Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 3.7
Factors that drive KM as part of research
•
Boundaries between KM and communication, M&E, information
management and information communication technology are becom-
ing blurred;
•
increasing need to consider the processes by which research products
are communicated;
•
views differ as to what constitutes “research communication” and
how it is done;
•
communication is a social and dynamic process rather than a linear
one; and
•
KM and communication are democratic so that everyone can be
involved, which is both an opportunity and a challenge.
Source: CPWF (2011)
Communications and information
In Phase 2 relative to Phase 1, CPWF invested more resources, time and effort
into KM and communication, testing how to communicate in ways that
supported R4D. In the conventional research process, communication comes
at the end of the research process. In R4D, communication is a continuous
process that aims to create shared meaning and is a strategic function to achieve
outcomes rather than a corporate support function. For the CPWF,
communication was an integral part of the R4D process, not just a support
function. The key aspects of the CPWF's communication strategy were:
•
Communication objectives change with time (Figure 3.2);
•
communication is part of the research process and therefore requires new
relationships; and
•
communication is not linear but a multi-directional, iterative and two-way
process.
Internal communications among partners
At the start of Phase 2, program partners needed to share knowledge, gain trust
and understand better how different CPWF projects and activities could
interact. Each basin team established different mechanisms for internal com-
munication with varying usage and success. Improving internal communi-
cation was often a struggle requiring researchers and managers to change their
behavior (Merrey et al., 2013).
Table 3.1 lists the communication tools used in the different basins. The
tools had mixed reviews. Some senior researchers participated fully, while some
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