Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK
Global trends in knowledge sharing technologies
Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
Eldis Anniversary Workshop
15 September 2016, Brighton, United Kingdom
Every year the debates and discussion about ‘Knowledge Sharing’ and ‘Knowledge Management’ increase as our organisations become more complex. Based on the assumption that knowledge must be widely disseminated and freely accessible to have an impact, sharing and managing knowledge seem to open up new and varied avenues to be explored in the direction of sustainability. Knowledge sharing is constantly being challenged by factors such as the increasing number of knowledge workers, the globalisation of work and the recognition of information as an enterprise asset. Technology is a key enabler for KM and will shape the future of knowledge sharing within the organisation; however it could also be a major distraction to KM framework development. Digital technologies in particular have spread rapidly (such as the Internet, mobile phones, etc) and therefore deploying the appropriate technologies in alignment with the adopted operating models is very important aspect of the overall success of any knowledge sharing platform. The seminar aims to develop an overall awareness of the latest technology tools, trends and the various options to support KM frameworks and knowledge sharing activities within organisations. These latest and best-in-class technologies must be designed in alignment with the local needs and capabilities of the organisation drivers and international best practices. The presentation will also lay out the issues of the knowledge divide and demonstrate the need for a new partnership to bridge this gap. In particular, improve development practice by promoting changes in the way the development sector approaches the selection, management and use of knowledge in the formation and implementation of its policies and programmes. For many years since the discovery of the Internet, the expectation that the Internet would facilitate scientific information flow does not seem to be realisable, owing to restrictive subscription fees of the high-quality sources and the beleaguering inequality in access and use of the Internet and other ICT resources. It is hoped that the lecture will be a good opportunity for students, researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, knowledge managers and the public to reflect on their use, management and sharing of knowledge. New perspectives on how these can be improved to better serve their goals will be developed. The seminar will provides some conclusions and recommendations for policy makers to explore some of the opportunities from the digital revolution in sharing and managing knowledge to achieve sustainable development.