Abstracts in English, Zulu and Afrikaans / The looming transition from the industrial era to the technologically driven knowledge era has implications for the practice of Knowledge Management (KM) for all organisations across various employment sectors. My awareness of the paucity of empirical accounts documenting how schools, particularly those situated in townships, apply KM exacerbated the need for a social inquiry to determine the extent to which the selected schools leverage KM in their operations. This study was conducted in three education circuits of Emalahleni, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The qualitative study to investigate KM application in township schools largely drew on the theoretical lenses of Wenger’s (1991) Communities of Practice (CoP), and Rodrigues and Pai’s (2005) Eight Dimensions of KM Enablers and Activators, supplemented by home-grown epistemologies of Ubuntu and Batho Pele Principles. Designed as a case study, the study employed semi-structured interviews to gather data. Responses were solicited from twenty participants comprising of teachers, Heads of Department (HODs), administrative clerks and principals in their varying capacities of knowledge work. Document analysis was done for purposes of triangulation. The study found that, despite a myriad of constraints, the selected schools apply KM sufficiently but not efficiently to meet their constitutional mandate of providing an educational service to learners. In two of the schools where principals practised laissez-faire and transactional leadership styles respectively, organisational cultures were characterised by one-way communication, limited knowledge sharing platforms, dissonance between subordinate staff and School Management Teams (SMTs). In the third school whose principal practised a democratic leadership style, the organisational climate was conducive for knowledge sharing and knowledge creation transactions among subordinate staff and the SMT. However, teachers of this school expressed the need to re-energise the formation of CoPs. In the midst of the cited constraints, personnel’s inclination to do their jobs and their adherence to the gazetted performance standards were found to be major propellants of KM application. The study also indicated that principals’ leadership determines the efficiency of KM application. The main recommendation thereof was that principals must begin to pay equal attention to the knowledge shared by both the subordinate staff and the SMT. / Ushintsho oluzinze kumontho wezezimboni kufikela kumnotho ozinse kwezobuqepheshe lunethmelela engagwemeki kwindlele izinkampani zikahulumeni kanye nezangasese zisebenzisa ngakhona izinhlelo zokuthulwa, zokwakhiwa kanye nokutholakala kolwazi mapheqelezi i Knowledge Management (KM). Ngemva kokuqaphela kwami ukuthi kunokwentula kolwazi olujulile ologxile kusayensi, mayelana nedlela izikole ikakhulukazi ezaseMalokishini zisebenzisa ngakhona i KM kuzinhlelo zazo zangemihla nge mihla; ngakho ke ngiye ngabona kungumqondo ophusile ukuba ngi phenye ngaloludaba. Ngiye ngagxila ukwazi kabanzi ngezikole ezintathu engizikhethile ngaphansi komnyango wezumfundo ehhovisini lasesigodini saseMalahleni esifindazweni saseMpumalanga eNingizimu Afrika. Loluphenyo oluzinze kwi qualitative method lisebenzise umbono ka Wenger (1991) owaziwa ngokuthi yi Communities of Practice (CoPs), kanye nombono ka Rodrigues and Pai (2005) obizwa nge Eight Dimensions of KM Enablers and Activators. Kanti futhi, Ubuntu ne Batho Pele, zasetshenziswa ukusekela lemibono emibili ephothulwiwe. Abasebenzi ababandakanyaka kulolu phenyo bangama shumi ambili emikhakheni ehlukahlukene ezikolweni njengo thisela nabaphathi babo, omabhalane kanye nabo thishanhloko. Ukuthola ubufakazi obungangabazeki ngiye nga qathanisa ulwazi oluphume kwimibono yabasebenzi nalena etholakale emaphepheni amumethe ulwazi mayelana nezinhlelo ze KM kuzo zontathu izikole. Ngaphandle kwezinselelo ezimbadlwana, akungabazekanga ukuba zontathu izikole zinazo izinhlelo ze KM. Futhi kuye kwabonakala ukuthi lezikole zihambisana nemiqathango yomthetho sisekelo wokuhlinzeka ngemfundo. Esikolweni sokuqala uthishanhloko wakhona utholakale esebenzisa ubuholi be-Leissez-faire. Kanti esikolweni sesibili uthishanhloko wakhona utholakale esebenzisa ubuholi be transactional. Kuzo zombili lezikole kusobala ukuthi kunezinselela ezinemithelela engamihle kahle ekwabiweni kolwazi kanye nase kusungulweni kwama qembu wokwakha ulwazi phakathi kwabasebenzi abangenazikhundla nalobo abanezikhundla. Abasebenzi abanganazikhundla ikakhulukazi othishela nabomabhalane baye bazwakalise isikhalo sabo sokungabandakanywa uma izinqumo zezinhlelo ze KM zithathwa. Kanti esikoweni sesithathu lapho uthishanhloko wakhona ebesebenzisa ubuholi bentando yeningi (noma i democratic leadership), kuye kwabonakala ngaphandle kwamathandabuzwa ukuthi abasebenzi abangenazikhundla kanye nabanazo, basebezisana ngokukhulu ukuhloniphana. Yigakho ke isimo salesi sikole sikulungele ukwakhiwa kanye nokwabelwana kolwazi phakathi kwabobonke abasebenzi. Yize noma izinhlelo eziningi ze KM zihamba ngomumu kulesisikole, kodwa othishela bakhona bayebanxusa ukuba kubuye kukhushulwe izinga lokusungula amaqembu wokwabelana nokwakhiwa kolwazi ngaphakathi kwabasebenzi. Kusobala ukuthi ikhono kanye nokuzimisle kwabasebezi emisebenzini yabo linemithelela ethize kwizinhlelo ze KM. Nobuholi bothishanhloko bunemithelela ethize ekuthuthukisweni kwezinhlelo ze KM. Othishanhloko bayacetshiswa ukuthi bamukele ngesasasa elikhulu imibono kwinhangothi zombili zabasebezi, bayeke ukubuka ulwazi oluphuma ohlangothini lwalabo abanezikhundla kuphela. / Die dreigende oorgang vanaf die industriële era na die tegnologies-gedrewe kennis era het implikasies vir die praktyk van Kennisbestuur vir alle organisasies oor verskeie indiensnemingsektore. My bewustheid van die stilte van empiriese rekeninge wat dokumenteer hoe skole, veral dié wat in townships geleë is, pas toe dat Kennis bestuur die behoefte aan 'n maatskaplike ondersoek vererger om die mate waarin die geselekteerde skole-hefboom Kennis bestuur in hul operasie gebruik, te bepaal. Hierdie studie is gedoen in drie bane van Emalahleni, Mpumalanga Provinsie, Suid-Afrika. Die kwalifitiewe studie om kennisbestuur in lokasie skole te ondersoek, het grootliks getrek op die teoretiese lense van Wenger se (1991) Gemeenskappe van Praktyk (CoP), en Rodrigues en Pai's (2005) Agt Dimensies van Kennisbestuur-instaatstellers en Aanwysers, aangevul deur tuisgroei-epistemologieë van Ubuntu en Batho Pele beginsels. Die studie het semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gebruik om data in te samel. Reaksies is van twintig deelnemers in hulle wisselende vermoëns van kenniswerk versoek. Dokumentanalise is vir doeleindes van driehoeking gedoen. Ten spyte van 'n magdom beperkings het die studie bevind dat die gekose skool Kennisbestuur voldoende toepas, maar nie doeltreffend om hul grondwetlike mandaat te ontmoet om 'n opvoedkundige diens aan leerders te lewer nie. In twee van die skole waar skoolhoofde laissez-billike en transaksionele leierskapstyle onderskeidelik beoefen het, is organisatoriese kulture gekenmerk deur eenrigtingkommunikasie, beperkte kennisverdelingsplatforms, besluitneming tussen ondergeskikte personeel en skoolbestuurspanne (SMT's). In die derde skool wie se skoolhoof 'n demokratiese leierskapstyl beoefen het, was organisatoriese klimaat bevorderlik vir kennisverdeling en kennisskeppingstransaksies onder ondergeskikte personeel en die SMT. Te midde van die aangehaalde beperkings is personeel se neiging om hul nakoming van die prestasiestandaarde te doen, bevind dat groot skroewe van Kennisbestuur aansoek is. Die studie het ook aangedui dat skoolhoofde se leierskap die doeltreffendheid van Kennisbestuursaansoek bepaal. Die aanbeveling daarvan was dat skoolhoofde moet begin om die kennis wat kom uit lae arbeidsmag op dieselfde vlak te waardeer dat hulle die kennis wat van KMO's kom, waardeer. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Phil. (Education Management)

I denna uppsats ställer jag mig frågan vilken praktisk kunskap jag har, i min yrkesroll som professionell facilitator.  En professionell facilitator är en för gruppen neutral mötesledare vars huvudsakliga syfte är att planera, förbereda och genomföra arbetsmöten och workshops som bygger på dialog, engagemang och delaktighet. Inte sällan med inriktning på erfarenhetsutbyte och kunskapsutveckling. Men, vad är det jag gör när jag skapar delaktighet och engagemang i en grupp, när jag får deltagarna att se sakfrågan i ett större sammanhang och genom olika metodval ger dem förutsättningar till konstruktiva dialoger? När jag underlättar för deltagare att inte bara närvara fysiskt under ett möte utan säkerställer att alla i gruppen aktivt deltar och bidrar till ett konkret resultat. Uppsatsen har skrivits inom ramen för magisterprogrammet i yrkeskunnande och professionsutveckling vid Linnéuniversitetet i Växjö under våren 2013. Empirin utgörs av de reflekterande texter som jag har skrivit inom ramen för kurserna mellan åren 2011-2013, baserade på 18 års erfarenhet av att leda och facilitera arbetsmöten och workshops. Mina erfarenheter har jag kopplat ihop med de olika teorierna inom ämnesområdet yrkeskunnande och professionsutveckling. Resultatet av uppsatsen vittnar om att mina erfarenheter och min praktiska kunskap har jag fått genom att öva och utveckla en känsla för olika människors och gruppers beteenden. Jag har också utvecklat en förtrogenhetskunskap beträffande vilka metoder och tekniker som fungerar i olika situationer och för olika sakfrågor. Varje möte som jag leder är direktsändning och det finns aldrig någon möjlighet att generalrepetera några repliker. I realtid reflekterar och analyserar jag vad som händer i gruppen. Jag använder olika metoder och tekniker. Planerat eller improviserat. Jag kallar det ibland för planerad improvisation. Jag kommer nämligen alltid väl förberedd och med en skräddarsydd mötesplan i handen, för att i själva mötessituationen kunna improvisera. Det är något jag vet av erfarenhet alltid blir fallet. Vad som kommer att hända under ett möte går aldrig att förutse. För att lyckas med denna konst behöver facilitatorn tro på varje individs lika värde, bortse från förutfattade meningar, lyssna och höra, både vad som sägs, men också lyssna efter vad som inte sägs. Facilitatorn underlättar för gruppen genom att driva mötet framåt utifrån ett specifikt syfte och önskat slutresultat. Att som facilitator vara mentalt närvarande under hela mötet och förhålla sig neutral till sakfrågan, gruppen och slutresultatet, men även till uppdragsgivaren, även om det är svårt, är kärnan i facilitatorns yrkesroll. Uppdragsgivarens betydelse ska aldrig underskattas och jag har myntat följande uttryck: Jag kan aldrig facilitera ett möte bättre än vad min uppdragsgivare tillåter. / This thesis explores a number of questions around the skills of a Professional Facilitator. It has been completed as part of the Programme on Skill and Professional Development, within the Faculty of Technology at Linneaus University, Sweden. A Professional Facilitator is a person who is both neutral to the group, and the subject under discussion. The facilitator plans, prepares, and runs workshops where dialogue, commitment and neutrality all play a central role. The practical insights presented within, are derived from the texts that I have submitted as part of the programme requirements during 2011-2013. The insights are based on my direct experience from facilitating professional workshops over the last 18 years. These insights have been presented in the context of the relevant literature and research within the areas of skill and technology. The conclusions from my work clearly show that the development of my skills is as much grounded in a structured approach to continued Professional Development as it is in experiential learning. I have developed skills regarding group dynamics, as well as methods and tools that can be appropriately applied in different contexts, subjects and groups. Every meeting I facilitate is completed in real-time, which means that I do not have the opportunity to rehearse or prepare for all eventualities. However, I am always very well prepared and have a tailor-made plan for every meeting. Improvisation is key, and is always required no matter what level of planning has been completed. My experience clearly shows that a Professional Facilitator needs to believe in the individuals potential, show no prejudice, and listen and hear what is being said both directly and indirectly. A facilitator needs to be alert throughout the whole meeting and take a neutral stance in relation to the group, the subject and the Meeting Sponsor.

The aim of this study is to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in knowledge management and organisational learning, and to assess the maturity level of knowledge management within the South African steel industry. Various aspects of knowledge, knowledge management and organisational learning with specific relation to sustainable competitive advantage are discussed in the literature study. During the literature research several factors which either promote or hinder the effective management of knowledge were identified and a list of lessons learned by other successful knowledge focused companies, are discussed. The critical success factors for a successful knowledge management program are also discussed. Knowledge can create a sustainable competitive advantage within an organisation, if successfully applied to make value adding decisions and to enable learning, and if it is applied to make decisions which are superior to that of its rivals across the supply chain. An integrated approach needs to be followed when KM is pursued and the knowledge must be applied to make value added decisions and facilitate learning across all processes in the value chain. The focus must be to retain an organisation’s tacit knowledge as this is a key success factor to ensure a sustainable competitive advantage. The study includes research on whether knowledge management is effectively used as a sustainable competitive advantage in the South African steel industry. The maturity level of the application of knowledge and learning principles implemented within the South African steel industry is assessed and compared to the maturity level of ArcelorMittal, Monlevade, located in Brazil. A survey was designed and distributed to determine the knowledge management and organisational learning maturity levels at two steel facilities of ArcelorMittal in South Africa and one facility in Brazil. The key problem areas as identified through the empirical research are discussed and it is concluded that South African facilities do not effectively use knowledge management as a sustainable competitive advantage. The maturity level of knowledge management in ArcelorMittal, South Africa is low compared to the maturity at Monlevade and rival companies such as Tata and Posco steel. A significant effort needs to be made in order to allow the effective creation, acquisition, sharing and leveraging of knowledge within the South African steel facilities. The key factors which constrain effective knowledge management is related to ineffective Human Resource policies, organisation structure, lack of knowledge exchange forums, collaboration and communication, coaching, and a lack of incentives to share tacit knowledge. It is also evident that knowledge is not seen as a sustainable competitive advantage by many respondents and that they perceive they do not have the time or capacity to transfer knowledge. Ten practical design principles were constructed and a knowledge management framework was developed to guide South African steel companies during the design and execution of a knowledge management programme which will ensure that knowledge management will result into a sustainable competitive advantage. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The aim of this study is to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in knowledge management and organisational learning, and to assess the maturity level of knowledge management within the South African steel industry. Various aspects of knowledge, knowledge management and organisational learning with specific relation to sustainable competitive advantage are discussed in the literature study. During the literature research several factors which either promote or hinder the effective management of knowledge were identified and a list of lessons learned by other successful knowledge focused companies, are discussed. The critical success factors for a successful knowledge management program are also discussed. Knowledge can create a sustainable competitive advantage within an organisation, if successfully applied to make value adding decisions and to enable learning, and if it is applied to make decisions which are superior to that of its rivals across the supply chain. An integrated approach needs to be followed when KM is pursued and the knowledge must be applied to make value added decisions and facilitate learning across all processes in the value chain. The focus must be to retain an organisation’s tacit knowledge as this is a key success factor to ensure a sustainable competitive advantage. The study includes research on whether knowledge management is effectively used as a sustainable competitive advantage in the South African steel industry. The maturity level of the application of knowledge and learning principles implemented within the South African steel industry is assessed and compared to the maturity level of ArcelorMittal, Monlevade, located in Brazil. A survey was designed and distributed to determine the knowledge management and organisational learning maturity levels at two steel facilities of ArcelorMittal in South Africa and one facility in Brazil. The key problem areas as identified through the empirical research are discussed and it is concluded that South African facilities do not effectively use knowledge management as a sustainable competitive advantage. The maturity level of knowledge management in ArcelorMittal, South Africa is low compared to the maturity at Monlevade and rival companies such as Tata and Posco steel. A significant effort needs to be made in order to allow the effective creation, acquisition, sharing and leveraging of knowledge within the South African steel facilities. The key factors which constrain effective knowledge management is related to ineffective Human Resource policies, organisation structure, lack of knowledge exchange forums, collaboration and communication, coaching, and a lack of incentives to share tacit knowledge. It is also evident that knowledge is not seen as a sustainable competitive advantage by many respondents and that they perceive they do not have the time or capacity to transfer knowledge. Ten practical design principles were constructed and a knowledge management framework was developed to guide South African steel companies during the design and execution of a knowledge management programme which will ensure that knowledge management will result into a sustainable competitive advantage. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This thesis looks at two sides of the same coin: how to support the production and future development at a specialist medical technology department at Danderyd Hospital. The two sides are; a pilot study of a product management system (PDM) and an interview based study on the characteristics of the silent knowledge of the technicians. The department (National respiratory centre, NRC) is facing retirement of several key employees. The technical study shows that the success of an implementation is largely dependent on the users’ prior knowledge and use of a 3D Computer aided design system (CAD).The system itself is shown to fulfill the Lifecycle requirement of tracking the products (mostly tracheostomy tubes) but without a CAD centered workflow, some substantial education and preferably some new recruits, an implementation of the PDM system will fail. The author recommends development of the current “low-tech” system of MS Excel and Access rather than redistribute the dependency from technician towards a complex, commercial software and its vendor. The analysis of the technicians’ silent knowledge with the newly developed method, epithet for silent knowledge (ETK), shows that the longer employment time: the more differentiated technicians become in describing their work, practical knowledge are regarded higher and the social and collective problem solving factors of the work becomes more important. Typically, it is shown that a new employee should preferably enjoy problem solving, being pragmatic and social as well as having some prior education or work experience in a CAD and/or a PDM system.

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the managerial "action" of public administrators in the management of their organizations within the Brazilian context. The research seeks to understand the relationships between managers and formal management mechanisms by exploring the complementary nature of the effective managerial action in the face of structural deficiencies and flaws, considering the possibility of overcoming the structuralism-subjectivism dichotomy present in the construction of the Theory of Organizations. Initially, the study provides a review of the literature on organizational design. It highlights the "goodness of fit" proposition on strategic choice issues concerning the main organizational variables design and organizational goal attainment. It also calls special attention to the emerging interest of designing theorists on interpretivist approaches to the matter, such that of Karl Weick. A review of the the administrative reforms in Brazil is made from the perspective of the main stream organizational design conceptual framework. It highlights the complex dynamics of a constant search for differentiation and flexibilization subject to patterns of advances and reversals, due to the centrality, strength and pervasiveness of the bureaucratic model. It is concluded that in no single given moment, a public manager and his team, may count on a formal organizational design which attends the"congruency" criteria, devised by organizational design conceptual frameworks, to explain organizational results in different environmental sets. Although this conclusion may explain failure at the public sector, it can not provide understanding on the many instances of significative success attained by government operations in spite of inadequate formal administrative structures. This point calls for a better understanding from the interpretivist approach, on how public administrators, strongly associated with good organizational results, engage into transformative action, in order to superate administrative structures flaws and dysfunctional cultural patterns of conduct, structurally present and constantly reproduced, in vigorous developing countries, such as Brazil. The dissertation transcribes the testimony of four outstanding public administrators, doing a deep incursion in the managerial real world of public administration, as subjectively defined by them and transformed by their engagement into action.Through the thematic version of the Oral History methodology, full segments of the complete interviews are categorized into the thirty two managerial strategies captured which are presented on a recategorized manner under eight main strategies: (1) Interchanging Frames of Reference; (2) Exploring the Formal Limits; (3) Playing the Bureaucracy Game; (4) Inducing the Inclusion of Others (5)Promoting Internal Cohesion; (6) Creating Shields against Transgressions; (7) Overcoming Internal Restrictions; (8) Letting the Structures Blossom. Each one of these eight blocks of strategies presented, deserves further reflexive interpretation by the author, on the light of the interpretivist approach to organizational design. A final effort is made, now on theory building, for improving understanding on the matter. In order to find a significant meaning underlining all the strategies extracted from the "practical consciousness" of the interviewers as revealed in their report, the author resort to a metaphor. This metaphor helps to: (1) better describe and understand a not adequately treated phenomenon, namely, good results under inadequate structural social and organizational conditions; (2) reveal the logic and the meaning underlining all the strategies adopted to generate results under these unfaithful conditions; (3) name, accordingly to the nature of the managerial transformative social action involved, an open ended class of managerial interventions of a pragmatic sort driven by an ethics of results much common to good managers, that is, the concept of "managerial equalization"; and (4) give back to public administrators, represented by the interviewees, to be incorporated in their "discursive consciousness", something the most effective and experienced public managers already have as tacit knowledge built in their "practical consciousness", and so, help the education and development of new talents. / Ph. D.