Challenges of knowledge management in the public sector: evidence from the King Abdullah Award for Excellence in Jordan

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to undertake an exploration of the challenges related to knowledge management (KM) within public sector organisations in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachThere was the adoption of a qualitative method to achieve the objective of the study, with content analysis undertaken on ten assessment reports, so the results of the content analysis could be validated. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted within the sample organisations. The sample was made up of ten public sector organisations that had participated at least twice within the King Abdullah Excellence Award with acknowledgement within their reports of failure to achieve results that were satisfactory for KM.FindingsKM challenges identified reflect various aspects of different factors, such as organisational structure, culture, KM processes and the evaluation of KM. In practical terms, the main KM-related challenges for the Jordanian public sector are considered to be a lack of a culture of teamwork to support sharing and exchange of knowledge, lack of required documentation for the building of organisational memory needed for processes of KM, lack of training for KM, lack of clear vision and strategy for KM and lack of proper methodologies for the management of internal knowledge and weaknesses in the integration of information and data.Originality/valueThe study puts forward a conceptual model that can be used in assessing the challenges that managers face when they seek to implement KM in organisations within the public sector. The challenges of KM within the public sector have been studied widely, in general; however there is an importance to gaining better understanding of how to overcome those challenges. Compared with most of the existent studies, this particular research has offered detailed, specific insights into challenges for KM within the public sector, along with provision of a conceptual model that other researchers could use in the future.

Oral History: Utilising the Experience of Others

The Irish Defence Forces Leadership Doctrine emphasises the need for lifelong study and experiential learning, and the Defence Forces have considerable experience in managing oral history projects, including the Bureau of Military History and the Military Archives Oral History Projects. However, Irish doctrine does not outline any formal method to capture these experiences as a leadership development tool or to enhance organisational memory. The aim of this paper is to examine the value of utilising oral history for leadership development and organisational memory. It demonstrates that there is a risk to organisational memory unless a formal methodology is in place to capture the experiences of Defence Forces members and connected personnel. The use of tacit knowledge, which has facilitated the handover of information to date, is not sufficient nor is the written record alone. This paper shows that a combination of multiple primary sources, including the written record and oral history, provides an opportunity to enhance leadership development. It also demonstrates that the use of oral history provides an opportunity to capture the social and human aspect of Defence Forces activities to not only enhance organisational memory but to understand the context within which decisions were made.

How previous epidemics enable timelier COVID-19 responses: an empirical study using organisational memory theory

IntroductionThere has been little systematic exploration into what affects timeliness of epidemic response, despite the potential for earlier responses to be more effective. Speculations have circulated that previous exposure to major epidemics helped health systems respond more quickly to COVID-19. This study leverages organisational memory theory to test whether health systems with any, more severe, or more recent exposure to major epidemics enacted timelier COVID-19 policy responses.MethodsA data set was constructed cataloguing 846 policies across 178 health systems in total, 37 of which had major epidemics within the last 20 years. Hypothesis testing used OLS regressions with World Health Organization region fixed effects, controlling for several health system expenditure and political variables.ResultsResults show that exposure to any major epidemics was associated with providing earlier response in the following policy categories: all policies, surveillance/response, distancing, and international travel policies. The effect was about 6–10 days earlier response. The significance of this variable was largely nullified with the addition of the other two independent variables. Neither total cases nor years since previous epidemics showed no statistical significance.ConclusionThis study suggests that health systems may learn from past major epidemics. Policymakers ought to institutionalise lessons from COVID-19. Future studies can examine specific generalisable lessons and whether timelier responses correlated with lower health and economic impacts.

Organisational Memory and its Impact on Competitive Strategies in IT Companies in Jordan

This study aims at measuring the impact of organisational memory (OM) on competitive strategies in information technology (IT) companies in King Hussein Business Park (KHBP) in Amman, the capital of Jordan. KHBP comprises of 20 companies, which will form the research population. A random sample was chosen with the sampling unit constituting of 63 out of originally 74 senior employees. The study adopted a descriptive analytical approach and a structured questionnaire was used as a study tool for the purpose of measuring the variables of the study. The outcomes of the study show that OM and its processes (knowledge acquisition, retention, and retrieval) have an impact on both types of competitive strategies (differentiation and lower cost strategies) in Jordan's IT companies. The study presented key recommendations such as: enhancing the role of OM in IT companies given its clear impact on competitive strategies; carrying out additional studies on OM to look deeper into its dimensions, processes, justifications, hindrances, and strategies.

Competitive Advantage, Open Innovation, and Dynamic Capabilities

This chapter deals with a particular type of dynamic capability: dynamic relational capabilities. They are defined as the organisational ability of a firm to enter into successful business relationships with other actors. It is shown that these abilities, based on organisational memory, are expressed in particular through the acquisition of assets and the conclusion of partnerships/alliances. In the pharmaceutical industry, open innovation strategies are the concrete proof of such abilities. Indeed, this sector is considered to be a High-Velocity Environment characterized by a high rate of change. Such change, challenging firms' competitive advantage, fosters the development of dynamic capabilities and open innovation strategies. These theoretical considerations are illustrated by reference to the innovation strategy adopted by the Sanofi group, particularly since 2008.

Educational infrastructures and organisational memory: Observations from a Swedish perspective

This article focuses on the interplay between the concepts of ‘educational infrastructure’ and ‘organisational memory’. Using data from collaboration between a Swedish university and a local municipality, the article draws attention to the interplay between three nation-wide improvement programmes and their educational infrastructures, and the knowledge developed and stored in the local schools. The data analysis is supported by the theoretical concept of organisational memory built up by ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ forms of knowledge. The findings show that primarily soft types of knowledge were developed and stored in organisational memory in the local schools. The programmes, therefore, became highly dependent on leaders’ and teachers’ personal knowledge and commitment, in-job training, imitation and socialisation. Regarding hard types of knowledge, for example, clear guidelines, organisational routines, processes and roles for improvement work, the programmes and their infrastructures were, generally, less supportive. These findings illuminate the importance of an organisational learning perspective in successful school system improvement.

We have always been modern(ist): Temporality and the organisational management of ‘timeless’ iconic chairs

In organisation studies, objects have been analysed as actors that enable sense to be made of organisational reality. We expand on this literature by exploring the times of the modernist design firm through its iconic chairs, using archival and contemporary ethnography to study timeless design. We suggest that studies of organisational times that focus on selectivity in organisational memory or history can be augmented through a detailed study of the folding of pasts, presents and futures into objects. Furthermore, we advocate for the treatment of objects as material semiotic actors that participate in the construction of organisational times, with iconic chairs acting as disruptors of otherwise linear organisational times. As material semiotic actors, these objects do not enable a single organisational time, but instead participate in disrupting time, deny any possibility of a pure and linear form of time, continuing to provoke the organisation and its members.