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Development Management: Not an Exclusive Field

This is a featured blog post by OU alumnus Benjamin J. Knox. He is currently a study-leader and researcher at the Norwegian Defence Cyber Academy in Lillehammer. Before moving to Norway, he served for nine years as an Officer in the British Army. He holds an MSc in Development Management from The Open University. His research interests and current PhD studies involve improving human performance and governance praxis when managing the effects of Cyberpower.

Photo of computer servers

Having worked in the field of cyber for ten years, the role technology – in particular digitalisation – is having on society convinced me to study for an MSc in Development Management. I had a hunch (and hope) that broadening and deepening my understanding of cyberspace, seen as a development arena, would provide me with new perspectives and a novel way to approach cyber challenges.

Not having a development background meant I started with a disadvantage, or so I thought. It turned out to be a blessing, however, as I was free from institutional, organisational or cultural bias. As my first tutor pointed out: “Ben, you’re lucky. You carry no development baggage.”

So what did I learn during my three years of study that’s made me better at what I do in the cyber domain?

Firstly, the approach the OU takes to teaching is inclusive. As a non-development practitioner I was encouraged, and challenged, to add value to the many and varied themes and topics the course introduced. Each module is set up in such a way that the learner is able to bring his or her own perspective to the work assigned. For me this was a significant point of motivation as I always felt my voice mattered. Most importantly, my inputs and perspectives were respected within an academic frame with learning at its very core.

Secondly, studying with the OU is a two-way street. Synthesising my existing knowledge and life experiences with formal development studies meant I was able to give back to the course whilst at the same time enriching my own world-views. The close contact students have both with tutors and fellow students means that critical feedback and encouragement are never far away.

Since completing my studies I’ve continued this process in the context of my work by seeking out people with different perspectives. Indeed, I’m able to take full advantage of the ability cyberspace offers to collaborate beyond immediate physical spheres of control and influence.

Thirdly, every module allowed me to find my own place in the subject matter. I was impressed with how my tutors worked with me to guide my learning, rather than imposing a set of principles upon me. Even content beyond my cognitive reach simply added to the rich picture of what I defined as ‘understanding my place in development management’.  This often meant I needed to grapple with uncomfortable subjects that challenged my values and ideals and, at the same time, to justify my existing, new or changing views in a wider and more critical arena.

Whether I was studying development management from a policy, capacities, educational, institutional or conflict perspective, I was able to draw relevant and critical parallels to my role and practice in the field of cyber. Issues of digital governance, socio-technical systems, and even the idea that cyberspace is a new form of structural violence, came to the fore. This meant that my professional interest became increasingly prominent in my studies – to a degree far beyond my original expectations. Seeing the effect cyberspace is having on all societies encouraged me to look at my field from multiple new perspectives. Without the topics and course material, these thoughts and reflections wouldn’t necessarily have been triggered.

Development issues are prevalent in the cyber domain, and it’s important that those involved learn from the mistakes and successes of development actions in other contexts. Digitalisation and universal global connectivity bring many economic, educational and social rewards. However, they also bring known and unknown consequences and vulnerabilities.

At a geostrategic level, for example, as digital borders become the norm, matters of governance and sovereignty will evolve in ways we don’t yet understand. Demilitarised cyber zones, digital border guards and digital passport control are issues yet to be understood, much less resolved.

Who will guide policy and practice? Will it be the CEOs of large corporations guided by technical experts, or politicians guided by development managers and influenced by large corporations? One thing is certain; if it’s to be a public-private-partnership then this will need the skills, capacities and experience of reflective practitioners. People who are educated and practiced at seeing more than one perspective, at hearing the multiple complex narratives, and at opening space for good change.

At the moment the private sector has the lead, and politicians are being driven by the positive economic benefits that digitalisation can bring. Through my studies with the OU I began to ask myself, and others, critical questions concerning the developing world, and how rapid digitalisation might affect them, both socially and psychologically.

How many anthropological steps can they afford to skip without exposing their societies to digital vulnerabilities that digital giants, wealthy states with enhanced cyber capabilities or even new ‘digital states’ are able to exploit in order to impose their will?  Recent history shows that even the most digitally developed nations, such as Norway, are not immune to cyber fire, nor developed enough to understand and manage the unintended consequences of cyberpower.

Lastly, the OU approach to educating has opened my eyes to my learning potential. Twelve months on from completing my MSc, I’ve been accepted on to a PhD programme at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology. By recognising a PhD proposal that aims to study ways to improve understanding, governance and power in the cyber domain, they have explicitly acknowledged the value of socio-technical research that engages with whole-system challenges.

My MSc in Development Management helped me see the context of cyber in new ways. I learnt to understand and present academically how the process of digitalisation simultaneously centralises and distributes power. This power is relational and is therefore dynamic and driven by both virtual and physical human interaction.

Cyberpower is impacting every aspect of human life and, consequently, managing its development effects must be a human endeavour.

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