"Accomplishing much is not determined by the possession of splendid talents, but the conscious performance of daily duties" (Adaptation from Prophets & Kings by E.G. White). Knowledge Management emerged in the mid-1990s as a solution to the challenge of managing intellectual assets in the post-industrial era widely known as knowledge economy; which is transforming every sector of the global economy – both private and public. However, the tendency of existing literature to convey Knowledge Management (KM) theories and concepts, and indeed its practices, in predominantly private sector context has created a ‘gap’ and marginalised the transformational impact of this important field. At the same time the slow rate, and, to a large extent, non-adoption of knowledge management practices within the public sector, particularly in developing countries, is a missed opportunity as long as the status quo is not improved. This PhD research traces the emergence of the knowledge economy phenomenon, explores knowledge management as an organisational strategy and focuses on how the public sector in developing economies, especially Ghana, can adopt KM strategies and techniques to enhance public administration and performance. More importantly, a KM practice framework is developed encourage its institutionalisation. Based on the interpretivist research paradigm and a multi-site case study design, seventeen public sector organisations in Ghana and seven in the United Kingdom were studied to collate and synthesize relevant organisational factors and conditions that influence KM. Fifteen factors and conditions were found to provide rationale for KM and to sustain its deployment as a strategic intervention in public sector organisations. These factors and conditions were abstracted into four core categories to define a KM practice framework for the sector. Theoretically, this study is a significant contribution to public sector KM as the developed framework provides context for the field in a new arena. For public administrators in Ghana, it opens up pragmatic strategic options to grow intellectual capabilities to improve efficiency in policy-making and service delivery. Practically, the study is a significant step towards institutionalising KM in Ghana as a direct response to development partners’ calls for efficient public administration and meeting a major component of the New Public Management agenda: public organisations becoming learning institutions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:655876 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Acheampong, Edwin Asiamah |
| Publisher | University of Bolton |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://ubir.bolton.ac.uk/651/ |
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