Chapter 4 Coordinating Knowledge
Interagency coordination typically requires knowledge sharing between the parties involved. In some instances, knowledge sharing is the primary goal of coordination efforts. Yet even when coordinating knowledge is not the central goal, agencies cannot effectively coordinate objectives, policy, or management without also coordinating certain aspects of knowledge.
Knowledge includes data (discrete observations of phenomena), information (systematic and linked observations), and understanding (explanations of why phenomena occur).41 While sharing data is often important during interagency cooperation, the sharing of knowledge involves the coordination of data analysis and interpretation in order to successfully transform data points into shared understandings. Key processes for translating data into knowledge include monitoring, which provides continued data about the system in question, and modeling, which addresses the system’s dynamic interactions and causal mechanisms.
Cooperating agencies must create joint goals or objectives for purposeful coordination, and knowledge is needed to build the shared norms that are used to set these goals. Knowledge then enables agencies to identify the range of possible actions or policy options that can be taken to achieve their shared goals, as well as evaluate their decision choices and the outcomes of those decisions. Coordination of data from across agencies may also be necessary for data integration, joint modeling, and shared monitoring protocols.42,43 Periodically updated information is then needed to help agencies respond to change through iterative governance and adaptation.43,44
Knowledge coordination may also be important during the initial stages of a coordination agreement. For example, shared knowledge of the system can help each coordinating entity decide which actions need to be taken, by whom, to achieve both their individual and shared goals. Once an agreement has been reached, data and information exchange can also provide coordinating agencies with mutual assurances of joint compliance, which can help establish transparency and trust.45,46,47 Overall, coordination of knowledge can provide the first step towards broader cooperation, agreement formation, conflict resolution, and consensus building between coordinating agencies.48,49
Coordination of knowledge can also lead to innovative solutions, such as through the process of social learning. Social learning occurs when the parties involved develop mutual understandings of the systems they govern and of one another as the result of their interactions and exchanges.50,51 Social learning can lead to improved decision-making because it helps increases awareness of human-environment interactions, build better relationships, and improve problem-solving capacities for participants.52 Through social learning, participants may also re-evaluate their assumptions, underlying values, and beliefs in a manner that better aligns the goals and objectives of the agencies while simultaneously providing solutions to environmental, social, or institutional challenges.53