61 Community Engagement and Collaboration | Community engagement and the Lavis model for KMb

As outlined in Module One, Lavis and colleagues⁸ have created an effective framework for conceptualizing and approaching KMb. In the following section of this module you will be asked to revisit the Lavis model, but now with a broader focus on community engagement and knowledge exchange.

The Lavis model and community engagement

As a reminder, the Lavis model⁸ outlines five basic questions that may help to guide KMb work, this questions are:

1. What should be transferred to decision makers (the message)?
2. To whom should research knowledge be transferred (the target audience)?
3. By whom should research knowledge be transferred (the messenger)?
4. How should research knowledge be transferred (the knowledge-transfer processes and supporting communications infrastructure)?
5. With what effect should research knowledge be transferred (evaluation)?

The Lavis model has been outlined and reviewed in the Tools and guides

From Research to Practice: A knowledge transfer planning guide developed by Reardon, Lavis and Gibson for the Institute for Work & Health (2006), which is available online at https://www.iwh.on.ca/tools-and-guides/from-research-to-practice-kte-planning-guide. This guide is based on the knowledge exchange model, which posits that KMb requires mutually beneficial relationships to be built, developed and maintained across a project.

Take some time now to review the above outlined guide by Reardon and colleagues, and complete the worksheets that are included within it while focusing on your own research project/area. Each worksheet further elaborates on the five basic questions put forth by Lavis and requires that you work to consider the broader experiences, needs and knowledge held by context experts related to your work.

Now that you have reviewed the planning guide and worksheets, work through the thought questions outlined below:

1. Which type of message relates the most to your research/project? Why?
2. What was most challenging about thinking deeper to understand your audiences? Why?
3. Are there any transfer methods that you could use within your research/project that are not mentioned in the guide? How could you engage with the community to learn more about which transfer methods are most applicable for them?
4. Which of the three types of impact described in the guide was most challenging for you to consider? Why?

Quick note on theory of change and context

Within the broader consideration of the Lavis model, it also is important to remember that individuals will sit at different levels in terms of their interest, ability, and willingness to engage with and adopt community engagement processes/KMb. There are various theories of behaviour change that should be considered within this note on considering individual context — such as the theory of diffusion of innovations developed by E.M. Rogers in 1962⁴² and the social behavioural change model⁴².

The consideration of theory of change/behaviour change goes beyond the scope of this module, but we have included some relevant references below if you would like more information:

• Dobbins, M., Ciliska, D., Cockerill, R., Barnsley, J., & DiCenso, A. (2002). A framework for the dissemination and utilization of research for health‐care policy and practice. Worldviews on Evidence‐based Nursing presents the archives of Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for Nursing, 9(1), 149-160. https://sigmapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1524-475X.2002.00149.x
• Gainforth, H. L., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., Athanasopoulos, P., & Ginis, K. A. M. (2013). Examining the effectiveness of a knowledge mobilization initiative for disseminating the physical activity guidelines for people with spinal cord injury. Disability and health journal, 6(3), 260-265. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1936657413000149
• Gainforth, H. L., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., Athanasopoulos, P., Moore, S., & Ginis, K. A. M. (2014). The role of interpersonal communication in the process of knowledge mobilization within a community-based organization: a network analysis. Implementation Science, 9(1), 1-8. https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1748-5908-9-59
• Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American journal of sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380.