Implementation of knowledge management systems in the Department of Science and Technology

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is the national government department responsible for the coordination and management of science and technology policy in South Africa. The Department derives its mandate from the 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology. Its focus is to develop, coordinate and manage the National System of Innovation (NSI) that will bring about maximum human capital, sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life in the country. According to the DST (2012:5), a national system of innovation is a “means through which a country seeks to create, acquire, diffuse and put into practice new knowledge that will help the country and its people achieve their individual and organisational goals”. The DST (2012) further mentions that the NSI should help improve South Africa’s global competitiveness by creating and applying new knowledge in production processes. The NSI should also help in disseminating new knowledge through teaching and research collaboration. The overall purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the DST’s current knowledge management (KM) systems and factors that contribute to the successful implementation of KM (KM strategy, leadership, organisational culture and KM systems). The study adopted a qualitative approach to find substantial feelings, behaviours and beliefs of DST employees on issues relating to the implementation of KM systems and factors that contribute to the successful implementation of KM. The study applied non-probability sampling which is also known as purposive or judgment sampling. The researcher selected the employees responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of KM initiatives. The methodology included open-ended interviews with eight respondents. The respondents included one chief director (Programme 4), three directors (Programme 2 and Programme 4) and four deputy-directors (Programme 1, Programme 2 and Programme 4).

The study objectives included the following:  Identify the systems that the DST developed to manage KM processes (knowledge creation, capturing, storage and sharing).  Determine the role of KM strategy, leadership and organisational culture in the implementation of KM.  Identify challenges regarding the implementation of KM.  Provide practical suggestions on how to best implement KM within the DST. The results of this study were tabled according to the following objectives:  Objective 1: It was found that the DST has developed a central KM system and mechanisms to manage the process of creating, capturing, storing and sharing knowledge. The system is meant to be utilised by all employees in the Department. Currently, the system is not utilised by all employees because leadership is not enforcing its implementation. There is no clear guidance and direction if employees should route all submissions and memoranda on the system.  Objective 2: The DST’s KM strategy was developed and approved in 2012. The KM strategy is aligned with Department’s vision and addresses all its KM challenges. The results show that not everyone in the Department is aware of the strategy. The employees who are aware of the strategy are those who coordinated its development and approval. No awareness sessions of the strategy are taking place. With regard to the role of leadership, the results show that leadership does not fully support or enforce the implementation of KM initiatives, particularly with regard to strategy and system implementation. With regard to the role of culture, the results show that respondents are positive towards the Department’s culture. However, the challenges of lack of consultation and resistance to change were raised.  Objective 3: The results show that the DST experiences the following challenges regarding the implementation of KM. - KM strategy: The strategy does not address the needs of stakeholders at a national level, the absence of awareness sessions or the lack of support by employees, including leadership.

- Leadership: Leadership does not provide clear direction and guidance on how KM initiatives should be carried out, and some leaders are resistant to change because they still insist on processing submissions and memoranda manually. - Culture: Respondents are satisfied with the culture of the DST. However, those who were not satisfied mentioned that employees are not taking KM initiatives seriously due to resistance to change. - KM system: There is a lack of integration with other departmental systems such as the Logistical Information System (LOGIS) and the Personnel and Salary Administration System (PERSAL). The KM system is not structured in such a way that the knowledge of departing employees can be captured. The system only focuses on workflow (such as submissions), and not on other information-sharing sites such as blogs and wikis. The system is also not well updated because people are still loading their information on their personal computers.  Objective 4: Respondents recommended that awareness sessions on the KM strategy be held with all levels of the DST’s staff structure. Respondents recommended full buy-in from leadership and encourage employees to implement KM initiatives. Respondents recommended the implementation of a change management programme to deal with the issue of resistance. Respondents recommended that leadership provides clarity regarding the implementation of the KM system, and encourage all employees to use the system. It was concluded that factors such as the organisational KM strategy, leadership, organisational culture and KM systems contribute immensely to the effective implementation of KM. However, it was noted from the findings that the role of leadership cuts across all research themes. Leadership should ensure that the KM strategy is developed and implemented by all employees. Leadership should monitor and manage the culture of the organisation by ensuring that employees have the same understanding, beliefs and attitudes on KM issues. Leadership should ensure that the KM systems and mechanisms put in place are used by all employees. The research recommended that the DST should consider establishing a change management programme to address the issue of resistance, lack of communication and absence of awareness sessions on KM initiatives. Since the respondents indicated that, the employees are not using the KM system and implementing the KM strategy put in place, leadership should put more energy into directing, coaching, supporting and rewarding employees using the KM system and implementing the KM effectively.