WHY KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM)? WHY NOW?

1. MAPPING AND MANAGING CORE KNOWLEDGE PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS: THE EXPERIENCES AT MOI UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, KENYAPaper Presented at SCANUL-ECS, Kenyatta University Library, Kenya 1st – 2nd June 2012 BY DR TIRONG arap TANUI UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN, MOI UNIVERSITY, KENYA

2. WHY KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM)? WHY NOW? • Business as usual is no longer sustainable due to changing corporate landscape • Traditional jobs are disappearing, shift from full time jobs to parcelled out • Paradigm shift from basic economic resource to knowledge as a new resource as a result of confluence in social economic environment, management thinking and technology • MUL users are shifting preference from information to knowledge resources seeking

3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MUL Established in 1984 by two professional staff Located in a rural environment 35 kms south of Eldoret Town and 350 kms north-west of Nairobi, the capital city MTL project planning 1986-1990, construction 1990-1994 at a cost of Pounds Sterling 8m Currently in 12 locations countrywide, 120 staff, 850 vols. of books and use ABCD library system 12 PhD staff registered, 5 completed, 1 in place

4. BACKGROUND University libraries are established legal entities with specific roles Functions remain traditional and ‘paddocked’ University libraries manage other peoples’ knowledge and little of our own

5. KM CONCEPT AND DEFINITION Knowledge is as old as the Egyptian pyramids Francis Bacon in 16th Century coined “knowledge is power”. Peter Drucker in 1960’s coined “knowledge worker” KM is to identify, create, present, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences

6. ROLE OF KM IN MU The librarians role was to establish - KM initiatives - Framework for ICT support - Knowledge sharing culture - hub of internal communication strategy University Librarian becomes a member of every committee except senior management and council Advocated the establishment of MIS

7. KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS Moi University Library (& Margaret Thatcher Library) School of Information Sciences Moi University Bookshop Management Information System (& ICT Depart.) Institute of Open & Distance Learning University Archives African Network for Internationalisation of Education (ANIE) ?

8. CULTURE AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING • What is knowledge sharing? • Culture determines how knowledge is shared • Social – sharing tacit knowledge between individuals • Internalisation – turning explicit knowledge into tacit knowledge • Externalisation – articulation of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge • Combination of external and internal – conversion of explicit knowledge into more complex explicit form • Communities of practice

9. BENEFITS OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING Helps to avoid reinventing the wheel, saves time, and reduce effort Speeds up decision making process Encourage the use of knowledge and promote collaboration Institutionalises trust Encourage transfer of best practice Promotes innovation in procedures, processess and product

10. CONCLUSION People are at the centre of any successful KM process. KM depends on the context in which it operates KM is every ones business Knowledge practices are legitimate core business Communication is essential Knowledge is both personal and communal Leadership, human resource, networking are critical for successful KM

11. FUTURE OF KM IMPLEMENTATION Lack of proper KM risks organisational failures such as dysfunctional culture, unmanaged organisational knowledge and ineffective controls Transferring knowledge to decision makers before it is needed, providing access to information as it is needed, testing new knowledge for organisational risk management University libraries have to be at the centre of all these in the new world knowledge dispensation

12. -END-THANK YOU FOR LISTENING