Digital Knowledge Networks are offered via Knowledge Hub (www.khub.net), a free-to-join digital community that enables those working in public services to connect, collaborate and share knowledge and information. Knowledge Hub provides digital collaboration tools to well over 150,000 members in 2,000+ online communities across central and local government, education, health, housing, police and fire services and covering 80 countries.

Knowledge Hub’s technology is an enabler for public service organisations everywhere to share information and learn from each other within online groups. Knowledge Hub digital networks provide the opportunity for organisations to buy their own branded ‘slice’ of Knowledge Hub for use as an externally branded open network of groups (extranet), a private social intranet, or a mixture of the two. This allows them to seamlessly engage with employees, partners, suppliers and citizens all in one place without the need for multiple logins.

Using the Knowledge Hub in this way significantly reduces the costs of developing and replicating similar bespoke systems, removes traditional organisational and geographical boundaries and enables integration with the organisation’s own existing systems using Knowledge Hub’s API and social login options.

Digital knowledge networks currently support organisations in a variety of ways, for example:

• Education and schools hubs - local authorities and education membership organisations use networks to bring together all their information for schools and teachers in one place, offering a secure, trusted environment for practice sharing and professional development.
• Research and evidence-based practice - academic research organisations in both education and policing have come together with professional bodies to offer a space for academics, researchers and practitioners to share information and support evidence-based practice to drive self-improvement in these sectors.
• Developing successful project delivery - government and health project delivery professionals use digital networks to share, ideas, knowledge and experience, solve problems, stay in touch and make new relationships across organisational and geographical boundaries.
• Enhancing services to members - membership organisations use digital knowledge networks to offer a broader range of services to their members and enable them to network professionally, connect with each other and work together. Current areas of interest covered by networks are digital technology and communication, all areas of local government, leadership development, commercials services and procurement.
• International practice sharing - European and international organisations use digital knowledge networks to transcend geographical boundaries, connect with professionals in similar roles elsewhere and share best practice in areas of common interest.

The following organisations currently own digital knowledge networks on the Knowledge Hub:

• Cambridgeshire County Council Schools
• College of Policing in partnership with the Higher Education Funding Council and UK Government Home Office
• Education Futures Collaboration (education charity)
• Government Commercial Function (UK)
• Health Education England (on behalf of UK Government Department of Health, its arms length bodies and the NHS)
• Improvement Service for Scotland
• Infrastructure and Projects Authority (part of UK Government Cabinet Office)
• LGiU - local government policy think tank
• Liberata UK Limited for Worcestershire County Council Schools
• Local Government Association (England and Wales)
• Public Service Transformation Academy (public sector leadership development)
• Socitm (public sector IT managers’ association)
• Solace (public sector Chief Executives’ association)
• SSAT (Schools Students and Teachers Network)
• UDiTE (European Federation for Local Government Chief Executives, Brussels based)

In a time of squeezed public budgets, the opportunity to share practice, insight and innovation regardless of geography, organisation type or sector offers much needed efficiencies.

Through engaging with digital knowledge networks, public service organisations can:

• save time and money through sharing tried and tested solutions;
• keep up to date with the most current thinking;
• develop and progress innovations;
• share good practice and avoid duplication of work;
• connect different parts of the public sector;
• work directly with private sector partners;
• reduce carbon footprint through less travel to meetings;
• rapidly induct new staff to roles and help people develop new skills;
• build relationships that transcend organisational and geographical boundaries.

Organisations can expect to see the following impacts:

• extended and enhanced membership/employee engagement;
• increased brand profile within the network and beyond;
• improved reputation and awareness with external partners, suppliers and communities
• better connections and relationships with members, gaining feedback and insight;
• a trusted space for members, enabling the development of a more collaborative organisational culture;
• fewer silos within organisations and departments;
• improved efficiency through less email traffic and less time spent starting from scratch;
• reduced IT and infrastructure costs as there are no set-up fees, hosting, maintenance or upgrade costs, just an affordable annual subscription and the possibility of generating revenue through a sponsorship and advertising income share model.

The positive impact of knowledge sharing is not specific to one particular area of society. Any organisation or group of organisations can benefit from collaborative working within digital knowledge networks and in turn have a positive impact on the services they provide and the work they do.