Conference Objectives

• Explore current issues and practices in knowledge management and their implications for public health in Canada.
• Examine the fundamental: culture, content, processes and technology.
• Network with leaders and change agents in knowledge management and public health.

Themes and Definitions

Culture

Culture comprises the often unspoken but shared assumptions that guide the daily behaviour of people in organizations. It is the "why" that underlies what is done; the beliefs, traditions, habits, and values influencing the behaviour of the majority of the people in a social ethnic group.

Content

Content is the knowledge to be managed. Knowledge can be described in two categories – "explicit knowledge" (things we can write down, share with others and put into a database) and "tacit knowledge" (know how, experience, insights and intuition). Managing content ensures that users receive quality information that is relevant, up to date, accurate, easily accessible, and well organized.

Process

This addresses "how" knowledge is passed from one person to another – created, shared and transferred. Processes to manage data and information exist in all organizations in a variety of forms ranging from formal to informal. Collaborative networks or "Communities of Practice" are an emerging process of interest.

Technology

Technology helps transform data to information, knowledge and wisdom. Technology to manage knowledge, especially explicit knowledge, is an essential part of a successful Knowledge Management strategy; it responds to the knowledge needs of staff, partners and clients by using appropriate technology to offer easy access to information when and where it's needed.