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Knowledge Management and Global Diversity - A Framework to Support Organisations in Developing Countries

Adekunle Okunoye, Knowledge Management and Global Diversity - A Framework to Support Organisations in Developing Countries. TUCS Dissertations 46. Turku Centre for Computer Science, 2003.

Abstract:

The existing frameworks to support organisations in their knowledge management operations do not adequately consider global diversity and the local context of the environment in which each organisation operates. The main goal of this study is to develop a context-aware framework to guide organisations in their efforts to manage knowledge, and thus contribute to the development of organisations in the global knowledge economy. To achieve the main goal, a multiple case study was conducted of six research organisations in two developing countries – Nigeria and The Gambia. The analysis of the data reveals some local contextual issues and assumptions that are of importance in a framework to support organisations in developing countries. The study shows that the availability and usage of information technology in an organisation depends on the broader context of national information infrastructure. Also, the organisational variables — which include people, leadership, structure, and culture — can all be influenced by the societal culture and orientation of the local people. The findings also confirm the difficulties associated with information technology in developing countries, and how these can affect organisations’ efforts to manage knowledge. Thereby, the study aims to contribute to the understanding of the state of knowledge management in developing countries.

The framework constructed in the study embeds diversity in national culture, infrastructures, organisational variables and technology. It allows organisations to determine which knowledge processes need to be addressed to achieve their goals. Although the framework is intended primarily for organisations in developing countries, the level of its abstraction and the contextualisation of each of the components make it relevant globally.

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BibTeX entry:

@PHDTHESIS{phdOkunoye03a,
  title = {Knowledge Management and Global Diversity -  A Framework to Support Organisations in Developing Countries},
  author = {Okunoye, Adekunle},
  number = {46},
  series = {TUCS Dissertations},
  school = {Turku Centre for Computer Science},
  year = {2003},
  keywords = {knowledge management, developing countries, context-aware framework, global diversity, sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria, The Gambia, information technology},
  ISBN = {952-12-1144-X},
}

Belongs to TUCS Research Unit(s): Data Mining and Knowledge Management Laboratory

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