An enduring challenge of educational improvement is the ways in which valuable knowledge is identified and spread across education systems. This challenge of what has come to be known as knowledge mobilization (Moss, 2013), requires clarification of assumptions in at least two complex domains: (a) what is conceived of as the knowledge of value, and; (b) how we view individual and organization knowledge acquisition and transmission. Both of these domains are intricately tied into the social systems, structures and cultures within which these processes unfold.
Epistemology, or the nature of knowledge, can be viewed from many perspectives, and has direct bearing on how we conceive and construct systems for knowledge mobilization (Alavi & Leidner, 2001). For example, if we view knowledge as a tangible entity that can be codified and transferred, this might lead to the development of a knowledge management system (Vera & Crossnan, 2003). By contrast, if we conceive of knowledge as a process of coming to know something (Nonaka & Von Krogh, 2009), then this emphasizes the social interactions that contribute to knowledge development. The point here is not to categorize all the different definitions of knowledge, but to point out that how knowledge is conceived has great bearing on how one views knowledge mobilization.
Theories of both individual and organizational learning also underlie efforts at knowledge mobilization. At the individual level, contemporary learning theorists conceive of learning as a socially constructed experience produced through ongoing interactions with both the social and cultural environments surrounding the learner (Vygotsky, 1978; Lave, 1988). While this theory expands upon constructivist perspectives (Piaget, 1970; Anderson & Smith, 1987), it is distinct from earlier dominant, yet outmoded, conceptions of behaviorism, in which skills are developed through repetitive drills and extrinsic motivations (Skinner, 1974). Learning within social organizations is sometimes conceived of as the aggregation of individual learning (Argyris & Schon, 1978), while others theorize organizational learning as the development of systems to collect, synthesize, and disseminate knowledge that is valuable to organizational members (Daft & Weick, 1984; Kim, 1993). Alternatively, others view organizational learning in more cultural terms, whereby knowledge is sharedvia communal interaction amongst organizational members around professional practice (Brown & Duiguid, 1991; Wenger, 1998).