Abstract
M.Comm. (Business Management)
Research and Development (R&D) facilities have been used to develop new or
better products and services for a long time. Organisations utilise knowledge gained
from their R&D facilities to gain access to new markets and to improve the
organisation’s competitiveness in the market. R&D facilities are referred to as
learning organisations that employ people who specialise in specific technologies.
These employees are referred to as ‘knowledge employees’. Sasol R&D was formed
in 1955 to assist the organisation to develop and improve the Fischer-Tropch (F-T)
technology that was adopted by the organisation to produce synthetic fuels from
coal. At the time the technology had not been sufficiently proven on a commercial
scale and this necessitated that research be conducted to ensure that the processes
related to (F-T) technology are efficiently operated.
The use of the knowledge generated by Sasol R&D has resulted in Sasol being
recognised as the world leader in F-T technology and has led to joint ventures with
other organisations around the world. The management of acquired knowledge has
been critical in the development of Sasol and the successes that the organisation
has enjoyed. It is therefore important that the employees of Sasol and those of Sasol
R&D are well equipped to utilise the knowledge that was generated by previous
employees to continuously improve and develop technologies. The objective of this
study was to establish the perception that knowledge employees have of Knowledge
Management (KM) and what Sasol R&D can improve on in this regard, i.e. business
performance and individual employees’ career development. Respondents generally agree with the importance of KM in Sasol R&D and also
indicated that a successful KM strategy can help improve individuals’ careers. The
respondents also indicated that they were familiar with the concept of KM and the
advantages for the organisation in the successful implementation of such a KM
strategy. The main recommendations from the study are:
1. Employees should be involved in current the future KM strategies that the
management of Sasol R&D wants to implement.
2. The adopted KM strategy’s objectives and benefits should be made clear and
understandable to all employees. In addition, all relevant documentation
should be made available to the employees.