Pursuing sustainable development with knowledge management in public sector
| Published date | 11 November 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-05-2019-0068 |
| Pages | 568-593 |
| Date | 11 November 2019 |
| Author | Mohsenah Al Yami,Mian M. Ajmal |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Knowledge management,Knowledge management systems |
Pursuing sustainable development
with knowledge management in
public sector
Mohsenah Al Yami
Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and
Mian M. Ajmal
College of Business Administration, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates, and University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland
Abstract
Purpose –Knowledge management(KM) is increasingly becoming critical to public sector organizationsas
it is to private sector organizations. This is because public sector organizations are increasingly held
accountable for their actionsand are forced to move away from traditional bureaucratic approaches to more
managerial ones. For instance,public sector is facing pressure to improve its operational efficiencysuch as
productivity,lead time and expenditure. Similarly, it is alsofacing pressure to improve its transparency,trust,
reliability and accountability,which are key elements of sustainable development (SD). The purpose of this
study therefore is to understand the intricaterelationship between KM processes, operational efficiency and
SD in the public sector.
Design/methodology/approach –A framework consisting of eightconstructs (knowledge acquisition,
knowledge creation, knowledge capture, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge sharing, knowledge
utilization, operational efficiency and SD) and their underlying items was developed through an extensive
literature review. Using 383 usable responses collected through a structured questionnaire from the UAE
public sector, the constructsand framework were first validated and then the currentlevel of implementation/
achievement of KM processes, operational efficiency and SD was assessed along with the hypothesized
relationshipsbetween the constructs.
Findings –The findings show that KM processes had a positive and significant direct impact on
operational efficiency and SD. Also, operational efficiency was found to strongly mediate the relationship
between KM processesand SD.
Practical implications –The findings are expected to help UAE public sector organizations devise
strategies and policy interventions to align and improve their KM processes for achieving operational
efficiency and SD. Public sectorslooking to focus on SD must focus on KM processes and strive to improve
stakeholderengagement, which is a vital aspect of SD.
Originality/value –Integration of KM processes, operationalefficiency and SD has not been attempted
previouslyand hence constitutes the novelty of this work.
Keywords Knowledge management, Public sector, Sustainable development,
Operational efficiency, United Arab Emirates
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The use and application of knowledge are widely recognized as an important asset in the
management domain, especially in this day and age of globalization, digitalization and
liberalization. As a result, knowledge management (KM) as a discipline has witnessed
significant interest in recent years among academics and practitioners alike (Mariano and
Awazu, 2016). The central aspect of KM is the efficient and effective implementation of
VJIKMS
49,4
568
Received21 May 2019
Revised4 July 2019
10July 2019
Accepted17 July 2019
VINEJournal of Information and
KnowledgeManagement Systems
Vol.49 No. 4, 2019
pp. 568-593
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5891
DOI 10.1108/VJIKMS-05-2019-0068
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5891.htm
“knowledge management processes,”namely, knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation,
knowledge capture, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge sharing and knowledge
utilization (Von Krogh, 1998;Alavi and Leidner, 2001). Today, organizations, both private
and public, are looking at ways to implement “knowledge management processes”for their
sustainability. However, eventhough KM is as critical to public sector organizations as it is
to private sector organizations(Willem and Buelens, 2007), most KM studies are undertaken
in the private sector (Oluikpe, 2012,Ringel-Bickelmaier and Ringel, 2010). This lack of
academic inquiry into KM in the public sectorimplies that several important aspects which
are critical to the success of the KM programs in the public sector are not sufficiently
understood.
Meanwhile, public sector organizations worldwide are increasingly held accountable for
their actions and are forced to moveaway from traditional bureaucratic approaches to more
managerial ones (Sandhu et al.,2011). For instance, they face budgetary pressure to reduce
spending and wastage of resources, without diluting the standards of service. Citizens are
expecting the service offered by public sectorentities (such as health care and education) to
be above or at least at par with private sector organizations.There are often complain about
the long waiting time in accessing public sector services such as government clinics and
municipality. Also, citizens complain about going to multiple departments and that too
many times to get things done. This general lack of operational efficiency of the public
sector is a concern that needsto be addressed (Massaro et al.,2015).
Moreover, the public sector is also facing pressure to improve its integrity and
transparency in the services offeredto its citizens, as well as to promote innovation through
partnerships with the privatesector and other financial institutions (Cong and Pandya, 2003;
Ali
nska et al.,2018). According to OECD (2018), integrity, trust, reliability, accountability,
innovation and quality in public sector services are key to increase the willingness of
citizens, businesses and other stakeholders to respond to public sector policies and
contribute to SD. There is a consensus that an effective, efficient and fair public service is
essential for achievingthe SD goals by 2030 (GCPSE, 2018).
While the effective implementation of all the above three aspects, namely, KM,
operational efficiency and SD, is critical for the public sector, they are not mutually
exclusive. Instead of focusing separately on these aspects, the public sector could greatly
benefit if they can integrate these three critical pillars. For instance, Butler et al. (2008)
highlighted that KM in the public sector would lead to better efficiency in the services
offered. Similarly, Aldabaldetreku et al. (2016) highlighted the importance of KM in
implementing an effective SD agenda. Similarly, Sinclair (2006) stressed the importance of
KM to accelerate the socio-economicdevelopments of the country. At present, not only is the
research in KM limited in the public sector, there is hardly any understanding of the
complex relationshipbetween KM and operational efficiency and SD.
While this is a concern in general,the concern is even more so for certain countries. This
is because any advances in KM in the public sector have happened mostly in developed
countries such as Australia (Bardy et al.,2016) and fast-emerging economies such as China
(Cong et al., 2007). Also, countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) have also recognized the importance of KM in the public
sector and have started implementing processes to address their economic problems
(Biygautane and Al-Yahya, 2011). In comparison, there is limited understanding on KM in
the public sector in the Middle East region,especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
context even though thesecountries are trying to diversify their dependence on oil and move
toward a knowledge-basedeconomy from an oil-based economy.
Knowledge
management
in public sector
569
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