STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SCIENCE
CENTRE FOR KNOWLEDGE DYNAMICS AND DECISION MAKING
INTERVIEW GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
Good
morning/afternoon/evening
dear
Professor/Dr./Mr./Mrs/Respondent/interviewee
……….
My name is Makani Mvula. I am carrying out a research for my Masters of Philosophy thesis at
the University of Stellenbosch. My topic is Knowledge Management Practices in the
Administration of a Public University: A Case of the University of Zambia. You have been
purposively selected to participate in this research.
Please be assured that your views will not be used for any other purpose other than the purpose of
this study. The information which you will provide will be treated with utmost confidentiality and
shall not in any way be used to cause damage to your reputation, integrity, emotions or
professional conduct. Your participation is voluntary and you are free to withdraw from the
process at any point during the interview process.
Kindly take note that this interview session will be based on six sections. Section one has
questions on knowledge leadership, section two has questions on organizational culture, section
three has questions on organizational structure, section four has questions on organizational
knowledge management processes, section five has questions on technology and section six has
questions on measurements. You are at liberty to ask questions where you may not be clear.
Thank you
166
TOPIC:
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA.
Date of interview: ___________________________________________________________
Place of interview: __________________________________________________________
Rank of interviewee: _________________________________________________________
Gender of interviewee: _______________________________________________________
AIM OF THE RESEARCH
To establish what knowledge management practicesexistin administration at UNZA
Research objectives
i)
identify what knowledge management practices exist in administration at
the University of Zambia.
ii)
identify what knowledge management practices existed in administration
at the University of Zambia.
iii)
assess leadership involvement in knowledge management at UNZA.
iv)
explore UNZA’s administrative culture in knowledge management.
v)
examine UNZA’s administrative and organizational structure with regard
to knowledge management.
vi)
determine UNZA administrative processes of knowledge management.
vii)
explore technological infrastructure which support knowledge
management in administration at UNZA.
viii)
identify measurements of knowledge management enablers in
administration at UNZA.
167
SECTION A
INTRODUCTION TO KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is viewed as a conviction of truth of an individual after gaining a combination of
experience; values, contextual information and expert insight that help evaluate and incorporate
new experience and information. Knowledge is demonstrated through people’s actions and
behaviours after being embedded in their minds overtime.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Knowledge management encompasses the manipulation of all knowledge related activities,
practices, programmes and policies in the organization with the ultimate aim of applying existing
organizational knowledge to create new knowledge. Knowledge management can be referred to
be processes by which knowledge is created, shared and used in organizations.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Knowledge management practices are organizational capabilities that cover any intentional and
systematic process or practice of creating, acquiring, capturing, storing, sharing, transmitting and
using productive knowledge wherever it resides to enhance learning and performance in
organizations.
SECTION B
1.
LEADERSHIP
Knowledge Leadership refers to organizational management having a clear vision of the
knowledge contribution to the business, articulating and communicating it well, coupled with
inspirational motivation. Top management in the organization should get involved in promoting
knowledge management through strategic planning, vision, mission and strategies put in place to
support knowledge management.
1.1
What role does UNZA management play in promoting knowledge management
practices?
168
1.3
How does UNZA management get involved in preparation and communication of the
University Strategic plan?
SECTION C
2.
CULTURE
Organizational culture is a set of values, beliefs, norms, meaning and procedures shared by
organization members. Positive culture can encourage knowledge sharing, contribution,
collaboration and cooperation between organizational members. A culture characterized by
openness and trust, access to information, communication and collaboration across departmental
boundaries and hierarchical levels, the accessibility of senior management, empowerment of
individuals and teams, incentives for knowledge sharing, and a propensity of experiment and
learn, is considered to be conducive to the effective creation and application of knowledge in
organizations.
2.1:
a)
How is knowledge communicated and shared in administration at UNZA?
(Probe for the following if not mentioned: open areas, co-located offices and
informal meeting places.)
b)
What are some of the challenges faced by administrative staff when acquiring
knowledge from each other? (Probe for any of the following if not mentioned:
mutual trust, understanding, respect, knowledge hoarding).
2.2:
a)
What are some of the efforts employed by management to encourage
knowledge sharing and knowledge creation?
b)
What measures has management put in place to discourage knowledge and
information hoarding?
2.3:
How do administrative staff voluntary contribute to organizational knowledge base?
SECTION D
3.
STRUCTURE
Organizational
structure is defined as the formal allocation of work roles and administrative
mechanism to control and integrate work activities. Organizational structure also reflects the way
169
in which information and knowledge is distributed within an organization, which affects the
efficiency of their utilization. Consequently, it substantially influences the distribution and
coordination of the company’s resources, the communication processes and the social interaction
between organizational members.
3.1
Apart from their office work and job descriptions, what means does management use to
engage administrative staff to exploit multi-disciplinary embodied knowledge in the
university? (Probe if any of the following has not been mentioned: appointment into
project teams, committees, or workshops).
3.2
How are knowledge management roles embedded in administrative staff job
responsibilities?
3.3
What are some of the recognised incentive systems used by management to motivate
administrative staff to sustain the university’s administrative knowledge base and how are
these incentives systems adhered to?
3.4
How does the university management share administrative knowledge with other
universities?
SECTION E
4.
PROCESSES
Knowledge processes refers to something that can be done with knowledge in the organization.
Processes can be described as methods and systems for creating, acquiring, capturing,
disseminating and applying experiences, for the benefit of an organization. Clear processes of
knowledge creation, acquisition, sharing and application are vital enablers of effective knowledge
management implementation in higher education institutions. The processes of knowledge
management should be imbedded into efficient organizational routines.
4.1
What roles do management and administrative staff plays in development of policies,
work manuals and standard operating procedures?
170
4.2
What knowledge processes in university administration, which promote innovation and
decision making, are you aware of?
4.3
What are some of the mechanisms used to transfer and retain knowledge from aging,
retiring and exiting administrative workforce? (Probe if the following are not mentioned:
succession planning, mentorship, communities of practice, knowledge repositories, job
rotations, phased retirement, exit interviews, development of work manuals,.etc).
4.4
In situations of new administrative challenges, which groups of employees or knowledge
resources and capabilities are engaged to face the new challenges?
SECTION F
5.
TECHNOLOGY
Knowledge management technologies are tools that support the knowledge creation, knowledge
sharing and knowledge application processes through the conversion of knowledge from inputs to
outputs. Technological infrastructure enhance knowledge inputs by condensing, filtering and
presenting data, storing it, facilitating its flow through the organization and finally supporting the
thinking processes that inform effective decision making.
5.1
What are the widely available and actively used information systems by management and
administrative staff? And how are these used? (Probe if the following are not mentioned:
groupware, intranets and portals,: enhancing effective access to information, interpersonal
and group communication and collaboration).
5.2
What are some of the information technology infrastructure available and purposively
deployed and integrated to ensure sufficient and efficient accessibility and connectivity to
all management and administrative staff?
5.3
What knowledge management software applications are functionally integrated and
accessible to all management and administrative staff for decision making? (Probe if the
following are not mentioned: data warehousing, data mining tools, decision support
systems).
171
SECTION G
6.
MEASURES
Measurement refers to organizations’ knowledge management evaluation plan that identifies
knowledge management enablers and how their interrelationships provide a valid assessment of
their knowledge management value. Measurement enables organizations to track the progress of
knowledge management and to determine its benefits and effectiveness.
6.1
How does the university measure the contribution of management and administrative
staff towards the university performance?
6.2
How is the use of knowledge management applications by management and
administrative staff monitored and assessed?
6.3
How are knowledge management programmes and practices monitored and assessed?
NOTE:
This document is just a guide. Therefore, certain questions may not be asked
depending on responses from the interviewees.
Thank you for accepting to participate in this research and for you your time to answer the
questions.
172
In document
Knowledge management practices in university administration : the case of the University of Zambia
(Page 179-186)