Knowledge Management:

1. Knowledge Management: Leveraging NGO Resources Albert Simard Presented to Workshop on Diplomacy and Negotiation Washington DC September 18, 2-13

2. Knowledge Structures Social Structure Fluid, unstructured (People) Knowledge Outputs Organized, semi-structured Business Structure (Processes) Rigid, structured Technology Structure (Technology)

3. Outline • Knowledge Management • Social Interaction • Knowledge Work

4. Some Definitions • Knowledge: Understanding cause-and-effect relationships that help to explain and predict physical, biological, or social phenomena. • Knowledge Management:Develop and implement a knowledge infrastructure to support creating, managing, and using knowledge. • Knowledge Work:People creating, managing, or using knowledge to produce products or deliver services that achieve organizational goals.

5. People learning, motivation, incentives, performance, staffing, skills Tools systems to capture, store, share, and process content Knowledge Infrastructure data, records, analysis, reports, intelligence, policies Content, Services Processes work routines, operations, best practices roles, responsibilities, authorities, resources Governance

6. Transfer Assistance Application Work Creation Collaboration NGO Flow Sharing Stock Donors Assets Resources Infrastructure Knowledge Management Stakeholders

7. Understanding Content • Contentis a pattern, message, or signal embedded within data, information, or knowledge. • Dataare recorded, ordered symbols or signals that may carry information and patterns. • Informationis meaning in context, arising from processing, interpreting, or translating data to extract an underlying message or pattern. • Knowledgeis understandingof cause-and-effect relationships that help to explain and predict physical, biological, or social phenomena.

8. Managing Content • Capture:Represent data, information, or knowledge on reproducible media. • Inventory:Find, list, describe, and organize content; map to business needs, value and prioritize. • Preserve:store; provide access, search & retrieval capacity; maintain, and migrate throughout life-cycle.

9. Storing Content • Information technology • Network infrastructure • Database, data management • Information library, information management • Knowledge repository, knowledge management • Interfaces for entry, retrieval, & administration

10. Retrieving Content • Access to content • Browser interface • Search engine • Extraction tools • Manipulation tools • Assembly tools • Retrieval system

11. Outline • Knowledge Management • Social Interaction • Knowledge Work

12. Social Interaction Framework Purchasing Contracts Merger Work Group Community Network Collaboration Negotiation peer production partnership approach high trust diverse, synergistic mutual agreement adversarial approach nominal trust structured, formal Mutual Interests Sharing Competition leverage knowledge passive approach moderate trust benign, supportive defence or victory aggressive approach no trust secretive, hostile Autonomous Conversation Posting Publication Sports Business Military Compatible Conflicting Goals

13. Sharing Attributes (Autonomous interests, compatible goals) • Exchange content • Incentives / motivation • Trust and safety • Organizational culture • Content security • Individual privacy • Different expertise • Control and hoarding • Large distances Sense, categorize, respond

14. Sharing Overview Share Explicit tacit Provide Incentives Content Time & Place Access Technology Interact Shared Content

15. Sharing Explicit Content Existing Content Work Service engagement motivation compliance reciprocity Provide Incentives e-mail publishing distribution content repository metadata template Provide Content network permission interoperability awareness Enable Access web browser web portal content repository search engine help desk Retrieve Content telephone meeting collaboration e-mail Interact Social Business Technology Knowledge Shared Content

16. Collaboration Attributes (Mutual interests, compatible goals) • Synergy and joint production • Dialogue, conversations in groups • Sharing, exchanges among peers • Candor, freedom of expression • Trust, safety, honesty, openness • Agreed rules of conduct • Diversity, flexibility, outliers • Equality, meritocracy of ideas • Collective, not individual benefit Sense, analyze, respond

17. Collaborate Collaboration Overview Shared Knowledge Social Context Knowledge Transformation Technology Support Organizational Work Decision

18. Influence Attitudes Affect Behavior Foster Relationships Evolve Culture Group Knowledge Collaboration - Social Context Individual Knowledge Work Service enjoyment candor openness ethics altruism engagement counseling feedback human resources compliance motivation engagement human resources participation commitment involvement creativity trust & safety equality meritocracy synergy rules & norms guidance facilitation support diversity flexibility freedom learning transparency formation org. learning change Social Business Technology Knowledge

19. Negotiation Attributes (Mutual interests, conflicting goals) • Reaching an agreement • Debate and discussion • Positions and interests • Bargaining and compromise • Proposal and response • Attempt to establish trust • Win/win vs. win/loose Probe, sense, respond

20. Negotiate Negotiation Overview Preparation Bargaining Organization Agreement Collaborate

21. Negotiation - Bargaining Position Work Service questions assumptions unknowns uncertainty multiple issues expansion total benefits contingency Identify Benefits losses & gains momentum justification references concessions negotiation service content mgt. Influence coalition leverage attack threats Power deception ethics emotions distrust embarrassment Counter important new information? routine Revise position no negotiation service office app. agreement template Social Business Technology Knowledge Conclude Draft Agreement

22. Competition Attributes (Autonomous Interests, conflicting goals) • Victory, gain, or defence • Speed of analysis and action are critical • No trust, secretive, misleading actions • Rules: dominant, important, minimal • Ongoing process, requires recurring analysis Act, sense, respond

23. Competition Overview Compete Decision Intelligence Negotiate Action Monitor Outcomes Adapt End

24. Competition – Action / Adaptation Intelligence office apps competition template Document Store intelligence repository Recommend analysis apps. synthesis apps. Adapt decision Authorize resources Act content acquisition knowledge mobilization Learn org. learning Evaluate after-action review no Win / Loose Monitor Social Business Technology Knowledge yes Outcome

25. Outline • Knowledge Management • Social Interaction • Knowledge Work

26. NGO Knowledge Work (pre-activity)

27. 1. Understand the Context Institutions, Laws, Economy, Customs • Awareness (Internet, web browser, search engine) • Physical Space: libraries, journals, reports, media (dated, source, reliability, objectivity, purpose, time consuming) • Cyberspace: search engine, reference sites, government sites (source, current, superficial, bias, efficient) • Country Report(office applications) • Corroborate with country or subject-matter experts • Integrate content from multiple sources • Validate in context of NGOs operations and processes • Report: prepare, store in database, submit

28. 2. Know the Situation • Event: domain, resources, infrastructure, environment • Monitor(existingsystems) • Search(Internet, Web browser, searchengine, filter) • Contact experts (directory of expertise) • Uncertainty(scenarios, sense, act, respond) • Conference: participants, positions, laws, agreements, voting(country database, votingdatabase) • Report: integrate, interpret, synthesize, report, recommend(office applications)

29. 3. Manage Funding • Donors: known sources, search, compatibility • (donor database, search engine, funding market) • Proposals: rules, constraints, procedures, evaluation • (office applications, proposal template) • Partners/Competitors: joint submissions, proposal strategy • Storing:donor information, attachments, project links • (funding database, project database) • Administration: invoices, accounting, accountability • (accounting/financial application, project database) • Reporting:as required, properly formatted • (office applications, financial reporting application)

30. 4. Manage Contacts • Experts: subject, country, law… • Internal (expertise, employee database, contact info) • External(expertise, employer, name, contact info) • Representatives: international, other NGOs, governments • (organization, position, role, name, contact info, links) • Suppliers: food, medicine, supplies, transport, technology • (goods & services, company, catalogues, name, links) • Contact Directory: data entry, searching, management • Add, change, delete, approve content

31. Mobilizing Emergency Content • Interoperability: jurisdictions, organizations, disciplines • Integration: process, function, role, scale • Systems: monitoring, decision support, integration

32. NGO Knowledge Work (post-activity)

33. 5. After-Action Review • Capture: journal, automated input, template, multi-media • (notebooks, tape recorder, video, event information system) • Administration: process, HR practices, compliance, values • Efficiency: costs, staff, technology, time, effort • Effectiveness: milestones & deliverables, outputs, objectives • Outcomes: successful negotiation, influence stakeholders, reduced risk, mitigate impacts, increase well-being • Lessons learned: what was planned, what happened, what went well, what can be improved, how to improve • After-Action Database: (office applications, interface)

34. 6. Report Activities Projects, Events, Response, Accomplishments • Compile content(information systems, databases) • Draft report(office applications, templates) • Review (e-mail, collaboration site, office applications) • Revise(office applications, version control) • Approve(submission & decision process) • Produce(document production application) • Store(report database, metadata) • Distribute(Web site, e-mail, mail)

35. 7. Learn and Adapt • Individual: awareness, assimilate, memorize, comprehend, apply, analyse, synthesize, evaluate • Community: voluntarism, sharing, dialogue, harvesting • Organization: identify, consensus, integrate, plan, document, recommend, approve • Change: sense of urgency, establish coalition, develop strategy, engage people, empower action, early success, maintain momentum, institutionalize

36. 8. Categorize Positions Delegates, Organizations, Countries • Compile from multiple sources (external voting data) • Analyze statistical trends and patterns (statistical apps.) • Interpret underlying context and particular situations • Dialogue with individuals (trust, role, security) • NGO Voting Database (office applications, interface)

37. Main Messages • Managing knowledge assets leverages an NGOs capacity to do knowledge work. • Social interaction includes sharing, collaboration, negotiation, and competition. • Knowledge work involves both technical support and social interaction.

38. E-Mail: albert.simard@drdc-rddc.gc.ca Presentations: http://www.slideshare.net/albertsimard/slideshows http://www.slideshare.net/Al.Simard/slideshows Knowledge Services: A Synthesis of Best Practices http://cradpdf.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/PDFS/unc121/p536618_A1b.pdf