Elizabeth Goodyear discusses a recent report from CAPE on knowledge mobilisers.
In a recent UPEN members meeting, the group looked at the CAPE report Hidden Talents: Core Competencies of Knowledge Mobilisers Working in Public Policy – CAPE, which delves into the hidden capabilities of knowledge mobilisers and explores “what works” in the realm of knowledge mobilisation. The session provided a rich tapestry of insights, highlighting the flexibility, time, and collaborative opportunities that knowledge mobilisers offer.
The Multifaceted Role of Knowledge Mobilisers
Knowledge mobilisation is often described as being “in everyone’s interests and no one’s job description” (Boaz, 2015). This sentiment underscores the diverse and sometimes nebulous nature of the role. The CAPE report identifies eight roles that encapsulate the various facets of knowledge mobilisation: leader, coordinator, impact, knowledge exchange (KE), policy advisor, policy engagement, policy fellows, and public affairs.
Competencies of Knowledge Mobilisers
The report outlines five core competencies that are essential for effective knowledge mobilisation:
- The Weaver of Many Threads: This competency involves consolidating and synthesising knowledge, convening people and perspectives, and maintaining a nimble focus.
- Policy Astuteness and Research Acumen: Understanding the policy cycle, possessing tacit knowledge and the “realpolitik” of policymaking, and demonstrating a commitment to research and societal benefits are crucial. This also includes curational and translational skills.
- People Person Power: Super-connecting, maintaining long-term relationships, and exhibiting confident humility are key traits.
- Entrepreneurship and Agility: This involves opportunism, problem-solving, innovation, and managing uncertainty.
- The Brilliant Bureaucrat: Project management abilities, managing change, complexity, and ambiguity, and navigating multiple (competing) accountabilities are vital.
Addressing Common Blockers and Building Resilience
The session also explored common blockers faced by knowledge mobilisers and discussed ways to build shared resilience. One idea was to provide support for individuals entering these roles through training and documentation, similar to the approach used by the ARMA framework.
The session went on to discuss several key points, including the importance of listening skills, as the best knowledge mobilisers understand what policymakers want and the need for expertise not just research. Questions were raised about the levels at which knowledge mobilisation was examined—local, regional, and national—and the differentiation between professional services and academic knowledge mobilisers. The follow-up research aims to chart the skills terrain across various sectors, not just higher education institutions.
The report focused on current roles rather than backgrounds, examining career pathways from junior to senior positions, with a call for the UPEN community to support career development through their people pillar. The overlap between knowledge mobilisers and policymakers was discussed, questioning whether mobilisers should be synthesisers or facilitators.
The importance of lived examples was underscored, with suggestions for UPEN to offer mentoring roles and profile different people in this space. Insights from other sectors, such as the civil service, revealed commonalities in competency areas and backgrounds, which could inform UPEN’s practices.
Moving Forward
The session concluded with a shared conversation about the next steps, focusing on the codification of practice, clarification and recognition of competencies, better career pathways, and learning from other sectors and areas of practice.
This blog was written by Elizabeth Goodyear, Programme Manager at City-REDI, University of Birmingham.
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Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the authors and not necessarily those of City-REDI or the University of Birmingham.