KMbeing

Knowledge Mobilization (KMb): Multiple Contributions & Multi-Production Of New Knowledge

Tag Archives: knowledge exchange

10 Knowledge Tips

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 20, 2013

tips

1. Your knowledge has value if you share it with the intention of doing good and not harm. Others may think your knowledge isn’t worth sharing but face those challenges. Sharing your knowledge for social benefit always makes it more valuable, not less.

2. Every person feels stupid sometimes. Every person. Everywhere. We all devalue our knowledge at times and we all get embarrassed. Remember the value of sharing your knowledge for good and when you feel stupid remember, “this, too, shall pass.”

3. Having curiosity about learning something new creates new knowledge.  Embrace curiosity and be open to the knowledge of others.  Exchanging knowledge and learning something new breaks down barriers.

4. Every day, you will feel like you have forgotten something. Maybe you’ve been too rushed.  Maybe you feel like you don’t have enough time. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Especially if forgetting has caused what seems like a mistake and you feel stupid. Go back and read #2 again. Apologize if you need to and then move on. Seriously. Just move on and let it go.

5. The knowledge sharing, the listening, the talking, the  learning, the connections and the surprises.  It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it to create new knowledge.

6. Knowledge is never perfect. Ever. But always worth sharing to create better knowledge.

7.  You will never regret sharing knowledge if it helps to improve someone else’s knowledge. Except for all of those times you second guess whether you have made a difference in making the world a better place.  Although it may only be in a small way, every bit of knowledge shared for benefit is better than knowledge shared to harm. Overall, this is what counts in the end.

8. Be open to the knowledge of others.  Other people who are very different from you will teach you something new, how to look more deeply at life and how to live and learn more fully.

9. Look for knowledge in everything.  You’ll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging out with the strange. Knowledge is like that. It’s in the middle of everything. It’s completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you’re not expecting it.

10.  Having knowledge of “the truth” is a myth. Knowledge isn’t black or white. Knowledge is a full range of colors and blends.  Strive for knowledge sharing to create new and always changing knowledge instead of “the truth”and trust your own knowledge sharing for social benefit to move knowledge forward in an ever-changing way.

digital technology, Individual Knowledge Mobilization, inspirational, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, Quick Knowledge Thought, social collaboration , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sharing Knowledge Strengthens Understanding

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 16, 2013

???????????

Every act of knowledge sharing for social benefit creates new knowledge and strengthens understanding to make the world a better place.

knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, Quick Knowledge Thought, social collaboration , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Growing Your Own Tree Of Knowledge

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 29, 2013

tree

I don’t want to die until I have fully shared my knowledge and refined the knowledge of others until even the tiniest seeds of knowledge exchange help grow a better world for everyone. Call it idealistic or impossible. I see it as a way of contributing to something better rather than to something that is fatalistic or ignorant in this world.

I believe in the idea that each of us has knowledge to share. It is how knowledge is shared that will always make a difference. Even the tiniest seeds of knowledge exchange can grow into tall trees, beautifully towering and majestic over the hurtful and hateful conditions that can wear us down on the ground. When we contribute to greater knowledge exchange we are contributing to the conditions that make the world a better place.

Whenever we share what we consider even the “insignificant” knowledge from the life experiences we were provided we can contribute something to the world that only we can contribute. When these unique seeds of knowledge are combined with the knowledge of others we grow and learn and develop further knowledge that becomes even more beneficial to the people who live in this world with me. Not just the people I know, but also the people I don’t know.

We will all die one day. Not knowing when or how. Each person wants to know they have somehow made a difference in life. Each person wants to know they have attempted to make a difference. We don’t have to change the world ourselves, but we can add something very valuable when we combine our knowledge with the knowledge of someone else to create greater understanding as the first steps to something even bigger and better beyond ourselves.

Start growing your own tree from the seeds of your own knowledge by sharing your knowledge with others and being open to the knowledge of others. You will see that the tiniest seeds of knowledge exchange can help grow a better world for everyone.

inspirational, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, Today's Knowledge Inspiration , , , , , , ,

Knowledge From & Beyond Tragedy

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 16, 2013

Boston Marathon bombing

We all speak from our own knowledge that comes from our own personal experiences. No one has the right to force, compel or inflict knowledge that may be harmful to another person. Today, I write this blog with a heavy heart after another bombing attack in this world has killed and injured many of our innocent fellow human beings at yesterday’s Boston Marathon.

This broader view of knowledge mobilization in this KMbeing blog has always been about sharing knowledge for social benefit to make the world a better place. I still hold that knowledge mobilization helps make the world a better place – as I believe all people, from around the world, have knowledge to share from their own experiences.

It’s how this knowledge is shared – for good or harm – that makes the difference, just as it is with any attitude or actions we take. The decision is up to you. When we share our knowledge, exchange our knowledge, mobilize our knowledge and create new knowledge for good, we can and do make a difference – despite the continuing tragedies that inflict harm in our world.

What we learn from our experiences – including the tragic ones – and how we use this knowledge to teach each other and create new knowledge from each other is what makes the difference between making our world a better place or giving up hope and giving in to the terror and fear created by those who refuse to do so.

It can be discouraging when such a tragedy as the Boston Marathon bombing occurs, and continues to shake our trust in our fellow human beings, just as it can be discouraging when we do share our knowledge and feel like it’s being ignored. But we must remember that knowledge sharing, exchange and mobilization is not a one-way action, nor a one-time action. Knowledge mobilization is inherently multi-directional and multi-participatory – focused on change for good and not harm for everyone in this world as long as it takes.

Just as the many blood-stained flags from the many countries around the world represented the many people who came together in a spirit of friendly competition, strength and endurance to show our diversity – it also shows our common humanity.

When another senseless attack on innocent people occurs in our world and we become shaken again, shocked again, angered again – we begin to doubt, wondering what’s the point?

Yes, there are those who wish to do harm in this world, but we must always remember there are millions more who wish to help and heal. Just look at those brave and heroic individuals who ran to help those injured individuals right after the bombs went off instead of running the other way. We may not all have that type of bravery and heroism, but we can contribute to this type of goodness in our own way when we share our knowledge for good and not harm. We will never overcome those who tragically cause terror if we are never willing to make change by our own knowledge, our own actions in our own lives by learning to use our knowledge throughout this world together.

Call me idealistic if you want. I will continue to point to the broader and foundational message and reason for knowledge mobilization: to put our available knowledge from all sources and individuals on this planet into active service to benefit society – not just one society – but ultimately all human beings.

It’s not about religion. It’s not about race. It’s not about culture. It’s not about politics. It’s about knowledge mobilization to make the world a better place.

inspirational, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, policy, social collaboration , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Knowledge Then As Now

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 15, 2013

The belief that having and exchanging knowledge greatly contributes to the advancement of civilization is argued to go back as far as the Greeks (Rich, 1979. Science Communication, 1, 6-30). From the early twentieth-century, one of the great fore-thinkers and contributors to the idea of relational behaviour and knowledge exchange is the French sociologist and social psychologist Gabriel Tarde. Among his theories, Tarde proposed a different way of looking at the social world, not from the perspective of the individual or the group, but from how products, acts and ideas (including knowledge) can be used to classify individuals or groups.

In a longtitudinal analysis paper, Carole Estabrooks  and colleagues have traced the historical development of the knowledge transfer field between 1945 and 2005 with an author co-citation analysis of over 5,000 scholarly articles. Their research shows limited citation before the 1960s. It’s not until the mid-1960s that a flourishing of the literature on knowledge transfer and knowledge utilization began, with the largest increase from 1995 to 2004. One of the most cited authors and contributors to the field is considered to be Everett Rogers.

It was Rogers who furthered Tarde’s “laws of imitation” in the 1962 book Diffusion of innovations. Rogers also identifies nine major disciplines in which research diffusion is most prominent: anthropology, early sociology, rural sociology, education, public health/medical sociology, communication, marketing, geography, general sociology, and a miscellaneous “other”.  Certainly, many of the members of the KTE CoP are included in these and equally diverse backgrounds. Evolving from diffusion of innovation, Rogers worked with colleagues G.M. Beal and Ronald Havelock to develop the term knowledge generation, exchange, and utilization to provide a more interactive understanding of the process of knowledge use, with a view that knowledge should be useful to society.

Estabrooks explains that knowledge transfer and knowledge utilization emerged as two new domains from the parent domain diffusion of innovation between 1975 and 1984. It’s not until 1992 that a new domain of knowledge utilization appears with the emergence of evidence-based medicine. More recently, knowledge mobilization has emerged to fill the void of the limitation of evidence-based medicine’s exclusion of theoretical or creative forms of knowledge. Other forms of knowledge include indigenous knowledge (such as narrative traditions) or informal knowledge that may influence a greater exchange of ideas leading to government and community policy-making.

It’s the more inclusive and multiple-contribution elements of knowledge mobilization that create greater opportunities to inform and enhance how knowledge is exchanged and co-produced today – especially today via social media. Knowledge mobilization stems from a long history – as far back as the Greeks – and continues to echo the view that exchanging knowledge continues to greatly contribute to the advancement of society – whether from dialogue in the Greek Acropolis to blogging or tweeting on the Internet.

knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place , , ,

Open-Minded Knowledge Exchange

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 9, 2013

open minded

The process of knowledge exchange with the intention of social benefit requires open-mindedness. Being open-minded to other knowledge is the critical factor for other individuals to adopt and contribute to new knowledge. Open-mindedness, by its very nature, is a social process that depends on acceptance and acknowledgement of different contexts to improve the quality of life for everyone on this planet.

Individual Knowledge Mobilization, inspirational, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, Quick Knowledge Thought, social collaboration , , , , , , , , ,

140 Twitter Characters To Knowledge Mobilization – Revisited

1 Comment Posted by on April 5, 2013

How have traditional models of research and dissemination changed to present new knowledge to the public or further inform research by creating broader public engagement?  Many researchers – particularly in the health sciences – are still embedded in long-established values and approaches to methodology and validity, often overlooking new modes of knowledge mobilization such as social media.

NCE Logo

One of my recent KMbeing blog posts presented a very brief Twitter survey of the 16 classic Networks of Centres of Excellence in Canada (NCE). The survey found that many of these NCEs are still not effectively using Twitter as a valuable social media tool that can enhance knowledge mobilization strategies. This quick overview showed that of those NCEs that could actually be found on Twitter only four NCEs tweet an average of just over one tweet per day – which is clearly insufficient for effective social media and potential stakeholder engagement. It would appear that using Twitter as part of a knowledge mobilization strategy is clearly not on the radar screen of many of these NCEs, despite the potential of Twitter (and social media) as a valuable means of addressing key outcomes mandated for NCEs – including working with end users to accelerate the creation and application of new knowledge.

To be fair, my own quick methodology of the previous survey focused on the average number of tweets per day over a 30 day period from the 14th February 2013 to the 15th March 2013.  The average number of tweets in a month was then divided by 30 to get the average number of tweets per day. Although the Twitter profile start date for each NCE was included along with the actual total number of tweets since each NCE began tweeting, this was not considered when doing the first brief survey.

So now, for part two of the original blog post survey 140 Twitter Characters To Knowledge Mobilization, I present a somewhat deeper (though still brief) analysis that takes into consideration the length of time each of these classic NCEs have used Twitter.

I used timeanddate.com to calculate the total number of days from the start date of each NCE Twitter profile to the 15th of March 2013 (up to and including March 15th to be consistent with the first survey). Then the total number of tweets since each NCE joined Twitter was divided by the total number of days each NCE has been using Twitter to create a tweet-intensity score.

Each NCE was then ranked, showing the following results:

Twitter Intensity Scores NCEs

 

                  

(Click on diagram above to enlarge)

Tweet-Intensity Ranking:

  1. Allergy, Genes and Environment Network – AllerGen
 @AllerGen_NCE

(funding to 2019)

0.96
  1. AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence
 @AUTO21NCE 

(funding to 2015)

0.83
  1. ArcticNet
 @ArcticNet

(funding to 2018)

0.81
  1. Canadian Arthritis Network – CAN 
 @commcan

(funding to 2014)

0.80
  1. Stem Cell Network – SCN
 @StemCellNetwork

(funding to 2015)

0.73
  1. Carbon Management Canada – CMC
 @cmc_nce

(funding to 2013)

0.47
  1. Canadian Stroke Network – CSN 
 @strokenetwork

(funding to 2015)

0.37
  1. NeuroDevNet
 @NeuroDevNet

(funding to 2014)

0.34
  1. Canadian Water Network – CWN
 @CdnWaterNetwork

(funding to 2015)

0.28
  1. BioFuelNet 
 @BioFuelNet

(funding to 2017)

0.13
  1. Graphics, Animation and New Media Canada – GRAND
 @GRAND_NCE

(funding to 2014)

0.10
  1. Canadian Photonic Industry Consortium – CPIC 

Not Found

(no longer funded)

0.0
  1. GEOmatics for Informed DEcisions Network – GEOIDE 

Not Found

(no longer funded)

0.0
  1. Marine Environmental, Observation, Prediction and Response Network – MEOPAR 

Not Found

(funding to 2017)

0.0
  1. Mprime Network Inc.

Not Found

(funding to 2014)

0.0
  1. Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network – TVN 

Not Found

(funding to 2017)

0.0

Although it’s still a simple calculation from the total number of tweets since each NCE started using Twitter, the current results show a more accurate tweet-intensity over time, with one of the NCEs – AllerGen – ranking first and showing a fairly impressive use of tweeting for the shorter amount of time on Twitter.
(It would be interesting to include the number of followers into the mix to see if that variable contributes to tweet effectiveness – but I’ll save that for a future blog post!).

However, results still show that the average number of tweets per day still remains well under the evidence that a minimum of at least ten tweets per day creates more valuable engagement and greater opportunities for knowledge dissemination. There’s still room for improvement to create greater social media engagement for more effective knowledge mobilization.

Just as a comparison, I decided to look at the results for Canada’s leading knowledge mobilization network ResearchImpact and my own KMbeing Twitter account.

Twitter Profile Twitter Name Twitter Start Total Days On Twitter Total Tweets Tweet-Intensity Score
ResearchImpact @researchimpact May 15, 2009

1401

9450

6.74
KMbeing @kmbeing March 25, 2010

1087

9982

9.18

researchimpact

KMbeing logo

(Perhaps this is the reason why both ResearchImpact and KMbeing were voted in the top ten Canadian Knowledge Mobilization Influencers for 2011 and 2012).

Canadian policymakers and government agencies have recognized the value of drawing together leading researchers and research institutions into national research networks to support trans-disciplinary and multi-sectoral collaboration.  The effectiveness of these research networks are also a great example to the rest of the world.  It’s a first step towards incorporating knowledge mobilization into strategic planning to successfully increase communication and collaboration among a variety of stakeholders. It’s a changing research model using networking as part of the research process.

The next step for Canada’s flagship Science & Technology networks is to increase the use of social media for knowledge mobilization.  Again, social media is not a fad, and the use of social media for academics and institutions is becoming more incorporated into strategic planning. Many researchers and academic institutions are recognizing the value of using Twitter in a more consistent and productive manner for knowledge mobilization.

David Phipps

As David Phipps, Executive Director of Research and Innovation Services at York University (and ResearchImpact) pointed out in a keynote address to the Canadian Knowledge Mobilization Forum in 2012 (and posted on the blog MobilizeThis!), the future of knowledge mobilization and research engagement will depend on social media, but researchers and knowledge mobilizers are still trying to figure out how to effectively use social media to do this.

“15-20 years ago IT folks had to develop a business case to convince corporate leaders to invest in an enterprise e mail system. Today e mail is a fact of life (unfortunately). Many of us are now using social media as a broadcasting tool and a large portion are also using it as a listening tool. We are now starting to figure out how to use social media as a tool for engagement but we’re not there yet. These trends will accelerate.”

Just as email changed society, so too is social media changing the traditional models of research, dissemination and engagement. Social media provides new modes of knowledge exchange and broader public input, creating a further research resource in the current KMb world as a way of providing broader participation in discussions around research topics.  Social media also breaks down international barriers to share academic research in a way that is more friendly and immediate to a wider audience. Yet, social media is still a tool that needs to be used correctly to be effective (see my previous blog for tips on how to do this).

Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence are making a start.  They just need to continue to take a few more steps forward into new modes of research and into the future of using social media – especially Twitter – for knowledge mobilization.

digital technology, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, policy, research, social collaboration, social media, social media tools, Today's Knowledge Inspiration, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Growing Unlimited Knowledge

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 4, 2013

Unlimited

Knowledge is never limited. Don’t waste your time trying to contain it. Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) is about building on knowledge, creating new knowledge from a variety of sources and individuals to continue growing unlimited knowledge.

digital technology, Individual Knowledge Mobilization, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, making the world a better place, Quick Knowledge Thought, research, social collaboration , , , , , , , ,

Not Sharing Your Knowledge

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 3, 2013

knowledge sharing matches

Not sharing your knowledge for social benefit is easy – but that’s not what knowledge is for.

inspirational, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, Quick Knowledge Thought, social collaboration , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Thank You For Knowledge Exchange On The Job

Leave a Comment Posted by on March 29, 2013

Thank you

This week I had to say goodbye to a great job and a great team because my work contract has come to an end. What an amazing opportunity to work in the Knowledge Exchange (KE) Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). I knew coming into the position that it would only be a temporary one, but I took the contract anyway, and the chance I was offered was a further step in a new career path to leave another behind – and I’m so very glad I took the chance. It’s said that if you can find a job you enjoy, it no longer feels like work. I say if you can find a team you enjoy, your colleagues no longer feel like colleagues and more like friends, and then your job no longer feels like work – no matter what that job may be.

After a few hugs, handshakes, a farewell lunch and some very touching greeting cards and emails (along with a potted plant – thanks Stephanie!) expressing how much my contribution and talents were appreciated as part of the KE team, and how much I would be missed, I was very moved and sad to be moving along. But I know our paths will cross again given our common interests in knowledge mobilization. And I know that I will have opportunities to stay in touch.

There are many people in the world who are much more comfortable preaching than they are practicing.  There are many people in the world who are much more willing to complain than they are to take action. There are many people who don’t take chances to make change in life but constantly talk about making a difference – yet never do. There are many people who never share their knowledge because they’re too afraid or feel too “stupid” to do so.

We don’t have to be like that. Knowledge mobilization is about listening to a diversity of knowledge voices, taking action and making change.

As long as we’re aware of the need to maintain consistency between our words and our actions, between sharing our knowledge and being open to the knowledge of others, we have a very good chance of making our life – and that of everyone on this planet – something we want it to be.  Our values, our beliefs, and our desire to sincerely share our knowledge to help our fellow human beings as best we can is what makes a difference. I believe when we are open to sharing knowledge and listening to a diversity of voices to connect our knowledge and create new knowledge for social benefit, we begin to make the world a better place – in whatever space we live or work in.

When we practice without preaching to others, when we share our knowledge with sincerity to make a difference, and truly give others a chance to do the same, people can sense our authenticity. They know that we’re being ourselves and not expecting them or ourselves to live up to some artificial expectations of “intelligence” or knowledge that we’ve created and built up, and they can relax around us, be comfortable with us, work well with us, learn from us – and we can learn from them.  When we move our own lives and actions to a higher level in whatever job we have, when we are open to sharing knowledge no matter how “limited” we may think it is – then we don’t even need to preach to others – our very lives will be all the message that we want or need to send to others as moments of shared knowledge.

Our lives become what we make of them.  They don’t just happen.  We do have a choice.

Our knowledge is what we make of it. Knowledge needs to be shared. We all can make a difference.

I have to admit that my CAMH job got off to a bit of a rocky start and there were some embarrassing mistakes that were made. I admit that I had fears, frustrations, and my critical side saw fault in others. But I had a choice to move forward, learn from the mistakes – or continue to blame by negating, cutting down or criticizing. I chose to move forward and learn from the mistakes – and recognize the same in others, creating greater team building along the way because of this choice.

Fundamentally, that’s what knowledge mobilization is all about. Knowledge is always moving forward to learn from mistakes, continue to create knowledge exchange and not barriers, to collaborate as a team to seek the best evidence to improve and make our jobs, our work teams, our lives, our world a better place.

Thanks again for giving me that chance as part of the knowledge exchange team at CAMH. I am very grateful.

Individual Knowledge Mobilization, KMb, knowledge, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilization, making the world a better place, Today's Knowledge Inspiration , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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