Transcript Slide 1

CDCC
Knowledge
management in a
digital environment
Sandra John, Chief
Caribbean Knowledge Management Centre
CDCC
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KM – an understanding
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Making the case for KM
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KM in the Caribbean Context
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ECLAC Digital KM Initiatives
Understanding Knowledge
Management
• KM means different things to different
organizations.
• Each organization must arrive at its own unique
understanding
• KM is not about purchasing a computer software
package and configuring it to suit our data needs,
• It is about first creating a "willing" human network
and developing a culture of knowledge sharing
as an integral part of your work flow.
• Agreeing on objectives in advance is also critical
to the success of any strategy
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Data, information and knowledge
Knowledge
Information
Data
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Knowledge involves
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Beliefs and values
Creativity
Judgment
Skills and expertise
Theories
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Opinions
Concepts
Rules
Relationships
Previous experiences
What is knowledge management
• The process by which we consciously seek to
build, shape and exploit the body of knowledge
within our organization – Giannetto and Wheeler: KM
Toolkit
• Tools and methods to help mobilize an
organization’s knowledge rapidly and effectively KM Africa
• Systematic & explicit management of knowledge
related activities, practices, programmes, and
policies within an enterprise - Wiig
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Understanding KM
People
Information Technology
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Intellectual Asset
Enterprise
Asking the right questions
• Who has it? Where do they keep it?
• Who else needs it?
• How can we persuade them to share
it?
• How is it communicated?
• How is it kept up to date?
• Where is it stored? How to access?
• Which knowledge is relevant?
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KM- the process
 Identify sources of knowledge
 Determine which is key to success
 Capture details of expertise of staff
 Classify knowledge into meaningful categories
 Communicate the availability to all who need to
use it
 Encourage and facilitate sharing of best practices
and lessons learned
 Identify new knowledge products might be helpful
in moving closer towards the development goals
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CDCC
Making the case for KM
in the Caribbean
Sandra John, Chief
Caribbean Knowledge Management Centre
WSIS Development Challenge
Our challenge is to harness the potential of
information and communication technology to
promote the Millennium Development Goals
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eradication of extreme poverty and hunger;
achievement of universal primary education;
promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women;
reduction of child mortality; improvement of maternal
health;
• combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
• ensuring environmental sustainability; and
• development of global partnerships for development for the
attainment of a more peaceful, just and prosperous world.
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Information society, Knowledge
economy
 Widespread use of knowledge to produce
economic benefit
 High value on innovation and new ideas and
relationships
 Improved productivity
 High quality goods and services
 Knowledge recognized as a source of
competitiveness
 Widespread use of computers and the Internet to
generate, share and apply knowledge
 “smart people, smart systems”
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Development Strategy
• A clear vision for the country
accompanied by a coherent medium
term development strategy …
understood and communicated,
debated and derided, attacked and
defended, adjusted and amended ….
and eventually, accepted by most
stakeholders and implemented by all
influential branches of government
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Knowledge Strategy
Prominently positioned in that development
strategy and consistent with its aims
should be an articulation of the expected
contribution of knowledge. That strategic
plan will provide the knowledge strategy
with a rationale - a context.
But to be useful, this knowledge has to be
managed
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High level leadership
Responsibilities:
• Leadership and implementation
• Inter-departmental coordination
• Identify roles for existing organisations
• Make recommendations for re-training
and retooling
• Assess and report on progress
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KM in the Public Sector
The public sector’s most valuable asset is
the knowledge of its people
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Raise awareness of KM
Begin to think and talk about KM
Communicate the benefits
Recognize that knowledge transfer adds
value
– Value knowledge as a source of
competitive advantage
– Enable and reward a culture of sharing
I do not share information because
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Do not have the time
The information I have is confidential
Did not think it would be useful
Too much trouble
Knowledge is power
Never thought about it
Might make someone else able to do my job
My information is my advantage
Information might be used inappropriately
“They” will no longer need to come to me
If it is inaccurate, I’ll be blamed
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Benefits of Knowledge sharing
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Fosters better working relationships
More knowledgeable workforce
Avoid duplication or misdirected effort
Less time spent on research
Better reports, policies & presentations
More objective decision making
Facilitates brainstorming for innovative
ideas
• Opportunity to build on the ideas of others
• Smoothes process of change
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management
Efficient information flows:
• Facilitate implementation of a cohesive development
strategy
• Avoid miscommunication and the dissemination of incorrect
information
• Avoid presenting a distorted picture of the nation’s social
and economic conditions – to citizens and to would-be
investors
• Facilitate the wider use of resources, ideas, documents
• Create a more positive impression of the Public Sector
• Offer a more efficient service to business clients
• Maintain a complete archive of projects/ policy changes
• Fully exploit the investment in ICTs – the communications
enabler
• Add value to existing information
• Results in better communication all round
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Objective
“provide an increasingly modern and efficient
information service to the member countries of the
Caribbean Development and Cooperation
Committee, with a view to strengthening their
capacity to bridge the digital divide and bring the
goal of a Caribbean information society, knowledge
economy closer to realization”
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CKMC - responsibility for
Website
Intranet
Documentation Centre
Knowledge Management Portal
Caribbean Digital Library
WSIS Follow up
Research/technical assistance related to
ICT for Development
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http//:ckmportal.eclacpos.org
Knowledge Management Portal - a vehicle
for all web-based information services
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Development profiles
Caribbean Digital Library
ICT Profiles
Bibliographic database
Skills Bank
Communities of Practice
Our commitment
• Open Source, Open standards software
– “Plone” is the content management
software we chose
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Partnering approach
Information sharing
Learning before advising
Capacity building
Problem solving
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UNESCO
CDB
Partnerships
CARICOM
CTU
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UN ICT
Task Force
UWI
Challenges
 Human resource constraints
 Maintaining productive partnerships
 Time constraints – the broad scope of our
activities does not allow for sufficient time to be
allocated to each task.
 Limited extra-budgetary funding for projects and
programmes
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Measurement
KM Portal
2008-2009
Development
Profiles
Training
Communities of
practice
Technical
assistance
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