Transcript VSS and knowledge management

VSS supports knowledge management
Knowledge based organizations and improving the
absorption capacity.
Statistical Capacity Building is
all about knowledge management
• Statistics is knowledge.
• To improve the Statistical Capacity the knowledge
needs to be increased.
• When staff have more knowledge they can master
more tasks and in a better way.
• Knowledge can be classified in different ways:
Essential is the difference between ‘What to do’ and
‘How to do’.
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Improving absorption capacity
• Absorption capacity (AC): number of staff and the nature of
their knowledge and skills to perform the tasks of the
organization.
• AC is the ability to recognize new information, assimilate it
and apply it. Thus, with more and better trained staff the
performance can be improved.
• Crucial is to raise level of knowledge of staff and to have a
permanent learning process in place.
• External consultants can never take over the work, but they
can transfer knowledge to staff and organization.
• Permanent internal learning processes help to become both
more independent and more productive.
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‘What to do’ and ‘How to do’
What to do - is about
knowledge on statistical
concepts and methods.
How to do - is about
applying the knowledge
and implementing
projects.
VSS
VSS
Activities and Themes on
the VSS website offer
information to methods
and concepts
The VSS website offers an
eLearning course on e.g.
Project Management
under Activities 2., tab
Training.
Understanding project
management is a key
condition for successful
implementation of SCB
projects.
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Knowledge Management
• What types of knowledge?
- End product: a book or paper to inform.
- Intermediate product: a status report for action.
- Knowledge to use knowledge: ‘How to’ lessons.
• How to manage statistical knowledge and knowledge on
statistical project management?
• Can the Virtual Statistical System be a solution?
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Initial situation
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Different countries have different kinds of information needs.
Request for statistical support.
There are scarce financial and technical resources.
There are several topical handbooks on specific issues
available, like e.g. SNA, Prices, Trade, etc. which can be found
on the VSS site.
• But, there has been a lack of introductions to many topics,
listed under Activities and Themes on the VSS website for
developing countries.
• Countries do not have easy access to information, even when
principally available.
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Information needs
• There is high demand for training on all kinds of
topics for users and producers of statistics on:
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Institutional issues
Management issues (staff and budgets)
ICT and registers
Methods like surveys
Many topical issues, like labor and national accounts
Quality issues and many more.
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Knowledge approaches
• Organizations always need to grow and change.
• Management is crucial for development.
– Innovation management (thinking about creating new
methods)
– Knowledge management is another essential activity,
whereas research in needed knowledge is part of this (VSS
can be used for research).
• Organizational culture should support innovation.
• “Communities of practice” are essential (working groups) to
stimulate exchange of views.
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Building a knowledge based organization
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Define a shared purpose. What are we doing? And why?
Focus on cooperation between staff.
Create a culture of trust and teamwork for staff.
Create a culture and ethic of contribution (share)
Debates and exchanges of opinions about concrete problems
are supportive.
• Stimulate critical reflection.
• Create collaborative communities.
• Create interdependent processes (be flexible and adjust to
new views)
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Make use of available resources
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Make use of all staff / skills and knowledge available.
Create a collaborative infrastructure (less focus on hierarchy).
Stimulate working together.
Matrix approach can work when flexibly used.
Is a collaborative revolution needed? Take it step by step.
Creating a knowledge based organization is a long process.
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Essentials of the knowledge
organization
• Define and build a shared purpose like more useful or
better statistics.
• Cultivate ethic of contribution: do not be afraid but trust
each other.
• Develop scalable processes for coordinating peoples
efforts: share what works (best practices).
• Create a situation in which collaboration is valued and
rewarded.
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What type of statistical support?
• Statistical Capacity Building is improving the capacity to
produce and disseminate statistics (sustainability, quality).
• Key is the understanding of Absorption Capacity issues.
• Absorption Capacity
– is the potential to successfully implement statistical
projects
– and the learning capacity of the staff.
• Support is useful to promote learning, improve management
skills and discuss technical issues.
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Absorption Capacity is
Staffing, Learning and eLearning
• Sufficient staff is needed: numbers / trainability.
• Attention to ‘How to learn’!
• Learning is not only an activity of students - everybody learns
constantly.
• (Inter-)national workshops are expensive as are extensive
international university courses.
• On site workshops are limited learning events.
• eLearning / computer based learning can be part of
permanent Learning.
• In different forms: national, international, self paced,
classroom.
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Can eLearning be the Solution to
increase the Absorption Capacity?
• eLearning demands active students and active
teaching staff.
• eLearning has more options than any other form of
learning.
– Learning when one wants and how often one wants.
– Individually and in groups, with and without support,
with and without certificates.
• eLearning provides all the tools online and allows
different modes of delivery
– “On-line only” versus “blended”.
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How to organize eLearning via VSS
• Get connected to the VSS website.
• Online, also called “self pace” mode: learn by yourself at your own
pace, and whenever you want
• Classroom situation: the teacher will use the VSS lessons and
material provided online as regular teaching material. He will act as
the facilitator and uses computer with projector and assists people
in the room.
• In addition, learning materials can be provided on DVDs and CDROMs.
• Blended eLearning mode: Professional support is needed by
facilitators and experts who will be interacting with the students via
the eLearning platform (set up in e.g. Moodle software). Face to
face learning may be used during the course and as a follow up
activity.
• In that case certificates should be issued.
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eLearning requirements
Good connectivity
Good materials; introductions to lessons, quality lesson
materials, supporting documents, user forums, discussion
groups, exercises and tests, examples, case studies and
certificates.
Certificates can only be issued on the basis of tests.
Certificates for course completion can be considered.
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VSS Training options
• NSOs can build an in-house training unit.
– This allows a training program using the VSS when appropriate.
• Or, NSOs can make use of established training institutes.
• Training institutes can match the VSS content with their
courses and apply when relevant.
• Training institutes can develop ways to teach students
about how to use the VSS and “training the trainers
courses”.
• The latter is to train trainers how to use and disseminate
the VSS materials.
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VSS: Training the trainers course
• VSS training can create leverage.
• When trained as VSS trainers (Staff of training
institutes and statistical offices), the VSS knowledge
can be multiplied.
• A trainer is a facilitator and a kind of expert helping
others to use and understand the VSS portal and
learning materials.
• A trainer can have freedom how to use the VSS.
• Trainers can work in-house and for others.
• Several consultants already use the VSS for training
purposes.
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VSS ‘Training the trainers’ course approach
• This course can be built on the eLearning courses
‘Management of Statistical Systems’, and the presentation on
‘How to use the VSS’.
• Other courses can be added to the program, like ‘Project
Management of Statistical Surveys’, and ‘Justice, Crime and
Security Statistics’ and ‘Labor Market Statistics and Survey
Design’.
• Parts of the materials can be sampled.
• Course duration: between two and three weeks.
• Test at the end.
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