Thesis (MBA) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Knowledge management is an important component of any organization. It includes
knowledge creation, knowledge sifting and knowledge sharing. Thus every organization
has a way of creating, disseminating and preserving its own knowledge. Organizations
that thrive in the 21st century are those that have realized the significance of managing
knowledge and have systems in place to encourage creativity.
Most organizations often overlook the aspect of putting time aside for employees to
share knowledge and expertise from their different fields. Knowledge, if well managed,
has a direct bearing on the growth and development of an organization. Gone are the
days when organizations succeeded only on the basis of working hard; the emphasis
now is on working smart. Technology has made life easy and simple and more
innovative. It has, on the other hand, together with globalization made the world to be
smaller. For instance, sales can take place at any place at anytime in the world.
Distances, as well as meridian differences, are no longer a barrier in terms of growing a
company. Hence, there are virtual companies.
Companies should take it upon themselves to appoint people who are capable of
uplifting their knowledge base and enhancing their organization’s intellectual property;
they should appoint people who are in a position to learn fast and who can as well
adjust to internal as well as to external forces of change. Thus, training and
development should form part and parcel of a company that is prepared to move ahead
of its competitors. Through the right channels of addressing constant changes that are
taking place in the market, the company should have a special way of doing business
and of possessing special knowledge that will put it ahead of its competitors.
Special knowledge and expertise has a capability of generating more revenues for the
company. Revenues are no longer only determined by the production factors but also
by the competitive knowledge that the company possess. Therefore, this implies that for
the company to do well, knowledge has to be well managed as it is used to compete in
a global economy.
The global economy is affected by a number of dynamics which have to be addressed
by smart companies in order for them to stay in business. Knowledge at that level
transforms fast, is transmitted at a high level and can quickly become obsolete. Thus
companies have to keep abreast of what is taking place in the markets and also
become the trendsetters in their area of operation. This is because competition in a
v
global market is stiff; companies face competitors from various conglomerates at local
and international levels.
Therefore this study focuses on how knowledge is being transformed and managed at
Thuto Ke Lefa for competitive advantage and as well as for economic benefits. Thuto
Ke Lefa Training Company is a national company that is based in Polokwane; it has
other branches in Mpumalanga and Gauteng Province. The company specializes in
providing service to the public through developing the skills of the workforce in the
public as well as in the private sector. The company was founded in 2003 by Mr
Mashakobo Johannes Moja and his wife Eunice Moja. Thuto Ke Lefa Training Company
is a registered company which is accredited by the Education, Training and
Development Practitioners Sector (ETDP SETA).
A case study of Thuto Ke Lefa revealed that the company is well resourced in terms of
technology even though some areas have to be beefed up. Various search engines are
available for staff to access and create knowledge. However, knowledge is not well
coordinated as there is no knowledge manager and there is no centralized place for
dissemination and storage of knowledge. Employees do not have the resource person
or office that overlooks the creation of knowledge.
The fact that knowledge is not well coordinated at Thuto Ke Lefa makes the company to
perform below its actual potential as some of the important knowledge can be under
utilized. Therefore, this makes it difficult for the company to measure its capability and
its capacity in terms of knowledge. With this being the case, knowledge is not fully used
to the advantage of the company.
It was therefore recommended through the research that Thuto Ke Lefa should have a
knowledge management office or resource person who will coordinate and manage
knowledge. This will enable the company to use its knowledge resources competitively.
Literature review has also indicated that knowledge is less managed in the training
sector as compared to the other sectors.
It will therefore be imperative for the management of Thuto Ke Lefa to inculcate the
culture of knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge storage through the
correct devices. Incentives and rewards should be given to those individuals who work
tirelessly to create knowledge. Time should also be set aside for the sharing of
knowledge. Experts in different fields should be in the position to know what is going on
in the other projects of the company so as to make meaningful contributions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/364 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Kanjere, Maria Matshidiso |
| Contributors | Beyers, J L E |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ix, 43 p. |
| Relation | Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 7.0 |
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