Best Practices for Knowledge Management

From HealthNexusWiki

Contents 1 Best Practices for Knowledge Management and Mobilization 1.1 Objectives 1.2 Who should attend? 1.3 Links for Best Practices in KM toolbox 1.3.1 Overview 1.4 Two Examples of Online Communities of Practice 2 KM related Tech Tools Tour 2.1 Examples of Social Media Tools 2.2 Links to Knowledge Management Web-based Tools 2.3 Select References on Knowledge Management (online) 3 Wrap-up & Reflection

Best Practices for Knowledge Management and Mobilization

• This 90 minute toolbox session at the 2009 Health Promotion Summer School is offered by Nancy Dubois, as consultant for the National Collaborating Centre on Methods and Tools (NCCMT); and Alison Stirling, Knowledge Management Developer, at Health Nexus Santé.

We will discuss best practices for knowledge management in health promotion that include four fundamental components:

1. Culture of the organization that needs to embrace the concept of knowledge sharing
2. Content that contains both explicit and tacit knowledge (e.g. network maps, virtual libraries)
3. Processes supporting knowledge sharing (e.g. deliberative dialogues,evidence-bases, CoPs)
4. Technology that allows for knowledge to be shared electronically (e.g.portals; and tools to create a knowledge inventory, a records management system, intranets)

Objectives

• Participants will ...
  • assess the readiness of their situation to focus on knowledge sharing
  • explore ways that information becomes knowledge, and experience creates content
  • identify tools and approaches for finding, sharing/transferring knowledge in new forms
  • examine and evaluate technologies for knowledge sharing and dissemination.

Who should attend?

This toolbox is intended for staff who are responsible for organizing information and education resources, and communicating internally with other staff, and/or externally with clients/ community/ program participants.

The session will be held in a computer lab to allow hands-on experimentation with some of the knowledge management (KM) tools.

Links for Best Practices in KM toolbox

• National Collaborating Centre for Methods & Tools shares what works in public health, focuses on improving access to and use of evidence-based methods and tools for stakeholders involved in policy making, program decision making, practice, and research in Canada.

It is one of six National Collaborating Centres in public health.

• Health Nexus/ Nexus Santé develops health promotion capacity to enhance community well-being, and advocate for policies and resources that promote health; provides training, consultation, and resources, and brokers partnerships and supports networks to promote health.

Overview

• The NCC-MT Knowledge Management Project started with a background paper in 2008 on the Development of a Knowledge Management Strategy for Public Health of Canada (1 MB pdf). The paper was used in both a conference and a strategy forum on knowledge management in public health
• Knowledge management in public health has a close relationship to Core Competencies for Public Health (PHAC) (pdf), and to Core Competencies for Health Promotion (HPO) (pdf).

Two Examples of Online Communities of Practice

• The Substance Abuse Prevention Network (SAPN) and the Street/Outreach Nurses Online (SNO) initiatives are both described in a presentation by Ruta Valaitis at the Knowledge Management in Public Health conference, called Fostering an Organizational Culture to Support Knowledge Management(3.4 MB pdf).
  • Additional information, articles and tools about the Street/Outreach Nurses Online/InTouch project can be found at:
  • RNAO article in June 2009 on the initiative;
  • description of SNO initiative;
  • and in SNO navigation videos (opens screencast with audio).

KM related Tech Tools Tour

• The following tools explored in the Best Practices in KM session are available in the Tools list of the Health Nexus Sante wiki. They have been selected as some of the possible social media tools that can assist in the elements of Knowledge Management and Mobilization.
• Many more web-based tools are available to support doing knowledge audits, assessing competences, developing knowledge centres and repositories. Some of these are listed below. Explore these ones and others for your own list of tools.

Examples of Social Media Tools

• Document sharing and Wikis
• Photo sharing and Video sharing
• RSS
• Meeting schedulers
• See other tools for communication such as Forums and Webinars, and content creation Mapping applications and Surveys.

Links to Knowledge Management Web-based Tools

• Knowledge Sharing Tools
• KM Self-Assessment matrix document opens in Word. This tool is part of the book "Learning to Fly: Practical Knowledge Management from Leading and Learning Organizations".
• Personal Knowledge Management Self-Assessment. This self-assessment instrument is organizaed into 7 competencies, each with 10 sub-competencies, and allows you to score yourself on your comfort level with your KM skills.
• TFPL The Skills Map of Competencies
• Knowledge repository

Select References on Knowledge Management (online)

• Bixler, C.H. (2002). Applying the four pillars of knowledge management. KMWorld, 11(1).
• Government of Alberta. (2007) Knowledge Management.
• National Electronic Library for Health (2008). What is knowledge management?
• National Health Service (2005). ABC of knowledge management.
• National Library for Health. Glossary of health knowledge management terms. National Health Service.
• The Health Communication Unit (THCU) Workplace Health Promotion. (2004). Influencing the organizational environment to create healthy workplaces Info-pack. The Health Communication Unit.
• Wikipedia (2008). Knowledge worker. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.

Wrap-up & Reflection

• Please complete our very brief evaluation form on SurveyMonkey. It will bring you back to this page at the end. Thanks!