Talk:Getting started on a Regional Knowledge Strategy

From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit

Advice for engaging your region in developing a Regional Knowledge Strategy

What might work

• Know your audience and speak in their language!
• Early specific engagement including personal contact; asking people how they want to be involve
• Target your initiative to address existing processes, barriers and reasons for change
• If you find 'early adopters' encourage them to stay engaged and become your advocates. Such people can promote, create awareness and communicate what your are undertaking
• Engender openness and approachability and communicate appropriately (in plain English)
• Encourage a feeling of ownership through negotiation and agreement of goals and outcomes
• Explaining 'why': e.g. less duplication and better coordination of information and knowledge; reduce chaos
• Explain what's in it/benefits (or the 'hook' for engagement). Show stakeholders where they fit into your initiative and show direction
• Honouring and respecting a diversity of views; engendering trust
• Setting the context for the development of the knowledge management strategy
• Need for broad stakeholder representation (think about all the groups of stakeholders to be involved)
• Have a clear process with timelines and responsibilities:Setclear objectives /defining boundaries
• Making the change relevant and providing a clear context
• Planning team for workshop
• Effective facilitation
• Identify participants and their specific needs and interest - setting the scene for success
• Demonstrate transparency of the process leading to policy decision/s
• Flexibility in approach
• Providing appropriate information and seeking input
• Asking "what is working well?"
• Inclusiveness
• Creating a safe environment for participation through all stages of the process
• Clear and consistent communication and provision of feedback
• Following through
• Achievable targets
• Ownership of the stakeholders
• Having a motivated champion
• Apply the ORID method (Objective, Reflective, Interpretative, Decisional)

In summary: success in engagement can involve:

• Making it relevant
• Making it interesting
• Making it fun
• Making it timely
• Making it interactive
• Making it practical
• Making for shared learning opportunities
• Moving forward with action, not just ideas

What didn't work

• Lack of early engagement leads to skepticism; very necessary to counter / need for program redesign
• Feeling of lack of ownership of the process
• Inability to see the benefits
• Lack of clarity of purpose; also lack of consistency
• Insincere consultation
• Over-consultation
• Uneven participation rate within your regional NRM body
• Consider the location of your engagement. Remembering the "tyranny of distance" can influence degree of engagement of people located in distant offices
• Telling people what to do rather than consulting; the top-down approach
• Lack of full and representative stakeholder engagement lead to disruption
• Lack of inclusion destabilises the process for the Facilitator and the stakeholders
• One size fits all approach does not work for all cases (e.g. implementation of market-based tools)
• Consulting stakeholders that are not receptive to formal consultation / consider alternative strategies and timing for engagement
• Setting unachievable timelines
• Avoid continuous change and shifting goal posts
• Aim to minimise the use of jargon and acronyms
• Giving technology the centre stage or over reliance on technology
• Watch out that the process doesn't take too long; leading to loss of respect
• check for competing obligations/competing demands for priorities
• Has there been a history of previous bad experiences with change leading to preconceived perceptions around change?
• Manage expectations: are there unrealistic expectations about time/resources/outcomes?