The Diffusion of the Concept of Knowledge Management among African Scholars

Abstract

Knowledge Management (KM) is a new phenomenon that is directly related to the recent emergence of the knowledge economy and technology advancement. It consists of the initiatives and systems that sustain and support the creation, storage, dissemination, assessment, application, refinement and exchange of relevant knowledge (UNDP, 2012). The application of Knowledge Management, generally, can assist to facilitate the capturing and sharing of various experiences by societies. Its acquisition can ensure that knowledge is converted to useful information which informs decision making. This sharing of experience and knowledge can take place through formal meetings or in informal encounters and should be managed through structured Knowledge Management processes. The understanding of what constitutes Knowledge Management (KM) has different meanings to different people. This paper investigates the diffusion of the concept of Knowledge Management in Africa in the last two decades using bibliometric techniques. The paper has investigated the total production of Knowledge Management related publications by African researchers. Furthermore, the paper has investigated the diffusion of KM concept through collaboration among institutions of higher learning (universities, colleges, and polytechnics). It also investigated the preferred channels of dissemination of KM research, the most prolific African researchers on KM, and the prominent journals in which these researchers publish their publications.