Knowledge Capabilities and Performance of County Governments in Kenya: A Survey of County Departments of Kiambu County Government

Abstract

There is a growing need for governments globally to develop and implement strategies of knowledge capabilities to take advantage of distributed knowledge assets to enhance the performance of their employees. Knowledge capabilities are viewed as a tool for harnessing the knowledge value and engaging it in integrative processes with organizational infrastructure, people, and processes. Organizations must leverage its existing knowledge capabilities and apply the knowledge in its operation to sustain competitiveness both locally and international. The county government systems are barely 10 years old and there is the growing need to leverage on the essential asset of human resource brought about by knowledge management for realization of fast growth. The main objective of this study was to determine how knowledge capabilities influence the performance of County governments in Kenya. The study determined the effect of knowledge acquisition capabilities, knowledge application capabilities, knowledge storage capabilities and knowledge protection capabilities on the performance of County governments in Kenya. The study adopted census method targeting 34 management staff of Kiambu County. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire. The questionnaires were piloted with 4 staffs from the neighboring Nairobi County to determine their validity and reliability. Quantitative data was analyzed using Descriptive statistics analysis which was done by measuring central tendencies which included frequencies, means, standard deviations and regression. Descriptive statistics were carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Inferential statistics which included correlation (r) and regression (R2) through the use of Multiple Linear Regression model were employed to establish the significance of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The study found that knowledge acquisition capabilities have a positive and significant effect on the performance of county governments in Kenya (β1=0.690, p-value=0.000). Moreover, knowledge application capabilities have a positive and significant effect on the performance of county governments in Kenya (β2=0.596, p-value=0.000). Further, the study found that knowledge storage capabilities have a significant and positive effect on the performance of county governments in Kenya (β1=0.548, p-value=0.009). This study therefore recommends that County governments should develop proper strategies such as creating a suitable learning culture and facilitating innovativeness to encourage the acquisition of knowledge and skills. In addition, the county governments should use appropriate technology for application of knowledge as well as incorporate knowledge into organizational processes, procedures, culture and identity, routines, policies, systems, and documents, as well as individuals to aid in the application of knowledge. Keywords: Knowledge Capabilities, Acquisition, Application, Protection, Performance DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-6-08 Publication date:March 31st 202