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BRIEFING PAPER: BUILDING A THIRD SECTOR KNOWLEDGE SHARING NETWORK

1. INTRODUCTION

Many people will be familiar with the phrase ‘knowledge is power’ but few will know that it forms part of a much longer quotation:

Knowledge is power. But mere knowledge is not power; it is only possibility. Action is power; and its highest manifestation is when it is directed by knowledge. [1]

In post-industrial societies, knowledge is embedded in both human and digital networks and actively released through the conscious realisation of the power of the knowledge to lead to positive action and outcome. Effective knowledge-sharing networks, as a result, are the key to realising individual, group and organisational potential.

2. THE BEEHIVE EFFECT

A knowledge-sharing network can be viewed as a form of human beehive where individuals, acting simultaneously as architect and builder, are engaged in the dynamic creation of honeycombed layers of intellectual, social, economic and physical capital with each layer of the beehive ecologically dependent on the other for survival. Each layer contains multiple networks, therefore the beehive becomes a network of networks: a meta-network.

THE BEEHIVE EFFECT Knowledge permeates the entire structure of the beehive and communities are constantly being formed, shaped and disbanded as the need to create shared practices waxes and wanes within it.

Community Knowledge: Building a Third Sector Knowledge Sharing Network 1

3. UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT What is knowledge? Even if we are capable of understanding its nature, how do we manage it as an asset and use it to operate more effectively? The study of knowledge and its management, is a massive growth industry with more than 300 new books on the subject published within the last two years. Alongside these publications there have been thousands of articles, periodicals and discussion papers produced on many different aspects of the subject. A cursory search of the Internet reveals thousands of sites dedicated to this area of study [2]. Within this wide range of academic, practitioner, organisational and journalistic interest, individuals, groups and organisations are beginning to form a practical view of knowledge management as something which is here to stay - only 2% consider it to be a fad and 10% said they thought it was transforming their organisations according to KPMG. There are many and varied definitions of knowledge and there is much debate as to the relationship between tacit knowing and explicit knowledge. This paper, however, attempts to view knowledge as both an object and a process within organisations, thereby, encompassing both tacit knowing and explicit knowledge. Knowledge is defined as:

The information, images, artefacts and processes contained within the organisation about customers, products and services, which are contained within people’s minds or filed in analogue or digital format.

This definition of knowledge leads to the following definition of knowledge management:

A systematic attempt to use individual, collective and organisational knowledge to improve overall performance.

4. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INFORMAL COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Many case studies have been undertaken of how informal, sponsored and supported communities of practice operate within private and public sector organisations. To date, however, no examination has been made of how informal communities of practice operate within the third sector, the sector of community and voluntary organisations. The third sector has a long history of using community space, in various forms, either physical or notional, to engage individuals in discourse and informal learning. The rise of the network society has added value to this process by allowing active individuals to personalise networks through the use of technologies which enhance communication. The third sector is now demonstrating that individuals and groups are seeking to create open access knowledge-sharing spaces which attempt to combine face-to-face networks with computer-mediated communications to support informal learning between community development practitioners. Lave and Wenger’s work [3] and the work of Brown and Duguid [4] can be considered as major breakthroughs in academic and practice-oriented debates about informal learning, knowledge-sharing and management. Central to their work is the concept of a community of practice. A community of practice can be defined as:

A group that shares knowledge, learns together and creates common practices. It demonstrates shared vision, a common culture of information sharing and a sense of community that enables learning.


Communities of practice, operating as informal learning networks, dynamically create, capture and share knowledge. They legitimise the informal learning process by creating discourse in both face-to-face and computer-mediated communication. This discourse leads to the creation of a notional shared learning space open to both veterans and newcomers in the knowledge-sharing process.

5. THE COMPONENTS OF AN ONLINE KNOWLEDGE SHARING NETWORK There are potentially eight components of an online knowledge-sharing network:

1. Knowledge Repository 2. Knowledge Portal 3. Online Project Space 4. Online Community Space 5. Discussion Groups 6. Online Meeting Space 7. E-learning Space 8. Expertise Exchange

From the outset, creators of knowledge-sharing networks should not seek a total technological solution to knowledge-sharing as this has demonstrably failed in the past. Technology should be viewed as appropriate to how it adds value to face-to-face networking, as a result, developers may need to mix-and-match solutions.

5.1. Knowledge Repository This is the mainstay of traditional knowledge-management systems. Making communities of practice a centerpiece of a knowledge strategy moves the primary focus from information management to social structures, but it does not make these traditional information-oriented concerns obsolete. Communities of practice do produce and share documents and other knowledge artifacts, which can be put in electronic form, and which they need to manage effectively. Example Screenshot: Lotus Notes


The screenshot shows the ease with which a document can be published using Lotus Notes as it uses a template-based system, check boxes and radio buttons. Documents can simply be attached or cut and pasted to the template for publication. The strength of Lotus Notes is its ability to web publish documents instantaneously from designated authors which are the filed, by keywords, in a searchable database. However, Lotus Notes operates on a client/server relationship which means software has to be installed on work stations and an expensive to operate Domino server is used for web publishing.

5.2. Knowledge Portal A knowledge portal is based on the assumption that knowledge workers participate in multiple groups, projects, and communities, and have to manage this multi-membership. They make a complex store of information and knowledge accessible through sophisticated search engines. The example screenshot shows the iPortal system embedded within Cluster Direct. A number of search routines can be performed by:

1. Search string 2. Keywords/Allwords 3. Exact Phrases 4. Subject Category

Example Screenshot: iPortal


5.3. On-line Project Space This is an online space for a project team to conduct its work. It focuses on project management, task scheduling, and managing collections of project-related documents. The screenshot shows online project space allocated in a form similar to a paper-based personal organizer. The screen is divided into events, discussions, actions and documents and allows the user to invite others into the discussion area, post events to a list of contacts, check on the actions of others on specific projects and share documents over the Internet. The four areas can be linked by membership creating a virtual project development space. If individuals have no previous experience of using technology for collaborative working they may find such project workspace intimidating. Every attempt needs to be made to supplement online virtual meeting space with regular events held in actual meeting space which will help to nurture the sense of belonging to the project. Example Screenshot: Cluster Direct Teamzone

5.4. On-line Community Space An on-line community space stands halfway between specific interest groups, often referred to as SIGs, and more sophisticated knowledge worker desktop systems. They support more or less tightly connected communities across organisations and their boundaries, including customers, suppliers, partners, and employees. These systems usually have somewhat more complete community capabilities than other systems, but like them, they focus on communities such as customer or supplier groups, which can remain rather loose. They place the emphasis on interaction and often lack sophisticated repositories for documents. They do not necessarily attempt to create a sense of closeness and often handle very large groups.


The screenshot shows a series of chat rooms divided into active, upcoming and featured chats. Although the application appears to be a chat room facility there is linkage to other features such as file sharing, web publishing and polling among others. A number of these systems have potential for supporting the online component of a community of practice. Most of them were originally designed for managing websites with customer communities. The more sophisticated have many of the features that would make them adaptable to a range of types of communities of practice. In fact, some of these companies aim to become the standard infrastructure for online community development. Example Screenshot: TalkCity

5.5. Discussion Groups Products in this category aim to support conversations among ad hoc communities, communities of interest, faith communities or often just simple discussion groups. These groups are sometimes very large, with multiple topics. The focus of these systems is almost exclusively on conversational interactions, usually through asynchronous discussion boards, though in most cases this is augmented with chat capabilities, presence awareness, and instant messaging. The screenshot shows how CPSquare, the community of practice on communities of practice using Web Crossing for its discussions. One of the leading automobile sites on the internet uses Web Crossing to run its forums and real-time chat, with hundreds of thousands of users and many millions of pages served per month. Users talk about cars: what they like, what works and what doesn't, what they should buy, and what they should do about problems. The forums generate direct revenue from ads, generate significant indirect revenue by linking users to other revenue-generating areas of the site, maintain customer loyalty and encourage repeat visits, and produce revenue from data-mining the message base to summarize reports for manufacturers.


The application has a range of real benefits for a knowledge-sharing network:

1. It is cost effective, scaling from small communities to very large ones with millions of users and millions of pages served per day.

2. Its community features provide the foundation for a strong revenue-generating community.

3. It is highly customizable to fit into a larger site. 4. Outstanding features provide forums, mailing lists, newsgroups, chat, polls, blogs, wikis

and more. As such, Web Crossing could offer the most appropriate knowledge-sharing solution for communities of practice. Example Screenshot: Web Crossing

5.6. On-line Meeting Space These systems provide for synchronous interactions at a distance, for both small interactive groups and large audiences. They often use a combination of media, including audio and video, to provide an experience of co-presence. Some use physical analogies, such as, auditoria, conference centres or buildings to create the feeling of co-presence. The screenshot shows the homepage of WebExMeetings. WebExMeetings allows you to present and share slides, applications, files or your desktop to large or small groups of people in real-time using your computer and browser. It is possible to use Web conferencing as an alternative or to enrich face-to-face meetings. You can use WebExMeetings to:

1. Demonstrate products and services to anyone, anytime. Show PowerPoint presentations, highlight product features, and review contracts and documentation.


2. View, annotate, or edit documents in real time and conduct spontaneous Q&A sessions.

3. Deliver high quality, time-critical training without worrying about hardware or software issues. Update employees on process changes and new initiatives.

4. Manage geographically dispersed project teams, hold meetings and build closer relationships.

Example Screenshot: WebEx Meetings

5.7. E-learning Space

E-Learning is defined by the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council in the UK as:

the effective learning process created by combining digitally delivered content with learning support and services.

E-learning systems provide space for explicit educational activities, some of which can be helpful to communities of practice. This is especially true when communities have a well-established body of knowledge and take on the responsibility of training newcomers. The screenshot shows a customized Blackboard desktop view. Blackboard offers a networked learning environment. Perhaps the most exciting promise of this environment is its ability to put the individual student at the centre of a more expansive learning process. Pedagogically, that means techniques like support for alternate learning styles, individualised programs and adaptive release of content and activities. It also means better integration with all aspects of student life. Blackboard’s client base has led to a thriving community of practice. While software is a powerful tool for learning, the real engine behind learning is community and the ability to reach and communicate with people.


Example Screenshot: Blackboard

5.8. Expertise Exchange

These systems focus on providing more sophisticated access to expertise. They often collect answers in banks of question and answer pairs to be accessed before turning to an expert. When they do have to turn to an expert, they attempt to use criteria such as general ranking, history of answers to questions in an area, or analyses of relationships to determine who is most likely to provide an answer. There is usually a way for the recipient of information to give feedback to the provider. The screenshot shows the homepage of Question.com. Question.com provides access to information through a question and answer format. A user enters a question into the system. It attempts to match the question with a list of previously answered questions. The answers are ranked according to the likelihood that they will be relevant, including the success that the authors of the answers have had in answering questions in the past. If Question.com cannot find a ready answer or if no answer satisfies the user, it will suggest a list of “experts” from its roster who are likely to provide an answer. It then lets the user select the set of experts to whom the question should be directed. The user can be notified by e-mail when an answer is coming back. If no answer is forthcoming, the system can keep the question alive and respond to the request when an answer becomes available. When given an answer, the user is invited to provide feedback on that answer. This feedback is used to update the profile of the “expert.” Question.com keeps a profile of each user of the system, which includes not only personal information, but also the history of questions posed and answers provided in various areas of expertise. If the feedback is positive, the answer is also entered into the database of answers for further use. Over time, Question.com builds a database of answers organized into areas of interest.


Example Screenshot: Question.com

6. SEEKING AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION At this point, we must ask ourselves the question:

Is there a single application that meets all the needs of a knowledge-sharing network?

The simple answer is probably no. However, developers of knowledge-sharing networks should not be perturbed by this as we acknowledged earlier in the paper that there is no technological ‘quick-fix’ to effective knowledge-sharing in networks. Knowledge-sharing in networks is a combination of appropriate face-to-face networking and using collaborative technologies to add value to face-to-face interaction. Recent developments in knowledge-sharing software, however, do demonstrate that the key components of a knowledge-sharing network are attempting to converge in a single solution. Such examples include Communispace (http://www.communispace.com) and Cluster Direct produced by Scientia Solutions (http://www.scientiasolutions.com). Such solutions combine most, if not all, of the knowledge-sharing components outlined above. It is interesting to note that a number of these attempts at integrated solutions have been purchased by Microsoft in the last few years. Many view this accumulation by Microsoft as the beginning of an attempt to integrate knowledge-sharing into the Microsoft Operating System. If searching for a single solution, it is possible to suggest a way forward. Most people are familiar with the Discussion Forum, such as, Web Crossing (http://www.webcrossing.com). Webcrossing now offer basic starter packages to which you can add plug-ins to suit the


http://www.communispace.com/

http://www.scientiasolutions.com/

http://www.webcrossing.com/

networks development. Perhaps these are the packages offering the shape of the future for knowledge-sharing networks looking to use technology to add value to their face-to-face networking. Webcrossing offers a series of discussions in which participants post their entries on various topics. The discussions are organized in a hierarchy of folders. Each folder can contain any number of discussions, web objects, as well as other folders. This provides for unlimited levels of topics and embedded subtopics. The system comes with a built-in chat facility, the ability to see who else is on, and instant messaging. Participants can view the outline of a discussion before looking up specific messages. They can also ask the system to take them wherever there are new postings since their last visit. They can subscribe to a discussion and receive entries by e-mail. Each discussion can be customised by the host. It can be set to be “streaming” (entries in chronological order) or “threaded” (an entry and responses to it are kept together). The header of entries can be made to show a small picture of the author. The system is fully web-enabled: each message has its own URL, which makes it easy to link to any message. Unlike many systems that rely on an external database, Webcrossing includes its own object-oriented, searchable database, where it keeps information about messages and users. Webcrossing has its own database, is fully self-contained and can run as a stand-alone product. Having its own non-standard database, however, makes it difficult to share data such as user profiles with other applications. Integration with other databases requires scripting. It comes with its own macro language for customising and adding functionality. ___________________________________________________________________ NOTES 1. Attributed to Francis Bacon 2. Community Knowledge has developed a bibliographical portal for knowledge management at: http://www.newnet.org.uk/geoffw/biblio.htm 3. Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1997) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 4. Brown, J. S. & Duguid P. (1991) Organisational Learning and Communities of Practice: Towards a Unified View of Working, Learning and Innovation Organization Science, 2 pp. 40-57
