Knowledge Management in Organizations: Gateway to Sustainable Competitive Performance

The important role of knowledge management as a strategic resource in a competitive business environment cannot be overemphasized. Today’s business is plagued with turbulence and stringent competition in the world market resulting in paradigmatic paralysis, and significant organizational changes that necessitate salient and innovative operational processes. For survival, organizations must monitor trends and adapt to both the external and internal environments, make changes in the form of innovation, improve operational processes, increase flexibility and adopt sustainable knowledge-creation activities. This study is qualitative. An in-depth review of literature was conducted across multiple online research databases, supported by accrued knowledge obtained from the author’s long work experience in the field of knowledge management. This study has three objectives: The first is to provide an overview of knowledge management; the second is to highlight the role of knowledge management in supporting organizational goals and objectives; the third is to provide strategies and pathways to a successful implementation of knowledge management. The study argues and justifies why knowledge management practices should be adopted by management. Pathways to achieving organizational success have been designed. Major advantages of implementing knowledge management were elaborated. Findings reveal that for an organization to effectively implement knowledge management, and to achieve optimal organizational performance, attention must be paid to three key components: - people, processes, and technology. These components should liaise strategically, with knowledge creation, sharing, and application processes. The paper strongly recommends knowledge management as the key to sustainable organizational performance

Academic Libraries in Cameroon in the Digital Age

Abstract Radical changes in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and changing context in Higher Education have placed academic libraries in Cameroon in crisis. Unprecedented changes in the information environment caused by ICTs has led to a digital revolution, causing academic libraries no choice but to move from one paradigm to another. Change and transition in this new dispensation is fundamental and irreversible. Consequence academic librarians are embracing new roles to satisfy the incessant changing needs of library patrons. This paper seeks to provide an understanding of academic libraries in Cameroon in the digital era. It takes up one of the critical issues concerning transition from traditional to digital as required in the digital information age. The paper discusses key paradigm shifts, major impetus of change, competencies for academic librarians, new roles and the way forward. The paper examines the situation of academic libraries in Cameroon, and establishes the urgent need for these libraries to accelerate transition to the new paradigm in order to remain relevant. This study is based on an in-depth review of literature and the author’s experience, and personal points of view

Attitude of Academic Librarians Towards Digital Transformation and the Effects on Library Performance: The Case of Cameroon

The mission of an academic library is no longer limited to supporting teaching, learning, research, and outreach. It requires reaching out to all stakeholders to create a sustainable ecosystem of information accessibility and dissemination for its immediate community. Understanding the attitude of academic librarians in a digital environment is significant to critically assess their acceptance and use of technology for library services. A positive attitude towards the adoption and use of technology will lead to improved performance and will trigger a positive impact on digital library services. The study sought to investigate the attitude of 154 academic librarians in Cameroon towards technology changes and their impact on service delivery. Seven public university libraries were purposively selected to participate in the study. The study was informed by the Diffusion of Innovation theory and the Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology (UTUAT). Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Findings indicate that librarians generally have a positive attitude towards the use of the Internet, though this positivity is for personal rather than professional motives. However, several barriers were identified that directly influence the attitude of librarians and the consequential use of technology. The study concludes that technology utilization depends greatly on librarians\u27 attitudes. Where the attitude is positive utilization increases, but where the attitude is negative technology remains underutilized. The study recommends that librarians should be trained and motivated to holistically accept technology usage. This should be integrally connected with the ability and willingness of their institution to move on

Open Access Movement: Reception And Acceptance By Academic Libraries In Developing Countries

ABSTRACT The open access movement in its diverse forms constitutes the most interesting and promising model for the research output of an academic library or university. Even though the growth of OA presents some challenging hurdles to academic libraries, there are a number of notable benefits that are good enough to boost this movement. OA has come for good and is rapidly gaining impetus with an increasing number of academic institutions accepting and adopting open access policies and mandates for their research, publishing and dissemination. The purpose of this study is to discuss the situation of open access in academic libraries in developing countries with focus on academic libraries in Cameroon. This article explains the concept of Open Access (OA) by providing its meaning and definition. It throws light on the emergence and development of the Open Access movement, Open Access initiatives, and various OA declarations in the world. It describes different types of OA and the steady progress and increase of journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The advantages of OA, its impact on scholarly community in Cameroon have been examined. Finally an overview of OA initiatives in Cameroon is explored

Academic Libraries in Cameroon in the Digital Age

Abstract Radical changes in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and changing context in Higher Education have placed academic libraries in Cameroon in crisis. Unprecedented changes in the information environment caused by ICTs has led to a digital revolution, causing academic libraries no choice but to move from one paradigm to another. Change and transition in this new dispensation is fundamental and irreversible. Consequence academic librarians are embracing new roles to satisfy the incessant changing needs of library patrons. This paper seeks to provide an understanding of academic libraries in Cameroon in the digital era. It takes up one of the critical issues concerning transition from traditional to digital as required in the digital information age. The paper discusses key paradigm shifts, major impetus of change, competencies for academic librarians, new roles and the way forward. The paper examines the situation of academic libraries in Cameroon, and establishes the urgent need for these libraries to accelerate transition to the new paradigm in order to remain relevant. This study is based on an in-depth review of literature and the author’s experience, and personal points of view

Application of Knowledge Management in Academic Libraries: A SWOT Analysis

Academic libraries do not operate in a vacuum, they coexist with changes, challenges and competition on all levels, therefore, strategies must be developed to ensure that academic libraries can face these challenges, become more efficient in their operations and be responsible to the needs and demands of their users. To do this requires among others an examination of both the internal library environment and the external environment (Broadhead 1991). Academic libraries must know their internal strengths, take advantage of opportunities, avoid all threats and address weaknesses. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. A SWOT analysis of an academic library will provide a framework for the library to re-strategize and embrace new knowledge management practices and processes. This study presents a SWOT analysis of the position of librarians in Knowledge Management practices and programs. It conducts an internal survey of weaknesses and strengths in the academic library and enumerates the benefits of a SWOT analysis to libraries and library professionals. It highlights aspects of SWOT analysis relevant to knowledge management and proposes areas where librarians can build on internal strengths so as to drastically reduce or completely eliminate weaknesses, and optimize opportunities in order to minimize threats from external forces. This study finally presents a SWOT analysis of the academic library as a strategic tool used to x-ray the operational prowess of libraries in order to engage and facilitate KM processes

Covid-19 Pandemic and Library and Information Professionals in Cameroon: Challenges and Opportunities

Libraries and Information professionals in Cameroon are in crisis, undergoing a somewhat paradigmatic paralysis in information and knowledge dissemination. The emergence of Information technology and Artificial Intelligence have worsened the situation by transforming the way information is captured, organized, packaged, stored, and disseminated for utilization. As if that is not enough, the covid-19 came unexpectedly which took everyone, including libraries and information professionals by surprise bringing along several challenges. Library and information professionals have no other option but to face these challenges, transform some of these challenges into opportunities, and design strategies to enable them remain resilient during the covid-19 and the post covid-19 period. This study seeks to find out the different challenges faced by library and information science professionals working in university libraries in Cameroon during the covid-19 period; the opportunities that come along with the paradigm shift in information organization and dissemination during the pandemic, and also strategies put in place to mitigate these challenges. This study is a survey of three public universities in Cameroon. The methodology used for data collection was qualitative by collecting data through in-depth interviews of purposely selected librarians as well as document analysis from websites. The major challenge was the transition from physical collections to digital amidst insufficient budget, unskilled human resources, and lack of state-of-the-art technological infrastructure. The major opportunity was the enhancement of digital resources. It was discovered that some librarians took the opportunity to start digitizing their resources. The strategy adopted was to redesign the library’s policies and develop a new strategic plan. The study concludes that Covid-19 is an eye-opener for information professionals to think and plan strategically ahead of time in case of another health crisis like the covid-19 pandemic. As a whole, findings reveal the need for the University board to appoint librarians to head academic libraries, recruit library professionals to work in academic libraries, reinvest in training librarians, step up library budgets, and provide state-of-the-art infrastructure to transform library services and resources into virtual open access and sustainable libraries

Open Access Movement: Reception And Acceptance By Academic Libraries In Developing Countries

ABSTRACT The open access movement in its diverse forms constitutes the most interesting and promising model for the research output of an academic library or university. Even though the growth of OA presents some challenging hurdles to academic libraries, there are a number of notable benefits that are good enough to boost this movement. OA has come for good and is rapidly gaining impetus with an increasing number of academic institutions accepting and adopting open access policies and mandates for their research, publishing and dissemination. The purpose of this study is to discuss the situation of open access in academic libraries in developing countries with focus on academic libraries in Cameroon. This article explains the concept of Open Access (OA) by providing its meaning and definition. It throws light on the emergence and development of the Open Access movement, Open Access initiatives, and various OA declarations in the world. It describes different types of OA and the steady progress and increase of journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The advantages of OA, its impact on scholarly community in Cameroon have been examined. Finally an overview of OA initiatives in Cameroon is explored

Application of Knowledge Management in Academic Libraries: A SWOT Analysis

Academic libraries do not operate in a vacuum, they coexist with changes, challenges and competition on all levels, therefore, strategies must be developed to ensure that academic libraries can face these challenges, become more efficient in their operations and be responsible to the needs and demands of their users. To do this requires among others an examination of both the internal library environment and the external environment (Broadhead 1991). Academic libraries must know their internal strengths, take advantage of opportunities, avoid all threats and address weaknesses. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. A SWOT analysis of an academic library will provide a framework for the library to re-strategize and embrace new knowledge management practices and processes. This study presents a SWOT analysis of the position of librarians in Knowledge Management practices and programs. It conducts an internal survey of weaknesses and strengths in the academic library and enumerates the benefits of a SWOT analysis to libraries and library professionals. It highlights aspects of SWOT analysis relevant to knowledge management and proposes areas where librarians can build on internal strengths so as to drastically reduce or completely eliminate weaknesses, and optimize opportunities in order to minimize threats from external forces. This study finally presents a SWOT analysis of the academic library as a strategic tool used to x-ray the operational prowess of libraries in order to engage and facilitate KM processes

Innovation in Academic Libraries in Cameroon: Challenges and the Impact on Service Delivery

Technology has developed rapidly within the academic library arena, characterized by unprecedented changes in library services. These changes necessitate novel strategies to embrace innovation, amidst a proliferation of information service providers and search engines. Innovation is no longer an option for academic libraries but a requirement to meet the demands of today’s users, and to improve services. Innovation is a solution to remain competitive in times of crisis. These changes however, come with challenges. This research sought to investigate if academic libraries are innovative and which type of innovative projects are being carried out to improve service delivery; to map out library approaches towards innovation, and to find out the challenges academic libraries in public universities in Cameroon face in innovating. A survey research design was used for the study. Structured questionnaire and interview guide were the instruments for data collection, while frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze data. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoI) was used. Findings reveal that academic libraries are making minimal attempts in innovative services. However, they are not innovating as they should if they must overcome current challenges. Findings further indicate that lack of requisite skills in ICTs, inadequate funding, lack of passion for the profession, lack of motivation, lack of state-of-the-art infrastructure, the emergence of social media, and lack of trained staff were among major challenges faced by academic libraries that directly hindered required innovation. Though academic libraries are not innovative, part of the blame is on leadership and non-challance of librarians. The paper concludes that academic libraries in Cameroon are not innovative. There is an urgent need for library administration in universities to be more proactive, and step up innovative projects in order to remain valuable in the academic community. The paper proposes some recommendations to overcome these challenges