Responding to COVID-19: Changing labour markets, changing practice

Co-creation of knowledge in career development:

Innovation in the face of change

Marina Milosheva, PhD student

Edinburgh Napier University

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Workshop outline

• What is knowledge co-creation? Why study it?
• How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? Findings from a MScR research project conducted in collaboration with Skills Development Scotland

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1. Research objectives
2. Theory and Methodology
3. Overview of findings
4. Implications for career guidance

Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

�What is knowledge co-creation? �Why study it?

In the literature:

• A vehicle for innovation and competitive advantage in organisations. But where is this knowledge? In books? Not only!
• New knowledge is created in collaboration with others and circulates in communities
• It continuously changes and evolves, and becomes embedded in processes, documents, and people

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In practice: one of many means of adapting career guidance practice to change (and to COVID-19!) 

• Adapting to more precarious labour markets
• Adapting to the demands of the Knowledge society
• New strategies for delivering career guidance and structuring career guidance conversations between career practitioners

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Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? ��Research objectives

Little is known about how career knowledge is co-created in career settings: opportunity to make an original contribution to knowledge that will increase the rate of innovation in career guidance settings

• Study the meanings and practices of career knowledge co-creation in a sample of career practitioners working at Skills Development Scotland
• Consider both the social (attitudes, beliefs, norms, conversations) and material (objects, places) aspects of knowledge co-creation systems
• Follow the timeline of knowledge co-creation from information to knowledge; from one person to another

Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? ��Theory and Methodology

Theory

• Knowledge management
• Communities of practice
• Learning communities

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Methodology

• Ten career practitioners based at several different offices of Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
• Six held the title of ‘Careers Adviser’ and four were members of ‘CIAG’, an acronym for ‘Career Information and Guidance’
• Semi-structured online interviews using four elicitation prompts – role, relationships, artefacts, and career knowledge

Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? ��Findings

Knowledge co-creation entails socialisation and information behaviours.

• Information-seeking
• Information-sharing
• Contextualisation work
• Asking for help

These are performed in line with shared mental models and cultural concepts, such as the Career Management Skills framework and the organisational value of Everyday leadership

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Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? ��Findings

Technologies facilitate new types of informal and spontaneous knowledge co-creation

• Pros: Socialisation in the cyberspace has a wider social and ideational reach than that of the physical space: networking, idea generation, opinion canvassing
• Cons: information overload and legitimacy of online information

Technologies help established types of formal and structured knowledge co-creation to continue taking place.

Formal co-creation channels create favourable conditions for information exchange and innovation by affording time, space, and a structure for discussions. These were done in person but are now going ahead online:

• Team meetings
• Reflective practice sessions
• Working groups

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Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? ��Implications of findings for career guidance

Knowledge co-creation occurs naturally in favourable conditions and continues during the pandemic. Such favourable conditions are:

• Having a culture of sharing
• Using the same mental models of career guidance practice
• Having plenty of opportunities to share thoughts with others and reflect on strategies
• Having access to a wealth of career information either online or by contacting colleagues who are specialists in a certain area
• Using existing and novel technologies to support practice

Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

How is knowledge co-created by career practitioners in practice? ��Implications of findings for career guidance

Career guidance practice has changed and adapted to the pandemic; career practitioners remain as committed as ever to helping others and actively work on improving their career service delivery

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Knowledge co-creation has been a key driver of adaptations, as it has paved the way for new ways of working, new ways of using technology, and new ways of facing challenges together

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To facilitate knowledge co-creation further in career communities, it is crucial to have dedicated space and time for information exchange and socialisation (such as this conference!), and structured discussions around shared interests, challenges, and areas of practice

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Marina Milosheva, PhD student, Edinburgh Napier University

Responding to COVID-19: Changing labour markets, changing practice

Co-creation of knowledge in career development

Marina Milosheva, PhD student

Edinburgh Napier University

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Thank you!

Get in touch:

M.Milosheva@napier.ac.uk

Twitter: marinamilphd