Innovation and Knowledge

Knowledge and Content Management

Swisscontact regards internal knowledge transfer as a quality assurance tool in its project work. Specific Communities of Practice (CoPs) and working groups are key tools of the Knowledge and Content Management (KCM) strategy. They facilitate the rapid systematic exchange of staff and thus encourage knowledge transfer and transparency of important organisational knowledge. For this reason, the CoP moderators in the region undergo an internally developed training programme. In their daily work, they can rely on IT systems and are supported by the KCM team in Zurich.

The CoPs create an atmosphere of belonging among their members. They work together primarily remotely via collaborative workspaces for web conferences, webinars, and chats. The CoPs have been able to establish a decentralised knowledge creation system and enrich internal knowledge-oriented value-added processes.

It is a strategic priority for Swisscontact to foster equality of opportunity between men and women. Accordingly, principles for project design and implementation have been developed.

A new Swisscontact eLearning application enables institutional knowledge to be developed in decentralised fashion. In September a group of Swisscontact staff met in El Salvador to discuss migration and development. They talked about how Swisscontact can improve conditions for returning migrants.

Swisscontact participates in national and international networks, including BEAM Exchange, the Swiss Vocational Education and International Development Cooperation Forum (FoBIZZ), the Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), the SEEP Network, various thematic networks supported by SDC, the Roundtable on Human Rights in Tourism, World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL), and the NADEL Centre for Development Cooperation of ETH Zurich.

Communication

Swisscontact’s communication activities are digital. All content is available on our website, www.swisscontact.org with 21 country pages and popular social media platforms – global, regional, and local. Advanced through continuous editorial planning, our project experiences are compiled in various multimedia formats.

On a strategic level, project-related communications strategies and branding guidelines are increasing in importance and finding their way into basic project documentation.

34 communications specialists in 26 countries are working on communications at both the institutional and project levels. A virtual working group takes care of global coordination. The regions receive regular intense technical support in advanced education seminars held locally as well as through online tools. As a result, the value and use of our communications tools along with best practices across all disciplines are optimised with uniform standards.

Our strategic Communications Controlling system was introduced to guide communication. Through specific performance and impact indicators, it tells us the extent to which a communication activity is helping us achieve our strategic objectives as an organisation and the value added that particular communication brings. For example, it includes measuring content outreach and the percentage of positive statements or active engagement.