Knowledge management metrics for Public Organizations: A literature review-based proposal

TL;DR

This paper reviews existing literature on Knowledge Management in Public Sector Organizations, highlighting the scarcity of measurement studies and proposing a set of KM metrics to evaluate KM initiatives in this context.

Contribution

It provides a literature review and a novel proposal of KM metrics specifically tailored for Public Sector Organizations, addressing a gap in measurement tools.

Findings

KM measurement studies in PSO are scarce and emerging

Proposed KM metrics aim to evaluate KM programs in PSO

Recommendations for developing practical KM metrics in PSO

Abstract

Knowledge Management (KM) is a relatively new phenomenon that appears in the field of Public Sector Organizations (PSO) bringing new paradigms of organizational management, challenges, risks and opportunities for its implementation, development and evaluation. KM can be seen as a systematic and deliberate effort to coordinate people, technology, organizational structures and its environment through knowledge reuse and innovation. This management approach has been established in parallel with the development and use of information and communications technologies (ICT). Nowadays more PSO are embodying KM practices in their core processes for support them, and as an advanced management strategy to create a new culture based on technology and resources efficiency. In this paper, we observed that KM can support organizational goals in PSO. The aim of this paper is to understand KM factors and its associated components, and propose KM metrics for measure KM programs in PSO. Through a critical literature review we analysed diverse studies related with KM performance indicators in PSO, then based on previous works we summarized the more convenient this purpose. We found that, in academic literature, studies about KM measurement in PSO are uncommon and emerging. As well, in the last section of this paper, we present a proposal of KM metrics for PSO, and some recommendations and practical implications for KM metrics development in PSO. This academic endeavour seeks to contribute to theoretical debate about KM measure development for KM initiatives in PSO.