The Role of Knowledge Management Enablers in a South African Transport Agency

Abstract

Many organisations are exploring the field of knowledge management to improve and sustain their competitiveness and competitive edge over their rivals. Knowledge Management (KM) can be referred to set of processes and activities to change organisations’ knowledge processing pattern, and organisations need to focus on management of knowledge for obtaining optimum results and efficiency to draw various benefits towards gaining competitive advantage. There are several enablers of KM that have a bearing on the success of KM in an organisation. Enablers of KM can be defined as factors that positively influence the success of KM activities to implement changes or are conducive to effective KM to take place in organisations. However, not all organisations are affected by these factors the same way. Most of these factors are associated with the organisation within which KM processes are carried out. A qualitative study was conducted in one of the government transport agencies, which has recently embarked on KM initiatives to find out which KM enablers played a key role in the successful implementation of KM activities in the transport agency and how this played a role (impact). The study used the Knowledge Management Capability Assessment Tool (KM CAT) theory to assess the role of KM enablers in the transport agency. The data were collected by purposefully interviewing senior officials/managers in the agency’s KM directorate. The results showed that several factors played a positive role in the success of KM activities in the transport agency. The study recommends a holistic approach to KM with less emphasis on a single aspect or a few factors presumed to have a positive influence on or are important in creating a conducive environment for the successful implementation of KM in organisations. There is limited literature or research on the use of KM strategies in South African transport industry. Therefore, this study is worth sharing with scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to contribute to the scientific dialogue of KM in all sectors, including the transport industry, to create an enabling environment for the successful implementation of KM activities.