Integrated Knowledge Transfer:
The DNA of Knowledge Management

by Dr. Melanie Macdonald

IT IS NO SECRET THAT government organizations are inundated with information, but how much of that information is actually used to inform decisions and actions? How much real value is created from an organization's information pool? To move from an era of 'hunting and gathering' information to one where knowledge makes a results-based difference requires departments to take a strategically focused and 'people-oriented' approach to building and sharing the organization's knowledge base.
This article presents a simple management model that helps to integrate a government organization's thinking about knowledge building, context development and knowledge transfer.

Integrated Knowledge Transfer (IKT) is a management framework that involves purposefully building a relevant and reliable knowledge base, tailoring knowledge to the user, and reaching out to build knowledge bridges so that information is put into action. It is a disciplined management approach that helps to overcome the paradox of information over-supply and under-use. IKT is a strategically driven and virtually integrated process that is as much about the use and users of knowledge as it is about the technology that enables it.

Why is IKT especially important in a government setting? One often observes that knowledge building and knowledge transfer are managed as two separate silos and that the importance of context development to government initiatives is left unheralded. IKT is about overcoming this way of thinking to build the organization's capacity to achieve results. In public policy, IKT builds the capacity to effectively bring policy into action – to mobilize policy from the page to the people. In research, IKT builds the capacity to bring research into practice. In organizational management, IKT sets a solid foundation for innovation and organization-wide improvement. And in human resources, IKT helps to build personal and professional competencies so that individuals have the full potential to contribute to the organization's mission and vision. IKT, then, uses a very purposeful and strategic approach to knowledge to achieve the organization's mandate and strategic intentions.

Overall, the goal of IKT is to provide valued and useful information, within a meaningful context, and in such a manner that the resulting knowledge informs perceptions, judgments, decisions and action. An integrated approach to knowledge transfer in a government setting is like a three-legged stool, supported by knowledge building, knowledge translation and knowledge transfer.

KNOWLEDGE BUILDING
Knowledge building relates to developing content to support the 'business' in which the organization is engaged. This involves: 1) building in a disciplined and results-oriented approach to the content and flow of documented information, be it in electronic or non-electronic format; 2) timely capture and mobilization of the organization's depth of expertise, experience and practice; and, 3) creation and capture of new learning and knowledge. A 'disciplined, results-oriented approach' does not inhibit the free flow of ideas but does involve knowing and using the organization's mission and vision to systematically focus and streamline content. The ultimate aim of knowledge building is to improve the general quality, depth, reliability, timeliness and value of the organization's storehouse of knowledge.

This leg is fundamental to the organization's ability to capture the right information. This requires that the organization first understands the factors that are most critical to its own success, and then uses those to define its information and knowledge priorities. The organization's knowledge base becomes a user- and results-focused backbone for decision-making and action.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION
Knowledge building on its own, however, offers no guarantee that the information will be accessed and utilized. Building context is the leg that gives information its specific focus, relevance, coherence and value. Knowledge translation involves analyzing, interpreting, customizing, targeting and developing information and knowledge in relation to the internal and external environments.

This process frames information in accordance with the needs, priorities and preferences of the people and organizations that will put the information into use. It is this leg that is so essential to attaining results in a government setting – without context, information simply ‘piles up’ and overwhelms, then stagnates, never affecting government intentions.

Knowledge translation essentially embodies what Dr. Karl Weick of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, termed 'sense making'. That is, the aim is to frame information within a meaningful context so that its relevance becomes readily apparent and applicable. Knowledge translation purposefully builds user-value into information.

In a government setting where public policy is the foundation for all activities, knowledge translation starts with policy. The knowledge translation process helps to 'set the stage' to bring policy into active practice. Public policy, for example, needs to be interpreted within the realm of multiple users and circumstances. Further, the various interpretations need to be captured in a usable form, before policy can be effectively, predictably and fairly put into action. As such, knowledge capture and translation are vital steps along the path to consistently informed perceptions, judgments, decisions and action.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
The third leg of the stool is about relationships – it is well described by Carla O’Dell of the American Productivity & Quality Center as the process of connecting people with knowledge, connecting people with knowledgeable and experienced people, and transferring best practices across boundaries. The aim of knowledge transfer is to actively share, leverage and deliver knowledge in a way that informs perceptions and decisions, enhances individual and organizational learning, and brings about positive change.

In the public realm, for example, knowledge transfer might centre on helping citizens to understand their obligations, rights and responsibilities and to meet these in accordance with government policy and directives. In this case, a far-reaching web of transfer processes can support the government's capacity to 'reach out' to citizens. These often involve processes to support front-line productivity, accessibility, competence and relation-building capabilities, as well as processes to foster appropriate citizen compliance through self-help and assisted self-help. These early stage processes typically relate to improved technology, communication and learning.

With these in place, however, it often becomes apparent that even more 'people-intensive' work is needed to break down intra- and inter-departmental silos and to develop internal 'safe havens' for sharing information and lessons learned across boundaries. Ultimately, knowledge transfer is a purposeful process that involves the collaborative efforts of the entire organization in order to put highly relevant and highly-valued knowledge into the hands of users. It is this knowledge flow, gained through relationships, networks and partnerships that fosters high performing knowledge workers, collaborative problem solving and innovation, and a more informed and supportive public.

How does Integrated Knowledge Transfer 'fit' into a broader Knowledge Management Strategy?
Fundamentally, the process of IKT is central to an overall knowledge management strategy in any government setting. IKT is a core or pivotal element in a strategy that also includes people, learning, policy/decision support/accountability, and, is enabled by IM/IT. IKT is the DNA that breathes life into the execution of a broader Knowledge Management strategy.

CONCLUSION
The creation of a department's or agency's capacity for effective action is what builds value. In this case, action capacity is enriched and leveraged through the synergy of knowledge building, knowledge translation and knowledge transfer. IKT is about the dynamics of building or enhancing:
• The organization's capacity to leverage and use knowledge; to understand the perceptions, needs and priorities of its key clients, stakeholders and audiences; and to appropriately build its visibility and credibility
• Staff and leadership's capacity to make informed judgements, decisions and actions
• Stakeholders' capacity to understand the organization and to bring this understanding into public discussions and policy deliberations
• The citizen's capacity to comply with and benefit from government policy and directives
• The public's capacity to understand, value and trust the work of the organization, and by extension, the government itself.

Dr. Melanie Macdonald, DMgt, is president and CEO of M. Macdonald & Associates
(melaniemacdonald@sympatico.ca).