26-November-2020
- Tell me about one of your recent memorable KM experiences
One of the benefits and challenges of knowledge management (KM) is capturing, documenting, and sharing institutional knowledge throughout the organization. In IDEV, we facilitate that by conducting independent evaluations and sharing that evaluative knowledge, which significantly benefits the organization—not in reinventing the wheel, but in planning and delivering development activities to the highest standards. The organization can learn so much with existing knowledge if harvested and appropriately shared. Therefore, earlier this year, I had the privilege of working with two IDEV colleagues, Foday Turay and Eneas Gakusi, as they wind up their careers with the African Development Bank. Their last evaluations were the: Evaluation of the AfDB’s Self-Evaluation Systems and Processes; Synthesis Report on the Validation of the 2016 and 2017 Project Completion Reports; and the Evaluation of the AfDB’s Role in Increasing Access to Finance in Africa. I enjoyed the teamwork and institutional knowledge shared, especially their insights on how the Bank’s strategies and policies translate into overall development effectiveness. As I parted ways with them, I am reminded of the Swahili proverb, “milima haikutani lakini binadamu hukutana" - meaning "mountains never meet, but people always meet." Thanking them for their professionalism and friendship until we meet again.
- What do you do before developing any knowledge product?
Have a good understanding of the objective of the product. For example, for the evaluation reports, the engagement with the evaluation team starts at the inception of the evaluation. First, it is very important to establish the knowledge need for that product. Who is the audience for it, and what are their knowledge needs? Second, I establish how best to share that knowledge, the format, channels, and when to share it. Therefore, reinforcing the relevance, timeliness, and credibility of the evaluations.
- What is the most important lesson you learned from a recent knowledge product you have developed?
Engagement with various stakeholders is essential. We know this, but putting it into practice is always a challenge. A lesson that I learned recently is drawn from the Evaluation of the AfDB’s Role in Increasing Access to Finance in Africa. Establishing trust and good relationships with the various stakeholders helps throughout the evaluation cycle—from gathering data to participation in the reference groups, and eventually in sharing the evaluation findings and recommendations. This evaluation experience was also noticed by some members of the Board, who praised the quality of the report and the engagement with operations colleagues.
Stakeholder engagement was one of the areas for improvement identified by the Independent Peer Review of IDEV conducted in 2018. More robust engagement with Bank management and stakeholders is a recommendation that IDEV took seriously. We are currently recruiting five new staff members that will be dedicated to fostering engagement with the various stakeholders. This should strengthen engagement and consultation with the Bank’s management and various stakeholders throughout the evaluation cycle and increase the utility and use of evaluations.
- What should a knowledge manager avoid doing?
Allow me to flip the question on its head and focus on the positive of what a knowledge manager should be doing. That is what we should be emulating. A knowledge manager needs to be visible or the go-to person in a team since they are the champion of leveraging knowledge in the department or organization. They act as the supervisor on tasks related to processing knowledge. The responsibilities of the knowledge manager will evolve as the institutionalization of KM develops within the organization. Their role will depend on what the KM focus of the organization is at that given time. Who does it focus on, and for what end? For example, in the Bank’s Knowledge Management Strategy (KMS) for 2015-2020, the objective is to raise the Bank’s development effectiveness through knowledge solutions for Africa’s transformation by focusing on two pillars: enhancing the effectiveness of the Bank’s operations to address Africa’s pressing development needs; and strengthening the quality of the Bank’s policy dialogue, advisory services, and involvement in the development debate. That objective guides IDEV’s KM focus. Therefore, my role as a knowledge manager is to ensure that evaluation knowledge is systematically captured, shared, utilized, and applied to enhance the Bank's development effectiveness. I manage these knowledge processes. How? By developing and implementing a KM Strategy for IDEV, which entails: identifying, facilitating, and measuring evaluative knowledge; fostering learning from evaluations; designing and implementing KM methods and approaches; developing knowledge products like evaluation reports and our magazine Evaluation Matters; securing funding for KM initiatives; and many other activities, but these are the main ones.
- How can we strengthen KM practice?
The Chief Economist/VP for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management (ECVP) has overall mandate for corporate KM, and I understand they are currently preparing the next KMS for 2021-2025. The current KMS has a strong recognition of the demand from Regional Member Countries (RMCs) for knowledge solutions to address their pressing development needs. We need to strengthen the complementarity of lending operations and knowledge to meet the development needs of RMCs as they use knowledge to enhance their competitiveness, productivity, and innovation.
I think we also need to revisit the institutional structure that supports knowledge sharing. Look at resources and tools needed to foster sharing of tacit and explicit knowledge adequately. Also, in fostering a knowledge sharing culture, the organization must address the issue of incentives and rewards.
Most of us are knowledge workers; therefore, I hope to see KM roles well defined in the next Bank KM Strategy. The KM governance and accountability issues need to be addressed at that level. One positive step is that the KM Committee that was established in 2013 was reinstated this year. The Committee is a cross-complex group with the primary purpose to coordinate the management and dissemination of knowledge activities and processes systematically and effectively. This is a good start.
- How do you think KM will evolve?
Often, KM's technology element gets hyped up, and KM programs in organizations that purely focus on that, get criticized for neglecting the people and processes pillars. Finding the balance between the three KM pillars is always tricky, but it is important. I currently see many benefits of technology related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The complementarity between KM and AI could be beneficial on two fronts. First, KM allows the understanding of knowledge to occur. Second, AI provides the capabilities to effectively do KM by identifying, creating, expanding, using, codifying, and sharing that knowledge in innovative and creative ways. Another way of looking at AI is that mundane work could be automated, and the knowledge worker can focus on the more meaningful work. Therefore, the Bank needs to embrace AI.
- What changes will we see?
We do not work in a bubble. We must be mindful of what is happening around us. Currently, the world is experiencing the most fundamental crisis in a generation that will change the way we live, work, and learn. Like in any crisis, some opportunities present themselves. Here is a chance to make a compelling case for KM in developing the critical knowledge that relates to the Bank’s mission and results. How do we prepare the Bank and African countries to respond to emergencies by employing specific KM methods, tools, and technology in developing critical knowledge to lay the groundwork to come out of this pandemic?
In post-COVID knowledge management, a few terms come to mind – foresight (futures thinking), innovation, and co-creation. The Bank must get better at all of these.
- What do you like the most in your job?
In my job, I enjoy playing multiple roles. For example, in addition to knowledge management, I had the privilege of getting the Evaluation Capacity Development program of IDEV going. In this role for four years, I combined my experience in KM, capacity development, and evaluation by establishing the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE) and the Evaluation Platform for Regional African Development Institutions (EPRADI) and implementing the Strengthening of National Evaluation Systems in Africa project. I enjoyed working with policy and decision-makers, M&E practitioners, academia, national evaluation associations, donors, partners, etc.
In this job, I also enjoy learning from others. With the right attitude, there is so much to learn. For example, about a year ago, I reached out to the World Bank team to learn from their behavioral science experience. In 2015, the World Bank’s Mind, Behavior, and Development Unit (eMBed) Team was established and has an impressive portfolio of projects supporting and guiding government entities on how best to integrate behavioral science in their policy work. I am interested in this work. I am currently enrolled in an executive program with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on behavioral insights for public policy. This course is also quite timely. The COVID-19 crisis presents an opportunity to introduce behavioral insights into how we do our work. As a development financial institution, the Bank could greatly benefit from embracing behavioral insights in designing and implementing our policies and strategies. A post-COVID-19 world requires that we do development differently. A critical mass of like-minded people in the AfDB is needed to drive this work. I am nudging colleagues to take an interest in behavioral science. Wish me luck.