We are now presenting the survey report which explores the challenges and current practices in the monitoring and evaluation of knowledge management and knowledge brokering.  It collates and presents the responses of 68 knowledge and evaluation practitioners. Please find below a link to this survey report: KM4dev%20indicator%20survey%20report.pdf

This survey was produced in support of a workshop that was held at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), Brighton, UK on 8^th March 2013 (find the workshop report here) 

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Summary of Key findings:

A majority of survey respondents noted both a lack of organisational support and resourcing for knowledge initiatives and a lack of tools for measuring the effectiveness of knowledge management and knowledge brokering. The majority of respondents described current methods for measuring knowledge activities as inadequate, unsuitable or inefficient.

Despite the high level of interest in knowledge management and brokering and the high level of experience of respondents, only a small number of indicators were shared. The majority of respondents described the indicators used to monitor and evaluate knowledge activities as non-existent, or under developed.

Responses to a question on key challenges impeding effective M&E of knowledge management fell into three main categories:

a) Difficulties in measuring knowledge management and knowledge brokering (lack of data, lack of suitable indicators, limited best practice guidance),

b) Difficulties in attribution (tracing from activities to impact, challenges of causality) and

c) Lack of organisational support for knowledge activities (resourcing challenges, organisational priorities).

The survey asked respondents to assess the level of monitoring and evaluation of knowledge management and knowledge brokering in their organisation. Only 20% of respondents indicated that their organisation had good or strong monitoring and evaluation systems in place for knowledge management, with 67% assessing their processes as weak or non-existent. Similarly for knowledge brokering, only 19% felt their organisation had good or strong monitoring and evaluation systems in place for knowledge management, with 62% assessing their processes as weak or non-existent.

While the lack of advanced measuring of the impact of knowledge activities is a challenge, there are areas of good practice, and respondents have shared examples of frameworks and resources.

Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of those indicators already in use and to develop a greater range of appropriate indicators for the measurement of knowledge activities.