The document discusses how knowledge management (KM) can help professional communities through the sharing of knowledge. It provides examples of how social media and online networks helped spread knowledge during the Tunisian revolution in 2011. Specifically, it describes how Tunisians used Twitter to organize and share updates and information with over 28,000 tweets per hour. The document argues that KM projects in the Middle East must focus on people and knowledge flows rather than just technology. It provides examples of professional networks in the region like MENAME for evaluation professionals and an online teacher network in Ras Al Khaimah.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf(CBTL), Business strategy case study
KM as a Practical Solution for Professional Communities
1. KM as a Practical Solution for
Professional Communities
Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar
Director
EduEval Educational Services
UAE
www.edueval.com
Research Findings:
Learning from Real Cases
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2. Professional Community
Professionalism Community
Rooted in specialized Rooted in caring, &
knowledge support
Focused on serving Requires mutual
specific needs responsibility within a group
Service industry Self-governing
A professional learning community, focus on
learning rather than on teaching, work
collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for
results
Richard Dufour
Characteristics of Professional
Learning Communities
1. Shared values and vision
2. Collective responsibility
◦ Inclusive membership
3. Focused collaboration
◦ Mutual trust, respect, and support
4. Individual and collective professional
learning
Openness and partnership
5. Reflective professional inquiry
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3. Characteristics of Success
Shared Focus
Sharing leadership with a focus on
„bridging‟ relationships, on processes and
on actions
Collaborative work
◦ Joint work with purpose
◦ Joint planning and dialogue
◦ Active participation
Technology is a Tool
5 Steps in KM for Organizations
1. Capturing knowledge
2. Storing knowledge
3. Processing knowledge
4. Sharing knowledge
5. Using knowledge
(Seng et al., 2002)
Steps 1-3: Technology assists
Steps 4-5: People access & interact w/ system
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4. Technology is a Tool
When knowledge management
projects are managed from a
technical perspective rather than on
the flow of people and knowledge,
they will fail!
Scarbrough, 2003
The Twitter Revolution
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5. Example: Tunisia‟s Revolution
Shared Focus: Liberated from current
government
Goal: “Degage” ZABA & RCD
◦ Measurable outcome 1: ZABA gone
◦ Measurable outcome 2: RCD gone
◦ Measureable outcome 3: Free elections
Community
Tunisians in rural areas
Tunisians in capital city
Tunisian Diaspora
◦ France
◦ Morocco
◦ Germany
◦ Canada
◦ USA
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6. Challenges
Disconnected
Regionalism amongst Tunisians
Multilingual
Censorship
Access to information
National silence
Questions on accurate information
Etc…..
Knowledge Sharing
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7. Knowledge Sharing: Tweet Tweet
Physical
◦ Started in Sidi Bouzid in Dec 2010
◦ Moved into Hammamet & Sfax
◦ Entered the Capital
Online
◦ Sharing through social media
◦ Mobile picture upload: Facebook
◦ Video uploads:YouTube: & Dailymotion
Sharing
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8. Knowledge Sharing Instructions
Tweeting Tunisia
28,000 tweets / hour with #sidibouzid
since Dec. 27 (NDItech)
2 hrs after the 1st report that ZABA left Tunisia:
◦ 28 tweets/s (100,800/hour)
◦ +196K tweets mentioning Tunisia
◦ +103K tweets w/ #sidibouzid
◦ 26 million Twitter users reached
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9. Twitter taught me everything about
the momentous events in Tunisia: the
uprising has been hashtagged
Mona Eltahawy
Egyptian-born award-winning columnist &
public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues
Media Silence
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10. Media Silence
Al Jazeera News
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11. Top Sites shared on Twitter
1. facebook.com
2. bbc.co.uk
3. guardian.co.uk
4. youtube.com
5. english.aljazeera.net
6. liveword.ca
7. nytimes.com
8. cnn.com
9. twitpic.com
10. news.yahoo.com
Mainstream Media: Playing Catch Up
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13. Sharing Videos: 5,300 Sidibouzid
Increased access to Information
Belha: Studied Political Science in Brussels
& returned to Tunisia in 2009
Translated Wikileaked U.S. State
Department documents on Tunisia from
English to Arabic & French
Posted to Facebook
1 week: 170,000 readers
1 month: Authorities to delete the page
Community spread information
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14. #Sidibouzid: Arabic to English
Critical information
"Tunisia Telecom announces free calls to
emergency numbers whether landlines
or cell phones" (@karim2k)
LAC two helicopters are circling and
scanning the area. They seem to be
looking for people on foot. Keep a sharp
lookout." (@_lamias)
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15. Requests & Instructions
Dear journalists, situation in Tunisia is
tragic Please help! Follow #sidibouzid
we're on the edge of chaos!
"Don't post pictures of the army or
their location!!! It helps the looters to
organize themselves”
Specialists & Credibility
Weddady; activist & Outreach Director,
American Islamic Congress
Slim404; Web activist
Yasmineryan; Al Jazeera journalist
Emnabenjemaa; Tunisian journalist
Monaeltahawy; World Columnist and
public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues
Brian Whitaker; Former ME editor, The
Guardian
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16. Ethical Code of Conduct
Nawaat received dozen videos per day
and only published ones that he could
authenticate
"to give a little more credibility to the
news and rumors flying around."
Spread tweets from “eyewitness
testimony of people I know on the field."
Disagreement & Critique
To its credit Le Monde has been covering
the #Sidibouzid very critically and
vigorously http://bit.ly/hoSN5R #media
RT @nmoawad: We got carried away
with twitter rumors! There is no #coup
in #Tunisia. Not this morning at least. But
keep rooting for #sidibouzid ...
Why is #TTN not covering the press
conference of Prime Nimister
Ghannouchi !? #Tunisia
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17. KM is about Social Processes
They called it the jasmine revolt, Sidi
Bouzid revolt, Tunisian revolt… but
there is only one name that does
justice to what is happening in the
homeland:
Social Media Revolution
Flow of People & Information
KM in the Middle East Lesson?
Youthful population adept with
technology
Cultural predisposition to share
Networks are organic
Motivation for KM is strong
Cultivating KM for professional purpose
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18. KM in the Middle East Lesson?
Technology Trap
Information system
Networking system
Web 2.0
Example: MENAME
Middle East and North African
Monitoring and Evaluation
Professional Network
Gap & Need
Informal LinkedIn Group
34 members to date
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19. Example: MENAME
IDEAS conference: Jordan (http://www.mename.org/)
Workshop: MENA Evaluation Experiences
& Networks
The IsDB Evaluation Experience in Some MENA Countries and
Economic Development Sectors
Representation and Participation of MENA M&E Practitioners in
the Online M&E Professional Groups
Professionalizing Monitoring and Evaluation in MENA
The MENA Evaluation Network in Action
Egypt Initiative to Institutionalize M&E Efforts
Challenges to Evaluating Development in Egypt: Towards Building
Networks & Professionalizing Evaluation
Example:
171 members
35 subgroups: 2-25 members
145 discussions
Group leader: Anna
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20. Mission Statement
Mission: Enable educators to collaborate,
share knowledge and support one another
All teachers within RAK are welcome to
join, ….
Process
Private firm built network & manage
content on social networking platform
Teachers across the school system
Real-time virtual environment
Helps teachers:
◦ Find resources
◦ Understand Web 2.0
◦ Share best practices
◦ Feel connected (rural)
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21. Teacher in Network
Cultivating Network Learning
Communities
Networking with purpose
Focused goals
Measureable objectives
Relational trust
then Collaboration
Conflict & disagreement
Questioning & Clarification
Celebration and Direction
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