vast number of languages are the ‘grassroots’

Technological diversity Multiple knowledges

Challenges facing development Other diversity

… development efforts often transcend organizations, professional constituencies, and geographical boundaries, making knowledge management increasingly relevant because of its power to cross these divides.

Challenges facing development

No longer a heuristic but now a ‘tool’ to promote learning (Johnson 2007)

Intentional communities and non-intentional (spontaneous) communities

Acting as effective bridges between diverse professional domains: policy and practice (Hearn and White 2009)

CoPs in development

Communities of ideas Formal knowledge networks Virtual teams Virtual knowledge communities Thematic groups Thematic networks

Communities in development

Communities of practice• Groups of people who

interact regularly and who share a practice (and a passion)

The domainThe communityThe practice

… Governance….Technology

Knowledge Management for Development Community

Started in 2000 Information and knowledge professionals,

academics, and consultants Intentional and non-intentional phases Approx. 2000 members

Case: KM4Dev

KM4Dev: The domain

International development Knowledge management Health – agriculture – gender – human rights Grassroots to ministries

Kemly Camacho, Costa Rica

Professionals over the world Online and face to face Sub-communities

KM4Dev: the community

I feel so moved by all the positive reactions I received every day since I posted my request. Just as if I have numerous secret hidden friends ready to give a hand ! It's a feeling not easy to express; the kind of strength you sense when you're not alone and that makes you dare and never afraid of taking new challenges... merci beaucoup.

Yennenga Kompaoré,Burkina Faso

Knowledge management Knowledge sharing Communities of practice Organizational KM Indigenous knowledge processes

KM4Dev: The practice

Voluntary basis Voluntary core group Wiki which details all meetings and process Efforts to be transparent

KM4Dev: Governance

A Dgroups with 1932 members Ning website Open Journal Systems Wiki

KM4Dev: Technology

…a global network of development agents who share the idea that knowledge can contribute to the development of poor countries and groups in a disadvantaged situation.

…a cognitive bridge for development agents worldwide..

… KM4Dev has shaped the flow of knowledge among the members of the net.

…a high level of efficiency, providing reliable answers to development agents at a daily basis almost in real time, and at very low costs.

Sebastiao Ferreira , Peru

International development is an important area of work

Faces many challenges Communities of practice are seen as the

solution to many of these challenges But what is the evidence….

The story so far…

Facilitate exchange of information and knowledge Creation of new knowledge Improve collaboration, coordination and cooperation Facilitate contact across North-South divides Bridging development divides in terms of

profession between practitioners, researchers and policymakers

Crossing the digital divides Impact at the level of project and programmes, and

organizational change

Evidence

Yes, [communities of practice] really have broadened the way people perceive and understand their own organization. Now staff members don’t just refer to their own experience but have a more regional perspective .

They have also facilitated the development of SNV as a horizontal organization and in reducing hierarchy. It has also facilitated SNV as a matrix organization.

Robin van Kippersluis,The Netherlands

Not able to cross linguistic divides Not able to include beneficiaries Often under the radar

But…

Think about joint platforms with other organizations

Be ambitious but not too ambitious Attention for governance and power issues Attention for politics

Lessons for other sectors?

Development is important and challenging field

Development is embracing communities of practice

Evidence Lessons for others sectors?

…the story

In general, there is a trend to associate communities of practice with [social media] which means that the sociological and cultural aspects are left aside.

Camilo Villa, Colombia, 15 May 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWxIcuGIn1A&feature=youtu.be

An example of work on indigenous knowledge with the

Mapuche people in Chile