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A review of knowledge management research in public sector context with a specific focus on Arab countries
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the aspect of knowledge management KM in the public sector across the developed and developing countries and also to investigate the same in the context of Arab countries to see the extent of awareness and growth in these countries. The research will also suggest the Arab countries to implement certain initiatives to be taken in the future to be at par with the other developed and developing countries. A total of 71 studies including 51 from the developed and developing countries and 20 from the Arab countries were found suitable for our analysis. The result indicated that although the awareness about the KM practices has advanced in the Arab world in the recent past, it still needs to learn a lot from the successful establishment of KM in the public sector of developed and developing countries. The paper also acknowledges the theoretical contributions, limitations and suggests further research directions.
... While conducting the literature review, it has been noticed that a variety of studies have been conducted in a Saudi Arabian context to examine ICT adoption (Al-Harby, 2010;Alshehri and Drew, 2010;Al-Shohaib et al., 2009), e-commerce adoption by organisations (AlGhamdi and Drew, 2012;AlGhamdi et al., 2013;Al-Somali, 2012), e-commerce adoption by consumers (AlGhamdi and Drew, 2012;Al-Mowalad, 2012;Al-Mowalad and Putit, 2013) and SMEs' adoption of e-commerce (Abousaber, 2012;Adaileh, 2012;Al-Somali et al., 2011;Bahaddad et al., 2013). Similarly, several efforts have been made in analysing ICT and e-commerce in a Saudi Arabian context; such as research which has reviewed the adoption of knowledge management systems (Alatawi et al., 2013a) and conceptualised (Alatawi et al., 2013b). Other related examples in the Jordanian context include: explaining factors affecting behavioural intentions of students' use of university websites (Al-Debei, 2014); and exploring the value of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in the business environment (Emad et al., 2014). ...
... , Alatawi et al. (2013a), Al-Gahtani (2003), Al-Gahtani et al. (2007), Al-Harby (2010), Al-Harby et al. (2008), Al-Saggaf (2007), Alshehri and Drew (2010), Al-Shoaibi (1998), Al-Shohaib et al. (2009), Al-Solbi and Mayhew (2005, Bin-Abbas and Bakry (2012), Bugshan and Sadiq Sohail (2010), Dutta and Coury (2003), Dwivedi and Weerakkody (2007) Eid and Al-Anazi (2008) and Sohail and Shaikh (2008) ...
The use of mobile phones for business purposes has revolutionized various sub-sectors of the economy, including micro and small enterprises in both Saudi Arabia, the context of this study, and other countries. This study uncovers how the use of mobile phones has affected the performance of micro and small enterprises in both monetary and nonmonetary terms. Using a survey instrument, data were collected from 300 micro and small enterprise owners across Saudi Arabia and then analyzed using SmartPLS. Among the major findings, we suggest that no direct correlation exists between mobile phone usage and micro and small enterprises' monetary performance. However, mobile phones were found to have a significant influence on the nonmonetary performance of micro and small enterprises. This study contributes to the literature on technology adoption and economic performance by providing further evidence of the relationship between mobile phones and micro and small enter-prises' performance. These findings can help micro and small enterprise owners, telecommunications companies, policymakers in related authorities (such as the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and the Ministry of Commerce) and academics to make informed decisions. Conclusions and recommendations are drawn, and priorities are proposed for continuing research. K E Y W O R D S micro and small enterprises, mobile phone usage, monetary performance, nonmonetary performance, Saudi Arabia
O presente artigo apresenta uma categorização conceitual da Gestão do Conhecimento e adota o Modelo de Maturidade de Gestão do Conhecimento para a Administração Pública, desenvolvido por Fábio Ferreira Batista, com a finalidade de analisar o estágio de desenvolvimento da gestão do conhecimento no âmbito dos Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia (IFs). Trata-se de uma pesquisa quantitativa e qualitativa, exploratória e descritiva, cuja coleta de dados pauta-se em um questionário adaptado, utilizado com o fim de mensurar o desenvolvimento do estágio de maturidade da gestão do conhecimento nestas Instituições de Ensino. Os resultados obtidos apontam o nível atual de desenvolvimento de cada uma das áreas da gestão do conhecimento em relação às instituições que apresentaram suas devolutivas. Os dados coletados permitiram individualizar a intensidade das iniciativas da gestão do conhecimento perpetradas internamente pelos IFs. Conclui que o ambiente organizacional estudado encontra-se no nível inicial de maturidade, ou seja, a adoção de práticas voltadas à implementação da gestão do conhecimento nestas Instituições de Ensino atua de forma embrionária. Observou-se, ainda, que as instituições de ensino mais bem niveladas de acordo com o critério adotado possuem suas atenções voltadas aos critérios de tecnologia e aprendizagem e inovação.Palavras-chave: Gestão do Conhecimento. Modelo de Maturidade. Administração Pública.Link: http://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/pgc/article/view/26500/16522
Through the analysis of a number of previous studies, this article aims to present an overview of extent literature on the adoption of e-commerce by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using social media in a Saudi Arabian context. An extensive literature review has been grouped and represented in six different categories including information and communications technology (ICT) adoption, e-commerce adoption by organisations, consumer adoption of e-commerce, e-commerce adoption by SMEs including the use of social media to adopt e-commerce and the use of social media by SMEs to adopt e-commerce in a Saudi Arabian context. The studies are analysed, literature gaps are highlighted and further research directions within the field are proposed.
Various surveys of Knowledge Management Practices (KMPs) in private firms show how an increasing awareness of Knowledge Management (KM) is a critical determinant of an organisation's competitiveness. While private sector strategies favouring internal knowledge sharing and external knowledge protection often provide strategic advantage, public sector research organisations such as South Africa's science councils operate in an environment where, for reasons of wider public interest, transparency is encouraged and knowledge is rendered widely accessible. Unfortunately, however, little has been done to develop rigorous measurements of KMPs in such knowledge intensive organisations (KIOs) that primarily engage in knowledge intensive service activities. To complicate matters further, the majority of studies have been inter-organisational and multi-sectoral, focusing on large organisations in the private sector. Few studies have measured perceptions of KMPs amongst employees of a single organisation and even fewer have focused on KMPs within the public sector. This paper will discuss the theoretical and methodological approach used in the development of a survey aimed at measuring employee perceptions of KMPs within the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), one of South Africa's largest public KIOs dedicated to 'social science research that makes a difference.' Principal component analysis of the survey data revealed six factors or constructs applicable to the measurement of KMPs. The results validate the survey instrument and offer a contribution toward the development of a KMP measurement instrument that may be applied across other KIOs in South Africa.
Knowledge management is a growing concept in Pakistan. Especially information about the antecedents and effects of knowledge management strategies and processes is not sufficiently available in general and particularly relating to public sector of Pakistan. Therefore, this research was conducted to highlight the role of organizational culture in determining the knowledge management practices of employees. Furthermore, the influence of knowledge management practices has also been investigated with the help of questionnaire survey from different organizations working under public sector in the twincities of Pakistan. In total 200 questionnaires were floated by applying non-probability convenience sampling method. Most of the survey was self-administered therefore, 161 questionnaires were received back giving 81% response rate. Results showed the significantly high relationship between organizational culture and knowledge management practices. Knowledge management strategies were also found highly related with perceived organizational performance. Implications are discussed thereupon.
The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge on, or insight into, employee perceptions about the factors that contribute to the strategies for managing knowledge, employee perceptions about knowledge management processes to convert tacit into explicit knowledge, employees' views regarding the implementation of knowledge management strategies and, perceptions about the ways in which knowledge management can contribute to organisational effectiveness and efficiency. This exploratory study seeks to investigate new strategies for knowledge management within the municipality concerned with the aim of promoting knowledge transfer. The census approach was used and data was collected using questionnaires which were administered to 80 employees, of which 66 questionnaires were suitably completed. Statistical analysis utilised included descriptive and inferential statistics because the total composition of employees did not respond and the study secured an 82.5% response rate. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were established using statistical techniques. Results indicate that there exist significant relationships amongst the key variables of the study relating to knowledge management respectively and, that each of the areas of knowledge management studied need improvement. The findings have practical implications for local government, private organisations and academics as it emphasises, inter alia, the need for knowledge leaders/champions to align knowledge management to strategic plans, a well-developed technological infrastructure, compensation and reward systems, a competency framework that includes knowledge building and sharing behaviours which is linked to the performance management system.
One of the main implications of the advances in knowledge is that we are in a context of continuous restructuring, at the national, regional, sectoral, firm, and organizational levels. Knowledge management is of large potential issue and value added to administration, governance, and application to citizens. Knowledge management is relevant as well to the information communication technology and eServices. Information Communication Technology can influence working, learning, and other processes as an enabler and/or a tool. Access to information is a power. Governments produce huge volumes of information and an increasing amount of it is available through electronic venues, the Internet, and other electronic means. Good, effective public governance helps to strengthen democracy and human rights, to promote economic prosperity and social cohesion, to reduce poverty, to enhance environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources and to deepen confidence in government and public administration 1 . The aim of the thesis research, partially presented in this paper, was to study the objectives and strategic impacts that knowledge management, information communication technology, and learning organization have on the performance of public organizations. For the purposes of the study a questionnaire was drawn up. The pattern that presented survey tracked originated from a 2002 OECD survey on »Knowledge management practices for ministries/departments/ agencies of central government in OECD member states«, published on the Internet web page of the OECD. The pilot survey was sent to a collection of 288 e-mail addresses. To study the relation (correlation) diagnostics dealing with both the evaluation of the suitability of a particular model and potential effect or "influence" of each particular variable a block relationship theory (BReT) model was developed. Paper will present some of gained best practices results.
ActKM is a Community of Practice for people interested in public sector Knowledge Management. Having begun in 1998, the community now numbers more than 550 members and is nurtured and maintained predominantly, but not exclusively, online. Utilising the Cynefin sense- making framework (Snowden, 2002a), this chapter analyses the ActKM community and provides a practical account of its history, purpose, guiding principles, goals, characteristics and dynamics. The chapter concludes with a summary of the lessons learnt from the ActKM experience that others might find useful in cultivating a vibrant Community of Practice of this type.
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to analyse the extent, strategy and imperatives of knowledge management (KM).
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation was carried out with the aid of a case study of NTPC, a navratan PSU of the government of India. This paper discusses components of the knowledge management implementation plan and the KM imperatives to achieve its strategic business objectives. Information technology has been accorded an important role in much of the contemporary knowledge management literature. When these assumptions are challenged, the role of information technology in knowledge management processes also comes into question. The paper outlines this perspective of knowledge management and examines the way it characterises knowledge sharing processes and role of information technology in creating a virtual organisation for knowledge sharing purposes.
Findings
The research findings indicate that KM could improve organisational and managerial as well as the financial aspects of an organisation. The KM helped the organisation to manage and institutionalise knowledge management processes and to create organisational culture for managing and motivating knowledge workers.
Practical implications
This is a qualitative study that could be further enriched by empirically measuring KM, person‐organisation fit and its impact on the level of engagement. What emerged from the analysis is the importance of the concept of knowledge sharing. This KM study will help other organisations as they embark on their KM journey.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the impact of KM and the approaches for competitive advantage, which can facilitate knowledge generation and knowledge sharing processes by means of a case study.
Knowledge is a powerful resource that enables individuals and organizations to achieve several benefits such as improved learning and decision-making. Repository knowledge management system (KMS) assists organizations to efficiently capture their knowledge for later reuse. However, the breadth and depth of a knowledge management system depends on the magnitude of knowledge contributed to the system. This paper empirically investigated the motivators of individual knowledge sharing behavior and the individual benefits of such behavior. Data was collected through a questionnaire from 104 employees in a major private petroleum organization in Oman and analyzed by the partial least square analysis methodology. The results suggested that an individual's knowledge sharing behavior to KMS was motivated by organizational-culture dimensions (such as management support and rewards policy) and the system technical characteristics (such as system quality). Information technology service quality and peers trustworthiness were not significant motivators on individual knowledge sharing behavior. The results also suggested that individuals gain several benefits from sharing their knowledge to a repository KMS. The study provided implications for researchers and practitioners of KMS.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the successful use of a knowledge management (KM) model in a public sector organization. Design/methodology/approach - Building on the theoretical foundation of others, this case study demonstrates the value of KM modeling in a science-based initiative in the Canadian public service. Findings - The Inukshuk KM model, which comprises the five elements of technology, leadership, culture, measurement, and process, provides a holistic approach in public service KM. Practical implications - The proposed model can be employed by other initiatives to facilitate KM planning and implementation. Originality/value - This the first project to consider how KM models may be implemented in a Canadian public service environment.
The Centre of Research in Knowledge Organisations and Knowledge Management of Zuyd University has developed a knowledge management scan The scan initiates from two models. The first model is based on the Value Based Knowledge Management approach (Tissen, Andriessen & Lekanne Deprez, 1998) and includes 6 basic abilities of a knowledge-intensive organisation that will enable the organisation to operate successfully in a knowledge based economy (.The second model, developed by Wierdsma and Swieringa (2002), categorises organisations according to their level of learning that is to say, how it develops a specific learning ability. Both models are briefly reviewed within this paper. This knowledge management scan is a tool that enables an organisation to assess the development of its six basic abilities. Once the organisation has a clear insight into its own abilities, it will be able to strengthen its overall learning ability and improve the organisations' competitive position.
Tourism is especially vulnerable to disasters and, being fragmented, often its response is difficult to initiate and coordinate. It is also information intensive and when in chaos its information needs are exacerbated. The paper aims to develop a knowledge management system for disasters in a tourist destination in terms of a knowledge framework for tourism disaster management at the public sector level. Knowledge is a powerful resource to help governments, organisations and communities prevent, mitigate, plan for and recover from disasters and crises. Destinations need knowledge in the three stages of disaster management -pre disaster prevention and planning, disaster situation management and post disaster phases of resolution and return to normality. The paper creates a tourism destination's public sector model of a knowledge management system for the first two stages of preventative planning and management of disasters -knowledge framework for disaster management in a learning destination. It includes recommendations about the various types of knowledge and information needed and the specifics of the information system architecture.
This article endeavors to profile the types of research published in the Journal of Electronic Commerce Research (JECR) from 2000 to 2007. An analysis of the published material includes examining variables such as citation analysis, universities associated with the most publications, geographic diversity, authors" backgrounds, subject areas most often investigated, and research methodologies. Like other profiling research, this work has implications for researchers, journal editors, universities, and research institutions. Since this work has utilized variables published in a previous study, the findings will allow a comparison to be made between JECR"s profile and other Information Systems (IS) journals. Also, as this is the first profiling work for any Electronic Commerce Journal, it is thus likely to form the basis and motivation for profiling other journals in this area.
This pilot study aimed to explore technical and social antecedents and benefits of KMS use in a petroleum company in Oman. Data was collected through questionnaire given to KMS users. From the technical perspective, results uncovered that both knowledge utilizers and contributors were concerned about the system ease of use, speed and integration. Knowledge utilizers also valued knowledge richness in terms of relevancy and timeliness. From the social perspective, both knowledge utilizers and contributors considered time/availability as the major determinant of their behaviors. The results also suggested that knowledge utillizers valued the technical factors more than the social factors, whereas, knowledge contributors valued the social factors more than the technical factors. The study also revealed that KMS use resulted not only in individual benefits, but also organizational benefits. These achieved net benefits further boost KMS use.
Knowledge management (KM) plays important roles in public administration (PA). Each role serves specific constituencies and purposes and is implemented differently. Jointly, they build society’s intellectual capital (IC) to improve the effectiveness of public and private decision making and situation handling. Four public administration KM areas are considered: enhance decision making within public services; aid the public to participate effectively in public decision making; build competitive societal IC capabilities; and develop a knowledge-competitive work force. Numerous KM approaches are adopted to serve these purposes. Most efforts address specific needs. Only few pursue broad, deliberate, and systematic KM. Examples of these approaches and perspectives are discussed. The premise for KM is that, among many factors, effective and intelligent behavior depends on having appropriate understanding in addition to being informed.
E-Learning is relatively new emerging technology that spans the universities and other institutions. It concentrates on utilizing Knowledge of teachers in a way that academic courses can be delivered anywhere and anytime. As time passes, the growth of knowledge imposed new requirements for a better use of this asset. Knowledge management (KM) is the way to a better utilization of the knowledge. The emergence of information technology (IT) provides tools for such management, until the new era of learning, namely the e-learning, poses its impacts on knowledge acquisition and utilization, and hence on KM. This new trend in both KM and e-learning lets many educational institutional organizations in most parts of the world take the advantages of these technologies. But unfortunately, in the Arab world such move comes through the supporting of some international organizations. Some projects show the benefit of this approach. However the success of such projects may requires answering the following question:How does integration occur between knowledge management and e-Learning?This paper addresses e-learning at the university environment and focuses on the Jordanian universities experience in developing e-learning courses. We address the design issues of e-learning courses that can be used to capture the teachers' knowledge. The underlying objective is that e-learning is a key knowledge and major resources for many universities. Therefore, the design of e-learning should be an important part of the university knowledge management process. Teacherspsila knowledge, in any important topic or field, should be managed in a way that the university can benefit from it in case of teacher leaving or retired. Hence, intellectual personal knowledge management will be explored through the development of e-learning systems.The potential for utilizing human knowledge in the university environment will optimize the resources and can be of cost effective and quality assurance factors and-
provide the university with a sustainable competitive advantage.
Over the past decade there has been a growing concern about the role of higher educational institutions and how they are meeting the needs of stakeholders like industry, students, parents, and in general community. There have been many firms and organizations that have implemented KM principles, methods, practices or tools. However, academic institutions in particulartechnology and management institutes have taken more interest recently, in introducing KM approaches. In general, the educationsector could be described as one where there is slow creation and diffusion of knowledge management toos. The general question is when KM is a driving force for change elsewhere, how is the education system responding and how should it respond? (Walshe,J., 2002). Success in an increasingly competitive educational market depends critically on the quality of knowledge which institutions apply to their key academic and organizational processes. This paper presents a framework for the adoption of KM principles in colleges of Technology under Ministry of Manpower, in Sultanate of Oman, in the context that is used to improve efficiency and effectiveness of creation and sharing of knowledge among people, industry and other stake holders of higher education. The study envisages developing a conceptual framework of knowledge management especially to Higher Technology Colleges of Ministry ofManpower which further seeks to develop an effective academic and administrative management system.
In today's turbulent environment, KM is considered much more than a buzzword; rather it has emerged as a critical competitive differentiator – a delicate balance of people, processes and tools. The aim of this paper is to provide the empirical support for successful implementation of knowledge management (KM) in Indian telecom and software industries, that have, to date, received very little attention in the literature. This paper is based on an empirical study conducted on 80 knowledge workers, project managers, team members, consultants, researchers and designers randomly drawn from Indian telecommunication and software industries, using a detailed questionnaire survey. Statistical analytical tools like coefficient of correlation and other descriptive statistics scores have been used for presenting the data. The results revealed sufficient evidence to establish a correlation between organisational culture, organisational learning, collaboration, innovation and KM. The factors described in this paper are based on the existing KM practices at organisations with well-established KM programs. These can serve as pragmatic guidelines for KM practitioners in developing knowledge culture.
Throughout Europe, countries are having to face the prospect of declining professional expertise, competence and experience. This paper looks specifically at the problems facing public-sector technical administration in Denmark and describes a new knowledge management (KM) project that has now been established. The KM system enables its users to share know-how and experience on various topics within the public technical sector. The paper outlines the system and shares the experiences to date.
Today, knowledge is increasingly recognized as an important, strategic resource by all types of organizations and institutions, whether private or public, service oriented or production oriented. Regardless of the importance ostensibly attached to it, public sector organizations have often been less inclined to fully explore the benefits of knowledge management than the private sector. But now many organizations in the public sectors have started to realize the importance of knowledge management in streamlining their operations This paper will focus on knowledge management in the public sector. Common challenges and concerns that affect public sectors worldwide are identified as: driving efficiencies across all public services; improving accountability; making informed decisions; enhancing partnerships with stakeholders; capturing the knowledge of an ageing workforce, and; improving overall performance. To deal with these challenges public sectors often introduce several reforms including knowledge management and most recently, e-government. The success of e-government depends on knowledge management. Knowledge management provides the overall strategy and techniques to manage e-government content eloquently in order to make knowledge more usable and accessible and to keep it updated. This paper will discuss how knowledge management can be put into practice as a reform instrument and an integral part of e-government to address some of the above challenges and lead the public sector to increased effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. This contribution investigates knowledge aspects in e-government and gives a survey on relevant knowledge issues in the public sector. Based on the comprehension of public sector knowledge, examples are considered where administrative work is enhanced with knowledge.
The last couple of years have seen a wave of knowledge management activity sweeping through the Federal government. We saw Chief Knowledge Officers (CKO's), Knowledge Directors or their equivalents named in agencies and bureaus; conferences and seminars conducted; and vendors knocking on doors with their KM offerings. Yet we lack a good understanding, in quantitative terms, of what is being done, by whom, and where. While we cannot claim to be out of the dark re KM in government, at least we now have the results of a survey recently conducted on this topic. First blush analysis of the results show the military substantially ahead of the pack in knowledge management initiatives throughout the Federal government; with a healthy showing of activity underway in many civilian agencies, as well as in state and local governments. Furthermore, while a large number of respondents were in the "thinking about it" stage, there are already many agencies building portals, fostering communities of practice, developing document management systems, and/or working with collaboration technologies.
Over the last two years Knowledge Management has become the latest hot topic in the business world. Companies are realizing that their competitive edge is mostly the brain power or intellectual capital of their employees and management. Many organizations are drowning in information, but starving for knowledge. In order to stay ahead of the pack, organizations must leverage their knowledge internally and externally to survive. Knowledge management is believed to be the current savior of organizations. Creative and innovative people form the core of any organization. In turn, those people form the corporate memory. The Information Decision Support Center for the Cabinet of Ministers for the Egyptian Government (IDSC) faces a problem of employees' high turnover rate (17%), which threatens to cause IDSC to lose its memory. One common mistake many organizations make when they implement KM initiatives is to place too much emphasis on the technological aspect of KM and ignore the human resources aspects. IDSC developed a knowledge management system called the Organizational Memory (http://www.home.idsc.gov.eg/), but ignored the human factor of KM. The purpose of this chapter is to test the readiness of employees and managers working at IDSC to adopt knowledge management. Human issues were clearly shown to outweigh any technology constraints, and views of managers and employees differed to some extent. It is recommended that these human and managerial concerns be addressed if KM is to be successful in organizations.
Research that addresses the alignment of information systems (IS) and business strategies has been a subject of growing interest to both academicians and business practitioners. Strategic IS planning (SISP) plays a major role in the alignment of IS strategy with the business strategy. Although a number of studies have explored various aspects of SISP and its role in the alignment, there is lack of review papers that examine specific research-trends in SISP. This article examines four aspects of recent SISP research, namely, research context, research subtopic, research method, and the unit of analysis by examining 132 articles from three prime IS journals specifically, ISR, MISQ, and JMIS. The results indicate that the most frequent research context was single-organisational, the most common research topic was alignment of IT and business plans, the most widely used research-method was empirical, and the most frequent unit-of-analysis was the top management.
Knowledge sharing in public services has not yet received much attention in the research literature. This paper investigates knowledge sharing in one public service context and identifies factors that influence the readiness of an organization to share knowledge effectively. Using participant observation, document analysis, interviews n=30 and a survey n=132, data are presented to highlight antecedents to effective knowledge sharing in healthcare service delivery. Through factor analysis and regression modeling, we have isolated six factors that are significant predictors of effective knowledge sharing. Our research is broadly consistent with previous findings that an innovative culture, a capacity to learn from failure and good information quality are strong predictors of successful knowledge sharing. However, we also identify factors associated with change management, and a predisposition to confront performance indicators, that significantly influence the knowledge sharing process. While we argue that our six-factor model may be equally relevant to private sector firms, we suggest that the peculiar nature of the public sector environment poses unique challenges for healthcare managers who seek to develop a knowledge sharing capability.
This paper aims to highlight the value of knowledge management in greywater reuse. It presents a model of knowledge management that shows how institutional knowledge can be created in water management. It is concluded that water knowledge is created through developing a process of transforming water tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. The knowledge creation is realized through a process of socialization. Local knowledge can be formalized through the reflection of water professionals. A case study on greywater reuse in Jordan is presented.
Many organizations in the private or public sectors in Singapore have started to realize the importance of knowledge management in streamlining their operations. This realization stems from the fact that Singapore, as a small country with no natural resources, has to rely on human capital and its people in positioning itself for the new economy. Many organizations in the public sector are knowledge-intensive organizations and poor knowledge management practices might lead to high costs as a result of lost institutional memory, knowledge gaps and poor decisions. This paper discusses the implementation of knowledge management principles and practices in police work and their implications for policing. With the increased adoption of information technology and the increasing overall quality and IT competence of its police officers, the police organization is well positioned to leverage knowledge management principles and practices to better equip its officers with the necessary knowledge to discharge their duties.
Knowledge management as a business concept has been traditionally applied to money-making organisations with the aim of enhancing and improving operations to gain competitive advantage and increase profits. Knowledge management can also be applied to non-profit organisations such as government bodies and statutory boards. It can be used to improve communication among staff and between top management. It helps to instil a culture of sharing and promote and implement a performance-based reward system for its employees. Knowledge management involves a complex process of aligning the company’s mission statement with the best practices that enable the company to be competitive and profitable in its sector. This paper investigates the current practices of knowledge management in the National Library Board (NLB). It also seeks to show how knowledge management can effectively be applied to the NLB to tie in with its mission statement of expanding the learning capacity of the nation, enhancing the nation’s competitiveness and promoting a gracious society. The NLB also has a mission to deliver a world-class library system, which is convenient, accessible and useful to the people of Singapore.
Knowledge management is an emergent and eclectic body of knowledge which covers the systematic management of knowledge, of all kinds, within all levels and types of organisations. The relative newness of the area as a management philosophy has resulted in most research and practical application studies being based in large private sector organisations. There is relatively little information on knowledge management in the private sector, and even less on private-public sector knowledge management comparisons. Compares the perceptions of both private and public sector organisations in regard to knowledge management to improve overall understanding and to develop sector specific learning. First, the key dimensions of knowledge management are identified using a developed knowledge management model. Second, a survey of public and private sector organisations is used to investigate perceptions of the knowledge management dimensions. Third, there are a series of qualitative social constructionist workshops, involving both private and public sector organisations which were run to gain a deeper insight into sectoral comparisons. It was found that knowledge management was more developed as a management philosophy in the public sector. This development has been caused by continual pressure for increased efficiency, reduced resources and improved quality within the public sector.
The paper addresses the issue of knowledge management in public service organisations where the concept of provider competitiveness is of limited significance but other priorities prevail. The broad aim is to understand how the concept of “competitive advantage through knowledge management”, as practised in the broader business community, might translate to the modern Civil Service? This issue is explored through the medium of a study within the UK's Child Support Agency (CSA) based on the results of interviews with, and questionnaire responses from, the senior management group. The central question thereby investigated was: “To what extent can the conditions required for successful knowledge management be observed and evaluated?” A “conditions framework” and associated analysis is then used to assess broader implications and the possibility of wider application within other such public service organisations.
During the past two decades a variety of reforms and projects under the mantle of public-sector modernization were developed in order to achieve efficiency, effectiveness, economy and quality in service delivery. Despite the overwhelming consensus that public organizations must transform there is little evidence on how to pursue modernization successfully. This paper argues that modernization is tantamount to creating a “learning public administration”. Managing the transformation process rests on the organization's capability to continuously enhance, the collective capacity to reflect, to learn how to learn, to unlearn old ways of doing things and abandon old habits. How to best navigate the transition from a rigid and conventional mode of thinking towards a creative and strategic one remains the challenge in the current knowledge-based economy. As a response to this challenge the present paper presents the management, training and evaluation (MATE) model – a knowledge management strategic technique – that can be utilized for modernizing government organizations. Based on the results of a pilot case study undertaken within the context of Greek public sector we argue that modernization's success depends on how knowledgable an organization is in the strategic running of three core systems: the management (MA) system, the training (T) system and the evaluation (E) system. More specifically, the case study has shown that the exercise of the range of activities included in the three MATE systems may serve as the practical field, as the ideal setting for developing inquiry skills, “double-loop” learning capabilities at individual and organizational level.
The use of computer-based systems by managers in developing countries is often limited by lack of support. One aspect of such support - financial provision - tends to be less of a hindrance in Saudi Arabia than in many developing countries. The study of Saudi managers presented here shows that there are, consequently, similarities between computer-based activities in Saudi Arabia and the UK. There are also significant differences. Saudi managers tend to be more enthusiastic than their British counterparts about the value of computer-based systems. A factor here is the more recent application of such systems in Saudi Arabia. One drawback is that the national networking infrastructure in Saudi Arabia is less well-developed than in the UK, so that electronic communication external to firms is more limited. This is reflected in the relatively low use of electronic mail made by Saudi managers. Despite the availability of funding in Saudi Arabia, the country still suffers from a computer skills shortage. Consequently, Saudi firms are more dependent than British firms on external advice concerning computer systems and their use. These differences have implications for the development of computer-based systems in other developing countries.
There is relatively very little information on knowledge management in the public sector, and even less in developing countries. This paper investigates and examines the availability of a knowledge management strategy in a public organisation in Malaysia. This paper also examines perceptions on the benefits, problems, responsibilities and technological aspects that are entailed in managing knowledge in an organisation. Issues that encourage and restrict knowledge generation and knowledge sharing are also discussed. To achieve an in-depth study, the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development of Malaysia was chosen for a case study. A questionnaire was used as the main instrument in gathering data, and a total of 154 respondents were involved in the survey. Although the Ministry does not have any specific knowledge management strategy, the study reveals that knowledge in the Ministry was available in the Ministry's procedures and policies, job manual procedure, ISO 9002, desk file, work flow and databases.
This paper profiles the types of research activity that have been published in EJIS from 1997 to 2007. Our analysis includes variables such as the most productive authors, citation analysis, universities associated with the most research publications, geographic diversity, authors' background, subject areas most often investigated, unit of analysis and research methodologies. The classification of the topics and methodologies used by the most highly published authors will help prospective authors gauge whether their paper is suitable for EJIS. The major geographical source of information system (IS) research published in EJIS is from AIS region 2 (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), but with a substantial AIS region 1 (American-based researchers and universities) and AIS region 3 (Asia-Pacific) contribution. The most common research method used is the case study approach, with other methods such as surveys and library research also used frequently. IS management and IS development are the two most researched IS topics published in EJIS. This research and results reported in this paper are comparable with a previous paper published about the Information Systems Journal. Any further such studies will thus be able to make similar comparisons between these journals and any others that have subsequently been covered in this way. The paper concludes with the need for more substantive research on the topic if journal comparisons are to achieve their potential.European Journal of Information Systems (2008) 17, 678-693. doi:10.1057/ejis.2008.57
A variety of indicators suggest that knowledge management (KM), as a field of study and practice, is here to stay. Although still in a formative stage, it has developed substantial gravitas. It is no mere sideshow, intellectual curiosity, or marketing ploy. On the contrary, KM is an expansive (and expanding) field that has the potential to offer a unifying foundation for many other disciplines, from information systems to accounting, from operations management to strategic management, from marketing to human resources and organization design. Nevertheless, there is a major missing link. Specifically, is there a link between superior KM performance and a firm's bottom line? If so, what is the nature of this link? In this paper, we argue that it is both important and possible to explore this missing link. If such a link can be established, then the gravitas of KM is reinforced, the practical significance of KM is amplified, and a host of related research questions are unleashed.Knowledge Management Research & Practice (2008) 6, 31-40. doi:10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500170
Throughout history, knowledge has always been viewed from multiple perspectives - abstract, philosophical, religious and practical. This paper focuses on the practical perspective and how governments can capitalize on it as they attempt to come to terms with the forces being unleashed by what is being described as the "new economy." To deliver more innovative services to a demanding public, governments must be involved in the deployment of such new services as e-Government and e-Commerce. Active management of their knowledge assets is mandatory for success. Drawing from reported private sector experiences, some issues, challenges and opportunities for government services provision are examined. A suggested implementation approach highlights leadership, culture, technology, and measurement as critical success factors. Examining some US government early practices, the paper advocates for "communities of practice", cautions on "best practices" and concludes with recommendations.
This paper provides a conceptual argument for examining the challenge of IT outsourcing in the public sector through the lens of knowledge management. While IS researchers have recently begun to focus attention on the particular challenges of outsourcing in the public sector, we believe that the shift to more market based solutions is occurring without much consideration for the knowledge resources that exist in the public sector's IT organizations. Hence, we believe that knowledge management, an emerging area that has generated significant enthusiasm in the management literature, has particular relevance for understanding this challenge. In this paper, we identify differences between public and private sector IT outsourcing, then define and employ key knowledge management constructs to identify potential difficulties that public sector organizations may experience in leveraging their knowledge assets when relying on third party IT service providers.
This article assesses the contribution of management of knowledge across organizational and professional boundaries towards improved public services. We empirically investigate the potential for knowledge sharing within the context of the NHS modernization agenda, taking as our focus the current ‘patient safety’ policy agenda. Specifically, we evaluate the introduction of a knowledge management system, namely the National Reporting and Learning System (NRSL) and its impact in the area of operating theatres within a university teaching hospital. We suggest that government policy in this area needs to reflect more upon limits to the management of knowledge and issues of the nature of knowledge, professional cultures and institutional power and politics.
The need for improved horizontal knowledge management at the national and international levels is essential for monitoring and assessment of land degradation and desertification. At the national level, governments utilise scientific, socio-economic and technical data and information for strategic planning, priority setting and national environment and development planning. However, challenges including the lack of capacity and lack of collaboration and sharing of information across governments affect responses to and the effectiveness of monitoring and knowledge exchange, along with the ability to effectively implement treaties. At the international level, a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) share cross-sectoral themes related to research and monitoring, information exchange, technology transfer, capacity building and financial resources. The need for increased synergies stems from the similarities between the issues they address. Challenges for improving knowledge management at the international level include insufficient interaction between the scientific bodies of the various MEAs; duplication of reporting, monitoring and assessment efforts; limited knowledge management between the various assessments addressing ecosystems and biological diversity during the past decade; and insufficient collaboration between the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the UN system and the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) community. This paper examines these challenges and offers recommendations on how monitoring and assessment knowledge can be better managed at the national and international levels. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In recent years knowledge management (KM) has received increased attention from academics and practitioners. There are several challenges to establishing KM as a separate discipline one of the most central being conceptual plurality. The purpose of this paper is to review and position 20 of the most frequently cited KM articles in management journals. More specifically, this paper classifies the KM publications on the subjectivity–objectivity continuum, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the publications drawing from positivism and interpretative philosophies, and further discusses the challenges in KM, and how objectivity and subjectivity can be used to provide both product and process orientations in future research. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Healthcare knowledge management (HKM) has developed into a topical field of investigation. Much of this stems from the current investments in information technology (IT) in health, the application of hi-tech information management systems for the capture, recording, and retrieval of health information, and the prevalent thinking that “the machine can do it all.” The world of IT is a world of glitter and myth, which gives the impression that anything can be achieved at the click of a mouse. In contrast, the world of human activity is an extremely complex domain of thoughts and beliefs, culture and rituals, and individual comprehensions and apprehensions, none of which can be captured even by the most sophisticated IT system.
Although it is easy to become mesmerized by IT in knowledge management, it is the consideration of the wider organizational, political, and socio-cultural dimensions that can enable any information system and any knowledge management strategy to work with effectiveness. Concentrating solely on IT will mean adopting a one-sided view of HKM, ignoring the whole gamut of socio-cultural, political, and ethical dimensions of working in a healthcare organization.
What is required is an approach that recognizes the whole picture and embraces holism, rather than reductionism, in understanding the complexity of human cognition: in other words, a systems understanding of HKM.
Bearing from this understanding, the intention of this chapter is to present an argument in favor of a systems understanding of the role of IT in HKM, in the UK context, which can enable an effective comprehension of the opportunities and challenges associated with the same.
Knowledge management can be a powerful tool for addressing the “graying of government” and other factors contributing to the loss of expertise in government organizations. This paper presents a case study of knowledge management at the U.S. Social Security Administration and provides recommendations for how knowledge management might better protect valuable knowledge resources. A two-phase study was conducted of the Benefit Rate Increase/Premium Amount Collectible (BRI/PAC), a core process at the U. S. Social Security Administration, where critical knowledge is at risk of being lost. The study suggests that knowledge sharing, training, and the overall development of a working environment conducive to knowledge management promise to enhance performance of the BRI/PAC operation, at SSA.
Government information is considered to be essential for any organization's business transactions, decision making, or information rendering to citizens. However, the public sector lacks information units based on the advanced information tools and standards needed to facilitate efficient information management, flow, and exchange. Furthermore, government information is fragmented and dispersed due to (a) legislative and administrative diversity, (b) a complicated administrative hierarchy, and (c) discrepancies in policy implementation regarding the accession and exploitation of information at central, regional, and local levels. This article introduces a digital library architecture for the management and delivery of information either produced or disseminated via public services. Ontologies, taxonomies, and thesauri provide for thematic, geospatial, and administrative hierarchy representation and navigation and ensure an advanced and high-quality knowledge-based framework for information management, search, and retrieval. International standards and formats set the basis for interoperability in the midst of legislative, administrative, and geospatial information diversity.
Today, many institutions and organizations are facing serious problem due to the tremendously increasing size of documents. This problem is further triggering the storage and retrieval problems due to the continuously growing space and efficiency requirements. This problem is becoming more complex with time and the increase in the size and number of documents in an organization. Therefore, there is a growing demand to address this problem. This demand and challenge can be met by developing a web-based database to enable specialized document imaging people to upload the frequently used forms and related information to use when there is a need. This automation process, if applied, attempts to solve the problem of allocating the information and accessing the needed forms to some extent. In this paper, we present an automation experience which is applied in King Saud University1 to assist Academic Departments Chairmen finding all needed information and periodically used forms on an intranet site which proved to be very practical and efficient as far as optimizing the effort and time consumed for information and documents retrieval.
Knowledge has become a critical asset. Organisations which take good care of their knowledge resources have a competitive
advantage over those that do not — a principal that applies in government organisations no less than in commercial. Within
society as a whole, government is also a competitor — for example, on the labour market or with national non-government organisations
(NGOs) over policy. Accordingly, government also needs to be careful to manage its knowledge effectively. This study discusses
the ways in which Dutch central government has tried to come to grips with the concept of knowledge management in the public
sector.
Through a meta-data analysis of the literature over a 34-year period, this article aims to provide a review and investigation into the knowledge management field in terms of how the domain is represented along a number of dimensions including unit of analysis, research paradigm employed, and the research topics/issues investigated. Information on a series of variables was extracted after conducting a review of 1,043 articles on KM, published in various peer-reviewed journals between 1974–2008. The findings suggest that a combination of positivist, empirical, conceptual/descriptive, and multi-method approaches have been predominantly used in the area. Organizational as well as systems and environmental context-based KM research were found to be the most widely published topics within the KM domain. Further, the authors identified literature gaps that require more exploration and conceptual refinement in the context of knowledge management research.
The 'knowledge map' is a relatively new Knowledge Management (KM) tool. Yet the applications of knowledge maps in the organisational context have been insufficiently developed. This paper conducts a critical literature review and offers an alternative view on the necessity of this KM initiative within an organisation. First, the knowledge map's 'duo-functional' feature (displaying knowledge and also serving as visual pointers to knowledge containers) makes it an effective tool for managing different types of knowledge. Second, the advantages of different types of knowledge maps illustrate the strengths of such a KM tool at different KM dimensions. This paper also summarises two main weaknesses in prior knowledge-mapping projects: (1) lack of effective quality control of knowledge maps; (2) immature perceptions of the knowledge-mapping process. A dynamic knowledge map system is proposed in this paper as a feasible model of applying knowledge maps within organisations.