Difference between revisions of "Knowledge Management and Transfer for Microenergy Systems – Crossing Borders Worldwide"
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<div>In this last example from Peru, the ineffective implementation of solar panels in overgrown fields served as the information that was not managed or transfer. Again, a refocusing on a positive setting to discuss all aspects of projects including worst mistakes was made to provide incentives for a team to talk through problems as oppose to punishment. There is also additional emphasis on the shared benefits gained by the entire organization in discussing and problem solving internal failures.</div><div><br/></div> | <div>In this last example from Peru, the ineffective implementation of solar panels in overgrown fields served as the information that was not managed or transfer. Again, a refocusing on a positive setting to discuss all aspects of projects including worst mistakes was made to provide incentives for a team to talk through problems as oppose to punishment. There is also additional emphasis on the shared benefits gained by the entire organization in discussing and problem solving internal failures.</div><div><br/></div> | ||
==== Challenges ==== | ==== Challenges ==== | ||
− | <div>For the GIZ, knowledge is the product and service provided and not material object as with a manufacturing firm. This includes the management and transfer of knowledge regarding what is and is not successful in the field. Accompanying this is the storage and sharing of knowledge collected. Up until recently, this was a major challenge as the expertise would often be out in the field or occupied and unavailable. However, with a new information management system that uses a wiki, access to documenting knowledge, reviewing, editing, and sharing is now available to anyone. Not only is there an opportunity for comprehensive collection and storage of information, the collaborative process allows for planning, and also management of info through areas that are restricted or open to public access. The challenge is incorporating the information management system into daily routines, and also facilitating the use of the tool for users who are not adept with technology.</div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div></div> | + | <div>For the GIZ, knowledge is the product and service provided and not material object as with a manufacturing firm. This includes the management and transfer of knowledge regarding what is and is not successful in the field. Accompanying this is the storage and sharing of knowledge collected. Up until recently, this was a major challenge as the expertise would often be out in the field or occupied and unavailable. However, with a new information management system that uses a wiki, access to documenting knowledge, reviewing, editing, and sharing is now available to anyone. Not only is there an opportunity for comprehensive collection and storage of information, the collaborative process allows for planning, and also management of info through areas that are restricted or open to public access. The challenge is incorporating the information management system into daily routines, and also facilitating the use of the tool for users who are not adept with technology.</div><div><br/></div><div> |
+ | === 3)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span>Benjamin Renbenich, Connecting Knowldege for a Sustainable Future, Energypedia === | ||
+ | <div>The last presentation formally introduces the wiki tool discussed in the previous presentation. Energypedia is a means of connecting knowledge with technology, and is developed within a mother wiki. It is public and available on the web, and houses information regarding energy and energy efficiency. As a wiki, it is formatted like a website, but does not require users to have a knowledge of IT language.</div><div><br/></div><div>As a project that grew out of EnDev in 2007, Energypedia is accessed by users in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The site is available at www.energypedia.info. Recently in 2012, the project ownership and management has transitioned to a new NGO.</div><div><br/></div> | ||
+ | ==== Visions & Missions ==== | ||
+ | <div>The project envisions a world of free knowledge exchange and mutual learning on renewable energy and access to sustainable energy for all. The vision also strives to become a living platform offering relevant information and user-friendly knowledge sharing tools.</div><div><br/></div><div>As discussed earlier, the Energypedia is an interactive wiki too that allows for direct user interaction. While the tool cannot solve problems, it is useful as a knowledge sharing tool that may encourage the exchange for developing, improving or creating innovative solutions. The strengths of the tool go beyond collecting and storing information, and also dynamicly link relevant people, discussions, and themes. Virtual knowledge communities are created as a result, and provide experts and audiences to relevant topics and challenges. Since the authors are also the audiences to the topics, feedback and quality monitoring is supposedly self fulfilling in the long-term as participants will be motivated by the benefits of sharing and feedback to voluntarily continue contributions. </div><div><br/></div> | ||
+ | ==== Challenges & Opportunities ==== | ||
+ | <div>The project faces challenges in creating the right context and audience currently, which is key for a successful wiki. The success of the wiki highly depends on a strong audience with shared interests. Consequently the organization is considering an evaluation system. In the current early stages of the project, the organizers are working hard on developing and ensuring standards, and are actively “wiki gardening.” On the side, the organization is also developing itself as a fundraising and consultancy firm, which will help finance itself in the future.</div><div><br/></div><div>The organization is consistently working on measuring success and impacts by questioning usership, and what the information provided affects. </div><div><br/></div><div>The opportunities provided to this organization and project are many and varied at the moment. Accessibility is a key strength that allow for transparent, efficient, cross-border, and interdisciplinary information exchange. The ultimate success of the project will depend on the appropriate cultural, technological, and organizational conditions, in addition to attitudinal changes regarding information and technology. Currently, there are 12 to 15 other similar wikis worldwide, including an initiative at the University of Berkeley in California. What sets Energypedia apart from the others is that there are more social interactive features offered. In the long-term, managers of Energypedia foresee merging tendencies for the different wikis. There is, however, no foresight to linkages with other social media tools such Facebook.</div><div><br/></div><div> | ||
+ | === 4)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span>Discussion === | ||
+ | <div>As a result of the presentation, participants with comments and questions interacted with presenters and the facilitator. The following are some notes of the discussion that ensued, not included in the preceding summaries of the presentation.</div><div><br/></div><div>Tools such as Energypedia will fill knowledge gaps. Even organizations such as TERI have similar sites that store information. Presenters predict future challenges in the merging of the different wikis, and the long-term maintenance of quality knowledge stored on the sites. Additionally, some current challenges may still resonate in the futures such as the attitude towards sharing knowledge. Particularly among private firms or project where there is a lot of investment into preparing and developing the knowledge and information, there is limited desire to make publicly what has been discovered. Some private companies may agree to sharing information with individual agreements as is already done so with GIZ. On the contrary, some private firms may share information, and also take advantage of the public site to advertise and promote. Energypedia will restrict itself to sharing of information and no pure advertisements.</div><div><br/></div><div>There are also pressures to publish in the academic community. Some presenters viewed this as an aspect requiring change. Other opinions shared illustrated the wiki as a new portal and publishing opportunity most attractive to students. In general, there was an agreement that wikis require more integration in not only the private sector but also the academic sector. Additionally, there is interest as well a bit work on making the wiki accessible in other languages other than English, including French and Spanish.</div><div><br/></div></div></div></div> | ||
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Revision as of 09:19, 13 March 2013
Knowledge Management and Transfer for Microenergy Systems - Crossing Borders Worldwide
General Information and Introduction
This is the documentation of a session block at the Micro Perspectives for Decentralized Energy Supply 2013, International Conference, Feb. 27 - Mar. 1, 2013
In cooperation with:
Energypedia
Session facilitator:
Jonas van der Straeten, Postgraduate Program Microenergy Systems
Introduction
During the management and transfer of knowledge between diverse groups, such as academics and practicitioners, the North and South, enterprises and investors, companies and clients, and even between diverse academic disciplines, one must find a means to understanding. <o:p></o:p>
Multi-stakeholder interaction requires bridging communication borders with diverse methods and tools that either translate or determine common languages, and eventually turn theory into practice.
Challenges
Like many other processes, knowledge management and transfer is plagued with a myriad of challenges. The most basic that will be touched on in this workshop include the lack of incentives, even knowledge and communication that are foundational to communication capacities. Other challenges ranges from competition for, and confidentiality of information shared. Lastly, there is always the challenge in discerning what information is most pertinent to whom. <o:p></o:p>
Strategies
In developing communication channels and tools, is the need for strategies. Understanding what and where the right forums are for knowledge management transfer can help agents differentiate between explicit and implicit knowledge. Strategies may also help motivate practitioners and academics to contribute to knowledge sharing.<o:p></o:p>
Sessions
1)Debajit Palit, The Energy & Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
Two multi-stakeholder projects are most relevant to this session. They demonstrate micro energy systems that are closer linked to communities at a local level.
Offgrid Access System in South Asia (OASYS)
Research Questions
As a result, two questions arose to explore criteria relevant to the aforementioned knowledge gaps:
Geographical Scope & Analysis Dimensions
Research Team & Partners
Research Objectives
2)Energising Development (EnDev), Challenges of Knowledge Management, Gunnar Wegner, GIZ
Successes and Barriers to Knowledge Management & Transfer
‘Wait, I have it somewhere in my mailbox’
‘The lightening-struck inverter’
‘EnDev’s next super failure’
Challenges
3)Benjamin Renbenich, Connecting Knowldege for a Sustainable Future, Energypedia
Visions & Missions
Challenges & Opportunities
4)Discussion
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