Storytelling and knowledge management : what's the story so far?

One of the realities of knowledge management is that individuals, teams and organisations are constantly searching for better ways to share their knowledge. Could the use of stories and storytelling help in this search? This article reviews the key ideas associated with the concept of stories and the use of storytelling as a tool for knowledge-sharing in a corporate environment. The authors explore the use of an existing three-part model for storytelling, as well as the benefits to be obtained from the use of storytelling. An implementation plan is presented to help guide individuals and organisations that are planning to use stories and storytelling as part of a knowledge-sharing strategy

Competitiveness of the water utility consulting industry on the Internet in South Africa

An adapted version of Michael E. Porter's five competitive forces model was used to determine the competitiveness of the water utility consulting industry on the Internet, in South Africa. This was done by analysing the hits that were obtained by using the search phrase 'water utility' in a South African search engine, Aardvark. Furthermore, an analysis was done of the database of consulting engineering enterprises registered with the South African Association of Consulting Engineers (SAACE). The reason for the database analysis was to determine the number of enterprises or potential entrants, that currently had the potential to render services to water utilities enterprises and which could not be traced via the Internet. The results of the research indicated that there was very little competitiveness in the water utility consulting industry on the Internet in South Africa. However, there were also indications that the situation could change if water utility consulting enterprises started to advertise all the services they render on the Internet and specifically indicated that these services could be rendered to water utility enterprises

Once upon a time in Africa : a case study of storytelling for knowledge sharing

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to report on research conducted into the use of stories and storytelling to share knowledge in a large mining company based in South Africa. The paper shows how the use of oral methods combined with other media can be used to support a number of different objectives and yield a wide variety of benefits. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This paper presents the results of a case study which used a largely qualitative approach to gather data on a specific community of practice within the case study company. FINDINGS: The research identified an innovative approach being used to combine a number of approaches to sharing knowledge through the use of stories and storytelling, in particular graphical representation of the stories and the use of graphics in conjunction with oral storytelling methods. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This research was conducted in only one company, in one country. Further research would be necessary to further test the effectiveness of the approaches identified in this case. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The innovative approach of combining media and methods for sharing knowledge through stories and storytelling represent an opportunity for other organisations to use similar techniques in their efforts to improve knowledge sharing. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This is the first time that a case study exploring the use of stories and storytelling in the South African mining industry has used empirical research findings to evaluate the use of stories and storytelling. Significant value may be gained by others seeking to understand how best to use stories and storytelling to share knowledge

Principles and strategies for the effective management of knowledge

In the latter part of the nineties, Davenport (1998) emphasised that although many companies were beginning to feel that knowledge was their most valued asset, only a few had actively begun to manage knowledge efficiently and effectively, especially on a daily basis. One can contend that this statement by Davenport is still applicable today. Companies are still struggling to get to grips with knowledge management. Fortunately, since Davenport made this statement, a lot of work has been done on knowledge management. This article builds on the work of authors such as Zack, Davenport, Earl, Snyman and Kruger and others, and argues that not only should knowledge be governed by strategy before detailed knowledge management plans can be made, but more importantly that sound knowledge management practice should be based on predetermined principles and strategies. Arguing from this perspective, this article not only emphasises the strategic link between knowledge management and strategy, but also focuses on determining whether or not there are any principles and strategies available that operate from a knowledge management perspective, to guide strategists in their efforts to manage knowledge effectively

The utilisation of an intranet as a knowledge management tool in academic libraries

The intranet has emerged as one of today's most effective tools for knowledge management. This article reports on the extent to which three South African academic libraries, selected by means of the purposive sampling method, utilise the intranet as a knowledge management tool. Based on the literature, knowledge management and an intranet are briefly defined. The advantages of the intranet as a knowledge management tool as well as the content of an intranet are discussed. The opinions about knowledge management and the utilisation of the intranet as a knowledge management tool in the three academic libraries are weighed up against the findings in the literature. It is clear that a strong awareness exists of the importance of knowledge management and the value of the intranet as a knowledge management tool. However, the potential of the intranet as a knowledge management tool is not utilised fully

Knowledge management in three financial organisations : a case study

The article is a report of an investigation of the current state of knowledge management implementation in three South African financial organisations. Two data collection methods were used, namely a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with senior representatives of the organisations. Although some of the respondents felt that knowledge management is another fad, the majority of the respondents indicated that knowledge management is a major strategic imperative for staying competitive. They also regard their organisations as knowledge-based businesses. Three-quarters of the respondents reported that the most compelling reason for investing in knowledge management was increased value for customers. Although various barriers to knowledge management were identified, the results of the case studies indicated that knowledge management was seen as a new way to expose tacit knowledge, as well as a more effective way of creating and organising corporate knowledge

Computer-mediated communication and knowledge sharing in a South African context

This article covers research conducted on communication, knowledge sharing and computer-mediated knowledge sharing, relating to organizations functioning in the South African environment. Research data was collected using an HTML based e-mail questionnaire distributed in an answer-ready format. Results were obtained in an analysis-ready format via e-mail responses, after which the obtained data were analysed, using simplified statistical techniques. Though the results cannot be generalized due to a lack of respondents, they do give an indication of knowledge sharing perceptions in the associated organizations. The results function as an introduction into further research regarding computer-mediated knowledge sharing in the South African context and may be used to engage in further in-depth research into the specific field of computer-mediated knowledge sharing as a sub-section of knowledge management processes