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Transfer of Innovation
:: HOME > Norval Morris Project > Norval Morris Project Groups ... > Why is the “Transfer of Innovation” Important to Corrections?

As the field of corrections moves into the 21st Century, the rate of innovative change appears to be accelerating. Corrections may find itself facing a shortage of qualified staff, an increase in client numbers, expectations that jails and prisons will prepare people for re-entry to their communities, and decreases in funding from national, state, and local legislative bodies. New programs, policies, technologies, and procedures may help the field deal with these and other emerging issues.

When people are faced with problems to solve and a lack of resources, if the organizational culture allows for creativity, innovation will occur. However, many of these innovations do not move beyond one agency or jurisdiction. One of the critical challenges of the field is to develop a dissemination strategy for new ideas and innovations. Maintaining fidelity during the implementation process will ensure that replication of the new programs and policies is as effective as possible.

What is the Transfer of Innovation Team?

Created in the spring of 2008, this team will be charged with increasing knowledge generation on the Transfer of Innovation (TI) and producing work products such as:
  • New strategies for the dissemination and application of the knowledge
  • Research on programs and practices
  • White papers, journal articles, and books
  • Research-based innovations in policies and programs

They will also be asked to exchange ideas about questions that are key to the future of Corrections, such as:
  • Which group of people within the corrections systems makes the most effective change agents and should be targeted for the process of accelerating innovation transfer?
  • Is it possible to accelerate the process of innovation transfer?

Like the Keystone Group , the TI Team will be mostly a virtual group, meeting once in person and then through video and audio conferencing. As their work progresses, it will be published and disseminated through this website, as well as other venues.

Who Are the TI Team Members?

TI Team members will be selected from a variety of disciplines and fields. They will be known for:
  • Producing innovative work,
  • Creatively moving research into practice,
  • Encouraging others to be creative and inventive,
  • Desiring to assist corrections’ movement toward more effective evidence-based policies and practices,
  • Being open to new ideas,
  • Maintaining a wide network of colleagues in and outside of their field, and
  • Influencing others through their abilities to synthesize the practice and/or research in their field.

Literature Analysis

The following categories of literature and research on innovation transfer have been meticulously culled to establish a foundation for the work of the TI Team:
  • Time elements and methods of evaluation and research
  • Communication channels
  • Innovation technologies
  • Strategies
  • Social systems

Over 700 TI articles were reviewed through search engines, databases, and communication with field experts. Of these articles, the 200 most relevant were reviewed more closely, while the 60 most salient articles received a thorough review. The literature analysis will be on-going to ensure that it stays current, comprehensive, and sufficiently detailed to provide a meaningful framework for collaboration.

See the Literature Analysis page for article updates and more information about this process, or click here to browse through summaries of seminal TI articles.


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