Last year weknowmore.org conducted a big cross-cultural research on the human factor of knowledge management in international development organizations.This page will provide a growing overview of the outcomes of this study.
Summary
“This article consists of an analytical overview of theories from Social Psychology with respect to knowledge behavior in development agencies. This provides an extensive theoretical background before presenting the results of a cross-cultural study towards the frequencies and predictors of six types of knowledge behavior. In this research 445 people from 89 nationalities participated.
The results of the analysis and the study point towards the same outcomes. Attitude, organizational culture, self-efficacy, controllability and motivation are significant predictors of knowledge behavior. It concludes that leadership and human resource management have significant tasks in addressing and nurturing the human factor in knowledge management strategies and implementation in order for those strategies to succeed.”
This research was published in the Knowledge Management for Development Journal in the issue of September 2009.
Citation
Lammers, Johan (2009) ‘The human factor in knowledge management for development: using theories from social psychology to investigate the predictors of knowledge behaviour in development organisations’, Knowledge Management for Development Journal, 5: 2, 127 — 142
Background
At the very start of my career I got involved into knowledge management. I was struck by its rapidly growing need and potential to cope in this information age. Especially in International Development with its plethora of organizations, individuals, knowledge flows, networks, governments, .
Since the late nineties most other development agencies have taken steps in adopting some sort of knowledge management strategy, though approaches have varied quite widely, as has the terminology used, and the levels of investment made (Barnard, 2003).
Overall, the promise and potential of these initiatives, as with the overall ‘Knowledge for Development’ movement is yet to be fully realized. Clearly, the knowledge and learning approach can and does provide useful tools and approaches, which, if properly, consistently and thoughtfully applied, can help address some of the symptoms of the institutional malaise faced by modern development organizations (Ramalingam, 2005).
But what he also states is that “Major challenges of knowledge and learning in the development sector still need to be addressed” The centrality of knowledge to development strategies is not recognized or, if it is, not acted upon: “even in those organizations where knowledge is central to the overall mission, systematic knowledge-based approaches are not widely accepted and applied (Ramalignam, 2005).
What has tended to happen in development is that organizations have generally leaned towards linear and technocentric interpretations of Knowledge Management, more in line with the descriptive early traditions of knowledge management and organizational development or ‘institution building’ (Hovland, 2003)
The Human Factor in Knowledge Management
Careful attention is needed to the processes by which values and purpose are defined and articulated so as to create an enabling environment for knowledge management to succeed. Without these processes, organizational learning and knowledge management merely become toolkits and methodologies in a vacuum (Pasteur et al., 2006).
There is also a need to better understand how knowledge and learning may practically address and deal with issues of personality, culture, language, religion, and so on (Ramalingam 2005).
As Davenport and Prusak (1998) put it: “Effective knowledge management cannot take place without extensive behavioral, cultural and organizational change (…) Technology alone won’t make a person with expertise share with others. Technology alone won’t get an employee who is uninterested in seeking knowledge to hop onto a keyboard and searching or browsing.”
Knowledge management is first and foremost a people issue.
These questions are essential to ask and to address.
- Does the culture of your organization support ongoing learning and knowledge sharing?
- Are people motivated and rewarded for creating, sharing and using knowledge?
- Is there a culture of openness and mutual respect and support?
- Or is your organization very hierarchical where ‘knowledge is power’ and so people are reluctant to share?
- Are people under constant pressure to act with no time for knowledge-seeking or reflection?
- Do they feel inspired to innovate and learn from mistakes, or is there a strong ‘blame and shame’ culture?
There is a need to further understand the reasons why people engage in knowledge sharing behavior.
This study tries to provide some answers.
And tries to shine a light on the human factors that promote or impede effective behavior of people within different knowledge processes. By taking a multi-cultural focus it wants to provide a cross-section of the world we live in.
However, we would also really like your input and experiences in unraveling this people factor in knowledge management. We look forward to sharing and discussing strategies and practice with you. For in the end: together, we know more!
This page will be constanlty updated, and refined. The articles presented here below provide an excellent starting point to read about the current state of affairs of KM in International Development.
References
Davenport & Prusak ( 2000) “Working Knowledge” Harvard Business School Press; 2nd edition
Pasteur, K., Pettit, J. & Schagen, B. Van (2006) Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning for Development KM4Dev Workshop 2006 Background Paper Institute of Development Studies
Worldbank (1998) World Development Report – Knowledge for Development
More Information
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