Knowledge management in international development charities

This thesis investigates the effectiveness and potential longevity of Knowledge Management in three international development charities, in order to compare their experiences with the commercial context in which Knowledge Management originated. By this means, the research explores how well, or otherwise, Knowledge Management can be fitted into a different setting. It also throws significant light on the transfer of business practices more generally. Chapter one assesses the evolution of the discipline Knowledge Management. It also provides key information about International Development Charities. Chapter two identifies the theoretical foundations of Knowledge Management as a prescription for organisational effectiveness, together with recommended best practices. Two environmental factors are emphasised: the role of information technology and, given the historic link to Japanese workstyles, ideas about organisational `culture'. In chapter three, the methodology for practical enquiry, derived from organisational system theory, is presented, and the problems in assessing effectiveness are discussed. Chapters four and five provide the substantive outcome of the fieldwork. Patterns that emerge from the data are drawn together in chapter six, highlighting the selective nature of Knowledge Management in application and demonstrating both similarities to and divergences from the original concept. In particular, there are specific challenges posed by the international reach of development charities. The overall conclusions in chapter seven confirm that Knowledge Management undoubtedly chimes with the broad aims of international charities. At the same time, the transferability of Knowledge Management depends crucially upon its adaptability to the organisations' aims, resources, and `culture'. Where it is accepted that knowledge handling is needed to build organisational capacity, then Knowledge Management can provide a framework which, when combined with technological advances, is a tool, rather than the answer, for international charities engaged in the continuing struggle to abolish poverty

Investigating knowledge management: can KM really change organisational culture?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of knowledge management (KM) with organisational culture, a subject of interest to academics and KM practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – It is based on case study research in the voluntary sector, which is relatively less studied than the commercial or public sectors. Findings – One major finding was that although culture was recognised as an intricate concept, KM programmes were often simplistically intended to “change culture”. Two instances of long-term change were identified. Strong and persistent leadership, with a clear rationale for culture change, and also a well-established technology innovation programme, using local “champions” to help align knowledge programmes with daily work routines, did have an impact on organisational culture. Research limitations/implications – The findings provide food for thought for practitioners in the voluntary sector. As external pressures and common technology are leading the different sectors to follow more similar work practices, it is likely that the findings of this paper will have relevance also for other sectors, where organisations face similar resource constraints. Practical implications – The paper provides a thoughtful analysis of data collected over several years that suggests sectoral differences will not be the crucial factor to consider when looking at the impact of KM. Originality/value – It provides practical examples of what has worked to “change organisational culture” and what has not, as well as ideas for future research

DIY Methods 2022 Conference Proceedings

As the past years have proven, the methods for conducting and distributing research that we’ve inherited from our disciplinary traditions can be remarkably brittle in the face of rapidly changing social and mobility norms. The ways we work and the ways we meet are questions newly opened for practical and theoretical inquiry; we both need to solve real problems in our daily lives and account for the constitutive effects of these solutions on the character of the knowledge we produce. Methods are not neutral tools, and nor are they fixed ones. As such, the work of inventing, repairing, and hacking methods is a necessary, if often underexplored, part of the wider research process. This conference aims to better interrogate and celebrate such experiments with method. Borrowing from the spirit and circuits of exchange in earlier DIY cultures, it takes the form of a zine ring distributed via postal mail. Participants will craft zines describing methodological experiments and/or how-to guides, which the conference organisers will subsequently mail out to all participants. Feedback on conference proceedings will also proceed through the mail, as well as via an optional Twitter hashtag. The conference itself is thus an experiment with different temporalities and medialities of research exchange. As a practical benefit, this format guarantees that the experience will be free of Zoom fatigue, timezone difficulties, travel expenses, and visa headaches. More generatively, it may also afford slower thinking, richer aesthetic possibilities, more diverse forms of circulation, and perhaps even some amount of delight. The conference format itself is part of the DIY experiment

Does knowledge management work in NGOs? - a longitudinal study

The study reported here tracked over an extended period the fortunes of knowledge management programmes introduced into three medium-sized international development charities. The programmes were quite different, each carefully tailored to their contexts, and each a ‘cut-back’ version of knowledge management. In these forms they withstood significant changes in their staffing, structural location and rationales. They came to be valued by staff even if tangible evidence of their benefits was in short supply. For those in non-commercial organizational contexts contemplating the use of knowledge management, the implication is to take it seriously, but use it selectively

'Men of small standing'? Locating accountants in English society during the mid-nineteenth century

The census enumerators' books for three counties in 1851 are utilized to explore the social standing of accountants in early-Victorian England. The objective is to illuminate sources of differential status within the occupation of accountancy and thereby enhance understandings of the problems of boundary definition and closure which confronted those who organized the profession in England from 1870. It is shown that accountants occupied various strata in local social structures, from the professional class to the pauper. Accountants were, however, predominantly positioned on the margins of the middle class and very few of their number exhibited styles of living which contemporaries identified as characteristic of professional men. The findings confirm that the term 'accountant' encompassed a wide range of occupational experiences and employment statuses and its meaning appears to have been subject to spatial variation.

The Centenary Community Engagement Fund Working Paper: Partnership working, current community challenges and interdisciplinary research opportunities

The University of Leicester’s centenary celebrations provide a timely opportunity for academics, staff and students to endorse our civic mission and engage anew with partners and stakeholders in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR). The University owes its existence to the foresight and commitment of local people, who in the aftermath of the First World War helped to champion and establish University College Leicester in 1921, in the belief that access to higher education would enable a better future for all in the city and counties. The College was awarded university status in 1957, and its history and fortune has been inextricably linked with the city and local communities in LLR. Over the years, we have worked together passionately, to reap new opportunities, face immense challenges and help to improve lives in communities locally across the UK and internationally. Community partnership and collaboration can readily be witnessed through the hundreds of academics, students and staff who are actively involved with mission driven charities and third sector organisations many of whom participated in the Centenary Community Engagement Fund Workshop in November. Our leading researchers also have very strong links with community facing organisations and major institutions such as the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust. The same is true of multi-disciplinary academic research teams collaborating proactively with charities, businesses, social enterprises and organisations in a wide range of sectors from social care to arts and culture. This paper is concerned with the Centenary Community Engagement Fund just one of the new civic initiatives launched during our Centenary year. This Fund will provide £125,000 in philanthropic funding for novel interdisciplinary research with partners and for more sought after internships for our talented students