LEARNING NETWORKS AS LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING PLATFORMS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE

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LEARNING NETWORKS AS LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE
SHARING PLATFORMS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE

• 12 March 2004
• LEARNING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT EMPOWERMENT
  WORKSHOP

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Structure of the presentation

• The case and need for learning in government
  departments
• Current learning and knowledge management
  initiatives
• Emerging results and successes
• Challenges

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1. The Case for learning in government
departments

• We are becoming an increasingly knowledge and
  information based society
• Links and connections with the continental and
  global community to learn and share experiences
• Massive repository of knowledge and experiences
  from the transformation process
• Tried and tested best and bad practices in
  service delivery - service delivery and quality
  improvement programmes, social development and
  poverty alleviation, access to government
  services, restructuring of state assets,
  transformation and management of organisations to
  better fulfil their functions, etc

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The case for learning (cont.)

• The need for innovation and creativity in
  delivering services
• doing more with less,
• alternative ways of delivering services,
• new skills and competencies in line with the
  changing needs of the communities we serve, viz.
  community development and liaison, IT, project
  management, diversity management, etc
• Creating and developing expertise inside
  government rather than only relying on outsiders
  who sometimes do not bring anything new or add
  value

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2. Current learning and knowledge management
initiatives

• Use of corporate knowledge management tools like
  intranet, skills banks, data-base of exchange
  visits and other learning excursions, libraries
  (knowledge centres)
• Learning Networks and Communities of Practice
• Service Delivery Review journal
• Case Studies as learning tools
• Annual Service Delivery learning academy
  targeting operational managers at the coal-face
  of service delivery
• Public Management Conversations as a forum where
  practitioners, academics, private sector, etc,
  interface

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Current LKM initiatives

• Learning excursions/site visits
• one in KZN hospitals in 2003, and more need to be
  done
• Showcase best practices in visuals/videos
• Data-base of experts in the fields who can make
  themselves available and provide advise and
  support to other colleagues
• change and turn-around managers,
• innovators,
• public servants at the coal-face
• Local governments Cities Network
• SA Local Government Association (SALGA) Knowledge
  Sharing Programme - Hologram

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3. Emerging Results and Successes

• Culture of learning and sharing starting to take
  place
• Knowledge management and information units being
  established in departments (national) - need to
  put more resources and efforts to provinces to
  follow suit
• Good reviews of the service delivery review
  journal and the service delivery learning
  academy
• acknowledgement of the usefulness and value of
  the products and platforms,
• a changing culture valuing of learning and
  sharing
• Data-base of best practices in South African
  public administration practice starting to emerge
  

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4. Challenges

• Entrenching the learning culture - this
  requires a paradigm shift whereby public servants
  see themselves as knowledge workers as well and
  innovators in their areas of work
• Conscientise and raise awareness of the concept
  and value of learning and knowledge
  sharing/exchange
• Engaging with the content of the learnings and
  implementing them in the workplace
• replication
• benchmarking
• piloting
• Mobilising resources and finding time
• Mainstreaming learning and knowledge sharing into
  departmental activities and projects

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Challenges (cont.)

• Acknowledging and recognising that most
  expertise, knowledge, and best practices are
  inside the departments themselves, and not with
  outsiders
• Cascading learning initiatives and culture down
  to regional, district, and local government
  institutions where service delivery takes place
• Sustainability
• enthusiastic and energetic learning and knowledge
  management drivers in government departments
• Teams to engage and cascade departmental, sector
  specific, and provincial
• mobilising resources
• no passengers, frequent workshop/conference
  attendants, etc