What We are Learning About Knowledge Mobilization

"From my project, I have gained insight on how to miblize research knowledge to users, namely school administrators and parents, and the challenges in doing so."

"One thing that I have learned about KM is that it doesn't just happen once  you make the products, networks, and events available. It is a matter of habit that needs to be role modeled from the top down. For instance when the World Bank transitiond into a 'knowledge bank', they had to: 

(1) Make KM a mandatory part of everyone's job by making staff participation in KM a key component of staff evaluation.

(2) They sent a team around to each department to show them why KM is valuable. They did this using multimedia presentations, case study examples and other sources of evidence.

(3) They created a vice presidency specifically in charge of KM and Innovation.

(4) They hired managers (external) who are not only experts in their fields, but also experts in organizational change in order to push the new system through."

"From all the reading that I have done on KM so far, I am figuring out that there needs to be work done on organizational and individual capacity building to create the processes needed to do KM. When all participants in the KM process work on the communication and trust building skills that are needed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among users, the environment to support using research in practice will be created. It is also about sustainability and having research evidence that contributes to what practitioners already know, but builds on that previously held knowledge." 

"When working on the survey administration, I was impressed to learn how one or a few individuals can be very influential at the district level and very integral tot he communication and follow-up of information."