Why?

Why did so many of us flock to the Collaboration corner yesterday morning when the facilitator asked us to pick our choice between Knowledge, Understanding, KS tools and methodologies, Wisdom and, of course, Collaboration? Isn’t it interesting that we did not converge massively towards Knowledge or Wisdom as KM4devers that we are? Has experience demonstrated to all of us that collaboration enhances work results? I like to tell myself that this is the case, but if I dig deeper I am not sure anymore. Yet I would still choose collaboration as the attractive pole.  Help anyone?

Micheline Chartrand

And we’re off…

We started off this morning with a very energetic icebreaker facilitated by Floris… we had to first come up with 3 words that defined us (not an easy task), then talk to a couple of people about what links us, then find a group or cluster of people whose “tags” worked well together and create a statue representing this “common tag”. We’ll be uploading pictures soon so you can all view these fantastic living statues

– Lucie

Chaordic…

Yesterday I heard for the first time Nancy using the word “chaordic”. As a non-English speaker I immediately opened my dictionary to look up the word – and there was no translation. It was only after some time it began to come through to me… “chaotic order”… aha!!!

I think there is good argument to say that this year’s KM4Dev meeting can be characterised by “chaotic order”. After all, Lucie rightly pointed out that creativity emerges best at the verge of chaos. And having the word “creative” in the title of this year’s meeting, it needs some degree of chaos.

I also think to some extent it’s a sign of maturity of this community to be able to allow this degree of chaos. If all is new, if you’re feeling insecure, you tend to keep a tight grip on everything, control is the name of the game. I am inclined to take the “chaotic order” as a good sign that we are able now to move beyond this paradigm…

-marc

Talk -Show: Jaap Pels

(missed the first bit)

…if you look at our business plan you won’t see knowledge management. We talk of knowledge sharing mechanisms and information products.

World rapidly urbanising, we implement / facilitate learning alliances. In those learning alliances, you have to work with utilities, local governance, farmers in the neighbourhood, (I)NGOs, universities etc. You have to work together with all sort of organisations.

• Have to get people together to talk / develop the same language.
• Get people togetther and start with the problems, you don’t get anywhere.
• So we start by talking about the situation in 50 years, less threatening => vision.

Are the cities working together or are you mobilising them?

Each city working by itself. We try to get alliances between cities / cross pollinate on topics / issues / techniques.

What is the key networking thing you have done?

Still in needs analysis, scoping study and you go on with the parties that come out of it. It will be a beehyve over the years, people / org in and out. Next big step is visioning / scenario building (see ODI papaer by Ben R.)

Funding for the activitiy of learning alliances. We had a big argument with the funders for co-creating etc. Research universities – do the research and then hire an extension worker. We fought and are still fighting for it.

Thread of negotiation. Who comes in and senses this isn’t going to be imposed and says this is going to be negotiated? How do you build that ability to negotiate in across and between …?

Why are they working in these learning alliances?

For most, it’s for the money the topic the research. It was the learning alliances approach that got the funding, but politics / stakes etc are involved, so you know you have to make a case constantely

Issue of motivation, helping to surface them and make them visible.

How does need translate into demand and action? We are primitive about this, and we are amazed when it doesn’t work. This linearity is absurd. Motivation as a particular form of need. Need complexity. If we want to be serious about being need given, we have to investigate how does the whole setting of needs interact?

Importance of looking for intersections, rather than funnel.

Talk-Show: Joitske Hulsebosch – IICD

Joitske, tell us how you’ve been using new tools. A different approach than relationships.

I want to share a story about Mali. We had four projects in different sectors, each with their own donor, project manager and staff. But all working in same village and farms. Big effort to coordinate, but the extension workers didn’t have any need to collaborate. Would set a meeting in a village and then be suprised to find another extension worker had set up a meeting with the same people.

Car going to Segou, a good opportunity for families to transport rice etc. One day we unexpectedly were taking the car and the information traveled very fast. To get people to collaborate you have to identify their motivation.

Look at collaboration at a system level?

And a sectoral level.

Talk-show: Taline Haytayan

(missed the first few minutes…. sorry, very very sketchy notes)

AID/HIVs

When you think about knowwledge ahring… added value is best practice and approaches… gaining access to the knowledge. Gaining access to people in different countries.

Before me there wasn’t a knowledge sharing person. We put together a know 5 / 6 different initiatives. We want communities voice to be heard at government level. Documenting is important.

Collaboration – south to south knowledge sharing. How can they provide technical support for each other. Based round thematic communities of practice. We are calling them learning groups. Linked in with technical support i.e. workshops. Geographical…

Could be monitoring and evaluation. Recently launched workshops by region, language is important factor. People building relationships through these workshops. Collaborations stopped at the end of the one week f2f workshop. With this new knowledge sharing capacity we have learning groups. Training trainers who take part in the workshop, launching a community of practice based on that theme.

Motivation? What is it that creates the collaboration within that network?

Based on need.

Talk-Show: Amanuel Assefa

(Sketch notes)

Amanuel from Ethiopia set up a platform for local innovations. Going little by little but also facing challenges

• .. people from academic organisations, NGO’s and government organisations. Here we’re trying to make collaboration between them but you can see some conflicting roles.
• We have established the network a national level whereas it’s actually at project level.
• Activities have remained as a talk shop but not going down to the farmers. Government emphapsising policy issues… Those who were coming to the network or platform could learn from each other, but that’s not ho it worked. People didn’t find it easy to share their ideas

What is the status of the network right now?

Attracting more people. At the same time we have established grassroot level platforms. At NGO level …. At regional level, people deal with more practical issues.

You have a network of networks?

Are there people facilitating those conversations?

In some situations the facilitation has been very successful, and in others there aren’t.

No facilitation, no action?

We have sent money and pushed, but the response is not that encouraging

Summary: Facilitation, resources and projects needed to give focus

How do you measure the value of what you are doing?

From time to time, even if we don’t see practical works, we are sensing the language is changing the country and people are startign to use the language.

How do you make diffferent values discussable?

The value is not refering to cultural dimensions but to institutional values. The NGO environment is more flexible. It takes time, but after some time you can see improvement of people understanding each other.

Between 2003 and 2007 you see a difference? What are the patterns?

For example, signing a memorandum of understaning. It was difficult when people didn’t sign the memorandum, but now we ask people to bring a letter of understanding.

You have negotiated the formal and the informal.

Open space philosophy

Getting ready

A window view at Woudschoten Conferentiecentrum