Knowledge management in international organisations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the approaches of international organizations to fostering knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach Two different approaches are used: First, presenting case studies on the United Nations Development Programme, the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the World Bank, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the OECD and the European Commission. Second, evaluation of the progress of the respective approaches by using common test criteria for knowledge management implementation established in the literature. Findings It was found that all the institutions covered in this contribution have passed the stage of information management and have put active knowledge management systems in place. However, a structured and systematic management of implicit and external knowledge can be found to a lesser extent. Only a few international organizations like UNDP or the World Bank have pushed their knowledge management systems to integrate both internal and external, explicit and implicit knowledge. The results show clearly that most international organizations still show much room for improvement regarding their information and knowledge management system. Research limitations/implications The study was the first of its kind to look into information and knowledge management in international organizations. The contribution can be used as a starting‐point for further in‐depth work and as a blueprint for designing knowledge management systems in other international bodies. Practical implications The findings from the study may be used by various practitioners including knowledge managers in international organizations, knowledge management professionals and university researchers. Originality/value The paper represents the first documented attempt to review information and knowledge management in international organizations.

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