achieving impact through knowledge management and communication in the hindu kush himalayan region
TRANSCRIPT
Achieving Impact Through Knowledge Management and Communication in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region—
Thoughts and Strategies
Olivier Serrat
2016
Why Invest in Sustainable Mountain Development?
According to FAO (2011):
• Climate change, increasing natural disasters, food and energy crises, population growth, water scarcity and desertification, loss of biodiversity, degradation of ecosystems, migration, and growth of cities—the planet is currently facing a multitude of challenges. Mountain regions and their inhabitants are disproportionally affected, but also offer significant opportunities for solutions.
• By providing key environmental services such as freshwater, biodiversity conservation and hydropower to more than half of humanity, mountain ecosystems play a critical role in world development. Mountain systems are essential building blocks for long-term sustainable global development, poverty alleviation, and the transition to a green economy. In a world heading towards water, food and energy crisis, sustainable mountain development is a global priority.
Why Invest in Sustainable Mountain Development?
Cont'd
• Mountain people, who are among the world's poorest and hungriest, are key to maintaining mountain ecosystems and their role in providing environmental services to downstream communities. Mountain communities need to be empowered and their livelihoods improved, to enable them to take responsibility for the preservation of natural resources and to fulfil their role as mountain stewards.
• In spite of the obvious importance of mountain areas, sustainable mountain development does not receive the attention and priority it deserves. Investing in sustainable mountain development is a global priority for addressing the current challenges. It reaches far beyond monetary terms to embrace increased attention to and support in all aspects of mountain ecology and society.
The Hindu Kush Himalayan Region
Sustainable mountain development in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region faces enormous (and all the time more difficult) challenges.• Four of the 8 most populated countries in the world, including the top
two, belong to the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region: they are the People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, in decreasing order, of which three have intermediate fertility (2.1 to 5 children). Another regional country, Afghanistan, has high fertility (5 or more children).
• The demographic challenge to the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region, which has transformed it from a nature-dominated landscape into a human dominated environment, will accelerate environmental degradation and natural resource use; it will exacerbate the vulnerability of mountain communities from increasing demands for biodiversity, energy, food, and water.
• Climate change will aggravate the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region's socioeconomic and environmental challenges. To note, Himalayan glaciers are receding faster than elsewhere.
ICIMOD's Purview
ICIMOD—A regional, intergovernmental learning, knowledge, and enabling center for mountains aiming—in partnerships— to link science to policy making, implementation, and developmentIts Regional Member Countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, People's Republic of China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan … its Vision—Men, women, and children of the Hindu Kush Himalayas enjoy improved wellbeing in a healthy mountain environment… and Mission—To enable sustainable and resilient mountain development for improved and equitable livelihoods through knowledge and regional cooperation
The Hindu Kush Himalayan Region:
• … the world's highest mountains; the largest body of ice outside the Polar caps; 17% of the global glacial area
• … the source of 10 large Asian river systems; host to 28 Ramsar sites and 4 of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots
• … ecosystem services to 210 million people upstream (and 1.3 billion downstream)
• … most sustainable development goals are relevant; mountains feature explicitly in SDG 6 and SDG 15 and Targets 6.6, 15.1, and 15.4
ICIMOD's Strategic GoalsLeading to the strategic impacts of reduced poverty, reduced physical and social vulnerabilities, and improved ecosystem services—and delivered through regional programs informed by expertise in four thematic areas, ICIMOD's strategic goals are:• Widespread adoption of innovations developed by ICIMOD and partners to
adapt to change leading to positive impacts for women, men, and children• Substantial advances in the generation and use of relevant data, knowledge, and
analysis• Significant advances made in approaches and knowledge that promote gender
equality and inclusive human development• Significantly developed human and institutional capacity• Policies and practices considerably influenced by the work of ICIMOD and its
partners• Enhanced regional cooperation related to sustainable mountain development• Global recognition of the importance of mountains and the need for more global
resources made available to mountain people to ensure improved and resilient livelihoods and ecosystems
Regional Programs and Strategic Thematic Areas of ICIMOD
Thematic Areas Livelihoods Ecosystem Services Water & Air Geospatial
Solutions
Regional Programs
Adaptation to Change
Climate Services & Disaster Risk Reduction
Sustainable Energy
Transboundary Landscapes
River Basins & Cryosphere
Atmosphere
Mountain Environment Regional Information System
Mountain Youth Empowerment
On Knowledge Management and Communication
As a learning, knowledge, and enabling center for mountains, knowledge management and communication must be at the center of everything ICIMOD does. There are two key considerations: (i) knowledge is most valuable when it is actually used, not just identified, created, stored, and/or shared; and (ii) in step with what motives drive knowledge management initiatives the perspectives that conduce the latter can be ecological—focusing on interactions, organizational—focusing on knowledge processes, and/or technocentric—focusing on storage and sharing (the list to the right suggests ICIMOD's approach thus far has been technocentric).
CommunicationCoPsDocument RepositoriesExtranetIntranetICT4DImpact StoriesGood PracticesInformation CenterKnowledge ForumsKnowledge ParkMultimediaPublicationsPhoto GallerySocial MediaSocial NetworksTrainingWebWorkshops
"Data smog", "infobesity", "infoxication", and "information glut" describe the deluge of information that overloads our brains. Information is ubiquitous because producing, manipulating, and disseminating it is easy.
A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that efficiently. A straightforward way of measuring how much scarce resource a message consumes is to note how much time a recipient spends on it.
Effective dissemination of knowledge is arguably more important than its production. So, (i) develop a dissemination policy; (ii) adopt a strategic approach to dissemination; (iii) formulate generic, viable dissemination plans and tactics that can be adapted to serve different purposes; and (iv) monitor and evaluate accomplishments.
The Great Information Glut
Dissemination Policy
Establishes a research center's vision and values, and measures these to engage.
Explains how efforts at disseminating research results link to their utilization.
Ties research to practice through dissemination strategies, dissemination plans, and the application of dissemination tactics.
In the overall context of a public communications policy (or framework), a research agenda requires:
• A dissemination policy
• A dissemination strategy
• A dissemination plan• Dissemination tactics
Developing a Dissemination Policy
Journal, Magazine
Library
Website
Databases
Basic Dissemination Tactics
Desk Launch
News Releases
Press Conference
Professional Conference
Verbal Feedback to Contributors
Verbal Briefings
More Advanced Dissemination Tactics
Meetings
First Qualification
Post-Qualifying Courses
Other Courses
The Research Report
Summary
Article
Dissemination
In-House Press Release
Referencing Material
Dissemination Tactics
Launch
Verbal Feedback
Consortium and Network
Integration into Training
Research Findings
Evolving Dissemination Tactics
Policy is a deliberate course of action to guide decisions and achieve outcomes. Policy change can be: (i) discursive—involving new concepts and terminology; (ii) procedural—altering the way policy makers do things; (iii) content-oriented—inducing modifications in strategy or policy documents; and behavioral—transforming attitudes.
In theory, policy makers make decisions based on research that has already delivered results, and the best experience and knowledge available. In reality, poor research circulates and is acted upon while good research is ignored and disappears. Policy makers need to determine what information, evidence, or belief is true or valid. They are driven by the Five S's: speed, superficiality, spin, secrecy, and scientific ignorance.
Researchers miss opportunities to turn inquiries into lasting change because of the weak rapport between investigations, recommendations, and the real world of policy makers and policy making.
On Policy: Myths and Reality
Political ContextPolitical structures and processes, institutional
pressures, prevailing concepts, policy streams and windows,
etc.
LinksPolicy makers and other
stakeholders, relationships, voice trust, networks, the media and other intermediaries, etc.
EvidenceCredibility, methods,
relevance, use, how the message is packaged
and communicated, etc.
External InfluencesInternational factors,
socioeconomic and cultural influences, etc.
Campaigning and Lobbying
Analysis and Research
Scientific Information Exchange and Validation
The RAPID Framework
The RAPID Framework of the Overseas Development Institute intimates that research-based and other forms of evidence can enrich policy if:
It fits within the political and institutional limits and pressures of policy makers, resonates with the policy makers' assumptions, or sufficient pressure is exerted to challenge them.
The evidence is credible and convincing, provides practical solutions to pressing policy problems, and is packaged to attract the interest of policy makers.
Research and policy makers share common networks, trust one another, and communicate effectively.
Grooming Policy Entrepreneurs
Toward this, researchers must become policy entrepreneurs who can:• Operate in highly political
environments.• Distill powerful policy
messages from research results.
• Use networks, hubs, and partnerships and build coalitions to work effectively with all stakeholders.
• Maintain long-term programs that pull all these together.
Define (and Redefine)
the Policy Objective
Identifythe Key
Stakeholders
Identify Desired
Behavioral Changes
Develop a Strategy
Analyze Internal
Capacity to Effect Change
Establish a Monitoring and
Learning Framework
Map the Policy Context
Tools include the alignment, interest, and influence matrix; stakeholder analysis; influence
mapping; social network analysis; and force field analysis.
Tools include progressmarkers; opportunities
and threats timeline; policy objectives; the alignment,
interest, and influence matrix; and force field
analysis.
Tools include force field analysis; communication
strategies; advocacy campaigns; the network
functions approach; structured innovation; and
research strategies.
Tools include drivers ofchange; power analysis;strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threatsanalysis; influence mapping;
and force field analysis.
Tools include the logicalframework (flexible);outcome mapping;
journals or impact logs;and internal monitoring
tools.
Tools include the policyentrepreneur questionnaire;
strengths, weaknesses,opportunities, and threats
analysis; and internal performanceframeworks.
The RAPID Outcome Mapping Approach
• A reorientation from academic achievement to policy engagement
• Grappling with the policy community• Developing a research agenda focusing on policy issues rather
than academic interests• Acquiring new skills and building multidisciplinary teams• Establishing new internal systems and incentives• Working in networks, hubs, and partnerships• Producing a range of knowledge products and services aimed
at different segments of the external environment• Spending more on knowledge management and
communication
Research centers must transform themselves into policy-focused think tanks staffed with entrepreneurs. This involves:
Toward Policy-Focused Think Tanks
Knowledge Partnerships
• Are associations and networks of individuals or organizations that share a purpose or goal.
• Are comprised of members who contribute knowledge, experience, resources, and connections, and participate in two-way communications.
• Thrive when there is a strategic, structural, and cultural fit, and when members embrace a collaborative process, behave as a coherent entity, and engage in joint decision making and action.
Knowledge partnerships
• Filter—Organize and manage information that is worth paying attention to.
• Amplify—Take new, little-known, or little-understood ideas, give them weight, and make them more widely understood.
• Invest and Provide—Offer a means to give members the resources they need to carry out their main activities.
• Convene—Bring together different, distinct people or groups of people.
• Build Community—Promote and sustain the values and standards of individuals or organizations.
• Learn and Facilitate—Help partners carry out their activities more efficiently and effectively.
The specific functions of knowledge partnerships, not necessarily mutually exclusive, are to:
Purpose/Goal
What is the partnership's value proposition?What will the partnership produce?What values and principles will guide it?
Membership
Who will the members be?What are the membership criteria?Will there be different classes of members?What will be the obligations and benefits of members?
Governance
What decisions will need to be made?Who will make decisions?How will decisions be made?
Structure
What will the structure of the partnership look like?What will the partnership's development path look like?
A Design Checklist for Knowledge Partnerships
Measures
What is success? What are its specifics?How will the partners know when success is achieved?How will success be rewarded?
Formation
Who will build the partnership?Will an outside facilitator be used to facilitate alignment and production plans?Who will operate the partnership?
Production
What hypotheses will the partnership test?How will joint undertakings be designed?How will results be evaluated?What will give confidence to scale results up?
A Design Checklist for Knowledge Partnerships
Communications
Are open communications and information a visible indicator of the level of trust?Is the power of information and communication technology harnessed in support?
Resources
What resources will fuel the partnership?What contributions will members make?What are all the possible sources of funding?Who will manage the cash?
Evaluation
What do the partners want to assess?Who will conduct the evaluation?How will the partners design evaluation at the front end?
A Design Checklist for Knowledge Partnerships
The OECD-Development Assistance Committee has set five criteria for evaluating development programs and projects.
Relevance
Efficiency
Effectiveness
Impact
Sustainability
The OECD-DAC criteria provide a useful framework
for evaluating knowledge partnerships but also—it
follows—for designing and monitoring them.
Evaluating Knowledge Partnerships
A Knowledge Management and Communication Agenda
Sharpen the Knowledge Focus in ICIMOD's
Operations(Add value at regional,
country, and project levels)
Strengthen External Knowledge Partnerships
(Align and leverage external knowledge)
Further Enhance Staff Learning and Skills
Development(Multiply opportunities for
staff to learn)
Empower Communities of Practice
(Collaborate for knowledge generation and sharing)
The four pillars are closely related: the set of actions/outputs under the first would focus on adding value to ICIMOD's operations; the other three sets would deal with how that might be sped. A knowledge management results framework would specify expected actions/outputs and related specific activity indicators and useful results indicators with targets and sources of verification.
A demand-led and user-focused orientation would separate out what mountain topics ICIMOD should assuredly lead from those it can explore in collaboration with partners. Irrespective, all areas for investigation should be practical and applied, with the explicit goal of creating value for clients, audiences, and partners.
By actively involving learners in the experience, we increase the chances they will retain and use learning; if not, what knowledge has been acquired will be forgotten. Modalities for knowledge generation and sharing that conduce knowledge retention and use, such as socially interactive processes for learning from peers and in small groups, should be prioritized. A learning charter, e.g., statement of intent, purpose and results, commitments to corporate action, commitments to individual action, may help. Training in learning in partnerships, learning in teams, reflective practice, etc. may help too.
A Postscript on Organizational Learning
If only because of climate change (and the burgeoning of climate change modalities), self- and independent evaluations should be ramped up to capture learning (especially real-time) and disseminate that for more effective formulation of regional programs and delivery of results. After-action reviews and retrospects can be conducted too.
Tenuous organizational roadblocks can slow the uptake and application of learning. (They include a bias for action, "undiscussables", commitment to the cause, the funding environment, the role of leadership, organizational structure, multiplying agendas, complexity, etc.) Defining roadblocks, however numerous they may be, is half the battle to removing them: it might make them part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
A Postscript on Organizational Learning
Selected References• FAO. 2011. Why Invest in Sustainable Mountain Development?
Rome, Italy: FAO. www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2370e/i2370e.pdf
• ICIMOD. 2012. A Strategy and Results Framework for ICIMOD. Kathmandu. lib.icimod.org/record/28290
• David Molden and Eklabya Sharma. 2013. ICIMOD's Strategy for Delivering High-quality Research and Achieving Impact for Sustainable Mountain Development. Mountain Research and Development. Vol. 33 (2); pp. 179–183.
• Muriel Ordoñez and Olivier Serrat. 2009. Disseminating Knowledge Products. Manila. www.adb.org/publications/disseminating-knowledge-products
Selected References• Arnaldo Pellini and Olivier Serrat. 2010. Enriching Policy with
Research. Manila. www.adb.org/publications/enriching-policy-research
• Olivier Serrat. 2008. Linking Research to Practice. Manila. www.adb.org/publications/linking-research-practice
• Olivier Serrat. 2010. Showcasing Knowledge. Manila. www.adb.org/publications/showcasing-knowledge
• Olivier Serrat et al. 2011. Guidelines for Knowledge Partnerships. Manila. www.adb.org/publications/guidelines-knowledge-partnerships
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