A Review of Knowledge Management Education and Training in Kenya

Abstract

Knowledge management has emerged as a discipline in the recent past. In spite of its growing popularity, confusion still exists on what the discipline is really about and whether it is actually distinct. This confusion extends to the nature and scope of competencies knowledge management practitioners are expected to have. The lack of information on the availability and content of knowledge management education and training programmes partly contributes to this confusion. There is need, therefore, to understand the extent to which knowledge management training needs are met in Kenya. The objectives of the study on which this chapter is based were to review the content of knowledge management education and training programmes and curricula in Kenya; the methodologies used to deliver the curricula; and their effectiveness in developing the essential competencies knowledge management specialists require. Primary data was collected through content analysis of academic and professional knowledge management education and training curricula deployed by organisations in Kenya. Additional data was collected from the trainers and graduates of the knowledge management courses through interviews. More data was collected from professional human resource recruitment consultants through key informant interviews. The findings of the study indicate that access to knowledge management education and training programmes in Kenya has increased in the past five to seven years. However, there are gaps in the scope, depth and delivery of the programmes. There is need to review the programmes to cover all the core skill areas besides using delivery models which build hands-on skills. Such interventions would enhance the potential of the courses in meeting the knowledge management capacity needs in Kenya. These findings may be used by training institutions to improve their curricula content and delivery methods. The findings may also be used by recruitment firms as well as employers to develop appropriate job descriptions for knowledge management specialists in Kenya.