Collaborative Culture?

Knowledge Management in Canadian Health:

Improving knowledge translation by embracing complexity.

Thom KearneyMGMT5001

"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it. “

Samuel Johnson (Boswell's Life of Johnson)

Agenda

• Health information in Canada• Key concepts: – Knowledge creations funnel– Complex adaptive systems

• Opportunities for solutions (problems)• Embracing the complexity• A personal example

Canadian Health system overview

NWTYukonNunavut PEILess than 1% pop

Quebec

Ontario23-40% popSaskatchewan Newfoundland

and Labrador

ManitobaNova Scotia

New Brunswick

1-5 % pop

British Columbia Alberta

10-15 % pop

Federal Healthcare Partnership

Less than 1% pop

Health Canada

PHAC

CanadianForces CIC

RCMP

Corrections

VAC

Federal Influence

Infoway

CIHI

CIHR

HC

PHAC

Jurisdictions

Knowledge Action Cycle

Knowledge Creation Funnel

Bottle Neck

Complex adaptive systemComponents

• Self organization• Emergence• Relationships• Feedback• Adaptability• Non-Linearity

Individuals using simple rules, acting for their own reasons create an adaptive system.

Interactions, relationships within the context of the network result in dynamic knowledge sharing. (Robeson, 2009)

Opportunities for solutions

• Knowledge translation takes too long. Especially creating knowledge tools

• Resources are limited and jurisdictions tend to do the same sorts of things (duplication is bad)

• Knowledge is leaving for the golf course

Embrace the complexity

Employ social technologies:• Connect all health professionals in Canada• No personal health data• Open and closed groups of all types• Multiple layers of security and veracity• Make it easy to join, easy to share

Design for the six components of a complex adaptive system: Self organization Emergence Relationships

Feedback Adaptability Non-Linearity

Example

Conclusion

• Social technologies can help with knowledge translation in health.

• Culture will take time to change, social technologies encourage sharing and trust

• Critical mass matters, go big or go home.

ST&E

HealthPolicy?

Shared platform

Shared BenefitsEfficiency and focusInteroperabilityConnectednessShared knowledgeAccessAgility

Shared TechnologyCommon profileStandard xmlOpen development

Governance – basic enablement and standards. National scope with connections