Knowledge networks for managing innovation projects

Abstract

Innovation is important for competitiveness. It thrives on the availability of NEW public and private domain knowledge. Thus the ability to access, analyze, synthesize, share, and re-use knowledge is important. These activities grow the available pool of knowledge. It also facilitates learning from mistakes, capturing and enhancing opportunities for future innovation. Formally networking resources improves the ability of any participating enterprise to use/re-use knowledge, in a growing knowledge base. Such a "Knowledge Network" (KN)' enhances knowledge sharing between individuals, groups, and organizations in informal and formal ways. How to successfully design and deploy a successful KN is a challenge and has been researched in the past decade. It requires understanding of social processes and how people learn and share knowledge. KN management requires a proactive, systematic approach to the planning and deployment of formalized networks for knowledge creation and transfer. It includes promoting and improving conditions to cultivate informal and formal networking within a larger network of enterprises. This paper presents a refined methodology for initiating, deploying, managing and operating an Innovation Project KN within the Global Competitiveness Centre in Engineering of the Stellenbosch University. The network involves about 300 users, some 180 projects, and 50 odd generic roadmaps and resides collectively on 6 servers in 4 countries. It incorporates concepts of generic, partial and specific roadmaps, best practise, templates and examples and allows individual teams to capture knowledge about specific projects and expertise in context for later re-use.