Factors that influence the level of knowledge management in public sector organizations in Kenya: case of the ethics and anti-corruption commission

Abstract

Knowledge has continuously been recognized as one of the important resources in an organization, and many firms in the public and private sector have focused on knowledge management as a means of enhancing their competitiveness. This study sought to investigate the factors that influence knowledge management from the perspective of public sector organizations; through an inductive case study of a public organization in Kenya, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). Organizational factors including leadership, structure, culture and the technology available in an organization were taken as the factors that determine the state, nature and level of knowledge in an organization. Knowledge management level is denoted by the various processes that go in knowledge management, namely creation, sharing, application and use in the organization. Data for the research was collected from the respondents who comprised staff of the EACC sampled from various departments under the proportionate stratified sampling approach. Linear regression technique was used to determine the nature of the relationships between the variables, from which a knowledge management model for the organization was developed based on the findings. The study establishes that leadership, structure, technology and culture affect the nature and level of knowledge management in an organization, albeit in different degrees. Leadership emerged as the most critical determinant of how knowledge is managed in an organization. The study provides managerial implications for knowledge management particularly in a public sector oriented organization; to better realize the benefits that can be attained through apposite adoption and implementation of knowledge management. The study also offers suggestions on possible areas for future research in knowledge management.