Integral Knowledge Creation and Innovation

Empowering Knowledge Communities

Elizabeth Mamukwa

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780429849282
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Development Economics
• Index: Economics

This work focuses on the creation of new knowledge, and how this has happened throughout all ages, as far back as the time of ancient philosophy to today. A product of integral research, it covers the process of creating new knowledge, leveraging existing knowledge, sometimes resulting in cutthroat innovations. It also includes knowledge systems such as conventional university systems to Mode 2 university concepts, culminating on integral research to innovation.

This book will help the reader to realise that the subject of knowledge creation is no longer business as usual. Many innovations have been created for human benefit in general, but such innovations may have benefited only parts of society. The challenge in the world is that, while new innovations may be brilliant, there are sections of society who continue to slip into poverty. Modern innovators must also consider such communities and come up with appropriate interventions. This book will open the eyes of innovators to new possibilities. In addition, the subject of knowledge should not be an elitist affair. One may stand to gain a lot by seeing the knowledge in other people, whatever their station in life. This realisation can enable serious innovators to widen their scope in terms of the sources of existing knowledge which can be improved and reassessed as new knowledge. Such existing knowledge can be identified by engaging the very communities that may be affected by a problem or challenge. Such communities will have had time to interrogate their situations and think of possible solutions to such, though they might not have the economic capacity to implement such solutions. This is always a useful starting point if one is seeking a solution to a community problem.

This book will be useful to students interested in the subject of knowledge and innovation, from under-graduate to PhD level. It will also benefit captains of industry, executives and managers who are interested in improving their knowledge improvement cycles in their companies.

1 Introducing knowledge creation

The subject of knowledge creation and development has gained momentum in recent years. The issue of harnessing knowledge became the bane of my life as Human Resources Director in a manufacturing enterprise in a hyper-inflationary economy. The challenges of skills retention became enormous. The choice of topic for doctoral research became obvious, given the passion to improve knowledge systems at workplaces, resulting in a model for knowledge transfer and creation. This model’s applicability is not only limited to workplaces, but to families, communities and other arms of society.

Working with three groups of co-researchers (Cooperative Inquiry Groups) within and outside my company we developed the Calabash of Knowledge Creation (Denhe re Ruzivo). This model was tested and utilised in three corporate, public listed manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe.

One of these Cooperative Inquiry groups developed into the Pundutso Centre for Integral Development, which has begun to engage with the Zimbabwean Society following the CARE rhythm of Community Activation, Catalysation, Research-to-Innovation and Education (Knowledge Embodiment).

This book serves three purposes:

•First, it is an opportunity to share my research journey and the knowledge that I acquired when I read for my PhD degree.

•Second, I seek to share the work done by two unique universities, namely the Harare Institute of Technology in Zimbabwe and the Da Vinci Institute in South Africa. In the process I will dwell on the Mode 2 University.

•Finally, I will use this platform to share two innovations, namely the Calabash of Knowledge Creation/Denhe re Ruzivo, which was the innovation that came out of the research that I carried out, and the Pundutso Centre for Integral Development, which was an unintended and yet very pertinent outcome of the same research process. I will go further and share some of the innovations that Pundutso seeks to share.

Furthermore, I will articulate the concepts that will be contained in the book and outline their relevance thereof. Such concepts will encompass the 4Cs, the CARE concept (Community Activation, Awakening Consciousness [Catalysation], Research-to-Innovation and Embodiment of Knowledge [Education]), the GENE (Grounding, Emergence, Navigation and Effecting), and OFET (Origination, Foundation, Emancipation and Transformation) concepts and Integral Worlds Model and how all this will link with the research trajectory which resulted in the outcomes that will be shared in the book. In fact, the book is structured according to the 4 Cs concept of Call, Context, Co-Creation and Contribution. A summary of the Calabash of Knowledge Creation will also be given, focusing on how this was created and why it is important.

The interest in the Mode 2 University and what it embodies will also be accorded prominence in this book. Of particular attention will be the work done by the Da Vinci Institute and how this has gone a long way in developing people, organisations and countries.

This book then, is on the most part inspired by research carried out for a PhD Thesis on Knowledge Creation and Development. It will cover, among other things, the factors that are critical for sharing existing knowledge, as well as developing new knowledge concerning existing situations and factors in workplaces, institutions and communities. The book is premised on the fact that knowledge is not static, but is forever evolving; therefore, the creation of knowledge will happen anyway with or without our interference, but a well thought out and structured knowledge creation and development strategy can result in more useful, productive and relevant new knowledge. It is further influenced by the realisation that the best way to improve knowledge is to do so as a community, and not individually. Working as a team of people impacted by a common problem through the trajectory of action research has proven to be one sure way of coming up with knowledge that is relevant and practical (Mamukwa, Lessem and Schieffer, 2014; Matupire, 2017; Lessem and Schieffer, 2010).

The question that begs to be asked is, why knowledge creation? Literature on the most part concerns itself with competitive advantage in the corporate world and other such arguments for knowledge creation. However, knowledge creation goes far beyond making glass, tinning fruit, manufacturing equipment and other such activities. In my view, it is the essence of human livelihood and survival. It is true that knowledge creation has become critical in manufacturing and other industrial entities, because a greater part of the world has become industrialised and many people now depend on the activities of such for jobs and consumable products. However, life goes beyond commerce and industry. Knowledge Creation is equally relevant in the village and rural communities, as well as in peri-urban situations.

Knowledge is therefore relevant in any set up that involves the existence of people. Its necessity encompasses a range of reasons, including finding better and faster ways of doing things, coming up with new ways of making people more comfortable as well as coming up with innovations that promote a complete life for individuals and communities, regardless of where they are situated. Examples of more recent innovations are the mobile phone which has made communication easier for all people, rich and poor, urban and rural, old and young; the internet which has brought information closer to people and made transactions simpler and more convenient through mobile and internet banking, to give just two examples.

To dig further in history, many years ago in America the first aeroplane was invented by the Wright brothers (Ash, 1974), and this has revolutionized travel. There are other inventions that have made life easier and more convenient for us, such as the catheter which was invented by Benjamin Franklin (Brands, 2000), the concept of mass production which was invented by Eli Whitney (Lakwete, 2004), and other “simpler” conveniences whose inventers may not have become famous, such as the salt shaker, the teapot, sticky-notes and staplers used in the office.

People develop new knowledge for a number of reasons. Sometimes those who develop and produce knew knowledge do so when there are burning issues in an individual’s mind, or in a community, when they are frustrated by something that takes long or is difficult to do, when they have a vision that others may not share, and when there are life and death health issues. If there is a message that I hope this book will send, it is that innovations and the creation of new knowledge does not need to be a calling. The approach to knowledge creation taken by this book is that communities have the power to take charge of their situations and collectively review their existing knowledge and create new knowledge, to the benefit of not only one specific community but to be shared with other communities. Such communities then, enjoy the satisfaction of leaving a footprint, a legacy.

This book will give prominence to Integral Research (Lessem and Schieffer, 2010) as a practical way of identifying a shared problem and coming up with a solution as a team, group or community. This creates a participatory approach to the said research and gives the process a wealth of contributions from colleagues who identify with the problem. As such research seeks to develop solutions to identified existing problems, the chances of using the developed solutions are higher than in conventional research (which of course has its own merits). In the latter, sadly the bulk of the results of research by Master’s and Doctoral students in such universities tend to gather dust on a bookshelf somewhere. In action research, the chances are that by the time the research is completed there is an entire community operationalising the results of the research.

There are a number of questions that will be answered in this book regarding the subject of Knowledge Creation and Development. The first question is WHY? Why should we bother ourselves at all with the subject of Knowledge Creation? The next is WHO? Who should be interested in involving themselves in Knowledge Creation and Development? “WHO” in this context is not necessarily limited to people. Through a process of personification, “WHO” includes corporate organisations, institutions, schools, farms, factories, and any such entities where people are gathered for productive purposes. Then there is the “WHAT”. This can be looked at from a number of angles. “WHAT” is the starting point for Knowledge Creation? “WHAT’ is the raw material. “WHAT” is the measure of success when Knowledge creation is happening as it should. “WHAT” highlights the benefits and rewards that Knowledge Creation and Development yields to those who make the effort. Finally, there is the “WHEN”. When should Knowledge Creation and Development be carried out?

This book is also inspired by the work done by Nonaka and Takeuchi in their work with the SECI Model (Socialise, Externalise, Combine, Internalise) (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995), as well as by Nowotny, Scott and Gibbons (2001, 2003) in their work on Mode 2 Universities.

In this book then, focus will be placed on creating and developing knowledge in communities, including the world of work, whatever it is perceived to be.

The aim of this book is to raise consciousness and know-how on the subject of Knowledge Creation and Development to empower individuals, communities and organisations. Such consciousness will assist by empowering knowledge workers, researchers and organisations to utilise the resources within their structures in the quest to share knowledge, improve such knowledge and create higher level and more appropriate knowledge in communities and the world of work. Such empowerment will ensure that, while knowledge is shared and is made communal, the creation of new knowledge is equally shared. This way, a culture of active participation in influencing the knowledge that is important to us is developed and strengthened. Knowledge sharing, creation and development should then cease to be elitist, but becomes an area of interest for all concerned in any relevant establishment. This way, the process of knowledge development and creation is enriched by the involvement of all people across the structures, and not just senior level leaders or management.

The book will also bring prominence to the Mode 2 University as a means of promoting the creation of new knowledge through an educational process, and a comparison will be made with the Mode 1 University (the conventional university). To this end, particular attention will be accorded to the Da Vinci Institute as an example of a functional Mode 2 University, and its epistemological differences with the Mode 1 University analysed. Their programs will be put to scrutiny, and their success stories highlighted.

I would want to clarify that, much as I, like many African academics, may feel that the African people were disenfranchised by colonisation, and that they were “forced” to abandon their own knowledge systems in favour of those brought by the colonial masters, that is not the spirit of this book. Instead, emphasis may be placed here and there on the consolidation of indigenous and exogenous knowledge rhythms. History has happened and we are here now, exposed to both indigenous and exogenous knowledge. I sincerely believe that the opportunity that is staring us in the face is how we can get the best deal out of this situation by maximising on the best of both worlds. In other words, we should not accept everything that is indigenous as good and everything exogenous as bad (or vice versa), but seek to take what is good and where possible combine it and hopefully come up with even better knowledge systems.

The book is a four-part exposition with thirteen chapters. The parts are aligned to the 4 Cs (Call, Context, Co-creation and Contribution).

References

Ash, R. (1974). The Wright Brothers. London: Wayland.

Brands, H. W. (2010). The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin.

Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P. & M. Trow (1994). The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies. London: Sage.

Lakwete, A. (2004). Inventing the Cotton Gin: Machine and Myth in Antebellum America. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Lessem, R. & Schieffer, A. (2010). Integral Research and Innovation: Transforming Enterprise and Society. Farnham, England: Gower.

Mamukwa, E., Lessem, R. & Schieffer, A. (2014). Integral Green Zimbabwe: An African Phoenix Rising. Farnham, England: Gower.

Matupire, P. M. (2017). Integral Ubuntu Leadership. Farnham, Oxon: Routledge.

Nonaka, I. (1990). Management of Knowledge Creation. Tokyo: Nihon Keizai Shinbun-sha.

Nowotny, H., Scott, P. & Gibbons, M. (2001). Rethinking Science: Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Nowotny, H., Scott, P. & Gibbons, M. (2003). Mode 2 Revisited: The New Production of Knowledge. Minerva, 41, 179–194.

Part I

The call

Why knowledge creation

2 Why knowledge creation and innovation

Introduction

This chapter seeks to bring to the fore the different sources of knowledge creation and development. There are different needs in human communities that lead to the creation of new knowledge and the development and improvement of existing knowledge.

However, before we get our teeth into this matter it is necessary to have clarity on what knowledge creation, knowledge development and innovation is.

Knowledge creation is the ongoing combination and transfer of different kinds of knowledge, old and new. This happens as users of knowledge interpret the knowledge while using it and continue seeking new and better ways of doing things. In this arena ideas are created to improve customer experience and make life easier for the users of such knowledge. The process involves practicing and learning and changing aspects of the knowledge to improve the impact of such knowledge on the users. New concepts are constantly formed during the process of knowledge creation (Nonaka, 1990).

Knowledge development can be the constant improvement of knowledge and knowledge systems to meet certain needs. This is what has led to the continuous improvement of computers for example, as a result of developing knowledge to make things better and more efficient.

Innovation, on the other hand, can be a totally new invention, a system, a prototype or totally new way of doing things. Innovation is associated with ground-breaking inventions with significant impact on people and society.

What catalyses knowledge creation and innovation?

Knowledge creation is a result of need, and therefore becomes necessary when there is an unmet need, or when a particular need cannot be met with existing knowledge.

Among individuals, families, businesses, communities and even countries, wherever people exist, there are a number of issues or needs that provide the catalysis or urging for existing knowledge to be improved and developed further, as well as for completely new kn...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise Page
• Half Title
• Series Information
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• Foreword
• Prologue
• 1 Introducing knowledge creation
• Part I The call: Why knowledge creation
• Part II The context: A background to knowledge creation
• Part III Context: Knowledge consciousness in different societies and communities
• Part IV Co-creation: The Mode 2 University and knowledge Creation through innovation
• Part V Co-creation: Research methodology
• Part VI Contribution: Overview and outcomes of the research
• Epilogue
• Index