This pre-workshop discussion was launched as a follow-up of the KM4Dev workshop survey, and as an attempt to involve all members prior to the workshop.

The initial questions were:

  • W hat are your big questions re. impact or measurement of KM initiatives?
  • Alternatively, what have you been trying to do to find out how well your KM initiative is doing?
  • How have you been able to “prove” that it has born fruit?

The 50 contributions reflect the following 5 interlinked areas:

1. Complexity: Impact of KM and KM as a complex, long-term process. Many examples, tools and methods have been shared that can help, like participatory approaches, storytelling, Social Return on Investment, process documentation etc.
2. KM efficiency and effectiveness: Versus the attempt to embrace complexity: cost effectiveness, demystification, looking at interventions, concrete obstacles. Quantitative requirements are coming from our organizations and donors. Within this topic a discussion thread is about oprganizational and donor requirements and how to meet their mostly quantitative data requirements.
3. Empowerment, KM and behavioral change. Is behavioral change our goal or is it a means or a condition for KM? KM consolidates new thinking…
4. Power: “Knowledge is power”. In the era of information overload K can be power. Collective/corporate versus individual power. K to empower people…
5. Importance of Knowledge Sharing: Share or perish, open source attitude, KS is our contribution to development.

The full summary is available at the community knowledge wiki: http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/Impact_and_M%26E_of_KM

The following is an attempt of a visual summary of this discussion: