VSS supports knowledge management

1. VSS supports knowledge management Knowledge based organizations and improving the absorption capacity.

2. Statistical Capacity Building is all about knowledge management • Statistics is knowledge. • To improve the Statistical Capacity the knowledge needs to be increased. • When staff have more knowledge they can master more tasks and in a better way. • Knowledge can be classified in different ways: Essential is the difference between ‘What to do’ and ‘How to do’.

3. Improving absorption capacity • Absorption capacity (AC): number of staff and the nature of their knowledge and skills to perform the tasks of the organization. • AC is the ability to recognize new information, assimilate it and apply it. Thus, with more and better trained staff the performance can be improved. • Crucial is to raise level of knowledge of staff and to have a permanent learning process in place. • External consultants can never take over the work, but they can transfer knowledge to staff and organization. • Permanent internal learning processes help to become both more independent and more productive.

4. ‘What to do’ and ‘How to do’ How to do - is about applying the knowledge and implementing projects. What to do - is about knowledge on statistical concepts and methods. VSS VSS Activities and Themes on the VSS website offer information to methods and concepts • The VSS website offers an eLearning course on e.g. Project Management under Activities 2., tab Training. • Understanding project management is a key condition for successful implementation of SCB projects.

5. Knowledge Management • What types of knowledge? • End product: a book or paper to inform. • Intermediate product: a status report for action. • Knowledge to use knowledge: ‘How to’ lessons. • How to manage statistical knowledge and knowledge on statistical project management? • Can the Virtual Statistical System be a solution?

6. Initial situation • Different countries have different kinds of information needs. • Request for statistical support. • There are scarce financial and technical resources. • There are several topical handbooks on specific issues available, like e.g. SNA, Prices, Trade, etc. which can be found on the VSS site. • But, there has been a lack of introductions to many topics, listed under Activities and Themes on the VSS website for developing countries. • Countries do not have easy access to information, even when principally available.

7. Information needs • There is high demand for training on all kinds of topics for users and producers of statistics on: • Institutional issues • Management issues (staff and budgets) • ICT and registers • Methods like surveys • Many topical issues, like labor and national accounts • Quality issues and many more.

8. Knowledge approaches • Organizations always need to grow and change. • Management is crucial for development. • Innovation management (thinking about creating new methods) • Knowledge management is another essential activity, whereas research in needed knowledge is part of this (VSS can be used for research). • Organizational culture should support innovation. • “Communities of practice” are essential (working groups) to stimulate exchange of views.

9. Building a knowledge based organization • Define a shared purpose. What are we doing? And why? • Focus on cooperation between staff. • Create a culture of trust and teamwork for staff. • Create a culture and ethic of contribution (share) • Debates and exchanges of opinions about concrete problems are supportive. • Stimulate critical reflection. • Create collaborative communities. • Create interdependent processes (be flexible and adjust to new views)

10. Make use of available resources • Make use of all staff / skills and knowledge available. • Create a collaborative infrastructure (less focus on hierarchy). • Stimulate working together. • Matrix approach can work when flexibly used. • Is a collaborative revolution needed? Take it step by step. • Creating a knowledge based organization is a long process.

11. Essentials of the knowledge organization • Define and build a shared purpose like more useful or better statistics. • Cultivate ethic of contribution: do not be afraid but trust each other. • Develop scalable processes for coordinating peoples efforts: share what works (best practices). • Create a situation in which collaboration is valued and rewarded.

12. What type of statistical support? • Statistical Capacity Building is improving the capacity to produce and disseminate statistics (sustainability, quality). • Key is the understanding of Absorption Capacity issues. • Absorption Capacity • is the potential to successfully implement statistical projects • and the learning capacity of the staff. • Support is useful to promote learning, improve management skills and discuss technical issues.

13. Absorption Capacity isStaffing, Learning and eLearning • Sufficient staff is needed: numbers / trainability. • Attention to ‘How to learn’! • Learning is not only an activity of students - everybody learns constantly. • (Inter-)national workshops are expensive as are extensive international university courses. • On site workshops are limited learning events. • eLearning / computer based learning can be part of permanent Learning. • In different forms: national, international, self paced, classroom.

14. Can eLearning be the Solution to increase the Absorption Capacity? • eLearning demands active students and active teaching staff. • eLearning has more options than any other form of learning. • Learning when one wants and how often one wants. • Individually and in groups, with and without support, with and without certificates. • eLearning provides all the tools online and allows different modes of delivery • “On-line only” versus “blended”.

15. How to organize eLearning via VSS • Get connected to the VSS website. • Online, also called “self pace” mode: learn by yourself at your own pace, and whenever you want • Classroom situation: the teacher will use the VSS lessons and material provided online as regular teaching material. He will act as the facilitator and uses computer with projector and assists people in the room. • In addition, learning materials can be provided on DVDs and CD-ROMs. • Blended eLearning mode: Professional support is needed by facilitators and experts who will be interacting with the students via the eLearning platform (set up in e.g. Moodle software). Face to face learning may be used during the course and as a follow up activity. • In that case certificates should be issued.

16. eLearning requirements

17. VSS Training options • NSOs can build an in-house training unit. • This allows a training program using the VSS when appropriate. • Or, NSOs can make use of established training institutes. • Training institutes can match the VSS content with their courses and apply when relevant. • Training institutes can develop ways to teach students about how to use the VSS and “training the trainers courses”. • The latter is to train trainers how to use and disseminate the VSS materials.

18. VSS: Training the trainers course • VSS training can create leverage. • When trained as VSS trainers (Staff of training institutes and statistical offices), the VSS knowledge can be multiplied. • A trainer is a facilitator and a kind of expert helping others to use and understand the VSS portal and learning materials. • A trainer can have freedom how to use the VSS. • Trainers can work in-house and for others. • Several consultants already use the VSS for training purposes.

19. VSS ‘Training the trainers’ course approach • This course can be built on the eLearning courses ‘Management of Statistical Systems’, and the presentation on ‘How to use the VSS’. • Other courses can be added to the program, like ‘Project Management of Statistical Surveys’, and ‘Justice, Crime and Security Statistics’ and ‘Labor Market Statistics and Survey Design’. • Parts of the materials can be sampled. • Course duration: between two and three weeks. • Test at the end.