A Review of Knowledge Management in the Public Sector: A Taxonomy

Purpose – Public organisations today face management challenges to cope with current markets in what’s known as a knowledge era. They primarily face adaptive challenges. Changes in communities, markets, business behaviour, competition, and most importantly technology around the globe are forcing all organisations to clarify their strengths, develop knowledge strategies, and learn new ways of managing their human capital. Governmental organisations also exhibit tendencies towards unusual and bureaucratic cultures mired in hierarchical structures, which create peculiar challenges that confront Knowledge Management (KM) efforts within the public sector. As public firms attempt to effectively manage their knowledge, organisational culture and structure have been identified as crucial defining factors in the successful assimilation and dissemination of knowledge. Often the toughest task for managers in effecting change in the public sector is mobilising people throughout the organisation to do adaptive work. The purpose of this article is to review the body of public sector research available in a KM context with a view to ascertaining and classifying previous research efforts and then identifying critical issues and avenues for future thinking.