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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY

Divisional Top Ten Skills Accounting
Business Analysis
70
67 Business Management
60
Business Planning
Number of Staff 40 29 31 30 41 26 35 30 38 Information Management
50
Data Capturing
50
Process Engineering
30
Project Management
20
Security
10 Research
0
Total
Figure 4: Expertise locator - Overview of principal skills

Social Network Analysis

Another successful knowledge harvesting technique that has Although a knowledge network has the same composition
been implemented within an area of the South African public as a social network, knowledge networks are as a rule more
sector is SNA. In its broadest sense, SNA has been described complex and dynamic in that they aim to facilitate the flow and
as a practice that “…(1) conceptualises social structure as sharing of knowledge as well as to create new knowledge and
a network with ties connecting members and channelling to ensure its application (Denner 2012:14-15). By conducting
resources, (2) focuses on the characteristics of ties rather than an SNA on knowledge networks, the public sector organisation
on the characteristics of the individual members and (3) views was able to reveal what facilitates or hampers knowledge
communities as ‘personal communities’, that is, as networks of flows, who knows whom and who shares what information and
individual relations that people foster, maintain and use in the knowledge with whom (Figure 5).
course of their daily lives” (Wetherell et al. 1994:645).

Figure 5: SNA – Who is approached for what

SNA also assisted the organisation to detect different types
of knowledge networks based on the type of knowledge
exchange, i.e. obtaining advice vs. learning as. Moreover by
comparing the same knowledge networks in terms of SNA at
different interludes, the organisation was able to measure the
effectiveness of specific KM interventions (Figure 6).

Volume 12 No. 1 of 2018 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 27