Contextualisation: An exercise in knowledge management and transfer

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe the adaption of the DEMOLA Innovation Model, developed in Finland, to the South African and African context, supported by an interrogation of tacit knowledge through an adaption of Holsapple and Joshi’s (2002) Threefold Knowledge Management Framework’s Knowledge Resource component. Design/methodology/approach – The mHealth and Wellness Innovation Ecosystem building (Botha, Herselman, & Kotz, 2016) is an initiative embarked on in 2015 and entails the exploration, mapping, description and stimulation of mHealth and Wellness Innovations in the South African National Innovation System. The outcome was envisioned as a stimulus in the South African mHealth and Wellness Domain and as supporting the National Innovation System of South Africa. The DEMOLA Model was the chosen innovation mechanism that would be used to stimulate and catalyse the mHealth and Innovation Ecosystem as it facilitates youth involvement, industry co-creation, and network formation and has a reported high percentage of global licencing. The execution in South Africa would be the initial implementation envisaged to guide further implementations into the rest of the African continent. Transferring models from Europe to Africa would necessitate a significant amount of contextualisation. Much of the DEMOLA model has been lived by their facilitators and the resulting complex multifaceted knowledge have become entrenched in the Model. Site visits were supplementedwith semi structured interviews in two sites,DEMOLA Tampere and Oulu. The interviews and visits were used towards explicitly describing the tacit knowledge resources that would need to be evaluated for contextualisation and how the South African environment can absorb this learning. Originality/value –The identified knowledge resources would position the local African implementers to effectively adapt the Innovation model and provide a common language and understanding between the stakeholders. Towards further adoption into Africa the same procedure can be followed. Practical implications – The clear presentation of knowledge resources entangled as explicit and well as tacit components would enable stakeholders to manage knowledge resources more effectively and provide the potential for full deliberate, systematic knowledge management and transfer.