Summary

There is a growing consensus that HR has a key role to play in helping their organisation move forward on their knowledge management journey, particularly by helping the organisation develop an organisational culture that supports knowledge building and sharing.

While HR cannot change an organisational culture itself, it has the ‘know how’ to support the transformation process. This chapter has discussed the steps in the process, which include: agreeing strategic priorities and areas for change, helping demystify knowledge management by linking knowledge management activity to established business processes and HR practices, and engaging others in the knowledge management dialogue.

Specifically HR can add value by developing a knowledge awareness programme, either as a separate development activity, or by integrating it into existing development programmes; communicating how the organisation is building its knowledge management capabilities; ensuring that the right leadership is in place and receiving the relevant developmental support: as well as building a culture where learning from day-to-day practice is valued, encouraged and supported.