Knowledge Management as a Process to Develop Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Knowledge Management Systems are dedicated to retaining and leveraging knowledge. Knowledge Management (KM) can play a critical role in the strategic management of human capital in a government organization. This paper presents findings from a survey on Knowledge Management System (KMS) in Indian public sector. Information technology has been accorded an important role in much of the contemporary knowledge management literature. When these assumptions are challenged, the role of information technology in knowledge management processes also comes into question. This paper outlines this perspective of knowledge management and examines the way it characterizes knowledge sharing processes. It analyses the extent, strategy and imperatives of knowledge management and role of information technology in creating a virtual organization for knowledge sharing purposes. The results indicate that more government organizations need to consider the strengths of KM and implement a formal KM strategy. Presently only a few publicly funded organizations have a KM program in place, and most of them have invested in simple information and communication technologies. The survey introduces role of information technology by projecting the overall approach to knowledge management followed by Indian public sector. The survey indicates that the benefits of KM programs are quite positive and the role of information technology systems in the sharing of knowledge is likely to be somewhat limited. Accordingly, the research findings indicate that KM could improve organizational and managerial as well as financial aspects of an organization for sustainable competitive advantage.