
Imagine a world where superheroes don’t just fly or have super strength—they bridge the gaps between research, practice, and policy to support evidence use. Welcome to the realm of knowledge brokers, the unsung heroes who translate complex data into actionable insights. In a previous blog, I explored why these boundary spanners and intermediaries (whom I’ll call "brokers") are essential in supporting evidence use. Now, I’ll delve deeper into their superpowers: the unique skills and abilities that make them indispensable. What does it take to be a knowledge broker, and can we cultivate these skills to strengthen this vital role? I’ll uncover the secrets behind the superhuman abilities of knowledge brokers and explore how we can empower more individuals to take on this transformative role.
Brokers “’work to enable exchange between the production and use of knowledge to support evidence-informed decision-making in a specific context’ and boundary spanners ’as individuals or organizations that specifically and actively facilitate this process.” Brokers are the connective tissue and cultural translators between research, practice, and policy communities when each has its own language, norms, processes, timelines and expectations. Brokers provide the bridge and language translation function between communities.
I recognize it is difficult to separate the individual from the organization in which they are trained or work. The capacities of organizations to engage in brokering are slightly different and were discussed in a prior blog post. While this blog post focuses on the individual, it is important to recognize that organizational conditions can support or hinder the development and support of brokers. We need individuals and organizations together to nurture this important role .
What skills do you need to be a knowledge broker?
The National Network of Education Research Practice Partnerships has developed a Brokers Handbook with the goal of “strengthening the craft of brokering and helping current and aspiring research-practice partnership (RPP) brokers in learning about and honing brokering skills.” The Handbook proposes a framework of competencies including knowledge of self and context, ability to engage with partners, research/evaluation/data skills, and knowledge on how to facilitate evidence use. Knowledge of self includes self-awareness and the understanding of how what a broker brings to the partnership may influence the partnership itself. Knowledge of context reminds me more of what is gained through observation, like an anthropologist deeply observing and making meaning out of organizational differences, cultures, norms. These types of knowledge provide insight into how to work together to be the bridges and translators between communities noted above.
The research literature on the expected skills of knowledge brokers is remarkably consistent across fields and studies (just a few examples: here, here , and here ). It seems obvious that knowledge brokers should have technical skills to understand research, evaluation or data analysis. These are the skills many brokers gain in graduate training. Often the literature focuses more on scientists playing the brokering role rather than acknowledging that anyone at the intersection of science and practice can be a broker!
This focus of scientists as brokers may be the reason the literature focuses more on other core skills not often taught in graduate training such as clear communication, ability to cultivate partnerships and strengthen capacity in others, knowledge of change and decision-making processes, ability to translate evidence to specific contexts, and trust. Far and away the most common set of critical broker skills discussed across the literature is relational skills or how to build trust and credibility, cultivate partnerships, communicate effectively, and demonstrate humility, kindness, and empathy. Trust building has been summarized as strengthening the connection that “I am there for you when you have a question” through frequent, responsive interactions while showing vulnerability, authenticity, empathy, and bi-directional communication. It is the combination of all these skills and abilities make brokers sound like superheroes!
Can we build brokering skills and abilities?
If these superpower skills are needed to support effective brokering, the next logical question is how do we build these skills? Efforts to explicitly train on brokering skills, to my knowledge, are nascent but there are a few promising examples to explore. Most efforts are focused on building capacity of individuals with scientific training. Conversations about how to expand brokering to include people with other backgrounds needs more attention in the literature.
Foremost among efforts to build brokering skills is the critical need to recognize brokering as a critical function to support evidence use. There is an increasing call for individuals with the skills of a broker but no clear pathway into the sector. Once acknowledged as a professional sector, the field can be more intentional about identifying, training, hiring, supporting, and continuous education for brokers . Some initial steps include:
- Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education has a course focused on developing the knowledge and capacities to effectively participate in collaborative, partnership-based research.
- The Brokers Handbook (PDF) noted above was designed to support those in education research practice partnerships strengthen brokering practice for existing staff and on-board new staff into partnership work.
On the job training will be another important avenue for building the brokering workforce. Some examples of these efforts include:
- Allison Metz ’s efforts to build from prior work identifying strategies to build relational trust in brokers. The team is partnering with New Jersey Department of Children and Families to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and initial outcomes of a co-designed training and coaching program to provide skills to develop trusting relationships to improve the use of evidence in decision-making.
- While not specifically for brokers, the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute offers grants to support patients, caregivers, clinicians, and others to strengthen the skills to participate in community-centered research and to serve as channels to disseminate study results.
Finally, while discussions of brokers often focuses on the individual, a team may better cover all of the skills necessary to broker. The field may benefit from drawing connections from research on interdisciplinary team-based science (PDF).
In addition to training and support specific to the role of brokering, the field can stand on the shoulders of giants and look to the therapeutic literature for evidence on building trust, humility, and empathy and the science communication field on effective contextualized communication of evidence.
What’s next?
As in past blog posts, as a researcher I would be remiss if I did not point out the significant need to continue to empirically design and test interventions and trainings to build these skills. Research is needed to both understand the effectiveness of the broker role in supporting evidence use and in the effectiveness of ways to train the skills and abilities of brokering. Ruth Lopez Turley and colleagues are doing just that through a grant to study whether brokers embedded in a school district increase the use of research compared to those externally located brokers.
The field also is having international, interdisciplinary conversations on ways to codify and professionalize the role of broker. These efforts may begin to clarify the skills needed for brokering , how to prepare for a career in brokering, and how to continue to advance the role and skills of effective brokering. For example, the Transforming Evidence Network aims to become a hub for brokers to connect with peers across sectors and geographies.
Finally, OPRE has been convening a group of funders, professional associations, and others to address the siloed, opaque nature of careers at the intersection of research, practice, and policy, which include brokers. The lack of transparency in these careers is particularly harmful to those from marginalized backgrounds. We hope together we can begin to shine a light on where these jobs are, what skills they require, and how to best prepare the future workforce.
In the ever-evolving landscape of research, practice, and policy, knowledge brokers stand as superheroes, wielding the superpower of connectivity to transform evidence into action. These powers aren’t just for a select few. In the words of David Bowie, we can be heroes. We can cultivate the powers of knowledge brokers to make a difference and support evidence use.
I would like to acknowledge Angela Bednarek and Ben Miyamoto from the Pew Charitable Trusts, who provided input on this blog post.