Information & Knowledge Management

5.8.Information & Knowledge Management

The basis for such a collaborative learning system is knowledge management, enabling the integration and application of knowledge by the members of the task forces, the steering committee, the advisory board and external partners. Further to this point, insights from monitoring and evaluation will be incorporated in the following chapter (see chapter 6).

According to Grant, knowledge management can be defined as follows:

“Knowledge management refers to processes and practices through which organizations generate value from knowledge.”³⁵

There are different types of knowledge, including implicit knowledge, explicit knowledge and organizational knowledge. While implicit knowledge, which could also be described as know-how, is primarily tacit and difficult to transfer between people, explicit knowledge comprises facts, theories and procedures, which can easily be codified and transferred across individuals and space. Organizational knowledge is generated through interaction and pooling of information between the members of an organization or group.

In knowledge-intensive and dynamic industries such as IT, knowledge management is an important competitive factor, particularly with regards to establishing technical know-how and so-called dynamic capabilities.

Due to its complexity and scope, effective information and knowledge management is of paramount importance for the successful implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy within a collaborative, multi-stakeholder setting. Taking this into account, the working group developed a specific knowledge management system for the Kosovo IT Strategy, consisting of six different steps or elements:

Figure : Knowledge management system

The knowledge management system described above will enable the creation of a collaborative learning system for the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy, supporting communication and cooperation between stakeholders and task forces. It will also help to feed back insights and lessons learnt from monitoring and evaluation (see chapter 6) into the agile strategy development and implementation cycle.

The Kosovo IT Strategy SharePoint will serve as the primary tool and platform for knowledge storage and organization. This reflects the specific functionality of the SharePoint described in chapter 5.5, which should facilitate effective communication, information and collaboration among members of the task forces – an important factor not only for knowledge management, but also for the overall implementation of the strategy. The following screenshots show the specific structure of the SharePoint designed to support knowledge and information management for the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy:

Figure : Knowledge and information management with SharePoint

The functional features of SharePoint which are most relevant to knowledge management are document library and search (knowledge storage & organization), as well as Wiki and discussion boards (knowledge creation & development).

In this context, it is noteworthy that direct face-to-face communication and interaction between different stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Kosovo IT Strategy are particularly important for effective knowledge management. The personal interaction among the members of the task forces, the steering committee and the advisory board is also important to externalize implicit knowledge into explicit knowledge through discussions and close cooperation. For this purpose, knowledge managers will be appointed within each task force and special competence groups for strategic IT topics (see task 6.10 in the operational plan).