Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 10-18-2017 9:30 AM Communities of Practice as a Knowledge Translation and Exchange Strategy: A Qualitative Secondary Ethnographic Analysis Qudsia Shaheen The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Anita Kothari The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Health Information Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Health Information Science © Qudsia Shaheen 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Recommended Citation Shaheen, Qudsia, "Communities of Practice as a Knowledge Translation and Exchange Strategy: A Qualitative Secondary Ethnographic Analysis" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5013. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5013 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This study was a secondary qualitative analysis that used the constructivist paradigm and an ethnographic approach to explore the culture and success factors of two Communities of Practice (CoPs). The CoPs, housed by the Seniors Health Knowledge Network (SHKN), worked in wound care and complex care resolution for older adults. Five themes emerged through data analysis: 1) Hope and Desire to Cause Real, Effective Change, 2) Appreciation for Bringing Together Diverse People and Experiences, 3) Aspiring to Work Together as a Harmonious Team, 4) Striving for Strong Work Ethic and Good Practices to Achieve Efficiency and Productivity and 5) Tensions, Worries and Uncertainty. The themes are discussed in relation to CoP literature to suggest strategies for developing, running and sustaining successful CoPs in the realm of healthcare. The most important implication of this work is that passion, work ethic, diversity and communication may help CoPs achieve harmony and success. Keywords Secondary Qualitative Analysis, Constructivism, Ethnography, Communities of Practice, Culture, Knowledge Translation i ii Dedication To: Papa, for being the prime motivation for anything and everything I do, Khalid Uncle, for being the brightest light in my life, and Aisha, for being you. ii iii Acknowledgements When I reflect back upon the last two years, I realize how I have changed and grown as a student, researcher and person, all due to the mentorship and support of several individuals in my academic and personal circles. First and foremost, I would like to extend my biggest thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Anita Kothari. I could not have dreamed of a better mentor in a million years. Thank you for all your guidance, patience, understanding and accommodation. Thank you for being my source of calm after I walked into meetings an anxious mess- you have magical powers! Thank you for giving me space but also checking in when I went dormant. Although I may not have explicitly expressed it, I have learned so much from you- not only in regards to research, but also about being a critical, kind and fun individual. You have also inspired me to seriously think about taking up running! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'd also like to thank the most amazing committee members, Dr. James Conklin and Dr. Shannon Sibbald, for their continued guidance and support. Thank you for being so involved, available and nurturing to a novice researcher like myself. Your thoughtful input and feedback always challenged my assumptions and inspired realizations I never saw coming, which I absolutely loved throughout this process. You've had an ever-lasting impact on my thinking and I can't thank you enough for that. Thank you to all the members of the parent study team who collected the data that we analyzed. Although we never got the chance to meet in person, I feel an immense sense of gratitude for all your hard work that made this study possible. Thank you, also, to all the participants in this study for donating time out of your busy schedules. Lastly, I'd like to acknowledge all my family members, friends (both at McMaster and Western), roommates and lab mates for being the voice of reason and comfort when I doubted myself. Thank you for the late night chats, the fun dinners and nights out on the town, however few they may be. Without your constant encouragement and occasional (but necessary) reality checks, I may have, long ago, moved to South Africa to live in the bush with lions! iii iv Table of Contents Abstract.............................................................................................................................................i Dedication........................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................................iv List of Tables................................................................................................................................viii List of Figures.................................................................................................................................ix List of Appendices...........................................................................................................................x Chapter 1..........................................................................................................................................1 1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Knowledge Translation (KT).........................................................................................1 1.2 Older Adults' Health and the Seniors Health Knowledge Network (SHKN)................3 1.3 Study Purpose................................................................................................................5 1.4 Significance....................................................................................................................5 Chapter 2..........................................................................................................................................7 2 Literature Review..........................................................................................................................7 2.1 Communities of Practice as a Knowledge Translation Strategy....................................7 2.1.1 History and Evolution of the Concept of CoPs...............................................9 2.1.2 Explicit and Tacit Knowledge......................................................................10 iv v 2.1.3 Facilitators and Barriers................................................................................11 2.1.4 Significance to the Health Sector..................................................................13 2.2 Professional and Organization Culture in Healthcare..................................................14 2.3 Secondary Analysis in Qualitative Research...............................................................18 2.4 Study Objectives..........................................................................................................22 2.5 Research Questions......................................................................................................22 Chapter 3........................................................................................................................................24 3 Methodology and Methods.........................................................................................................24 3.1 Situating the Secondary Analysis................................................................................24 3.2 A Constructivist Ethnography......................................................................................25 3.2.1 Sampling.......................................................................................................26 3.2.2 Data Collected...............................................................................................29 3.2.3 Data Analysis................................................................................................31 3.3 Self-Reflexivity and Memo Writing................................................................34 Chapter 4........................................................................................................................................36 4 Results and Findings...................................................................................................................36 4.1 CoP Members and Initiatives.......................................................................................36 4.1.1 CoP Initiatives Overview..............................................................................36 4.1.2 Study Participants.........................................................................................37 4.2 Emergent Themes........................................................................................................39 v vi 4.2.1 Hope and Desire to Cause Real, Effective Change.......................................39 4.2.2