
Relevant to: Research, Policy, Practice, General Public
Sector: Cross-sectoral
Summary: Some (loose) definitions of terms associated with the set of functions and processes at the various interfaces between knowledge, policy and practice, in the field of knowledge sharing.
The collective term for the set of functions and processes at the various interfaces between knowledge, policy and practice
A two-way exchange of knowledge about an issue, which fosters collective learning and usually involves knowledge brokers or ‘intermediaries’.
The process of ensuring that knowledge is available. It is sometimes used to describe the suite of activities from the storage of information through to its dissemination. However, with the emergence of other terms and greater differentiation between roles, it is beginning to refer more to the collection and storage of different types of knowledge so that they can be accessed when needed.
A one-way process of sharing knowledge which can be construed as more of a teacher-student relationship than other knowledge-related activities and perhaps associated with mutual exploration of an issue.
The process of translating knowledge from one format to another so that the receiver can understand it; often from specialists to non-specialists. KT is sometimes represented as a one-way, and sometimes a two-way, process
A more two-way process of sharing knowledge between different groups of people.
A two-way process that makes use of the existing stock of knowledge and co-creates new knowledge to help foster change
A process of facilitating and coordinating innovation by bringing together the different individuals and organisations and the necessary knowledge needed to exchange, recombine and co-produce knowledge.
The boundaries between these definitions are fuzzy and have significant overlap. The different functions are best considered as part of a spectrum of knowledge sharing activities. This list is not exhaustive; there are other knowledge sharing terms associated with the field of knowledge sharing, however these are the most widely used terms across sectors and geographies.