The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical background on the knowledge management principles required in determining the current state of knowledge management within the Pyrometallurgical industry. Emphasis is placed on identifying initiatives that is required for embedding tacit knowledge within an organisation. Knowledge is what people know and there is no knowledge without someone knowing it. Knowledge can be present in ideas, judgement, relationships and concepts. Unlike data and information, knowledge is never static but is continually shaped inside peoples' heads through experience, reasoning and the inflow of new stimuli. Tacit knowledge is the information about work processes and products that individuals hold above and beyond what organisations has documented. It is the "tricks of the trade" that promote smooth organisational functioning, overall know-how, and competitive advantage. In order to ensure that an organisation maintains its competitive advantage, special focus must be placed on tacit knowledge management. The state of knowledge management within the Pyrometallurgical industry in South Africa was assessed in the use of survey questionnaires. The Pyrometallurgical industry has still got a long way to go in order to ensure that the tacit knowledge is embedded within their organisations. Key areas of concerns are the lack of experienced mentors as well as enough resources in order to foster tacit knowledge transfer. A practical tacit knowledge management framework is proposed in order to assist management in looking after this critical asset of their organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The objective of the study was to develop a framework for the implementation of a Business Information Management System in order to increase the efficiency of the knowledge management strategy in the ultimate quest to deliver administrative support to public schools at the Gauteng Department of Education within the Sedibeng East District Office geographical area. A literature investigation was done on the concepts of e–Government, eplatforms, information technology and enablers to determine if Government models are working effectively and efficiently. Based on the findings of the literature study, a questionnaire was designed and used to measure the efficiency of the knowledge management strategy in the base of administrative support to public schools. Government to Government models are the ability to interact and support services through the availability of e–platforms in the ultimate support, and sharing of knowledge through effective knowledge management. Knowledge in an organisation alternates between tacit and explicit knowledge as it goes from an idea to explicit knowledge that can be shared throughout the whole organisation and in the process gives the necessary administrative support to public schools and learners. Proper managed and implemented systems are important for the management of knowledge in an organisation. Knowledge management is a never–ending cycle that starts at discovering knowledge and goes through generating knowledge, evaluating knowledge, sharing the newly found knowledge to leveraging the knowledge. This cycle forms the heart of a knowledge management model like the different education e–platforms that is available. It was concluded that the knowledge in an organisation can be managed with the help of one standardized e–platform model throughout the entire Education Department. Knowledge in an organisation is a very important resource and ought to be strategically managed. The knowledge management strategy starts by determining what knowledge is needed and what is available in the organisation. The chosen standardized model will form the central part of a successful knowledge management strategy. The test for the success of a knowledge management strategy is determined with a knowledge audit. The state of the knowledge management strategy at Gauteng Department of Education, Sedibeng East District Office was assessed by employing convenience survey questionnaires to extract the data. Sedibeng East District Office and therefore the Department of Education, still have a long way to go in order to optimise the management of knowledge. The key area of concern is a lack of a written knowledge management strategy and policy which results in informal e–platform usage and therefore different ways of managing knowledge. A large portion of the indecisiveness seen in the analysis of the questionnaires could be attributed to the lack of a formal knowledge management strategy. It was further concluded that a knowledge gap assessment is the start of the knowledge management strategy and will give direction to the strategy. The culture at Sedibeng East District Office was not tested to determine if the staff will be supportive of a knowledge management strategy. However, the survey indicated that much needed administrative support to public schools needs to be formalized in order to optimize the services and standards of support. A practical knowledge management framework is proposed in order to assist the Department in the implementation of a knowledge management strategy and bridging the gaps found after analysing the questionnaires. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The awareness on the importance of managing knowledge as the most important assets that need to be fully utilised has become the key competitive issue lately. In Malaysia, the concern was not only from companies but also from the Government of Malaysia itself. At the end of the year 2002, the Government of Malaysia has launched the Knowledge-based Economy Master Plan which aims to propel Malaysia from a production-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. With an increasing concern to create a knowledgeable society, it is critically important to understand the nature of such knowledge that is already embedded in the organisation's business processes, and how that knowledge is used as an important source of competitive advantage. The overall aim of this thesis is to analyse the current situation on how knowledge is managed in the public organisation in Malaysia and to provide government agencies in Malaysia with data on how knowledge is transferred. The primary focus of the study is to identify the organisational elements that are important for the transfer of knowledge in the public organisations in Malaysia. The study also examines different lengths of working experiences and number of years in an organisation has an impact on the understanding of knowledge management in the public organisation. After a literature review, and the development of conceptual frameworks, a number of hypotheses are put forward. To achieve an in-depth study, the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development of Malaysia was chosen as a case study. A questionnaire was used as the main instrument in gathering data and interview(s) for the key informants were also conducted. A total of 154 respondents were involved in the survey and five key informants were interviewed. The questionnaire is principally concerned with the understanding of knowledge management in the Ministry and the questions on the variables that are used for the hypothesis testing. The study also investigates the relationship between organisational elements and the performance of knowledge transfer. Five main independent variables were identified - organisational culture, organisational structure, technology, people/human resources and political directives - and these were tested against knowledge transfer performance. The results reveal that there are two independent variables that have significant relationships to the performance of knowledge transfer. The variables are sharing culture and ICT know-how. Therefore, it is necessary for organisations to consider some of the elements that shows a relationship between the tested variables in implementing a knowledge management strategy in an organisation. However, certain variables that did not show any relationship should not be ignored totally, as they are still very important for some organisations. The study shows that knowledge management as a practice would be the most influential strategy in managing knowledge in public organisations in Malaysia in the near future. On the basis of the research findings the researcher is able to put forward a series of recommendations, particularly in formulating a knowledge management strategy that is suitable for the public organisation in Malaysia which complements the Knowledge-based Economic Master Plan that was launched by the Government.

Knowledge management and the strategy surrounding it has been highlighted as keys for achieving and maintaining competitive advantage, particularly for knowledge-intensive firms. Consulting firms are knowledge-intensive firms that generate revenue solely through offering the knowledge of their consultants, arguably making knowledge management even more crucial in their competitive fields. In some cases, consultants do not collaborate with their consultancy colleagues in their everyday work, but rather meet only in team activities and social contexts, making the sharing and maintaining of knowledge an even tougher challenge. It is thereby of interest to investigate various types of consulting firms to evaluate how they manage knowledge and how important it is. The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of knowledge management in consulting firms through analysing the case of a technical consulting firm. The study focused particularly on two dimensions: knowledge sharing activities and knowledge management strategy. Fifteen interviews were conducted, and the data was analysed through thematic analysis supported with models and frameworks from the knowledge management literature. The findings of the study point out that whilst not having stated a clear knowledge management strategy, the firm utilises a personalization strategy with a focus on encouraging knowledge sharing in personal contexts whilst putting less effort into documenting knowledge. Supporting the strategy, the firm houses a helpful and learning culture where seeking support from colleagues is encouraged and teaching your colleagues is part of personal development plans. The consulting teams’ collective meetings were seen as important boosters of knowledge sharing along with structured learning from colleagues, whilst the time constraints from client obligations were mutually deemed the main inhibitor. The suggested improvements for the firm were to first make a clear strategy regarding the knowledge management. Furthermore, an increasedcodification and to document highly demanded, novel knowledge was suggested, as well as simplifying the search for the right competence within the firm when a colleague needed help. Lastly, it was suggested that they look at improving the utilization of senior’s experience to support new recruits and reinforce their competence development.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-27T18:56:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tatiele Bolson Moro.pdf: 1792971 bytes, checksum: b9d42229aa9e497e3409021c8f67a092 (MD5) Tatiele Bolson Moro.pdf.jpg: 3422 bytes, checksum: 75c357ba668642a3d377c7b14c5e5954 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The Master Degree in Nanoscience at Centro Universitário Franciscano works with an Interdisciplinary methodology. The Interdisciplinary teaches that two or more disciplines must be integrated in order to have a wider knowledge. Within the context of continuous improvement of its methods, one suggests the development of tools that assist the integration of knowledge between different areas of the master program. The purpose is to describe a strategy based on knowledge management without forgetting the importance of the development of auxiliary tools. One of the tools developed was the Maturity Model which helps identify the course objectives, and it shows ways to improve how the organization works. Thus one can define the current parameters and identify what should be improved in a period of three years. Another tool used was the Strategic Map. The Strategic Map will show more clearly the goals of the organization, and it will support a better integration of knowledge. Thus the collaborators will be aware of the works under development by their peers and they will do better researches with an interdisciplinary approach. Finally, the development of Knowledge Management Strategy, which presents forms to work with the integrate the knowledge of the collaborators, makes more clear and efficient the interdisciplinary methodology proposed by the Master Course. An analysis was performed to diagnose the place of Knowledge Management Strategy. SWOT technique, that supports strategic planning, was used. Through SWOT is possible to analyze strengths and weaknesses of internal and external environments of the organization, facilitating the use of strategy. / O Mestrado em Nanociências do Centro Universitário Franciscano trabalha com a metodologia Interdisciplinar. A Interdisciplinaridade prega que duas ou mais disciplinas devem ter integração para que se possa ter um conhecimento mais abrangente. Dentro do contexto de contínua melhora de seus métodos, sugere-se o desenvolvimento de ferramentas para auxiliar à integração do conhecimento entre as diversas áreas do curso de Mestrado. A proposta é descrever uma estratégia baseada em gestão de conhecimento, todavia o desenvolvimento de ferramentas auxiliares é indispensável. Uma das ferramentas desenvolvidas foi o Modelo de Maturidade, que auxilia a identificar os objetivos do curso, assim como mostra meios de melhorar a forma da organização do trabalho. Dessa forma pode-se definir os parâmetros atuais e identificar o que deve ser melhorado em um período de três anos. Outra ferramenta empregada foi à adoção do Mapa Estratégico. O Mapa Estratégico servirá para mostrar de forma mais clara os objetivos da organização, fazendo assim que seja melhorada a integração dos conhecimentos. Com isso os colaboradores terão mais conhecimento dos trabalhos desenvolvidos por seus pares e poderão realizar melhores pesquisas com cunho interdisciplinar. Por fim o desenvolvimento da Estratégia de Gestão de Conhecimento, que apresenta formas para que se possa trabalhar com a integração do conhecimento dos colaboradores, podendo assim tornar mais claro e eficiente a interdisciplinaridade proposta pela metodologia do mestrado. Para completar foi realizada uma análise para diagnosticar a posição da Estratégia de Gestão de Conhecimento. Foi utilizada a técnica SWOT que é uma ferramenta que dá suporte ao planejamento estratégico. Através dela é possível analisar pontos positivos e negativos dos ambientes interno e externos da organização, facilitando assim o emprego da estratégia.

Defence organisations have now significantly developed and in the process they have applied various measures to sustain their progresses and encourage innovation. One of those measures is by embarking on KM programs. KM in military is seen as a strategic approach to achieving defense objectives by leveraging the value of collective knowledge through the process of creating, gathering, organizing, sharing and transferring knowledge into action. It is through proper knowledge management practices that an organisation embraces and manages its knowledge generation, knowledge acquisition, knowledge organisation, knowledge storage, transfer, knowledge sharing, and knowledge retention. The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge management practices in the Department of Defence (RSA). The objective of the study was to find out how the department appreciates, understands, interprets and handles its knowledge. This study employed triangulation method to present trustworthiness of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches using positivist research design. Questionnaires, interviews and document analysis were employed to collect data. In order to arrive at the number of participants who received the questionnaires, a probability sampling method called stratified random sampling was used as well as purposive sampling. When setting up a study, it was essential to review the research identified in the literature review and to determine whether there is anything relevant to the research design of the proposed study. The study found that knowledge management was hardly understood generally in the department and was not an approach used and institutionalised for the benefit of the organisation. However there was embedded knowledge management appreciation from a few staff members in the department, only managing their own knowledge regarding learning, capturing and storage. Additionally there is a significant number of staff members who believe knowledge management is a way to go in the future and strongly believe their Defence Department needs to adopt a comprehensive and inclusive KM approach. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Defence organisations have now significantly developed and in the process they have applied various measures to sustain their progresses and encourage innovation. One of those measures is by embarking on KM programs. KM in military is seen as a strategic approach to achieving defense objectives by leveraging the value of collective knowledge through the process of creating, gathering, organizing, sharing and transferring knowledge into action. It is through proper knowledge management practices that an organisation embraces and manages its knowledge generation, knowledge acquisition, knowledge organisation, knowledge storage, transfer, knowledge sharing, and knowledge retention. The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge management practices in the Department of Defence (RSA). The objective of the study was to find out how the department appreciates, understands, interprets and handles its knowledge. This study employed triangulation method to present trustworthiness of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches using positivist research design. Questionnaires, interviews and document analysis were employed to collect data. In order to arrive at the number of participants who received the questionnaires, a probability sampling method called stratified random sampling was used as well as purposive sampling. When setting up a study, it was essential to review the research identified in the literature review and to determine whether there is anything relevant to the research design of the proposed study. The study found that knowledge management was hardly understood generally in the department and was not an approach used and institutionalised for the benefit of the organisation. However there was embedded knowledge management appreciation from a few staff members in the department, only managing their own knowledge regarding learning, capturing and storage. Additionally there is a significant number of staff members who believe knowledge management is a way to go in the future and strongly believe their Defence Department needs to adopt a comprehensive and inclusive KM approach. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Today, organisations in multiple industries are faced with challenges connected to digitalisation. The construction industry is one of the sectors in Sweden that are struggling most to digitalise, despite their efforts. The construction industry consists of project-basedorganisations, which literature have proven to have difficulties with managing complexity. Furthermore, there is a lack of experience with innovation projects and digitalisation knowledge. The purpose of this study is to investigate how large-size construction companies utilise learning mechanisms to capture the knowledge obtained from digital innovation projects and retain it as an organisational memory. By increasing the focus on managing learning mechanisms with a suitable knowledge management strategy, it is possible to improve the organisational performance in relation to digital innovation. The theoretical approach of interproject learning is used to analyse the Swedish construction industry by doing a case-study of four large-size construction companies which are operating in Sweden. The data is gathered through semi-structured interviews of two different hierarchic members in each case company and through investigations of their webpages, annual reports and existing written materials. Additionally, interviews with experts and interest organisations are included in the data gathering. The investigation presents that digitalisation and digital innovation in the construction industry are connected to digital tools, such as BIM. We also see a shift in attention, where digital tools originally were supposed to solve concrete tasks, whereas they now have a more process oriented focus with changes in the organisations to smoother digital implementations. Creating standard digital tools, which is utilised in all the projects in the industry and are ready for use will smooth the implementation. The learning mechanisms that exist in digital innovation projects are presented in relation to the decentralised environment. The variety of individual knowledge codification is high, with an absence of knowledge articulation and a high presence of experience accumulation. From a project perspective, there is an evolvement from local to a more central focus for digital innovation initiatives. In an organisational perspective, there is no clear knowledge management strategy, but we argue to see a shift towards a more navigator learning landscape, where emphasises on knowledge articulation is increasing. A discussion of the shift in perception of digital innovation and the evolvement to a more central focus of innovation initiative will increase digitalisation is provided, with a conclusion where the importance of not losing the advantage of having a project-based approach is highlighted. The main limitation of this work is that the research only consists of large-sized companies; therefore, this investigation may not highlight the whole industrial organisational behaviour. Instead, it can provide an understanding of the different learning mechanisms in relation to digital innovation. Further work should investigate small- and medium-sized organisations in the construction industry. / Organisationer i flera branscher står idag inför utmaningar, där hanteringen av digitalisering ären av dem. Den svenska byggbranschen anses ha en stor utmaning med digitalisering. Byggbranschen utgörs till stor del av projektbaserade organisationer och litteratur visar att branschen har svårigheter att hantera komplexitet. Det finns också brist på erfarenheter av projekt relaterat till innovation och även en brist på kunskap om digitalisering. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur stora byggföretag samlar kunskaper från digitala innovationsprojekt genom att utnyttja inlärningsmekanismer och på så sätt behålla kunskapen som en lärdom inom organisationen. Genom att fokusera på hantering av inlärningsmekanismer med en lämplig kunskapsstrategi är det möjligt att förbättra organisationen i förhållande till den digitala innovationen. Den teoretiska aspekten för intern projektinlärning används för att analysera den svenska byggbranschen och detta görs genom en fallstudie av fyra stora byggföretag som är verksamma i Sverige. De data som används har erhållits genom semistrukturerade intervjuer av personer från två olika nivåer inom varje företag och via granskning av företagens hemsidor, årsredovisningar och befintligt skriftligt material. Dessutom ingår intervjuer med experter och intresseorganisationer i datainsamlingen. Studien visar att digitalisering och digital innovation inom byggbranschen är kopplad till digitala verktyg, såsom BIM. Studien visar också på ett skifte i fokus bland de undersökta företagen från ett tidigare fokus på digitala verktyg som löser konkreta problem ändras till ett mer processorienterat fokus. Detta innebär att inkludera förändringar i företagsorganisationen vilket förenklar implementeringen av digitala lösningar. Detta kan göras genom att ha ett utvecklingsfokus av de digitala verktyg som redan används. Dessa kan då delas mellan projekten och vara färdiga för att användas från projektstart. De inlärningsmekanismer som finns i digitala innovationsprojekt förklaras i förhållande till den decentraliserade miljön de ärverksamma inom. Mångfalden av individuell kunskapskodifiering är hög, liksom insamlandetav upplevelser. Däremot finns det en brist på kunskapsstrategier inom de studerade byggföretagen. Från ett projektperspektiv sker det en utveckling som går från ett lokalt till ett mer centraliserat fokus gällande digital innovation. Från ett organisatoriskt perspektiv finns detingen tydlig strategi för kunskapshantering, men vi argumenterar för att det ska ske ett skifte mot ett mer styrt lärandelandskap med en betoning på kunskapsledning. Vidare görs en diskussion huruvida denna utveckling är relevant och om den kommer att öka digitaliseringen. Slutsatsen poängterar vikten av att inte förlora fördelarna med ett projektbaserat arbetssätt. Begränsningen av denna studie är att enbart stora företag studerats. Därför kan studien inte fungera som en överblick för hela byggbranschens beteende, utan ger en förståelse för en utveckling av inlärningsmekanismer i samband med digital innovation. Framtida studier börbehandla även små och medelstora företag inom byggbranschen.