Table 2.
Concept | Definition |
---|---|
Innovation | “‘Change-on-purpose’, propelled by individual and collective intentions” (Engel 1997, p. 11). Encompasses both the decision to make a change in practice and implementation |
Knowledge | “Knowledge is taken very broadly to mean the concepts, ideas, insights and routines (including mental routines) people use to impute meaning to events and ideas” (Engel 1997, p. 32). A property of individuals, it cannot be observed or communicated directly, instead it is embodied in individual and social actions |
Information | “A pattern imposed on a carrier such as sound, radio waves, paper, diskettes, electronic cables and so forth” (Engel 1997, p. 32). Information is explicit and can contribute to the development of knowledge |
Knowledge network |
“The more or less formalized, relatively stable pattern of communication and interaction among social actors who share a common concern [such as improving clinical practice] … Such patterns emerge as a result of relation-building efforts among actors” (Engel 1997, p. 37). These networks may be found within organizations or extend across organizations and institutions; they “may be spontaneous and totally informal, or designed to serve a specific purpose” (Engel 1997, p. 37). Knowledge networks can be described only in relation to some purpose. Innovation is the desired outcome of a knowledge network, but in practice they are defined in relation to more specific goals |
Actor | Individuals or collectivities involved directly or indirectly in an innovation. May be either internal or external to the innovating group or organization |
Communication linkage |
The formal or informal channels or networks through which information flows. Communication is “the production, exchange and processing of information (including symbolic information) between two or more social actors” (Engel 1997, p. 33) |
Knowledge processes |
A concept used to anticipate and identify the activities and division of labor among actors within a knowledge network. We employed Röling and Engel’s (1991) approach of looking at the generation, acquisition, integration, distribution and utilization of knowledge and information |