Innovation programmes require organisations to transfer both technology and knowledge to the diverse actors who operate within innovation eco-systems. The changing relationship between science and society has witnessed the growth of public private partnerships (PPP) to create new knowledge, while also triggering the emergence of a new role for universities as catalysts for innovation. This brings many challenges, stemming from the inherent nature of knowledge and the complex interactions involved with inter-disciplinary knowledge transfer. Concurrently, these public-funded programmes come under increasing scrutiny to demonstrate greater societal and economic impact as a return on research investment. Knowledge generated within the UK low carbon energy innovation system has the potential to facilitate the achievement of national emission targets. However, while knowledge may be successfully created, there is no guarantee that it will be disseminated and utilised in a way that contributes to the achievement of knowledge-related objectives. Current literature concentrates on the micro level inhibitors and enablers of knowledge transfer; however, a gap in empirical work which investigates system level knowledge interactions is evident. Research and practical application in this field has historically centred on technology transfer whilst under-emphasising the crucial role of knowledge within this complex, socio-technical innovation system. The overall aim of this qualitative study is to achieve a better understanding of the influences of knowledge transfer across a defined innovation system. This is achieved through the perceptions of participants via two case studies; one in a PPP and one in a University. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-eight participants, along with document analysis and participant observation at workshops, to investigate the participant perceptions. A three tier (macro-, meso- and micro-level) data analysis approach was adopted to reflect the systems level interactions. The study found that knowledge transfer is often perceived as the dissemination of information via explicit forms of knowledge, which may or may not be used by stakeholders to achieve innovation objectives. The main barriers to stakeholders utilising knowledge included: accessibility to knowledge; fit-for-purpose knowledge; stakeholder motivation/ability to use the knowledge; and viewing knowledge as an object. While there is an emerging impact agenda in academia, cultural and normative influences direct researchers towards traditional academic outputs (e.g. publications). Knowledge utilisation by stakeholders was found to be maximised through relational, stakeholder driven models, which view knowledge as a process. Knowledge utilisation was context specific, and, due to complex system influences, was never guaranteed to occur. Although planning for knowledge utilisation was undertaken at both the PPP and the University, implementing and measuring results was found to be difficult due to dynamic system influences such as understanding stakeholder motivations, resourcing constraints and complexity in the desired project outcomes. This makes adaptability and responsiveness important qualities for knowledge producers, while also necessitating specific skill sets. Based on this work, a set of principles were developed which should guide more effective utilisation of knowledge and promote more impactful research outcomes.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to describe customer-related knowledge utilisation in the collaborative relationships of professional service organisations. Within this specific context, knowledge transfer capabilities are emphasised as an important prerequisite in the utilisation process. Effective organisation-level knowledge utilisation is crucial in collaborative relationships of professional service organisations. In order to formulate a coherent service offering across different areas of expertise, for instance, it is beneficial to transfer customer knowledge between professionals, business units and functions. Knowledge utilisation across different expertise areas may also be an important prerequisite for an organisation's innovativeness and proactiveness in customer cooperation. Customer-related knowledge utilisation and related knowledge transfer processes are in this study approached from a relationship management perspective, and literature from organisation research, resource-based view and knowledge management is used as a theoretical basis. Empirically this study is based on a descriptive case study of two professional service firms in the field of business-to-business education and consultancy services. In the first case, an in-depth analysis of an organisation developing a collaborative relationship in the outsourcing situation is described. In the second case, additional views are given on organisational practices potentially facilitating customer-related knowledge transfer. Empirical results show that internal fragmentation in the professional service organisation seems to be, to a large extent, inherent in this type of organisation, and may cause many problems in customer-related knowledge transfer and thus in effective utilisation of that knowledge. These knowledge transfer inhibitors rise from an organisation's characteristics; its dominant logic, culture, structure and systems. These organisational characteristics are bound to the characteristics of knowledge itself: its tacitness, non-observability and complexity, and can have an inhibiting influence on knowledge transfer. However, in spite of the inherent forces causing internal fragmentation and inhibiting knowledge transfer, moderating practices of a well-planned relationship coordination system, customer knowledge and expertise codification, and cooperative working practices among the experts seem to help to maintain customer knowledge transfer and utilisation, and thus also continuity and value creation in the long-term relationships. This value creation can be seen to be based on accessing and integrating a wide variety of knowledge resources in order to create innovative, flexible and multifaceted service offerings. Value creation can also be based on organisational ability for generative learning in order to change prevailing organisational assumptions and to develop the operations model needed in collaborative relationship.

Introduction: Persistent health inequalities are the focus for much public health policy activity. Understanding the policy response to public health problems, the role of evidence, and the roles and strategies of different actors may help explain this persistence. Research suggests that policy actors often access knowledge through interpersonal relations, but current perspectives in the literature do not analyse relational aspects of finding evidence and influencing policy. Identifying powerful and influential actors (in terms of personal characteristics, strategies, and network properties) offers a method of exploring the policy process and evidence use. Methods: Network data were gathered from a public health policy community in a large urban area in the UK (n = 152, response rate 80%), collecting relational data on perceived power, influence, and sources of evidence about public health policy. Hubs and Authorities analyses were used to identify powerful and influential actors, to test whether powerful and influential actors were also sources of information; and betweenness and Gould-Fernandez brokerage were used to explore the importance of structural position in policy networks. These data were analysed in conjunction with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews (n = 24) carried out with a purposive subsample of network actors. Characteristics of powerful and influential actors, the use of evidence in the policy process, and roles and strategies used to influence policy were analysed using a framework approach, and combined with network data. Results: The most influential actors were mid-level managers in the NHS and local authorities, and to a lesser extent, public health professionals. These actors occupied advantageous positions within the networks, and used strategies (ranging from providing policy content, to finding evidence, to presenting policy options to decision-makers) to influence the policy process. Powerful actors were also sources of information for one another, but providing information did not predict power. Experts, academics and professionals in public health were represented in the networks, but were usually more peripheral and played fewer roles in the policy process. This study presents empirical evidence to support the suggestion that recognition of network structure assists individuals to be influential, and proposes a framework to categorise their activities. Conclusions: In order to influence policy, actors need good relationships with other influential actors, and the skills to exploit these relationships. The relational approach is useful for both identifying powerful and influential people (potential evidence-users) and for exploring how evidence and information reaches them. Identifying powerful and influential actors and describing their strategies for influencing policy provides a new focus for researchers in evidence-based policy, and for those wishing to influence policy. For academics and researchers, this study demonstrates the importance of directly creating ties with decision-makers

Tourism has come to be recognised as a major contributor to national economies. In a knowledge-based economy (that emphasises the benefits of industry/government and academic research), a strong research base must underpin management of a tourist destination if it is to realise its full potential. The establishment of collaborative networks between industry, academia, and government in the strategic planning and management of cities and towns is becoming increasingly popular. However, the way in which the processes underlying these settings facilitate or inhibit eventual outcomes is poorly understood. If knowledge is to drive innovation and economic growth optimally, it is important not just to develop an understanding of the processes underlying the creation, diffusion and utilisation of knowledge in cooperative research settings, but also the relationships among them. Accordingly, the aim of this investigation is to examine the relationships among knowledge creation, diffusion and utilisation occurring in the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program, specifically, the Gold Coast Visioning Project, with a view to identifying the most efficient means for formulating and disseminating research designed for industry and/or government application. Knowledge is defined as information that is imbued with meaning or relevance. However, this definition says little of the ways that individuals, groups and organisations acquire knowledge. While cognitive psychologists have produced several theories suggesting the structure and mechanisms of individual cognitive processes underlying the acquisition and use of knowledge, social scientists have sought to describe and explain the process by investigating the influence of social factors. Recent contributions to group learning have examined group composition, group size, familiarity among group members, and communication processes in an attempt to understand the ways in which groups acquire knowledge. Research shows that knowledge utilisation in organisations results from the interdependent influences of organisational processes and the control opportunities and control problems that arise through organisational structure. These frameworks provide accounts of how knowledge is utilised within an organisation, but not of how organisations learn. Recent research suggests that organisations learn through knowledge networks where organisational focus moves from the consideration and protection of boundaries to the management of (and care for) relationships. Therefore, organisations contain static (rules, norms and procedures) and dynamic (social relationships) elements that mutually influence the degree to which organisations learn. A synthesis of the available literature resulted in the development of a series of models that served not only to inform, but also be informed by the analysis of this investigation. A single case study, namely the Gold Coast Visioning Project, was used to examine the ways in which knowledge was created, disseminated and utilised in a CRC setting. This ethnographic investigation considered the process of knowledge creation through to utilisation at individual, group, organisational, and inter-organisational levels, while simultaneously examining the interrelated influences of social, cognitive, affective and communication factors. Throughout the project, data were collected through stakeholder interviews, various documents and participant observation of stakeholder meetings and workshops. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach and methods of thick description. The results show that researchers and industry stakeholders bring different frames of reference, different expectations, and different knowledge bases to the exercise. This inhibited communication, and gave the appearance of dissension when, in fact, what was being sought was a common frame for understanding and communication. Additionally, the gap between industry and researcher worldviews generated the sense that industry was resisting or failing to understand what the research was seeking to achieve. Consequently, in order to manage the relationship, research plans and findings were communicated to industry in a teacher-to-student fashion, which fostered single-loop learning, and reduced industry stakeholders' sense of ownership in the process and findings. During the project, industry stakeholders frequently sought to have research come pre-packaged with "meaning", but researchers lacked the contextual knowledge necessary to specify the relevance of their research. The results also show that research findings need to be integrated and diffused to industry over time, and specific applications need to be formulated (and reformulated) in response to particular and changing needs of industry. As a result of this investigation, a model of 'best practice' has been developed with detailed recommendations for the design, implementation, and reporting of CRC-sponsored research to optimise its utility for end-users of such research. From a theoretical perspective, the findings of this study challenge the ways that current theories account for the ways in which knowledge is acquired and utilised since the results show that knowledge is constructed both socially and emotionally. Any investigation that seeks to understand how knowledge is acquired and utilised must consider social and affective influences. To ignore the role of emotion and values in the process of knowledge acquisition is to ignore a key component of an individual's reasoning capacity.

<p>The overall aim of this thesis was to study the implementation of guidelines, change processes and contextual variables from the perspective of improvements and neonatal nursing care’s endeavours to be more evidenced-based. Because health care is exposed to extensive change pressure and because the impact of effectiveness research on clinical practice is limited, it becomes urgent to understand how knowledge utilisation initiatives can be facilitated.</p><p>Three studies involved managers and nurses at all neonatal units in Sweden. Two of these studies also included nurses from other healthcare organisations. The fourth study included all staff at four neonatal units. The study designs used were cross-sectional, comparative and prospective longitudinal surveys; questionnaires were used as data collection tools in all four studies.</p><p>Evaluation of the utilisation of the neonatal nursing guidelines showed that the guidelines were known to the nurse managers and used at most of the units, though to varying degrees and in different ways. Fifteen months after guideline dissemination, 8 of 35 units had changed practice, of which 2 units had completed the implementation process of a guideline. Involvement in the preceding guideline project facilitated the completion of improvement projects compared with participation in training courses for quality improvement (QI) only. There was no difference between these two groups on long-standing involvement in improvement work. Nurses who continued QI work over a 4-year period were more active in seeking research and implementing research findings in clinical practice than those who ceased the improvement work. The QI-sustainable nurses reported better contextual support for research-related activities. In a separate study staff perceptions of organisational factors appeared stable over the course of one year at the aggregated level. Improvements in skills development and participatory management predicted higher overall organisational and staff well-being. </p><p>The findings emphasize the importance of including both individual and organisational factors in the strategic planning for evidence-based nursing. Plans have to be long-term and consider that change is a slow process. Leadership commitment is essential and there are clear benefits in developing a learning and professional supportive environment as well as of involving staff in organisational decision making.</p>

The overall aim of this thesis was to study the implementation of guidelines, change processes and contextual variables from the perspective of improvements and neonatal nursing care’s endeavours to be more evidenced-based. Because health care is exposed to extensive change pressure and because the impact of effectiveness research on clinical practice is limited, it becomes urgent to understand how knowledge utilisation initiatives can be facilitated. Three studies involved managers and nurses at all neonatal units in Sweden. Two of these studies also included nurses from other healthcare organisations. The fourth study included all staff at four neonatal units. The study designs used were cross-sectional, comparative and prospective longitudinal surveys; questionnaires were used as data collection tools in all four studies. Evaluation of the utilisation of the neonatal nursing guidelines showed that the guidelines were known to the nurse managers and used at most of the units, though to varying degrees and in different ways. Fifteen months after guideline dissemination, 8 of 35 units had changed practice, of which 2 units had completed the implementation process of a guideline. Involvement in the preceding guideline project facilitated the completion of improvement projects compared with participation in training courses for quality improvement (QI) only. There was no difference between these two groups on long-standing involvement in improvement work. Nurses who continued QI work over a 4-year period were more active in seeking research and implementing research findings in clinical practice than those who ceased the improvement work. The QI-sustainable nurses reported better contextual support for research-related activities. In a separate study staff perceptions of organisational factors appeared stable over the course of one year at the aggregated level. Improvements in skills development and participatory management predicted higher overall organisational and staff well-being. The findings emphasize the importance of including both individual and organisational factors in the strategic planning for evidence-based nursing. Plans have to be long-term and consider that change is a slow process. Leadership commitment is essential and there are clear benefits in developing a learning and professional supportive environment as well as of involving staff in organisational decision making.

L’implication des volontaires de santé communautaire, tels que les volontaires de la Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, peut constituer un moyen approprié de s’attaquer au problème d’inégalités sociales et de santé. Pourtant, les connaissances manquent sur ce qui marche pour améliorer la performance des volontaires. Objectifs Comprendre comment, pourquoi, pour quels volontaires et dans quelles circonstances les stratégies organisationnelles mises en œuvre pour améliorer la performance des volontaires de santé communautaire marchent. Méthodes En raison de la complexité des programmes impliquant des volontaires de santé communautaire, nous avons adopté l’évaluation réaliste comme approche méthodologique et l’étude de cas comparative comme modèle d’étude. Dans un premier temps, des entretiens, une synthèse réaliste de la littérature ainsi qu’une revue des théories d’action qui sous-tendent ces programmes ont été réalisés pour développer le cadre théorique de l’évaluation. Ensuite, deux cas ont été sélectionnés sur Kampala, la capitale de l’Ouganda, ou la Société Nationale de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge Ougandaise développe des stratégies pour améliorer la performance des volontaires. Chaque cas correspond à une unité organisationnelle de la Société Nationale Ougandaise, responsable de la mise en place des programmes de santé au niveau d’un district du pays. Les méthodes de collecte de données ont inclus des entretiens individuels, des groupes de discussion, des observations, ainsi qu’une revue de documents. Un processus méthodologique de comparaison constante a été utilisé pour l’analyse des données. Résultats Les stratégies d’intervention, dont les pratiques managériales peuvent influencer positivement la performance lorsqu’elles favorisent la satisfaction des besoins psychologiques des volontaires (l’autonomie, la responsabilisation, la compétence et le lien social). Pour ce faire, les stratégies et leur mise en œuvre doivent s’adapter aux différentes formes de motivation des volontaires et à l’évolution de celles-ci pendant le volontariat. S’agissant du contexte, la reconnaissance communautaire et la reconnaissance organisationnelle sont deux facteurs clés qui interviennent dans la satisfaction des besoins psychologiques des volontaires. Discussion Cette recherche doctorale a des implications pour la Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de la Croix Rouge et du Croissant Rouge. Les résultats fournissent des informations utiles à l’action relative à la mise en place de programmes de volontaires de santé communautaire et l’approche évaluative a des implications générales en ce qui concerne la dynamique d’apprentissage organisationnel. Par ailleurs l’approche de l’évaluation réaliste a également contribué, à sa mesure, au développement du champ de l’évaluation de programme en santé. L’opérationnalisation des concepts de l’approche réaliste a été discutée et approfondie afin de contribuer au développement de cette approche. / Context The recruitment of community health volunteers, such as the volunteers of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, is an established approach to improve the health of underserved communities. However, there is a dearth of evidence about what works to improve volunteers’ performance. Objectives To understand why, how, for which volunteers and under which circumstances intervention approaches to improve volunteers’ performance is more likely to be successful. Methods Given the complexity of the intervention under study, a realist evaluation as methodological approach and a case study as study design was adopted. Firstly, a realist review together with interviews with the main stakeholders and a review of the theories underlying community health volunteers programme have been conducted to develop the theoretical basis for the evaluation. Secondly for the case study, two contrasted cases have been then selected at district level in the capital of Uganda, where the Red Cross Society is implementing a community-based programme. A case is as a Red Cross unit run by a programme manager that operate around one governmental district structures. Data collection included document review, participant observation and interviews. The constant comparative method was used for the analysis. Results Intervention approaches that include supervision supportive of autonomy, skills and knowledge enhancement and that is adapted to the different sub-groups of volunteers, leads to satisfaction of the three key drivers of volunteer motivation: feelings of autonomy, of competence and of connectedness. This contributes to volunteers’ better performance. Enabling contextual conditions include the responsiveness of the organisation to community needs and recognition from the organisation and the community of the work of the volunteers. Discussion The findings will inform the management of community health volunteers and have implication for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies regrading organisational learning. It also contributed to building the field of programme evaluation in Health and led to methodological developments for doing realist evaluation.