Knowledge Management Practices in Saudi Arabian Public Sector Organisations: A Case of the Ministry of Justice

Abstract

In the early part of the twenty-first century, public and private sector organisations are under pressure due to population growth, financial constraints, resource scarcity, social justice and climate change. These challenges are felt by public and private sector organisations alike in some form and need to be addressed. To meet the challenges and take the available opportunities, government must actively pursue initiatives to adopt Knowledge Management (KM) tools, techniques and philosophies. There is, however, a paucity of empirical research on the key KM practices that have been implemented in the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)—which is the core rationale for this paper. This paper is based on a thorough review of the empirical literature, exploring the importance of KM, the structure of the MOJ and the key drivers of and challenges to implementing KM strategies within KSA public sector organisations. It is concluded that managing knowledge is a complex process because it is usually linked to long-term time horizons, a high level of uncertainty and impacts that are often difficult to quantify. If public sector organisations do not fully comprehend what drives the need for managing knowledge, they may fall into the trap of creating inefficient strategies and operational plans.