Knowledge Management for Development Organizations: European Workshop

Strategies, Policies, and Technologies

A workshop co-organized by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Deutsche Gesellschaft f�r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the Bellanet International Secretariat.

DATES: June 26-28, 2000

WHERE: Institute for Development Studies (IDS), Brighton, UK

In an era of rapid globalization, there is a common concern within the international development community about the effective management of organizational knowledge. Often referred to as "Knowledge Management", KM is a concept that has evolved from the private sector in the context of the emergent knowledge economy. Based on the assumption that knowledge is the foundation for equitable and sustainable development, KM has recently become a top priority for key decision-makers in the development milieu.

But what is Knowledge Management? And how can your organization benefit from it? While there exists increasing interest in the concept of KM, there is also great uncertainty about what it really means and how to go about it.

The Knowledge Management � Implications and Applications for Development Organizations workshop, held in Washington from February 2-4 2000, gathered some 38 participants from 18 international development organizations. This very successful workshop allowed participants to share their KM experiences and learn from each other.

OBJECTIVES FOR A EUROPEAN WORKSHOP:

• To broaden the community of actors from the development community seeking to understand and to implement knowledge management strategies within their organizations
• To increase understanding of the potential of knowledge management as a strategic tool for development agencies
• To validate and to expand on the results of the Washington KM workshop
  

FOCUS AND ISSUES:

The workshop will have a focus on European experience and expertise while taking advantage of expertise and lessons learned from the DC KM workshop, by inviting presentations from some of the most effective speakers from the first workshop and combining them with presentations from KM experts from European organizations.

Some of the issues which will be covered are:

• Understanding KM
• Developing KM organizational models, approaches and strategies
• Building a knowledge culture
• Assessing knowledge systems
• Knowledge networking
  

DESIRABLE OUTPUTS:

• The establishment of a Knowledge Management for Development Organizations �Community of Practice� that would seek to create both a resource and a meeting space for development professionals engaged in Knowledge Management issues

• The production of a �guide� to Knowledge Management for Development Organizations that would serve as an introduction to KM as it relates to development organizations, to offer pointers for pursuing KM in more depth, and to profile existing models within development organizations that are already implementing KM strategies

• A plan for extending the Development Knowledge Management community into the South, with options for conducting further Knowledge Management workshops in developing countries
  

ORGANIZATIONS AND PARTICIPANTS:

20-25 organizations, 40-50 participants

FROM WHICH ORGANIZATIONS:

• Bilaterals: BMZ, CIDA, DFID, DGIS, DANIDA, NORAD, SDC, SIDA, USAID, Foreign Affairs Ministries of Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, and others
• Multilaterals: EC, FAO, IFAD, ILO, ITU, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, WHO, World Bank, and others
• Research / Other: British Council, GTZ, HIVOS, IDRC, IDS, IRB
  

WHO SHOULD BE THERE:

This workshop is designed for KM policy makers, as well as program and technical decision-makers, including:

• Knowledge Managers
• MIS Managers
• Internet/Intranet Managers
• Information Managers
• Communications Managers
• Program Staff supporting such activities in developing countries