Working Upstream

Abstract

In this chapter the focus shifts to what happens when attempts are made to move the knowledge that is being generated and refined in operational practices upwards across hierarchical boundaries in organisations. I weave together some of the themes set out in discussions of the relational aspects of professional practice in order to consider their implications for how knowledge not only moves across boundaries between organisations or sub-units but also moves upstream from operational practices to inform strategy. Topics covered include systemic learning from operational practices; differences between practices in organisational hierarchies, including differences in temporalities and ways of representing knowledge; the resistance to upstream learning; and the importance of relevance to upstream mobilisation of knowledge. In the final section I then take these ideas to discuss how research might inform policy.