Catalysing exchange and dissemination

When relevant knowledge is shared, it can influence others, inform debate, raise awareness, and change practice. Knowledge sharing through effective exchange and dissemination can enable organisations to more effectively fulfil their missions, avoid duplicating efforts and develop common agendas for change.

Understanding challenges 

However, communication can also be a tool of power and not of empowerment. There is a need to explore the politics of knowledge and how this impacts capacity building. There is also a need to understand the barriers to communication, especially to south-south and south-north communication and communication across sectors.

Ultimately what is produced and shared through communication must respond to needs, but how consistently are these needs assessed and how can we bring supply closer to demand?

Mechanisms and flows of communication

Virtual networking and information exchange, facilitated by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), provides a great opportunity for improving the effectiveness of mechanisms for sharing and disseminating capacity building approaches. This should be balanced with the need to:

  • maintain face-to-face communication
  • be realistic about the quality of ICT infrastructure in many transitional and developing countries
  • ensure that the access to information is equitable.

This includes the effectiveness of mechanisms such as communities of practice and action learning networks for sharing and building knowledge about approaches to organisational capacity building equitably.

Impact of language, style and presentation

The format in which an approach or model is documented and shared has a significant impact on whether that approach is successfully implemented. The challenge is to develop forms of communication which are accessible and relevant to a wide audience. These should have a format, style and language to allow approaches to organisational capacity building to be effectively distributed. These should communicate across cultures and contexts, possibly by using a mixture of traditional and modern forms of expression.