Knowledge Management for Development Journal
Vol 10, No 1 (2014)
http://journal.km4dev.org/journal/index.php/km4dj/index

Designing knowledge management interventions in agricultural research for development
Simone Staiger-Rivas, Sophie Bertha Alvarez, José Antonio Arana, Fanny Howland, Flavia Cunha, Brayan Valencia, Armando Muñoz, Karina Feijoo
Abstract
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT, its Spanish acronym) developed a methodology by which its research programs and projects can design knowledge management (KM) plans according to impact pathways. For 2 years, the KM group of the Center’s Decision and Policy Analysis Research Area applied concepts of Theory of Change (ToC) to four pilot projects to identify, design, and implement appropriate KM interventions and derive lessons.
The article first presents the Center’s own ToC for KM, highlighting thematic areas and tools by which KM can contribute directly to desired impact and research results. KM interventions for each of the four projects are discussed, drawing on five lessons learned. These dealt with (1) the benefits of using ToC, (2) KM’s contribution to organizational strengthening and partnerships, (3) importance of integrating the knowledge manager into the scientific team, (4) opportune use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and (5) KM’s role as the connecting element between administration, coordination, and research.

Analyzing knowledge profiles as a tool for the building of organizational knowledge
Monika Roper
Abstract
Knowledge management instruments should ensure exchange processes between knowledge producers, providers and users. The present article analyses and compares the application of knowledge inventories, designed to support the transfer and conversion of individual into collective knowledge. Each inventory consists of several knowledge profiles by which knowledge is collected, analyzed, documented and made accessible in a compact and rapid form. The profiles are generated through individual or collective interviews with the participants if the knowledge area to be inventoried.
This knowledge profiles are adapted from an approach developed by GTZ and IFAD (2009) for international development cooperation projects. The present paper makes a comparative analysis of the use of this instrument in for knowledge management initiatives in environmental policies and projects in Brazil. The institutional context of this area is characterized by a great diversity of actors and different visions and requirements for knowledge management. Institutionalization processes are still very recent, leading to high staff turnover and many cases of knowledge loss. In this context, approaches that focus on individuals as knowledge carriers are particularly suitable to introduce knowledge management concepts.
The comparative analysis of the application of knowledge inventories shows that a very simple instrument can be helpful to build up institutional knowledge based on the experiences and perceptions of those directly involved. In addition, quality gains can be added to the process when future users of the knowledge are directly involved in the compilation of the inventories.