Knowledge retention strategies in public sector organizations

Abstract

This article discusses knowledge retention strategies in public sector organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a survey of empirical and theoretical literature the article addresses the following research questions: What organizational learning activities take place in public sector organizations? What strategies are public sector organizations using to capture and retain knowledge? What ICT infrastructure is available in public sector organizations for knowledge capturing and sharing? What challenges face public sector organizations in sub-Saharan Africa in capturing and retaining knowledge? What is the current status of knowledge retention in the public sector in sub-Saharan Africa? The results reveal that public sector organizations are using various strategies such as codification, personalization, training, education, workshops, seminars, storytelling, mentoring and apprenticeship to capture and retain knowledge. The ICT infrastructure available for capturing and retaining knowledge in the public sector includes institutional repositories, emails, global networks databases, portals, accounting and financial systems, human resource systems, knowledge route-maps knowledge networks and discussions forums. The challenges for managing knowledge assets in public sector organizations include limited understanding of KM benefits; shortage of skill; lack of incentives or rewards to share knowledge; lack of appropriate technology; limited commitment from senior management, lack of appropriate models to learn from and brain drain. The implementation of e-government initiatives across the continent was starting to institutionalize and promote knowledge management strategies in public sector organizations. The results from this article provide a foundation for knowledge management policy formulation to enhance efficiency and service delivery in public agencies.