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K4Health East Africa Field Support The State of Knowledge Management in ECSA-HC Findings from the Endline Data Collection December 2016

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Page 1: K4Health East Africa Field Support The State of Knowledge

K4Health East Africa Field Support

The State of Knowledge Management in ECSA-HC

Findings from the Endline Data Collection

December 2016

Page 2: K4Health East Africa Field Support The State of Knowledge

Contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................................. ii

Acronyms............................................................................................................................................................................ iii

Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... iv

Background .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1

K4Health East Africa Field Project ............................................................................................................................ 1

Baseline Survey 2015—Summary .............................................................................................................................. 1

Endline Survey 2016 ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

Findings ................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

Participant Characteristics .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Findings in KM Programmatic Areas (Survey and KII) ......................................................................................... 8

Findings in KM Capacity Areas (KM CAT) ........................................................................................................... 24

Recommendations and Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 29

Appendix 1: Pathway to Sustainable Knowledge Management in East Africa ................................................... 32

Appendix 2: Knowledge Management Capacity Scores at Baseline and Endline .............................................. 33

Page 3: K4Health East Africa Field Support The State of Knowledge

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Acknowledgments

This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the

United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The views expressed herein do

not necessarily reflect those of USAID or the U.S. government.

The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project is supported by USAID’s Office of Population

and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, under Cooperative Agreement #AID-

OAA-A-13-00068 with the Johns Hopkins University. K4Health is led by the Johns Hopkins

Center for Communication Programs (CCP) in collaboration with FHI 360, IntraHealth

International, and Management Sciences for Health.

The three-year East Africa Field Support project (March 2014 to December 2016) was funded

by USAID East Africa Mission, and was a partnership between four organizations: the East,

Central, and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC); the East African Community,

USAID East Africa Mission; and K4Health.

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Acronyms

CAT capacity assessment tool

CCP Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

ECSA-HC East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community

GHeL Global Health eLearning

IT information technology

K4Health Knowledge for Health (Project)

KII key informant interview

KM knowledge management

M&E monitoring and evaluation

MSH Management Sciences for Health

USAID United States Agency for International Development

WHO World Health Organization

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Executive Summary

Introduction

The goal of the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) East Africa Field Project (March 2014 to

December 2016) was to improve the exchange of information, experiences, tools, research,

and knowledge concerning health service delivery among governments and stakeholders in East

and Central Africa. K4Health collected baseline data in August 2015 to measure existing KM

capacity and collected data for an endline assessment in October 2016 to gauge the impact of

KM interventions. The objectives of this study are as follows:

1. To review progress made by ECSA-HC in adopting KM practices over the project

period;

2. To assess and demonstrate the impact of KM interventions over time; and

3. To identify KM capacity gaps at ECSA-HC Secretariat.

K4Health employed a mixed-method approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative

methods, to gain a comprehensive understanding of various KM domains addressed by the

project. The data collection phase included three sequential components to enhance and

validate findings: a structured survey, the KM capacity assessment tool (CAT), and key

informant interviews (KIIs). The K4Health team organized and coded the data from the

structured survey and the KM CAT into spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel and examined

frequencies and trends. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed in ATLAS.ti to

identify emerging themes.

Participant Characteristics

In the baseline assessment, 26% of participants were female and 74% were male. In the endline

assessment, 47% of participants were female and 53% were male. In both the baseline and

endline assessments, a large majority of the participants had more than six years of work

experience and the majority of participants had worked for ECSA-HC for one to five years.

Key Findings and Recommendations

The KM capacity assessment systematically documented and compared the progress before and

after the project had been implemented. The assessment resulted in a number of key findings

and recommendations that the ECSA-HC Secretariat may consider useful in order to increase

the effective use of KM approaches in the future, as shown below. Findings and

recommendations from the endline assessment complement the Knowledge Management Needs

Assessment of ECSA-HC Member States, which was conducted in the summer of 2016.

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Themes Key findings Recommendations

Improve systems

Leadership

commitment to

KM

ECSA-HC staff members

understood the value of KM and

recognized the leadership

commitment to further integrate

KM approaches into their day-to-

day work.

Continue showing leadership

commitment by including KM in

budgets and activities at both the

program and organizational levels.

KM strategy There was a notable lack of

awareness among ECSA-HC staff

about the existence of the KM

strategy documents. KM

components are currently

embedded in other broader

strategies (e.g., research

information, advocacy, or communications).

Continue showing leadership

commitment to KM components and

related practices that support the

overall KM strategy. (i.e., editorial

review board).

Consider developing a stand-alone KM

strategy that will guide KM activities within ECSA-HC and its member states.

The KM strategy should also specify

various roles and responsibilities of the

KM M&E team and the newly appointed

KM M&E manager. The strategy may

also include roles and responsibilities of

member-state KM champions.

Systematic use

of KM

The continued application of KM

practices and techniques needs

improvement, particularly those

that have been adopted and

viewed as practical for everyday

work.

Continue to systematically review KM

needs and implement appropriate

strategies, for example, incorporate KM

activities into the ECSA-HC work plan

and program work plans, and conduct

quarterly reviews of progress on KM

activities.

Enhance Technical Expertise

KM champions ECSA-HC staff members

articulated the role of KM

champions well and frequently

interacted with KM champions to

ask for programmatic and

technical advice.

Consider continuing to nurture KM

champions at the ECSA-HC. Strengthen

their role in supporting leadership and

staff to continuously apply KM

practices, identify KM needs among

ECSA-HC staff, and connect them to

appropriate resources to increase their

KM capacity.

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While ECSA-HC Secretariat expands

KM expertise to member states,

consider using a KM champion

approach, which has been successful at

the Secretariat.

Maximize Networks

Role of ECSA-

HC as a

knowledge hub

Respondents expressed a desire

and aspiration to position ECSA-

HC as a knowledge hub in the

region.

Strengthen collaboration between

ECSA-HC and other intergovernmental

organizations and organizations in the

region to showcase ECSA-HC’s

technical expertise in health.

Consider strengthening collaboration

particularly with those organizations

identified during the development of

the Resource Mobilization Strategy and

Business Planning and Proposal

Development Workshops.

The Best Practices Forum is an existing

ECSA-HC event that can strategically

position ECSA-HC as a knowledge hub

in the region. Consider continuing to

enhance the event through advance

preparation and increased participation.

Consider building upon the skills

acquired during the Journal Writing

Workshop and prioritize a number of

journal articles for publication.

Knowledge

sharing

Sharing knowledge between

partner states continues to be a

challenge, similar to findings from

the KM needs assessment of

ECSA-HC member states.

Ensure that the ECSA-HC Secretariat is

more visible within the member states

and that it clearly promotes what it can

offer in terms of technical assistance to

member states.

Consider prioritizing the activities

identified over the past few years and

through the Member States Needs

Assessment to enhance ECSA-HC’s

visibility and relevance in the region.

These include enhancing participation at

the Best Practices Forum and Health

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Ministers Conference.

Prioritize communication about the

Health Ministers Conference to ensure

that people are aware of its existence

and the purpose of the resolutions and

follow up on whether the resolutions

are being implemented.

Finalize the website revision that began

during the K4Health East Africa project.

Finalize the website refresh that has

started.

Overall, it is important for ECSA-HC to recognize that some of the internal challenges, for

example, the workload and other commitments among staff members and timing to complete

and approve processes, may have impacted the finalization of some of the KM strategies and

policies. The formalization of those strategies and policies will contribute to integrating KM into

the organization more holistically and systematically, and continue to strengthen the foundation

for knowledge sharing and learning among all ECSA-HC staff.

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Background

K4Health East Africa Field Project

In 2013 USAID Kenya/East Africa launched a strategic framework to “Catalyze and Accelerate

the Scale-Up of High-Impact and Sustainable Solutions to Priority Health Systems Challenges in

East Africa.” The framework calls for USAID Kenya/East Africa to strengthen the capacity of

regional intergovernmental institutions to improve the quality of health services and outcomes

in the region, and to influence and accelerate the scale-up of high-impact solutions to common

health systems challenges in East Africa.

From March 2014 to December 2016, the USAID/East Africa Mission engaged the Knowledge

for Health (K4Health) project to work with key partners in the region on knowledge

management (KM) capacity. The project sought to improve the exchange of information,

experiences, tools, research, and knowledge concerning health service delivery among

governments and stakeholders in East and Central Africa.

K4Health worked closely with the East, Central, and Southern African Health Community

(ECSA-HC) to enhance the organization’s KM capacity in four areas: (1) improve collaboration,

sharing, and learning; (2) scale up high-impact practices; (3) reduce duplication of effort, and (4)

improve the quality of health systems across countries in the region. These objectives aligned

with ECSA-HC’s 2012–2017 strategic plan, which included the following recommendations: (1)

enhance technical expertise (developing KM champions), (2) improve KM systems, including

public online repository system, and (3) maximize networks (virtual forums, website, and

linkages with member states resource centers).

Baseline Survey 2015—Summary

K4Health collected data on ECSA-HC’s KM capacity in August 2015 (baseline) and October

2016 (endline) to measure the impact of KM interventions.

Key findings on KM programmatic areas at the baseline assessment were:

KM was considered a new yet promising concept.

Almost all participants said KM was an essential part of their work.

On average, people knew of three KM champions within ECSA-HC and three outside of

ECSA-HC.

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Staff used various KM techniques and approaches, and notably about one-half of

participants had completed an after-action review and developed a fact sheet/brief in the

last six months.

Key findings on KM capacity:

KM activities were happening but on an ad hoc basis and non-standardized manner.

When asked what aspirations or expectations they had in regard to successful uses of

KM, participants wanted to improve the current online library, expand the information

technology (IT) system, and tailor information to specific audiences.

Based on the findings and the participants’ aspirations, K4Health made specific

recommendations as follows:

Continue to focus on increasing the visibility of ECSA-HC by ensuring that the

website/online library provides up-to-date materials on relevant health topics and is

interactive and user friendly.

Identify a team of KM champions/coordinators at ECSA-HC and among member

states who will take the lead in collecting, synthesizing, and sharing up-to-date

information. Create an internal staff matrix or directory.

Create tools and templates to help member states organize their contents and

facilitate the process of producing an analysis/synthesis report.

Establish processes and procedures to document and submit best practices and assist

each program to build its staff capacity to document their own stories.

Endline Survey 2016

Objective

K4Health conducted an endline data collection activity in July 2016 in collaboration with the

ECSA-HC Secretariat staff. Its aim was to measure attitudes and behaviors toward KM practice

among ECSA-HC staff to demonstrate the effects of project interventions over time, since the

start of the project. More specifically, the objectives of the endline data collection activities

were to:

1. Review progress made by ECSA-HC in adopting KM practices over the project period;

2. Assess and demonstrate the impact of KM interventions over time; and

3. Identify KM capacity gaps at ECSA-HC Secretariat.

The data collection activity was guided by K4Health’s Social KM approach, the Center for

Communication Programs’ Ideation conceptual framework, as well as K4Health’s KM

monitoring and evaluation (M&E) Logic Model. The K4Health and USAID gender strategies

were also taken into consideration.

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The linkages between two specific project objectives, endline data collection topics, and

instruments were as follows (Table 1).

Table 1: Linkages between project objectives, endline data collection topics, and instruments

Project objectives Conceptual

framework,

work plan,

performance

monitoring

plan

elements

Topics covered by the

baseline and endline

data collection activity

Data sources

Objective 1

Improve effectiveness

and efficiency of

knowledge sharing

among the ECSA-HC

Secretariat and its

member countries

Building a

foundation

Role of KM, KM

champions, KM strategies

and policies, participation

of men and women

Survey

KM capacity

assessment

tool (CAT)

Key

informant

interviews

(KIIs)

Improving

systems

ECSA-HC’s use of KM,

public online repositories

Survey

KIIs

Enhancing

technical

expertise

KM trainings, KM

techniques and approaches

Survey

KIIs

Objective 2

Build sustainable

African leadership to

maintain and update

KM systems within

the region

Maximizing

networks

ECSA-HC virtual forums

and website

Survey

KIIs

Strengthening

KM capacity

and culture

Future aspirations,

five capacity elements

(people, process, platform,

partnership, and problem

solving)

KM CAT

KIIs

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Methods

K4Health employed a mixed-method approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative

methods, to gain a comprehensive understanding of various KM domains addressed by the

project. The data collection team was composed of three members: a staff member from

K4Health/Arusha, a staff member from the Tanzania Center for Communication Programs

(TCCP) in Dar es Salaam, and a staff member from K4Health in Baltimore. The data collection

team aimed to interview the same participants who participated in the baseline assessment.

However, in the absence or unavailability of the same participants, the data collection team

interviewed others who were first-time participants, but had been exposed to the KM

interventions implemented during the project period. The data collection phase included the

same three sequential components from the baseline to enhance and validate findings. The

components were a structured survey, the KM capacity assessment tool (CAT), and key

informant interviews (KIIs). As shown in Table 2, at endline, the survey had the highest number

of participants (N=17). Of the 17 participants, 9 participated in the KM CAT discussions, and 6

participated in interviews. For reference and comparison purposes, the baseline data are listed

in the table as well.

Table 2: Objective and number of participants for each method

Method Objective Design Participants

Baseline Endline

Survey To understand how

ECSA-HC perceived

the role of KM

activities and champions

and how it used KM

trainings, techniques,

strategies, and other

tools to support its

work.

This was a quantitative

instrument containing

mostly closed-ended

questions focused on KM

programmatic areas.

Open-ended questions

were included for data

validation purposes and to

elicit further information

about attitudes and

norms.

N=19

Program

assistants,

officers,

managers,

and

directors

N=17

Program

assistants,

officers,

managers,

and

directors

KM

CAT

To better understand

the complete picture of

KM capacity within

ECSA-HC.

This included both

quantitative aspects (rating

of KM maturity using a 5-

point scale) and qualitative

N=9

Group 1

(n=5)

N=9

Group 1

(n=5)

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(A facilitator helps a

group to describe a

shared understanding of

the current state using

core KM topics: people,

process, platform,

partnership, and

problem solving during

group discussions).

elements (assessing

participants’ experience

through open-ended

questions).

Program

assistants

and officers

Group 2

(n=4)

Managers

and

directors

Director

and

manager

Group 2

(n=4)

Program

manager,

officer, and

specialist

KII To elicit more in-depth

feedback on both KM

programmatic areas and

KM capacity elements,

and validate the data

collected from the

survey and KM CAT.

This was a qualitative

instrument designed to

gather additional

information from a

selected number of

representatives based on

prior information

gathered.

N=7

Program

officers,

managers,

and

directors

N=6

Program

officers,

managers,

and

directors

Analysis

The K4Health team organized and coded the data from the structured survey and the KM CAT

into spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel and examined frequencies and trends. The interviews

were transcribed, coded, and analyzed in ATLAS.ti to identify emerging themes. The data from

all three sources were organized into two main categories: (1) KM programmatic areas

corresponding to work plan activities and (2) KM capacity components, and then analyzed for

cross-cutting themes.

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Findings

Participant Characteristics

Sex

Table 3: Sex of participants

Sex Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

Female 26% 47%

Male 74% 53%

In the baseline assessment, 26% of participants were female and 74% were male. In the endline

assessment, 47% of participants were female and 53% were male. The percentages were closer

in the endline assessment, but overall, a majority of the participants were male.

Education Level

Table 4: Education level of participants

Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

University degree 11% 6%

Master’s degree 73% 82%

Doctoral degree 16% 12%

In both the baseline and endline assessments, the most common level of education was a

master’s degree; 82% of participants in the endline assessment had a master’s degree, whereas

only 73% had a master’s degree in the baseline assessment. A smaller percentage had either a

four-year degree from a university or a doctoral degree. None of the participants received less

than a four-year degree.

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Job Function

Table 5: Job function of participants

Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

Director 21% 24%

Manager 21% 18%

Officer 42% 30%

IT 5% 7%

Other 5% 12%

For both baseline and endline assessments, Officer was the most common job function. The

least common job function was IT. The percentages for both the baseline and endline

assessments were similar for each job function.

Number of Years Worked

Table 6: Number of years participants worked

Baseline (N=19)

Endline (N=17)

<1 year 0% 7%

1–5 years 11% 7%

6–10 years 42% 35%

11–15 years 16% 18%

16–20 years 5% 7%

21–25 years 16% 12%

26–30 years 5% 7%

31 years or more 5% 7%

In both the baseline and endline assessments, a large majority of the participants had more than

6 years of work experience. In fact, for both assessments, most participants had between 6 and

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10 years of experience. In the baseline assessment, 42% of participants had 6 to 10 years of

experience, and in the endline assessment, 35% had worked for 6 to 10 years.

Number of Years Worked at ECSA-HC

Table 7: Number of years participants worked at ECSA-HC

Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

<1 year 5% 12%

1–5 years 58% 53%

6–10 years 32% 29%

21–25 years 5% 6%

In both the baseline and the endline assessments, the majority of participants had worked for

ECSA-HC for one to five years, 58% at baseline and 53% at endline.

Findings in KM Programmatic Areas (Survey and KII)

This section presents findings from the survey and KII, and covers the issues that relate to

various KM programmatic components of the K4Health East Africa Project—the role of KM,

KM champions, KM trainings, KM techniques and approaches, KM strategies and policies, public

online repositories, and virtual forums. Each section presents and compares qualitative data

from baseline and endline first, and then some notable themes gathered from the analysis of the

qualitative data (KII) are also highlighted. There are also several unique issues covered only by

KII including ECSA-HC’s use of KM, participation of men and women, and future aspirations.

Role of KM

Participants were asked to describe KM in their own words, and how KM helped fulfill their job

responsibilities and contributed to the goal of improving health systems in the region. In

general, the findings from the endline assessment were very similar to the baseline assessment.

Endline findings revealed that participants already had comprehensive and coherent views about

KM regarding its meaning, value, and contribution to health systems in the region.

All of the survey respondents said that KM was essential in helping them fulfill their job

responsibilities and no one questioned the value of KM. Collectively, respondents defined KM

through the description of various processes, including the generation, collection, and

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organization of knowledge. They also mentioned the importance of sharing knowledge and

information with the right audience and its use for decision-making.

In the endline assessment, respondents typically indicated that the purpose of KM was to make

decisions, take actions, achieve goals, improve outcomes, or equivalent statements. Because

their understanding of KM had widened to include the strategic use of KM, they seemed to

place less emphasis on various forms, mediums, or channels (e.g., online, in person, etc.) used in

KM when defining KM.

Table 8: Trends in KM role definitions

KM role and definition Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

KM is very essential 95% 100%

Definition of KM includes the purpose of KM (e.g., to make

decision, to achieve goals)

37% 53%

Definition of KM includes various forms of KM (e.g.,

publication, website, training)

21% 6%

Findings from KIIs support the survey findings, in that the majority of participants described KM

as a process of collecting, synthesizing, and disseminating information. A number of participants

discussed how KM facilitates informed and evidence-based decision-making.

“KM to me . . . it’s a whole continuum. For me I look at information and how

knowledge is gathered and synthesized, packaging it and disseminating it to various

people and making decisions based on it.”

“I think it’s all about the collection of information and then being able to analyze and

synthesize it or packaging it for the actual audience. And then using the information to

make informed decisions.”

In addition, KII participants were asked how KM can contribute to ECSA-HC’s work in East

Africa. Several participants discussed how KM can be used to generate and disseminate new

knowledge to and between member states, and how in this capacity ECSA-HC would

encourage evidence-based decision-making in the region.

“We do the KM in collecting data, I mean generating information, KM is important. You

can go out and talk to people, to generate information from the member states. That’s

one of the processes. Once you get the information from the member state, then you

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try to synthesize that information, after you synthesize it, you get to know exactly how

you’re going to help the member states. It’s to address any health challenges they may

be having, but also by disseminating information on what we’re doing at ECSA, the

member states will get to know what we’re doing at ECSA, and they seek to get help

from you as a Secretariat. Because the work of the Secretariat is to work with member

states so to have [better] health outcomes, so generally. So by us sharing what we’re

doing at the Secretariat, the member states will be able to come to us, and get the

relevant help.”

A number of participants mentioned how KM can be used to strengthen health systems in the

region.

“As I said, especially for an organization like ECSA, which covers more than one

country, there’s a lot to learn, and a lot to disseminate and a lot to share across the

countries. So KM should be part and parcel of the support we are providing to the

country and coming to health system strengthening, there’s an opportunity to improve

by translating the knowledge. For instance, taking advantage of the countries, which are

doing better and looking for the best way to disseminate or create the platform for

disseminating that practice into another country for them to do better. So for me, I can

say that in health system strengthening across the region, KM is quite crucial.”

KII participants were asked about their opinion regarding the importance of KM to other

programmatic areas, such as behavior change and quality improvement. Two participants said

KM is helpful in planning and evaluating quality improvement initiatives.

“For KM to be meaningful, it means that it has to inform some decisions. For instance,

when you’re talking about quality improvement, it means that you’re looking at how

best you can improve that quality of health service delivery in the region. But you can

hardly just sit on your desk and think through it. You have to work out a KM aspect of

it. What has been done? And what needs to be done? You need to look at the trends.

So I can say that there is a lot of opportunity in KM to make information useful in

programmatic approaches. In a nutshell, KM has a potential to make the programs

useful. If you do not apply the KM tactics, you’ll just be implementing your programs

without looking at it critically, so it has a role to improve the quality of the programs

implemented.”

Another participant said KM can be used in behavior change in terms of collecting information

on human behavior, which can then be used to inform context appropriate behavior change

programs.

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“Behavior change communication, that’s advocacy. . . . trying to find out what the

practice is. Trying to understand people. That is really gathering information. You can’t

introduce an intervention without understanding what the people have or what kind of

lifestyle they’re leading. You know what sorts of systems they have to utilize to change

them. You have to study the people first and then see what channels you’re going to use

to change them.”

KM Champions

Participants were asked to describe the qualities of KM champions, and how they interact with

KM champions within or outside of ECSA-HC.

Survey respondents shared various types and qualities of their interactions with KM champions,

including:

● Personality: willing to learn and share, good manager, advocate, self-learner, inspires

others.

● Skills: communication, research, documentation, information synthesis/analysis, IT,

expert in specific topic area.

KIIs elaborated further on these important qualities.

“The person should be knowledgeable. They should know about the tools and where to

apply them because they can actually advise the others. But they also should have these

mentorship skills because they need to mentor this technical person. The KM champion

has to convince me of the importance of this assistance. They should also have not just

knowledge but also the skills to provide this technical support.”

“Being a champion means that you have to be on the front, to advocate or to share the

KM aspects for others to learn and develop their skills. They should be innovative and a

good communicator. And being up-to-date on aspects of KM.”

On average, endline survey respondents knew four KM champions within ECSA-HC and four

KM champions outside of ECSA-HC, and both cases showed an increase of one person from

the baseline assessment (Table 9).

Table 9: KM champions within ECSA-HC and outside of ECSA-HC

Category Number of people Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

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KM champions whom participants

knew within ECSA-HC

0 16% 0%

1 to 2 21% 24%

3 to 4 26% 29%

5 to 6 37% 47%

Average 3.15 people 3.94 people

KM champions whom participants

knew outside of ECSA-HC

0 21% 6%

1 to 2 16% 12%

3 to 4 11% 18%

5 to 6 53% 65%

Average 3.26 people 4.05 people

Almost all of the survey respondents said they had met KM champions by attending

conferences, seminars, forums, and donor/government meetings (e.g., World Bank, USAID,

World Health Organization [WHO], East African Community, and African Union colleagues)

organized at the regional level. Most KM champions were directors, technical advisors, or

program managers/officers. In general, participants also viewed K4Health staff members as KM

champions who provide technical support to ECSA-HC.

“I’m a member of a number of communities of practice, so I can say I interact with them

on a weekly basis through various communities of practice.”

The type of interaction and support received or sought after from KM champions in the last six

months included various topic areas. Endline survey respondents mentioned several times that

they sought feedback on study designs, reports, and presentations from KM champions.

Notably, more participants mentioned that they needed guidance on specific KM activities,

tools, and training including journal writing, after-action reviews, peer assists, and electronic

tools for communication and evaluation (e.g., WhatsApp, Poll Everywhere). An example from

one participant referred to information about resolutions from past Health Ministers’

Conferences.

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“Yes. For instance, they reminded us the commitment that we made. When we have

these conferences and workshops, they followed up with the attendees and circulate

relevant literature.”

“So many things. Like for example: editing and proofreading. I consult with them in many

things.”

The frequency of interaction with KM champions varied by circumstance, but endline survey

respondents most commonly interacted with KM champions either on a weekly or monthly

basis, whereas the majority of baseline survey respondents interacted on a monthly basis. As

shown in Table 10, participants interacted with KM champions more frequently at endline.

Table 10: Frequency of interaction with KM champions

Frequency Baseline

(N=15)

Endline

(N=15)

Monthly 60% 47%

Weekly 27% 40%

Daily 13% 13%

KII participants were asked about challenges related to communicating with KM champions.

One participant mentioned that champions are not always available because of their schedules

or other commitments.

“So the challenge at times I find is that maybe people are too busy or not around.”

A number of participants mentioned a lack of KM champions among member states.

“But with the interaction with member states, I do not see any KM champions. Maybe

we have not given them enough opportunity to exercise their KM skills.”

KM Training

KM training covered various opportunities that the participants had to acquire to improve

knowledge and skills related to KM.

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Many of the endline survey respondents participated in three to four KM trainings in the last six

months, showing a clear increase in the number from the baseline when the majority of

participants said one to two (Table 11).

Table 11: Number of trainings related to knowledge management that participants attended in the last 6 months

Number of trainings Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

None 37% 6%

1 to 2 63% 41%

3 to 4 0% 47%

5 or more 0% 6%

Survey respondents mentioned various topic areas for KM trainings that they attended, in some

cases noting that some might not be purely KM but were related to KM application (e.g.,

proposal writing and resource mobilization). Many respondents indicated that they had

opportunities to use something they learned from the training in their professional work.

“I’ve been introduced to a couple—some that we have used, some that we haven’t. I

will just give an example. I think it’s the after-action review; that is one that I see a lot of

people excited about. Maybe we have used it a couple of times; that has been very good.

We have done knowledge synthesis.”

Table 12: Training topic areas at endline

Topic Organized by

(if known)

Times

mentioned

Specific examples of use

(if known)

Proposal writing Management

Sciences for

Health (MSH)

8 Applied skills to write a section

assigned in proposal

Journal/scientific

writing

CCP 6 Increased skill to organize concept;

started drafting a manuscript

Business plan

development

MSH 5 Drafted business plan; developed

market research tool

Knowledge synthesis CCP 5 Developed promotional materials

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about ECSA-HC’s work

Resource

mobilization

Not mentioned 5 Drafted resource mobilization

strategy; designed tracking tools for

potential donors

Social media Not mentioned 2 Better understanding of how to use

Twitter; tags/hashtags

In addition, the following topics were also mentioned: data collection on surgical workforce,

peer assist, after-action review, and disseminating information/reporting (internal training).

Overall, participants liked these KM trainings because:

● The topics and content covered were relevant to their work

● Existing knowledge was reinforced or validated

● New knowledge and useful skills were gained

In addition, survey respondents were specifically asked if they had participated in a training on

Internet searches, and almost half of the respondents said yes at endline compared to only a

few participants who said yes at baseline. They had used knowledge gained from the training to

try out different search engines and databases, and to make search terms more specific.

KM Strategies and Policies

KM strategies and policies covered documents and practices specific to KM initiatives at ECSA-

HC including its succession planning policy, KM strategy, and KM implementation plan, website

housing resolutions, member-state directory, and editorial board. Survey respondents were

asked about their knowledge and the status of certain strategies and policies.

Table 13: Findings regarding KM strategies and policies used at ECSA-HC

KM strategies and policies Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

Known by (%)

ECSA-HC editorial board 95% 94%

ECSA-HC website published resolutions from Health

Ministers Conference

68% 71%

ECSA-HC website published member-state directory 47% 88%

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ECSA-HC KM implementation plan 37% 41%

ECSA-HC KM strategy 32% 71%

ECSA-HC succession planning policy 16% 35%

ECSA-HC editorial board

Almost all of the endline participants (94%) knew about the editorial board. The frequency of contacting the editorial board for obtaining approval for products increased from baseline, when only a few (12%) had sought approval from the board. At endline, in the past six months, about half of the respondents sought approval from the editorial board for their products around one to three times, and two other respondents did so more than four times. Respondents mentioned various types of resources that they submitted to the editorial board, including brochures, stories (similar to blogs), newsletters, and project briefs or reports. Feedback included inputs and suggestions on design and overall structure. The turnaround time to receive approval varied from two days to two weeks. A few respondents noted that it usually took a long time for the team to process and approve the resources when the team had other tasks or responsibilities, and it could be a challenge.

ECSA-HC’s resolutions on the website

The percentage of survey respondents who thought that the ECSA-HC’s website houses

organizational documents, including the resolutions from the Health Ministers Conference,

increased slightly from baseline to endline (68% to 71%). Unlike at baseline, no particular

functional problem was reported at endline; however, some respondents said the website

needed to improve in order to become a regional information hub for the member states. A

few respondents indicated that ECSA-HC was revamping its website. About half of the

respondents accessed the website to locate resolutions from the Health Ministers Conference,

reports from the meeting, and other program materials.

ECSA-HC member-state directory

The vast majority (88%) of endline survey respondents had seen the ECSA-HC staff and

member states directory including contact information and technical expertise of each

individual, which was a notable increase from the percentage at baseline (47%). About half of

the respondents thought that it could be found on the website, and a few of them specified that

it is under the M&E page. A few respondents indicated a physical office location, such as the

director general, director of operations, or director of programs. Some of the respondents did

not know where the directory was located.

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ECSA-HC KM implementation plan

The implementation strategy was the second-least known KM guidance document among

respondents. Respondents who had heard of or read the KM implementation increased from

baseline to endline from 37% to 41%. Most of those who knew about the implementation plan

thought that it was either outlined or finalized, and a few respondents thought that it was either

disseminated or implemented.

ECSA-HC KM strategy

The percentage of survey respondents who had heard of or read the KM strategy more than

doubled from baseline to endline (32% to 71%). Of those who were familiar with the strategy,

almost all of them thought it was either outlined or finalized, but not yet disseminated nor

implemented.

ECSA-HC succession planning policy

There was an increase in the percentage of respondents who had heard of the succession

planning policy—from 16% at baseline to 35% at endline. Compared with other KM guidance

documents, the succession planning policy was the least well-known document. Those who had

heard of the plan were not very sure about its implementation status.

KM Techniques and Approaches

Participants were asked to describe their use of various types of KM techniques and approaches

for documenting and sharing knowledge, such as after-action reviews, data visualization, and fact

sheets/briefs.

Table 14: Survey respondents using KM techniques and approaches in the last six months

Type of KM techniques and approaches Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

After-action review 47% 47%

Data visualization 26% 76%

(Development of) fact sheets/briefs 58% 65%

After-action review

About half of the respondents had attended an after-action review in the last six months at

both baseline and endline. Common themes covered during after-action reviews included

review of project protocols or processes (e.g., Global Fund grant negotiation) and debriefing

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and evaluation of successes and challenges of events (ECSA-HC Best Practices Forum and other

ECSA-HC organized conferences).

Data visualization

Three out of four endline survey respondents indicated that they had used data visualizations in

a presentation or communication materials in the last six months, compared with one of four

respondents at baseline, showing a large increase. Tables, graphs, and pictures were mentioned

as the formats that respondents commonly used. Many of the respondents noted that data

visualization was particularly effective to show comparisons by country and region.

Fact sheets/briefs

A slightly larger number of respondents were involved in the development of fact sheets/briefs

at endline (65%), compared to baseline (58%). Respondents listed various audiences for fact

sheets, including general, public, media donors, development partners, health professionals, and

ECSA member states. They also mentioned a wide range of purposes as follows: advocacy,

documentation of best practices and success stories, and promotion of events, campaigns, and

projects.

In addition to three KM approaches and tools listed above (after-action review, data

visualization, and fact sheets/briefs), about one-third of respondents considered the East Africa

KM Share Fair hosted by K4Health in April 2016 as a useful KM approach.

All of the survey respondents said they would use KM approaches and tools in their project in

the future.

Public Online Repository (Improving Systems)

Participants were asked about their awareness and experiences with a variety of public online

repositories (i.e., the systems used by ECSA-HC for collecting, cataloging, and sharing

information related to ECSA-HC’s resolutions and best practices).

There was a small increase in the percentage of survey respondents who accessed and used

public online repositories to locate information related to resolutions and best practices from

baseline (47%) to endline (59%). Public online repositories covered a wide range of systems

available online for collecting, cataloging, and sharing information related to resolutions and best

practices in global health.

A variety of public online repositories were mentioned including:

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● Different organization’s websites (e.g., ECSA, WHO, World Bank, African Union, the

College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa)

● Databases (e.g., Hinari Access to Research for Health Programme, PubMed, POPLINE)

● Online libraries (e.g., Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland’s online library, Ugandan

Ministry of Health online library)

On average, survey respondents accessed these repositories monthly or a few times per year.

In general, respondents indicated that the repositories were valuable as they reinforced and

validated what they already knew or provided new and useful information. Respondents

mentioned the main use of information/knowledge from online repositories was for decision-

making, to improve programs, and to inform policies.

At endline, more than half (53%) of the respondents indicated that they had contributed to

evidence that pertains to the implementation of ECSA-HC resolutions in the last six months,

compared to about one-third (32%) of the respondents at baseline. Participants provided

various examples, such as preparing proposals and workplans, developing and facilitating

trainings, and writing performance reports and other documents.

When asked about an interactive map on the ECSA-HC website, one in every four (24%)

respondents said they were aware of it at endline, but they could not correctly specify its

location. At baseline, none of the respondents were aware of the interactive map. (The

interactive map is supposed to identify where the projects are and then link the user to

information about the project implementer, dates, and contact information; however, it has not

been populated recently. URL: http://library.ecsahc.org/geolocation/map/browse)

Virtual Forums (Maximizing Networks)

Participants were asked to describe their experience and use of different virtual forums. A

virtual forum is a platform for starting and continuing a discussion before and after meetings

and conferences. Successful and focused virtual forums may also be considered an online

community of practice.

Table 15: Number of virtual forums respondents participated

Number of virtual forums Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

None 63% 35%

1 to 3 32% 47%

4 to 6 5% 6%

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7 to 9 0% 6%

10 and up 0% 6%

At endline, the majority of respondents (65%) had participated in a virtual forum in the last six

months, compared to less than half of participants (37%) at baseline. Most respondents (47%)

had participated between one and three times.

A variety of virtual forums were mentioned, and many of them were related to specific health

technical topics:

● Professional network groups or communities of practice (e.g., Harmonization of Health

in Africa, Global Health Diplomacy for Malaria, HIV and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis)

● Online forums (e.g., ICT forum, global consultation on guidelines for community health

workers)

● Webinars (e.g., social media training, webinar training by K4Health)

One respondent indicated that ECSA-HC used a rapid response system, in which topics were

discussed before monthly conferences.

At baseline, none of the forum topics were related to ECSA-HC resolutions; at endline,

however, one in four respondents indicated that the resolutions were discussed at the forums

in which they participated. The forums covered a wide range of issues such as human resources

for health, improving food security and nutrition, addressing non-communicable diseases, global

health diplomacy, strengthening diagnostic services to vulnerable populations, and advocating to

include KM in budgets.

Almost all of the respondents felt that virtual forums were valuable for networking with other

professionals and gaining new knowledge on topics relevant to their work, and that they would

recommend the forum in which they participated to their colleagues.

At endline, respondents mentioned two main reasons for participating in virtual forums: (1) to

build upon existing knowledge of a topic and (2) to network. At baseline, respondents chose

two other main reasons: (1) to inform policies and (2) to inform the technical assistance for

member states.

GHeL community groups

Participants were asked about their use of the Global Health eLearning (GHeL) center hosted

by K4Health.

Table 16: Respondents’ interaction with Global Health eLearning forums

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Type of interaction with GHeL Baseline

(N=19)

Endline

(N=17)

Registered in GHeL as a learner 26% 35%

Participated in GHeL community groups 0% 6%

The percentage of survey respondents who were registered learners of GHeL increased slightly

from baseline (26%) to endline (35%). At baseline, no one had participated in GHeL community

groups, whereas one respondent participated in the Social Media on Health and Development

community group at endline.

ECSA-HC’s Use of KM

KII participants were asked about strengths and gaps in ECSA-HC’s use of KM and what KM

responsibilities they had in relation to their position.

ECSA-HC strengths and gaps

Participants cited the ECSA website, the newly formed KM Program, participation in KM

trainings, and application of KM trainings in their work as examples of ECSA-HC’s KM

strengths.

“Okay the participation of staff in the capacity development. They’re eager to learn. And

also application. I can’t talk on the behalf of everyone, but we have used a number of

KM tools, for example, after-action review after the Health Ministers Conference to see

what went well, what didn’t, and looking at opportunities for improvement. And I know

that there are certain programs that have already initiated or are in the process of

initiating the communities of practice. So I can say that those are visible and tangible

things. And coming to social media, I can tell that there are some improvements. And

I’ve personally applied it to my own project.”

In terms of weaknesses, participants said they need to work on disseminating information to

and communicating with member countries, strengthening the capacity of member countries to

use KM, and improve the handover process when employees leave.

“The first thing we did is we presented to our technical programs here and we told

them that we’ve been to countries and they don’t know what we are doing here. I think

it’s important that we establish this contact with these people. Just communication—it’s

good to develop that relationship with technical programs in the other countries.”

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KM responsibilities and use of KM

Several participants said they are responsible for KM activities, such as updating the website,

writing an organization newsletter, coordinating team members, facilitating the sharing and

exchange of information across countries, and developing a database of technical experts in the

region.

“Major part of my work involves disease surveillance, which in itself includes collecting

data about disease, synthesizing it, and sharing it. All those processes need knowledge

management in a systematic way so that you can effectively communicate for the region,

individual countries, and individual players who work with community health workers.”

Participants were also asked about their use of KM in their day-to-day work at ECSA-HC. A

few recounted their involvement in packaging information for specific audiences and regularly

communicating with member states.

“Okay, yes. I can give an example very recently about a year ago. We produced a set of

health reports for ECSA. We have nine countries in the region. We want to give these

reports as indicators for monitoring. We developed this report recently updating the

previous one. But as we do this we know that we have different audiences. One of them

is the ministers of health, this is we did actually . . . I presented to the last conference.

So yes we packaged it, it was quite thick, maybe 100 pages, but we needed to give this.

So we picked just a few things that would be more interested to the ministers. We

showed them—yes, this is how we’re doing, this is how the population is, this is where

we should send help. We just picked that information in the presentation, the key

messages.”

“As I said, we have two projects which apply KM directly. One brings together 13

countries (beyond the ECSA countries). We have been having two regional consultative

meetings and we formed three working groups. So we normally exchange information

through the monthly (or every two months) teleconferences and we had one online

training which was held through GoToMeeting. Sometimes for the teleconference we

use a web-based application which can facilitate the teleconference. We are planning to

establish a community of practice. Although it’s not very active. We exchange a lot of

information through email. In another project, we are planning to form a knowledge

exchange forum, so it’s still in the process. So we are hoping that a lot of knowledge will

be exchanged across the ECSA countries and even outside. We’re developing a training

package so there will be moderation through the knowledge exchange forum.”

Interview participants were also asked to comment on the flow and quality of information

within ECSA-HC and between ECSA-HC and member states. Many of the findings were similar

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to the findings captured from the ECSA member states KM needs assessment conducted in

August 2016.

Some participants spoke of the need to strengthen communication between projects, but

others said weekly meetings have been helpful in sharing information between projects. One

participant said the newly established internal newsletter has facilitated the sharing of

information within ECSA-HC.

“Okay, one way to know about each other’s projects is we have a standing meeting

every Monday. So every Monday we have a meeting, all the programs are present. They

get to present their work. So you get to know what they did in the previous week and

what they will be doing in the coming week. Yeah, so we get to know what the other

programs are doing, if you have any questions they’ve addressed.”

When asked about the flow of information between ECSA-HC and member states, participants

primarily discussed challenges, in terms of receiving feedback from member states and ensuring

that information gets to the right people in member states. One participant did mention that

formal communication channels are in place, such as focal point people for specific health topics

in each member state.

“Yes, we use email and also a copier and printed copies. But they don’t go to the right

people. That is why when I go to a country and talk to the people, they don’t know

about these things.”

“For every program or project, we have country focal points, so it depends on the

thematic area. At the highest level, it is the ministry, the governance structure. But on a

day-to-day basis related to program implementation or communication, we have the

country focal points, and at the regional level, we have the expert committee on certain

thematic areas.”

Participation of Men and Women

KII participants were asked about equal participation of men and women in ECSA-HC. Most

participants said men and women are equally represented in positions at ECSA-HC, but not at

the leadership level.

“Yes, there may be a problem in terms of numbers, but in terms of participation and

input, it is equal. In my project, we only have three males, but in food and nutrition,

there are only females. In finance, it’s mixed. So overall, it is equal.”

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“Well, I think that at present, the leadership seems to be dominated by men. There have

been times when the leadership was more female . . . we had a female director general

and a couple of directors were female, but for now I think it’s more men than women.”

Future Aspirations

Finally, KII participants were asked where they would like to see ECSA-HC in two years in

terms of its use of KM techniques and approaches. Participants spoke of their hopes that ECSA-

HC would become the “WHO of the region” in the sense that it would be viewed as a regional

health organization. Participants also want to see ECSA-HC as a regional KM champion, well

versed in KM techniques.

“This is what I tell people: in two years’ time, I want us to be at the level of other

organizations like WHO. There’s so much we can do at ECSA and that’s where I hope

to be in two years.”

“I want ECSA to be like a knowledge management champion in the region. We want

countries to see ECSA as a KM hub; that is where I want to see it in two years. We

need to change quite a lot of things, like the culture internally needs to improve for us

to be champions in the region. Just want to develop our expertise to further help the

countries that need it.”

Findings in KM Capacity Areas (KM CAT)

This section presents key findings from two focus group discussion sessions using the KM CAT.

The tool has five core domains: people, process, platform, partnership, and problem solving.

The K4Health team used the facilitator’s guide describing various KM competency/maturity

stages to help the group reach consensus in answering questions associated with each of the

domains at baseline and endline. In both data collections, the facilitator and the note taker who

conducted two group sessions with the ECSA-HC staff rated each domain using a five-point

maturity/competency scale shown below.

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Figure 1: Five stages of the capacity continuum

KM function, procedure, activities, etc. can be in one of the five stages in below.

Source: Adapted from MSH’ PROGRESS (internal resource) and Knowledge Management Capability Assessment

Tool. Houston (TX): APQC. Available from: https://www.apqc.org/km-capability-assessment-tool

Stage 3 is the most important milestone in an organization’s journey toward KM

maturity/competency because it denotes standardization, which will build the foundation for a

knowledge-sharing culture.

Table 17: ECSA-HC’s KM capacity assessment stages

Domain Sub-Domains Overall Stage (1 to 5)

Baseline Endline

People The people domain covers: (1)

resources/human capital required for KM; (2)

leadership, which is the organization’s senior

management support to KM; and (3)

organizational culture supporting knowledge

sharing and networking.

2 3

Process The process domain refers to: (1) KM strategy

that is aligned with the broader mission of the

organization; (2) knowledge flow/cycle of

assessing, capturing, generating, adapting, and

sharing knowledge within the organization; and

(3) measurement such as M&E system and

indicators and data use.

2 2

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Platform The platform domain includes the

organization’s use of (1) KM systems such as

intranet, program management tool, or

database; (2) KM approaches such as

communities of practice, after-action reviews,

and data visualization; and (3) information

technologies.

2 4

Partnership The partnership domain refers to the

organization’s involvement in collaborating with

key stakeholders and partners for (1)

knowledge exchange and gathering and (2)

coordination and networking purposes.

2 4

Problem

Solving The problem-solving domain covers skills such

as (1) knowledge seeking to take initiative and

locate knowledge and (2) identification of new

ideas and problems.

2 3

People Domain

Resource: staff and training

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 4 at endline.

● Many staff members at endline felt that KM was everywhere and every project was

incorporating KM in its work.

● There have been many opportunities to be trained on KM concept and techniques

through the K4Health Project.

Leadership

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 3 at endline.

● There is a KM program officer and a manager, the KM team has been providing

leadership in all aspects of KM, and the senior leadership support KM as an

organizational commitment.

● The senior leadership provides guidance and advice through the Monday meetings.

Knowledge sharing culture and rewards

● The overall score for this sub-domain remained the same—2 at baseline and endline.

● Staff members are encouraged to share knowledge in a variety of ways, for example, at

meetings and on websites.

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● Incentives or rewards may be given on an ad hoc basis, but is not fully practiced yet.

Process Domain

KM definition, strategy, funds

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 1 at baseline to 2 at endline.

● Staff members at endline felt they had a similar understanding of KM as generating,

storing, and sharing information, and everyone was doing it.

● At endline, ECSA-HC did not have a stand-alone KM strategy, but KM activities were

designed at the program level. The communication strategy incorporated some

components of the KM strategy.

● The K4Health Project funded various KM activities at ECSA-HC. KM was budgeted at

the program level, not at the organization level.

Knowledge flow

● The overall score for this sub-domain remained the same—2 at baseline and endline.

● Knowledge gaps and needs were determined during staff appraisals, and there was a

component of capacity assessments. There were some efforts to organize in-house

training but they were not systematized.

● The state of health report provides a good example of how knowledge is collected from

countries, analyzed and synthesized at the central level, and then disseminated to the

member states and via the website.

KM measurement: indicators and data use

● The overall score for this sub-domain remained the same—1 at baseline and endline.

● At endline, there are no indicators that reflect KM activities. KM is fairly new to ECSA-

HC and there are a number of activity indicators linked to KM but not specifically called

KM indicators.

Platform Domain

KM system

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 3 at endline.

● There are multiple systems and channels to organize and share resources including the

website, weekly Monday management meetings, Best Practice Forum, program meetings,

and expert committees.

● There is still room for improvement, for example, having an electronic platform where

the staff can share knowledge, social media, website, etc. A shared drive is not being

used at endline.

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KM approach

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 4 at endline.

● ECSA-HC uses different KM tools and approaches more consistently at endline.

● After-action reviews have been used several times through the organization. Peer assist,

community of practice, and policy brief are also found in different projects.

Information technology

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 1 at baseline to 3 at endline.

● Various IT tools have been used at ECSA-HC, including website, email, social media,

webinars, telephone conference, etc. These tools are used fairly well, but not fully yet.

● There is an IT officer, though it has been challenging for one person to fulfill the needs

of all staff.

Partnership Domain

External knowledge gathering

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 4 at endline.

● Staff members gather a lot of information such as global, regional, and national health

trends from organizations including WHO, African Union, and donor agencies.

● There is a list of partners, which ECSA-HC is working with, and it is updated on a

regular basis.

Coordination and networks

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 4 at endline.

● ECSA-HC is part of a partnership in which WHO plays a role of a coordination body.

Sometimes donors realign focus and it may affect ECSA-HC’s strategic objective.

● Staff members are encouraged to participate in various professional networking groups

and technical meetings and conferences in-country and in the region.

Problem-Solving Domain

Taking initiatives and locating knowledge

● The overall score for this sub-domain remained the same—2 at baseline and endline.

● It depends on the availability of resources, and currently there is no established

structure to support new initiatives from staff members. There is some support for skill-

building courses.

● There is no special document for a new employee to get to know other staff, but there

are face-to-face meetings for orientation.

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Identifying problems

● The overall score for this sub-domain increased from 2 at baseline to 3 at endline.

● Staff can share the issues at the monthly meeting with the director general. Sometimes

staff can go directly to the director general’s office. Depending on an issue, staff can go

to the director of programs (for technical issues) and the finance director (for finance

issues). There is an open-door policy.

● There is a suggestion box for those who want to stay anonymous. These messages are

only seen/read by the director general.

Recommendations and Conclusions

The KM capacity assessment systematically documented and compared the progress before and

after the project had been implemented. It resulted in a number of key findings and

recommendations that the ECSA-HC Secretariat may consider useful in order to increase the

effective use of KM approaches in the future as shown below. Findings and recommendations

from the endline assessment can be used together with the Knowledge Management Needs

Assessment of ECSA-HC Member States.

Themes Key findings Recommendations

Improve systems

Leadership

commitment to

KM

ECSA-HC staff members

understood the value of KM and

recognized the leadership

commitment to further integrate

KM approaches into their day-to-

day work.

Continue showing leadership

commitment by including KM in

budgets and activities at both the

program and organizational levels.

KM strategy There was a notable lack of

awareness among ECSA-HC staff

about the existence of the KM

strategy documents. KM

components are currently

embedded in other broader

strategies (e.g., research

information, advocacy, or

communications).

Continue showing leadership

commitment to KM components and

related practices that support the

overall KM strategy. (i.e., editorial

review board).

Consider developing a stand-alone KM

strategy that will guide KM activities

within ECSA-HC and its member states.

The KM strategy should also specify

various roles and responsibilities of the

KM M&E team and the newly appointed

KM M&E manager. The strategy may

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30

also include roles and responsibilities of

member-state KM champions.

Systematic use

of KM

The continued application of KM

practices and techniques needs

improvement, particularly those

that have been adopted and viewed as practical for everyday

work.

Continue to systematically review KM

needs and implement appropriate

strategies, for example, incorporate KM

activities into the ECSA-HC work plan and program work plans, and conduct

quarterly reviews of progress on KM

activities.

Enhance Technical Expertise

KM champions ECSA-HC staff members

articulated the role of KM

champions well and frequently

interacted with KM champions to

ask for programmatic and

technical advice.

Consider continuing to nurture KM

champions at the ECSA-HC. Strengthen

their role in supporting leadership and

staff to continuously apply KM

practices, identify KM needs among

ECSA-HC staff, and connect them to appropriate resources to increase their

KM capacity.

While ECSA-HC Secretariat expands

KM expertise to member states,

consider using a KM champion

approach, which has been successful at

the Secretariat.

Maximize Networks

Role of ECSA-HC as a

knowledge hub

Respondents expressed a desire and aspiration to position ECSA-

HC as a knowledge hub in the

region.

Strengthen collaboration between ECSA-HC and other intergovernmental

organizations and organizations in the

region to showcase ECSA-HC’s

technical expertise in health.

Consider strengthening collaboration

particularly with those organizations

identified during the development of

the Resource Mobilization Strategy and

Business Planning and Proposal

Development Workshops.

The Best Practices Forum is an existing

ECSA-HC event that can strategically

position ECSA-HC as a knowledge hub

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31

in the region. Consider continuing to

enhance the event through advance

preparation and increased participation.

Consider building upon the skills

acquired during the Journal Writing

Workshop and prioritize a number of

journal articles for publication.

Knowledge

sharing

Sharing knowledge between

partner states continues to be a

challenge, similar to findings from

the KM needs assessment of

ECSA-HC member states.

Ensure that the ECSA-HC Secretariat is

more visible within the member states

and that it clearly promotes what it can

offer in terms of technical assistance to

member states.

Consider prioritizing the activities

identified over the past few years and

through the Member States Needs

Assessment to enhance ECSA-HC’s

visibility and relevance in the region.

These include enhancing participation at

the Best Practices Forum and Health

Ministers Conference.

Prioritize communication about the

Health Ministers Conference to ensure

that people are aware of its existence

and the purpose of the resolutions and

follow up on whether the resolutions

are being implemented.

Finalize the website revision that began

during the K4Health East Africa project.

Finalize the website refresh that has

started.

Overall, it is important for ECSA-HC to recognize that some internal challenges, for example,

staff workload and other commitments and timing to complete and approve processes, may

have adversely affected the finalization of some KM strategies and policies. The finalization of

those strategies and policies will contribute to integrating KM into the organization more

holistically and systematically, and continue to strengthen the foundation for knowledge sharing

and learning among all ECSA-HC staff.

Page 40: K4Health East Africa Field Support The State of Knowledge

Appendix 1: Pathway to Sustainable Knowledge Management in East

Africa

Page 41: K4Health East Africa Field Support The State of Knowledge

Appendix 2: Knowledge Management Capacity Scores at Baseline

and Endline

Note: K4Health simplified the tool based on feedback from the baseline assessment, and therefore some questions were not used

in the endline assessment.

Domain Sub-Domain Domain Sub-Domain

Score Score Group 1 Group 2 Average Score Score Group 1 Group 2 Average

1.75 Staff 1 2 1.5 4.25 Staff 5 4 4.5

2 Training 2 2 2 4 Training 4 4 41.67 Leaders/Managers 2 2 3.25 Leaders/Managers 3 4 3.5

2 KM Coordination Body 1 2 1.5 3 KM Coordination Body 3 3 32 Support to Networking 3 2 2.5 1.5 Support to Networking

2 Support to Knowledge Sharing 1 1 1 2 Support to Knowledge Sharing 2 1 1.51 KM Definition and Vision 1 1 1 2.33 KM Definition 2 2 2

KM Strategy and Objectives 1 1 1 KM Strategy 2 2 2

1 KM Budget 1 1 1 2 KM Funds 5 1 31.67 Tacit Knowledge Capture 1 1 1 2.25

Knowledge Gaps and Needs 3 1 2 Knowledg Gaps and Needs 4 4

2 Knowledge Documentation and Sharing 2 2 2 2 Knowledge Documentation and Sharing 3 4 3.5KM M&E Indicators 1 1 1 KM M&E Indicators and Data Use 1 1 1KM M&E Systems and Tools 1 1

1 KM M&E Data Use 1 1 1System for Repository and Sharing 3 1 2 2.75 System for Repository and Sharing 3 3 3

2 Content Management System NA NA NA 3 Content Management System 3 2 2.5KM Approach 2 KM Tool and Approach 1 2 1.5 KM Approach 4 KM Tool and Approach 3 4 3.5

1.25 KM IT Team 1 1 1 3.5 IT Use in KM 4 4 4

1 IT Use in KM 2 1 1.5 4 KM IT Team 3 3 32.25 External Knowledge Gathering 2 2 2 4 External Knowledge Gathering 3 5 4

2 External Knowledge Promotion 3 2 2.5 4 External Knowledge Promotion 4 4 42.25 Participation to External Partnership 2 3 2.5 4.75 Participation to External Partnership 5 5 5

2 Partnership Structure 1 3 2 5 Partnership Structure 5 4 4.5Networks Participation to Professional Networking Networks 3 Participation to Professional Networking 4 2 3

1.75 Initiative 1 2 1.5 2 Initiative 2 2 2

2 Locating KNowledge 2 2 2 2 Locating KNowledge 2 2 2

1.5 Idea Generation 1 1 1 32 Problem Identification 2 2 2 3 Problem Identification 3 3 3

1.5 Representation of Levels 1 2 1.5 2.5 Representation of Levels 3 2 2.5

2 Group Problem Solving 1 2 1.5 3Total Scores 9 43.59 40 39 40.5 15 81.08 69 63 62

Baseline EndlineDomain

Problem Solving 2

Knowledge Seeking

3

Knowledge Seeking

Identification Identification

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Partnership 2

External Knowledge

4

External Knowledge

Coordination Coordination

Platform

(Tool and

Technology)2

KM System

4

KM System

Information Technology

Information Technology

Process 1

Strategy

2

Strategy

Knowledge Flow

Knowledge Flow

Measurement Measurement

Score

People 2

Resource

3

Resource

Leadership Leadership

Culture Culture

Sub-Domain QuestionScore

Sub-Domain Question