The pivotal position of 'liaison people': facilitating a research utilisation intervention in policy agencies

Authors

Abby Haynes, University of Sydney
Phyllis N. Butow, University of Sydney
Sue Brennan, Monash University
Anna Williamson, University of New South Wales
Sally Redman, The Sax InstituteFollow
Stacy M. Carter, University of WollongongFollow
Gisselle Gallego, Western Sydney University
Sian Rudge, The Sax Institute

RIS ID

125449

Publication Details

Haynes, A., Butow, P., Brennan, S., Williamson, A., Redman, S., Carter, S., Gallego, G. & Rudge, S. (2018). The pivotal position of 'liaison people': facilitating a research utilisation intervention in policy agencies. Evidence and Policy: a journal of research, debate and practice, 14 (1), 7-34.

Abstract

This paper explores the enormous variation in views, championing behaviours and impacts of liaison people: staff nominated to facilitate, tailor and promote SPIRIT (a research utilisation intervention trial in six Australian health policy agencies). Liaison people made cost/benefit analyses: they weighed the value of participation against its risks and demands in the context of organisational goals, knowledge utilisation norms, epistemology and leadership support. There was a degree of self-fulfilment (organisations got what they put in), but SPIRIT could not always be tailored to address local knowledge needs. We present nine propositions for identifying and supporting liaison people in similar interventions.