Knowledge transfer and retention : the case of a public water utility in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on the problem of knowledge retention and transfer in the face of theimminent retirement of experts, who are hard to replace for demographic or skill shortagereasons.Distinctions between technical, social and structural knowledge are made, and the theory onwhat makes knowledge 'sticky for transfer between generations of workers is reviewed.Thereafter, a case study of the knowledge retention situation at a public water utility ispresented. In this regard, a large number of technical experts are due to retire within the nextfive years. Knowledge audit interviews were conducted with fifteen experts that have beenwith the organisation for most of their career and are due to retire soon. They were askedabout what they considered to be their 'hard to replace' knowledge and professionalnetworks, to what extent this could be captured or transferred, and what they considered to bethe difficulties in terms of retaining this knowledge and these networks after their retirement.It was found that the motivation of experts to contribute to knowledge transfer and retentionwas low. This had to do with the perception that more junior members of the organisation arein any case likely to leave and with an organisational culture that was not supportive ofknowledge transfer and retention activities. Moreover, a lack of knowledge leadership andformal knowledge management systems hindered knowledge transfer and retention practices.This study concludes that as far as the case in question is concerned, there is a need for aformal knowledge management system and strategy, and that top management commitment iscritical for the success of knowledge transfer and retention. With regard to the theory of thestickiness of knowledge, the case study highlighted the importance of organisational cultureand trust when it comes to the motivation of retiring experts to transfer their knowledge. Italso emphasised that a silo-type organisational structure limits absorptive capacity, and thatthe social knowledge of professional networks, rather than technical knowledge, are the mostdifficult to retain.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University