What is KM?

Knowledge management (KM) is the systematic process of collecter et conserver les connaissances, et y connecter les gens and to each other, so they can work more effectively and efficiently.

It is based on people, processes, and technology but is inherently a social science that focuses most on people and the way they interact and share knowledge with each other. When applying KM in family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) and other global health programs, the people of focus are the global health workforce members who are working to address and solve health problems. These can include program and organization staff at different levels of the health system and across different geographic areas, global health networks, and the broader global health community.

When global health workforce members share what they know, and can find what they need, programs are able to reach their full potential and avoid repeating costly mistakes. This means better outcomes for individuals, communities, and health systems.

Explore the KM Training Package

Common Challenges that KM Can Support

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Surcharge d'options et d'informations : For some global health workforce members, the sheer volume of available resources can be overwhelming, making it difficult to identify the most relevant and reliable information.

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Lack of Information: While information overload is common, some other global health workforce members still face obstacles of having too little information, whether it be because of limited infrastructure like reliable access to the internet or because they are shut out of the knowledge cycle due to inequitable knowledge sharing systems.

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Informations complexes et inaccessibles : Information is often presented in ways that are hard to understand, creating barriers for users who need clear, concise, and actionable data and information.

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Barrières d'accès : Les paywalls, les barrières linguistiques et d’autres obstacles empêchent de nombreuses personnes d’accéder aux informations critiques.

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Données obsolètes et non spécifiques : De nombreuses ressources manquent d’informations spécifiques au contexte ou sont basées sur des données obsolètes, ce qui réduit leur utilité.

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Aperçus limités sur l’inefficacité : There is a shortage of information on what strategies do ne pas work in family planning and reproductive health, hindering the ability to learn from past mistakes.

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Manque de coordination et de partage systématique : L’absence d’efforts coordonnés et de partage systématique d’informations conduit à des connaissances fragmentées et à des inefficacités dans le domaine.

What Do KM Solutions Look Like?

KM solutions can take on different forms depending on people’s needs and the challenges you’re trying to solve.

As shown in the KM Tools and Techniques matrix on the right, KM solutions can focus on:

Bringing people together to interroger questions and elicit tacit knowledge — or the know-how in people’s heads
Conveying knowledge (or telling it) to defined groups of people
Publishing et searching approaches to share explicit knowledge and allow people to pull the information they need, when they need it

Knowledge SUCCESS’s KM initiatives use a mix of these KM tools and techniques to engage the FP/RH workforce’s diverse learning preferences and knowledge needs.

Explore some of our key KM initiatives below.

Collecting and organizing knowledge:

Connecting people to each other and to knowledge:

Strengthening capacity and resources for KM:

We also host regional KM workshops for FP/RH professionals working in Asia and East and West Africa.

Integrating KM into FP/RH Programs

FP/RH programs can use the five-step KM Road Map to integrate KM into their programs and operations. This systematic process helps to strategically generate, collect, analyze, synthesize, and share knowledge in global health programs, including FP/RH, and focuses on KM as a process, not just a single product or activity.

Évaluer les besoins: Comprendre le contexte du défi du programme de santé mondiale et identifier comment la gestion des connaissances peut aider à le résoudre.

Stratégie de conception: Planifiez comment améliorer votre programme de santé mondiale à l'aide d'interventions de gestion des connaissances.

Créer et itérer: Utilisez de nouveaux outils et techniques de gestion des connaissances ou adaptez ceux qui existent déjà pour répondre aux besoins de votre programme de santé mondiale.

Mobiliser et surveiller: Mettez en œuvre des outils et des techniques de gestion des connaissances, surveillez leurs effets et adaptez vos approches et vos activités pour répondre à l'évolution des besoins et des réalités.

Évaluer et évoluer: Expliquez dans quelle mesure vous avez atteint vos objectifs de gestion des connaissances, identifiez les facteurs qui ont contribué ou entravé votre réussite et utilisez ces résultats pour influencer la programmation future.

Learn more about this process in our Guide pour créer de meilleurs programmes, or get a quick overview in the companion KM Pocket Guide.

What is Equitable KM?

Le travail de santé et de développement mondiaux implique une communauté diversifiée d'individus et d'organisations travaillant vers des objectifs communs. Les groupes les plus efficaces pour atteindre ces objectifs ont mis en place des systèmes pour partager régulièrement des connaissances essentielles, obtenir un accès immédiat aux dernières recherches et traduire les leçons apprises en meilleurs programmes.

Equity is a key consideration in KM systems and processes, in addition to each step within the KM Road Map. Equitable KM is achieved when everyone has the informations, opportunités, compétences et ressources j'avais besoin de définir et participer dans le cycle de la connaissance.

This happens when there is an absence of unfair, avoidable, and remediable différences dans la création, l'accès, le partage et l'utilisation des connaissances entre groupes de membres du personnel de santé.

There are four essential elements to consider when reflecting on the equity of your KM tool or technique.

Is it available to all members of your intended audience?
Is it accessible to everyone at no or reasonable cost and consistent with their needs, including format, technology, language, and timing?
Is it acceptable, in that it is respectful of culture and sensitive or responsive to people’s identities and does not reinforce inequitable gender and other power dynamics?
Is it high quality – that is accurate, up-to-date, unbiased, and relevant?