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Knowledge Management Conference

Knowledge must become a right for all

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:21

The democratisation of knowledge is key to achieving the betterment of South African society and it is the responsibility of policy makers, government agencies and local universities to ensure that this knowledge is accessible to society.

This was the key issue discussed at a three day Knowledge Management Conference hosted recently by the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). The conference - which was a first for the business school and featured a unique discussion-intensive format - was attended by prominent local and leading international experts on knowledge management from Kenya, Brazil, Slovenia, UK, Greece, the USA and South Africa. They were joined by top local business leaders, as well as Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, who all united in a common goal of identifying ways to achieve the “democratisation” of knowledge in South Africa.

The conference was opened by former South African President Thabo Mbeki who, in a candid address, suggested that knowledge is a critical driver to achieving social transformation for “the betterment of society”. President Mbeki urged the conference attendees to consider firstly, how to identify and define true knowledge and secondly, where the responsibility should lie in terms of propagating this knowledge to all members of society so that disempowered citizens have a means through which to empower themselves.

Professor John Powell, Director of the USB, who led the conference, was joined by the world’s top expert in knowledge management Prof Larry Prusak, from Columbia University in the USA and senior advisor on knowledge and learning to the World Bank. The conference heard that knowledge producers, also known as the ‘enablers’ of knowledge, consist of policy makers, universities, government agencies, civil society and global networks.

“The process of making knowledge accessible to society starts with the enablers who must together create a shared knowledge. This knowledge then needs to be documented by the universities and business leaders who need to pass it on to the government to blue print it. Only then can policy makers draft a formal plan and implement systems and development models to supply this knowledge to decision-makers, who would ultimately then be shown how to transfer the knowledge into greater society without discrimination,” says Powell.

According to Powell it is crucial that this system, which he believes will eventually come naturally to all players, is able to make knowledge freely available and a basic right for all citizens. He stresses that this collective knowledge also needs to be adapted for certain audiences in order to practically address wider social concerns such as unemployment and poverty – especially in the African context.

“Knowledge cannot remain only in the academic realm. It must be converted into social and legislative change if we want to truly effect a change in society. I believe this is an area where local business schools can improve. In fact, they have a responsibility to do so,” concludes Powell.