ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore knowledge sharing among library staff in the University for Development Studies (UDS) which is a multi-campus university in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions of Ghana, with the objectives of identifying perceptions, participation and strategies employed in knowledge sharing, motivations and challenges as well as if there exist any laid down policies on knowledge sharing.
This was a qualitative study which made use of the case study design. The total population was sixty-one consisting of junior staff, senior staff and senior members of the UDS Library. The nature of data collected for the study was both primary and secondary. Questionnaire and interviews were the instruments used to gather the primary data from respondents. The data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (IBM SPSS) version 23 whilst that of the interview was done using thematic content analysis. The presentation of analysis of the data obtained from the interviews were incorporated with that of the data gathered from the questionnaires in instances where the same issue was discussed. In instances where questions were not covered in both the questionnaires and the interviews, the presentation was done separately. The results were presented using tables, charts and graphs and verbatim quotations.
The major findings of the study show that, all staff of the UDS Library had a positive perception about knowledge sharing and believed that a number of benefits could be derived from engaging in knowledge sharing. These include, the opportunity to learn new skills and update what they already knew, maintain best practices and improve service delivery, retain knowledge of long serving and highly skilled staff, foster trust and unity among others. However, they registered their need for a laid down policy that would guide and motivate staff to engage in knowledge sharing. The study also revealed that there was more participation among staff within the same campus library than across and this may be attributed to the physical and virtual distance created by the multi-campus system. The channels available for knowledge sharing include face to-face conversations, emails, formal meetings, workshops/seminar/trainings, text messaging, telephone or chat groups and the preferred channel was through personal face-to-face conversations. Among the barriers to effective knowledge sharing within the library system were distance which is not helped by inadequate and poor use of technology, poor internet connectivity and poor knowledge sharing culture among staff.
The recommendations of the study include: a formal policy on knowledge sharing be developed and implemented; the culture of knowledge sharing should be encouraged among staff; reward systems should be developed for knowledge sharing; and technology enhanced communication tools should be harnessed for use by staff; and the library should support staff to acquire improved professional knowledge among others.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Information is increasingly becoming a valuable factor of production besides land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Nonetheless, information is processed data; facts or raw data presented systematically within a given context, but deriving meaningful linkages and applying it to decision-making to achieve a desired outcome maximizes that piece of information and ultimately generates knowledge. knowledge is defined by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) as “information in action” (cited in ODell & Hubert, 2011); thus knowledge is the outcome of a combination of information, analysis and experience to enhance productivity and innovation and provide solutions to challenges.
Activities of organizations have knowledge deeply rooted at the centre of it all. The advent and growth of the information age and the knowledge economy has steadily increased the value of knowledge and has transformed knowledge into an asset and a basic economic resource (Beazley et al., 2002, as cited in Agarwal & Islam, 2015). Knowledge has therefore become a critical resource that provides organizations with a sustainable competitive advantage in a dynamic economy. Organizations select employees possessing specific knowledge, competencies, skills, and capabilities (or help employees acquire them) depending on existing staffing and training systems which,
though essential, is inadequate to gain a competitive advantage. Organizations in general, and libraries, continuously create and store knowledge relevant to the daily operations and management of activities. Such knowledge, be it formal or informal, is critical to the growth and progress of the organization. Libraries are often referred to as knowledge storehouses and it becomes inevitable that knowledge is easily created within this environment. The ability of libraries to organize such knowledge and circulate it effectively among staff is oftentimes challenging since this is not a usual practice of librarians. Libraries across the globe are therefore seeing the need to employ some knowledge management tools and techniques so as to harness the full potentials they possess in order to better deliver services to their clientele. The creation and effective dissemination of knowledge have gradually become important elements in maintaining competitiveness and libraries need to exploit this in order to remain significant in the evolving technological era.
