Draft Conclusions for Discussion

1. Draft Conclusions for Discussion Results of the survey of knowledge management practices for ministries/departments/agencies of central government in OECD member countries Elsa Pilichowski Administrator Public governance and territorial development directorate (GOV) OECD

2. INTRODUCTION • The increasing importance of better managing knowledge for ensuring the best fit of organisations with their environment • Other tools used to improve organisational adaptivity have complex effects on the management of knowledge • 75% of organisations have decentralised authority and created internal networks • 2/3 have opened up bureaucratic divisions • 2/3 encourage internal mobility and approximately 40% external mobility • 1/3 have increased the percentage of their staff on mobility and those with flexible status

4. Percentage of staff who left on external mobility in 2001 more than 20% (7%) btwn 11 & 0% 20% (10%) (11%) btwn 1 & 2% btwn 7 & 10% (25%) (17%) btwn 5 & 6% btwn 3 & 4% (15%) (15%)

5. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CREATES HIGH EXPECTATIONS • Very important/important factors motivating the establishment of KM practices • improving work efficiency and productivity • improving transparency, outward sharing of information and releasing information more rapidly • increasing horizontality and decentralisation of authority, promoting lifelong learning, improving relations and trust within ministries and with other ministries • improving the attractiveness of public organisations

6. KM HAS BEEN SIGNALLED AS A MANAGEMENT PRIORITY (1) KM as one of the top five internal management priorities

7. KM HAS BEEN SIGNALLED AS A MANAGEMENT PRIORITY (2) Responsibilities for KM practices Graph 3: Overall responsibility for knowledge and information management and transfer practices Human resources management team None 16% 19% Information technology team 7% Other 7% Special knowledge and information management unit 15% Top managers 36%

8. KM HAS BEEN SIGNALLED AS A MANAGEMENT PRIORITY (3) • Overall KM strategies are being developed: • Half of all organisations have a KM strategy • Almost another half will have one in the next three years • The KM language is used broadly across organisations

9. MOST ARE MAKING CONCRETE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THEIR KM PRACTICES (1) • Personnel development • increased training opportunities • new personnel development practices have not been systematised • KM specific organisational arrangements • central coordination units, quality groups/communities of practices, knowledge networks, CKO • filing mechanisms, electronic archiving, databases • More initiatives to promote the sharing of K. w/ outside organisations

10. MOST ARE MAKING CONCRETE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THEIR KM PRACTICES (2) Information technology/e-government • ICTs and internal knowledge sharing: internal access to basic e-gvt technologies has been achieved • ICTs and external knowledge sharing • Stage 1: Information • Stage 2: Interactive information • Stage 3: Transactions • Stage 4: Data sharing

11. MOST ARE MAKING CONCRETE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THEIR KM PRACTICES (3) The budget picture is more mixed • A minority of organisations have an overall view of how much KM practices cost • The budget dedicated to KM practices is not going to increase tremendously in the next five years

13. THE LIMITS OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES (1) • Difficulties of implementation • Rewards for knowledge sharing remain limited • Difficulty in capturing staff undocumented knowledge • Internal resistance to changes • Difficult focus on people matters • Concerns with sensitive and confidential information

14. THE LIMITS OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES (2) • Negative side effects • Information overload • Wasted time in consultation • Difficulties in using new ICTs • Dilution of responsibilities

15. KM PRACTICES HAVE NOT FULFILLED ALL EXPECTATIONS • Perceived increase in efficiency, transpareny and outward focus • Structural changes related to the improved competitiveness of the public employer and the changes to the vertical and silo type of hierarchical structures have not been achieved yet

16. KM PRACTICES HAVE NOT FULFILLED ALL EXPECTATIONS • Because: • of the lack of KM practices? KM strategies are too recent? • of the difficulties in implementing KM practices? • of unrealistic expectations?

17. AT THE SAME TIME: CULTURAL CHANGES ARE TAKING PLACE(1) • Staff attitudes have changed • staff now consider K sharing is good for their career • staff make documents available to others more spontaneously+ • Managers’ attitudes have changed • spend more time disseminating info to their staff • devolve autority to lower levels • build project teams • Managing knowledge workers

18. AT THE SAME TIME: CULTURAL CHANGES ARE TAKING PLACE (2) • Increasing reliance on info coming from outside sources

19. MEASURING EFFORTS AND LEVEL AND QUALITY OF KM PRACTICES • Weak correlation between efforts made at improving KM and perception of results • Countries which rank high on both indicators: • large and relatively well functioning governments; and, • have provided a relatively stable organisational and cultural environment • Sectors which rank high on both indicators: • coordinating role • outward looking

20. MEASURING EFFORTS AND LEVEL AND QUALITY OF KM PRACTICES

21. MEASURING EFFORTS AND LEVEL AND QUALITY OF KM PRACTICES

22. POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION • What have been countries experiences with the achievements of better KM practices? How have they changed organisations? • What can realistically be expected of specific KM organisational arrangements? Should KM be better linked to the broader issue of adaptivity? • What is the best supporting environment for improving KM practices?