6 research outputs found
Using developmental evaluation methods with communities of practice
Purpose
This research explored the use of developmental evaluation methods with community of
practice programmes experiencing change or transition to better understand how to target
support resources.
Design / methodology / approach
The practical use of a number of developmental evaluation methods was explored in three
organisations over a nine month period using an action research design. The research was a
collaborative process involving all the company participants and the academic (the author)
with the intention of developing the practices of the participants as well as contributing to
scholarship.
Findings
The developmental evaluation activities achieved the objectives of the knowledge managers
concerned: they developed a better understanding of the contribution and performance of
their communities of practice, allowing support resources to be better targeted. Three
methods (fundamental evaluative thinking, actual-ideal comparative method and focus on
strengths and assets) were found to be useful. Cross-case analysis led to the proposition that
developmental evaluation methods act as a structural mechanism that develops the discourse
of the organisation in ways that enhance the climate for learning, potentially helping develop
a learning organization.
Practical implications
Developmental evaluation methods add to the options available to evaluate community of
practice programmes. These supplement the commonly used activity indicators and impact
story methods.
2
Originality / value
Developmental evaluation methods are often used in social change initiatives, informing
public policy and funding decisions. The contribution here is to extend their use to
organisational community of practice programmes
Pictures of knowledge management: developing a method for analysing knowledge metaphors in visuals
Knowledge management (KM) is difficult to pin down. It means different things in different organisations. The deliberate use of metaphors has been used to communicate what KM is about. This metaphorical communication can be even more enriched using visual as well as language mechanisms: âa picture paints a thousand wordsâ suggests we can capture more resonances of a complex subject like KM through visuals than through a description alone. In addition, visuals are perceived to transcend the limitations of language, which can be an obstacle to communication. Yet, no method currently exists that we can use to identify KM metaphors used in visuals. This paper describes our search for a method to analyse metaphors used in visuals about knowledge management. Our objective was threefold: 1) identifying new metaphors for KM in visuals that can enrich KM theorizing, 2) developing a way to identify which visuals are the most powerful in
communicating KM theory, and 3) improving the use of visuals as a way of assessing students studying KM. We found that analysing metaphors used in KM visuals is possible using a method that focuses on the dominant metaphors in a visual