KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN RESEARCH

Knowledge Sharing in the Research Project Cycle

IMPROVING IMPACT THROUGH KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN RESEARCH

Do you work in a research organization, project or program? Despite valuable knowledge generated by research activities, are you still dissatisfied with the level of impact achieved from research activities and research-generated knowledge?

Do you experience (1) a lack of inclusion of priorities, needs and realities from the ground, (2) inadequate use of other sources of knowledge, (3) poor collaboration with stakeholders during the research, (4) limited understanding of how research results can most effectively be made use of, (5) ineffective ways of getting knowledge to target groups, or (6) limited opportunities for learning within research process?

All of these can limit the impact your research can have. These problems are often associated with the way in which research is carried out as a whole, and the particular way various components(numbers above are related to stages in diagram) of research are handled. Knowledge sharing can offer some support to addressing these problems and improving the way research is carried out towards greater impact.

Would you like to improve the collaboration, learning, and knowledge flows in your research which can help to improve impact?

The components of the research process (as shown in the diagram) all offer an entry point in which knowledge sharing (approaches, methods, tools) can be integrated and used to improve those stages and the process as a whole. See what can be done/used at various stages of the research cycle:

Stage 1: Identifying research (questions) to undertake

• How can we share knowledge, methods, experiences and ideas to help identify research questions or concepts which are necessary and will provide knowledge and solutions which will have an impact?
  Online Tools and Methods: Online Collaboration Platforms, Online Surveys, Wikis, Blogs, RSS, Discussion Forums
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: Impact Pathway approach, Outcome Mapping, Learning Alliances, Visioning
  Tags: relationship, collaboration, inclusion, prioritization, knowledge sharing, demand

Stage 2: Planning research (activities/projects/programs)

• How can we better understand existing knowledge, needs and situations on the ground when planning research activities to make them more inclusive and relevant?
  Online Tools and Methods: Online Collaboration Platforms, Online Surveys, Wikis, Blogs, Discussion Forums, Mindmapping
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: Impact Pathway approach, Outcome Mapping, Learning Alliances, Social Network Analysis, Storytelling, World Café, Knowledge Fairs, Peer Assist
  Tags: inclusion, demand, participatory_processes, strategic_planning, , collaboration,alliances, partnerships, knowledge sharing

Stage 3: Undertaking research (activities like fieldwork, data collection, etc)

• How can we better collaborate with and involve stakeholders in research activities?
  Online Tools and Methods: Online Collaboration Platforms, Wikis, Blogs, Photo sharing, Google Documents
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: Peer Assist, Face to face Meetings, Social Networking Sites, Social Network Analysis, Communities of Practice, Briefing and Debriefing, Interviews, World Café, Participatory video
  Tags: participatory_processes, collaboration, partnerships, inclusion, communication, learning

Stage 4: Synthesizing research (developing research results)

• How can we work with geographically-spread colleagues and stakeholders to analyse and synthesise research results and develop appropriate messages?
  Online Tools and Methods: Online Collaboration Platforms, Wikis, Blogs, Photo sharing, Google Documents, Discussion Forums, Intranets
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: World Café, Learning Alliances, Appreciative Inquiry
  Tags: communication, partnerships, alliances, stakeholders, dissemination, adoption, sustainability, scalability

Stage 5: Sharing research results/messages with relevant stakeholders

• How can we share knowledge generated from the research project with target groups in ways which are appropriate and effective?
  Online Tools and Methods: Websites, Wikis, Blogs, Microblogging, Discussion Forums, RSS, Photo sharing, Google Documents, Podcasting
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: Mobile phones, Rural Radio, Video, Communities of Practice, Learning Alliances, Knowledge Fairs, Peer Assist, Storytelling, Posters, Booklets, local language materials
  Tags: communication, dissemination, knowledge sharing, collaboration, partnerships, communication, demand, networks

Stage 6: Monitoring and evaluation of research (ongoing throughout research)

• How can we monitor and evaluate our activities so that researchers and other stakeholders can all be involved, can share, can access knowledge and can learn?
  Online Tools and Methods: Online Collaboration Platforms, Wikis, Blogs, Google Documents, Discussion Forums, Statistics from our Tools
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: Most Significant Change, Impact Pathway approach, Outcome Mapping, Appreciative Inquiry, World Café, Workshops
  Tags: collaboration, learning, participatory_processes, monitoring and evaluation, monitoring, evaluation

Stage 7: Research project management

• How can we manage a research project in a more collaborative way with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, also with those that are geographically dispersed?
  Online Tools and Methods: Online Collaboration Platforms, Wikis, Blogs, Google Documents, Microblogging, Photo sharing, Social Networking Sites, Intranets, Instant messengers, Content management systems
  Other Knowledge Sharing Tools and Methods: Workshops, World Café, Impact Pathway approach
  Tags: teams, collaboration, networks, facilitation, cooperation

Related articles and blog posts on the use of social media in research:

• http://thegiraffe.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/first-ikm-interactive-workshop/