ACCELERATING NETWORKING SKILLS AMONGST JUNIOR RESEARCHERS IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONTEXT: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR A NOVICE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONER Eckson Mokoena & Martie van Deventer DMS # 152755 New Realities, Roles and Resources Internet Librarian International 2007. 8-9 October 2007 • Copthorne Tara Hotel, London
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ACCELERATING NETWORKING SKILLS AMONGST JUNIOR RESEARCHERS IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONTEXT: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR A NOVICE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONER.
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ACCELERATING NETWORKING SKILLS AMONGST JUNIOR RESEARCHERS IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONTEXT: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR A NOVICE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONER
Eckson Mokoena & Martie van DeventerDMS # 152755
New Realities, Roles and ResourcesInternet Librarian International 2007.
Performing relevant knowledge-generating research and
transferring technology and skilled human capital
Contributing to national
programme of development and fulfilling
mandate
Building and transforming
human capital
Strengthening the science and
technology base
Performing relevant knowledge-generating research and
transferring technology and skilled human capital
Contributing to national
programme of development and fulfilling
mandate
The organisation renewal activities place science and human capital development on centre stage
This project is an experiment designed to assist HR practitioners, the training department as well as Line managers with the career development and mentoring of young professionals.
The Information Service is facilitating a Web 2.0 enabled, collaborative environment in which its current key responsibilities are to facilitate the environment, to train those not familiar with the technologies and to provide appropriate information where suitable.
• Social networking relates to the media, the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other. Social media can take many different forms including text, images, audio and video. Popular social mediums include blogs, message boards, podcasts, wikis and vlogs (Melcrum, 2007)
• Social networking relates to • Collaboration• Conversation• Empowerment• Sharing• Radical trust• Wisdom of the crowds (Ojala, 2007)
• Can be an invaluable tool for systematically assessing and then intervening at critical points within an informal network.
• Powerful tool for individuals to actively shape their personal networks.
• Effective tool for promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing within important groups such as core functions of an organization, research and development departments or strategic business units.
• Provide tools for librarians and knowledge management practitioners which can help in the identification, diagnosis, and active modification of information routes.
• Has practical application in both assessing and modifying information needs and information delivery. (Cross et.al, 2002)
• Hypothesis: social networking theory could be applied in mentoring environments to effectively fast track the development of young researchers
• Facilitator• Impetus of the relationship between the young researcher, his
mentoring social network and the technology used to support the environment
• Using his knowledge of CoPs and expanding that to the blog & wiki environment
• Ensuring continued management support• Awareness creator/ trusted contributor• Wise consult … things other than subject expertise• Introducing new employees
• Gatekeeper• Published resources & people• Identify people outside to pull them into the VRE
• Trainer• Providing continuity• Structured introduction to the environment
• Identified and briefed all participants• HR• Learning Academy• Mentors• Mentees
• Established environment• IT downloaded and set up the specified software• IT maintains server and infrastructure support• CSIRIS facilitates management of the content
• Started using the tools• Based upon three questions• What did I do right today?• What mistakes did I make?• What help do I need?
References• Bourdieu, P. 1986. The forms of capital. In J.G. Richardson (Ed). Handbook of the theory and
research for the sociology of education. 241-258. New York. Greenwood.
• Caldwell, T. 2007. Who shares, wins. Information World Review. Issue 230, 23-25.
• Cross, R., Nohria,N & Parker, A. (2002) Six myth about informal networks and how to overcome them. Sloan Management Review, 2002, Spring, Vol no 3, pp 67-75
• Cross, R., Parker, A., & Borgatti S.P. (2002). Making invisible work visible: using social network analysis to support strategic collaboration. California management review, winter, Vol 44no. 2, pp 25-46
• CSIR. 2006. Good research guide. Unpublished.
• CSIR. 2006. A career in research. Unpublished.
• Godfrey, S. 2006. Partnerships and networks in new materials development. In Krause G (Ed), Creating knowledge networks: working partnerships in higher education, industry and innovation. Pp 94-126. Cape Town. HSRC Press.
• Hansen, M & Nohria, N. 2004. How to build a collaborative advantage. MIT Sloan Review, Fall, Vol 46 issue 1, pp 22-30.
• Haythornthwaite, C. (1996). Social network analysis: An approach and technique for the study of information exchange. Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois, Urban-Champaign.
• How to use media to engage employees. 2007. Melcrum publishing.
• Kristiansen, S. (2004). Social networks and business success: the role of subcultures in an African context. The American Journal of Economic and Sociology, November.
• Nahapiet, J. & Ghoshal S. 1998. Social capital, intellectual Capital and the organizational advantage. The Academy of management review. Vol. 23 no. 2, April, 242-266.
• Ojala, M. 2007. Using social networks in the real world. SAOUG workshop – Pretoria, South Africa.
• 7Van Deventer, M & Pienaar, H. (2006). Identifying requirements of a specific VRE (Virtual research environment) in a South African Context. CSIR project proposal. Unpublished.
• Van Wilgen, B. 2006. CSIR guide to a career in research. Unpublished.