A Comparative Analysis of Conceptions of Knowledge and Learning in General and Public Sector Literature 2000–2009

Abstract

In this article we analyze the ways in which concepts of “knowledge” and “learning” are represented in public sector management literature and compare these with contemporary concepts in the broader knowledge management and organizational learning disciplines. Gaps and differences between the two sets of literature are discussed and clarified. How differences emerge and are displayed is discussed, and implications for the variation on practice and organizational effectiveness in the public sector are presented. The article's contribution is in its illustration of the gap between representations of knowledge and learning in public sector literature and the disciplinary literature in knowledge management and organizational learning.