Knowledge Management in Government:
An Instrument for Performance Management
KM India Summit 2010
Dr. Prajapati Trivedi
Secretary, Performance Management
Cabinet Secretariat
Presentation Outline
1. Performance Management in Government
2. Knowledge Management in Government
3. Knowledge Management for Performance
Management
1. Performance Management in Government
• Perceptions about Government Performance
• Explanations about Government Performance
• Meaning of Government Performance
• How to Improve Government Performance
• International Best Practice and Options
• Indian Experience
• Lessons of Experience – Summing Up
Presentation Outline
 Performance Management in Government
2. Knowledge Management in Government
3. Knowledge Management for Performance
Management
Knowledge Management in Government
• Meaning of Knowledge Management
• State of Knowledge Management in
Government
• Results of KM Survey of OECD
Countries
Meaning of Knowledge Management
“Knowledge Management” includes
organisational practices related to:
• generating,
• capturing,
• disseminating know-how, and
• promoting knowledge sharing.
Meaning of Knowledge Management
• “Knowledge Management” practices includes:
– organisational arrangements (decentralisation of authority,
use of information and communication technologies etc.);
– personnel development (mentoring and training practices,
mobility, etc.) and management of skills;
– transfer of competencies (databases of staff competencies,
outlines of good work practices, etc.);
– incentives for staff to share knowledge (staff performance
assessment and promotion linked to knowledge sharing, etc.).
State
of
Organization for Economic
Cooperation
and Development
Knowledge Management in Government`
• Mostly in OECD countries
– Only recently become a management theme
– Though on conference agendas for 10-15 years
• Large Multinationals were among the first
• Private sector in general realizes its value
• Governments are always late comers in
management reforms
Knowledge Management in OECD
Summary of KM Survey by OECD
• KM has been signaled as a management
priority
• Most governments are making concrete efforts
to improve their KM practices
• There are limits to organizational change
• KM practices have not fulfilled all expectations
• At the same time, cultural changes are indeed
taking place
• Correlation between effort and outcome of KM
Practices is low
Knowledge Management in OECD
KM has been signaled as a management priority
Knowledge Management in OECD
KM has been signaled as a management priority
Knowledge Management in OECD
KM has been signaled as a management priority
1.
Overall KM strategies are being developed:
a. Half of all organisations have a KM strategy
b. Almost another half will have one in the next three years
2. The KM language is used broadly across
organisations
Knowledge Management in OECD
Most are making concrete efforts to improve their KM practices
 Personnel development
 increased training opportunities
 new personnel development practices have not been systematised
 KM specific organisational arrangements
 central coordination units, quality groups/communities of practices,
knowledge networks, CKO
 filing mechanisms, electronic archiving, databases
 More initiatives to promote the sharing of Knowledge
with outside organisations
Knowledge Management in OECD
Most are making concrete efforts to improve their KM practices
Use of Information technology/e-government
 ICTs and internal knowledge sharing: internal access to basic egovernment technologies has been achieved
 ICTs and external knowledge sharing
• Stage 1: Information
•
Stage 2: Interactive information
• Stage 3: Transactions
• Stage 4: Data sharing
Knowledge Management in OECD
Most are making concrete efforts to improve their KM practices
The budget picture is more mixed
 A minority of organisations have an overall
view of how much KM practices cost
 The budget dedicated to KM practices is not
going to increase tremendously in the next five
years
Knowledge Management in OECD
Most are making concrete efforts to improve their KM practices
Knowledge Management in OECD
The Limits to organizational Change
Difficulties of implementation
Rewards for knowledge sharing remain limited
Difficulty in capturing staff’s undocumented knowledge
Internal resistance to changes
Concerns with sensitive and confidential information
Knowledge Management in OECD
The Limits to organizational Change
Negative side effects
Information overload
Wasted time in consultation
Difficulties in using new ICTs
Dilution of responsibilities
Knowledge Management in OECD
KM Practices have not fulfilled all expectations
Perceived increase in efficiency, transpareny and
outward focus
Structural changes related to the improved
competitiveness of the public employer and the
changes to the vertical and silo type of hierarchical
structures have not been achieved yet
Knowledge Management in OECD
KM Practices have not fulfilled all expectations
Because:
 of the lack of KM practices? KM strategies are too
recent?
 of the difficulties in implementing KM practices?
 of unrealistic expectations?
Knowledge Management in OECD
At the same time, cultural changes are indeed taking place
 Staff attitudes have changed

staff now consider K sharing is good for their career
 staff make documents available to others more spontaneously+
 Managers’ attitudes have changed
 spend more time disseminating info to their staff
 devolve autority to lower levels
 build project teams
 Managing knowledge workers
Knowledge Management in OECD
At the same time, cultural changes are indeed taking place
Knowledge Management in OECD
Measuring impact of efforts on level and quality of KM Practices
 Weak correlation between efforts made at improving
KM and perception of results
 Countries which rank high on both indicators:
 large and relatively well functioning governments; and,
 have provided a relatively stable organisational and cultural
environment
 Sectors which rank high on both indicators:
 coordinating role
 outward looking
CountriesManagement
which rank high on both indicators:
Knowledge
in OECD

large and relatively well functioning governments; and,
Measuring
impact
of efforts
on level
 have provided
a relatively
stable organisational
and and
culturalquality
environmentof KM Practices
Sectors which rank high on both indicators:
Knowledge Management in OECD
 coordinating role
Measuring
impact of efforts on level and quality of KM Practices
 outward looking
Thank You
For comments and further dialogue please contact:
Dr. Prajapati Trivedi
Secretary, Performance Management
Cabinet Secretariat
prajapati.trivedi@nic.in