Application of Knowledge Management Within Kenya’s Steel Manufacturing Industry
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Date
2012-10Author
Wachira, John M
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This study sought to determine the level of application of Knowledge Management in
Kenya’s steel industry. Three key aspects of Knowledge Management application were
analyzed; the awareness of Knowledge management in the respective organizations, the
extent of implementation of knowledge management and the factors affecting
implementation of knowledge management. The survey obtained information from 20
large steel manufacturers in Kenya. The primary data was collected through structured
questionnaires some of which were sent by email while others were delivered by hand.
The collected questionnaires were processed through SPSS and excel software.
The findings of the study indicate that steel organizations recognized that knowledge was
a key asset in the organization. They also acknowledge that Knowledge management is
beneficial to the organization. The level of awareness is high in respect to knowledge
management even though this is a fairly new concept in this part of the world. This is
obviously good news since awareness is a basic requirement for application of knowledge
management in any organization. Not only is awareness high but the top management
recognizes this fact also and is ready to support any initiatives in this area. Despite the
awareness level, the adoption of knowledge management is low due to cultural and
technology barriers. The findings also indicate that most organizations are at the growth
stage in their knowledge management journey. This essentially means that at least some
activity in this area is being carried out albeit by a different name. Some forms of
communities of practice do exist in these organizations leading to some level of
knowledge sharing. The study recommends that top management in these organizations
requires to be made to see the link between knowledge management initiatives and the
real benefit of knowledge management. With the emergence of trade blocks and common
markets in East Africa, it is only important to create a synergy where critical concepts
such as knowledge management are shared across companies in this region to achieve
corporate excellence that is balanced across the region.
Citation
MBA ThesisSponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
School of Business, University of Nairobi
Description
Application of knowledge management within Kenya’s steel manufacturing industry