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Knowledge Management in Organisations

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Submitted By jamesgitari
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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

2 Background Information of the Study

The true importance of knowledge and Knowledge Management in today’s organizations cannot be overstated. Knowledge has been recognized as a form of capital for the organization and provides the only sustainable basis of competitive advantage that many organizations possess. Unlike many of the other types of capital that appear on an organizations’ balance sheet, existing knowledge more-readily lends itself to “recycling” to generate new intellectual capital for the benefit of the organization. Knowledge is truly re- usable and can be integrated in many different ways in order to make it maximize its value.
If we are to take full advantage of the existing knowledge within an organization, then we must develop strategies and implement policies and procedures to manage the knowledge environment. An organization can help itself make optimal use of this strategic resource by first understanding the environment in which the knowledge processes will be operating, and then implementing effective and efficient knowledge management techniques to support the environment.
The question of “how” knowledge management is implemented to create value within organizations has been studied in recent years. These studies have evaluated knowledge management styles, enablers, and processes with respect to their impact on organizational performance as well as the structure of the organization itself. The theory and models developed to support the research hypotheses of these authors and this research study are, in large part, based upon earlier research by Nonaka, 1994 and
Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995, on the nature of knowledge, how it is managed, and how it is related to the accomplishment of work.

1. Problem Statement

According to a recent report released by the Kenya anti-corruption commission it was

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