Knowledge management as a strategic management tool at a South African enterprise.
- Authors: Du Toit, Adeline , Steyn, Piet
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Knowledge management , Strategic management , Technology-oriented enterprises - South Africa
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5848 , ISSN 1993-8233 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7935
- Description: The primary aim of this article was to explore the role of a knowledge management strategy to achieve a South African technology-oriented enterprise’s business strategy. The linking between knowledge management and the business strategy was viewed as the crux for successful knowledge management in any enterprise. Knowledge plays a crucial role in the competitive nature of enterprises and hence constitutes a critical component of enterprise strategy. The purpose of the empirical survey was to determine the relationship between the knowledge management function and the business strategy at the enterprise. A questionnaire survey was conducted and 355 employees were randomly selected to form the sample. The majority of the respondents were of the opinion that knowledge management plays an important role in the enterprise’s strategies, policies and practices. When implementing a knowledge management strategy, the prioritisation of knowledge management activities, as well as their integration with other business processes, should be an important management focus area and steps for the successful implementation of a knowledge management strategy were recommended.
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Working knowledge : how knowledge workers in an enterprise manage what they know
- Authors: Steyn, Piet , Du Toit, Adeline
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Knowledge workers , Knowledge management
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6191 , ISBN 978-0-86970-661-9 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5270
- Description: This paper focuses on the role of the knowledge worker and their contribution to the achievement of an enterprise's objectives. Knowledge workers do not have enough time to keep abreast of new knowledge and need more than motivation to assist with the capturing of tacit knowledge. The purpose of the empirical survey was to determine the role and contribution of knowledge workers to the objectives of a South African technology-oriented company. A high percentage of respondents indicated a positive relationship .between a worker's position on the organisational hierarchy and the opportunities for the worker to make knowledge contributions. Tile metrics applied to measuring the contribution of knowledge workers need to be carefully considered.
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