Seminar 9 ~ Knowledge Mobilization and Transfer

7 February 2011

Dr. Alex Bielak (my apologies Alex for the late post)

Just as confused as your average grandmother, I read up quite a bit on all these knowledge-things. I ended up learning quite a bit about knowledge-translation (KT), knowledge-mobilization (KMb), knowledge-brokering (KB), or whatever other appendage you might add. And so I’d like to begin by mobilizing some of the whats, hows and wisdoms I gleaned from several broker’s stories.

• The what, who, when, how, why of KMb:
  ‘Knowledge mobilization is getting
  the right information
  to the right people
  at the right time
  in the right format
  so as to influence decision-making’ (Daryl Rock)
• KT/KB enables better connections between two worlds: research and practice, science and politics, knowledge-makers and knowledge-users, by working at the interface
• Over and over these brokers attest that establishing lasting interpersonal relationships between the two (or more?) worlds is essential and critical to success… because often the inhabitants of each are quite alien to the other… this interpersonal thread stands against the ‘old way’ of ‘trying to convince people [merely] through writing’ (Ben Levin)
• Laugh. It’s important. Really. (David Yetman)
  

Arming myself with some new (and helpful) jargon, I saw that this translating-brokering business is not new at all. I’ve been learning about learning and see considerable overlap with education. Consider the definition provided in the first point above. Is this not what good educators try to do? The purpose may be altered, or at least expanded… But like the researcher (K-maker or K-finder) needs someone (K-mobilizer) to get the K to the decision-maker (K-user), so does the scientist/ historian/ philosopher/ writer (K-maker or K-finder) need someone (K-mobilizer = educator) to get the K to the learners (K-users, K-enjoyers, K-?). Of course one person may where many K-hats. My point is that this idea is not new. And though it is not new, I think that older KMb contexts (like education) have something to learn.

In essence, there are three teams in this K-game: K-maker-finders, K-translater-mobilizers, and K-user-enjoyers. And yes this is a non-competitive, cooperative game. At least it’s supposed to be. But it doesn’t have to be boring. Let’s play.

In the following list of places, groups, etc., name each of the three teams. Depending on how you frame each, there may be more than one answer.

• Google.com
• TED Talks
• Mills Library
• Your high school
• The Toronto Raptors
• The Hamilton Spectator
• A walk-in medical clinic
• Community water resource development project
  

Now that we’ve generalized this to many K-contexts… could we generalize it further? Say, by replacing K with… food? There are certainly food-makers, food-mobilizers, and food-users. How about entertainment? Fashion? The arts? Or something terrible, like terror? … Discoverer-Generators, Translator-Mobilizers, User-Enjoyers.

As I write, I think these categories will help me to play this K-game well… to know my role and do it well, and to understand the role and needs of the other teams. Perhaps even as I develop my research plans and return to Kenya to work with the Il Ngwesi communities.

Jesse