Thesis Defense presentation

2019

1. Masters Thesis Defense Assessment of Knowledge Management Practices; The Case of Ethiopian Defense Forces Presenter; Abayneh Lishan Supervisor; Zerihun Duressa (PhD) June 2020 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ethiopian Civil Service University

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE Introduction Background and Statement of the problem Objective of the study Research Questions Review of related literature Research Design and Methodology Research Design Research approach Population of the study Types and Source of Data Method of data Collection Major Findings Conclusions Recommendations

3. INTRODUCTION Knowledge management is…the process of controlling or directing the creation, identification, organization, storage, dissemination, and manitenance of knowledge in order to support strategic goals. Haney, D. (2006), pp.620. In the context of today’s military modernization and organizational change efforts, the present is set off from the past by the current heavy reliance on knowledge resources and organizational learning (Proctor, Michael D. and Gobbler, Justin C., 1998) Knowledge Management usage within a military environment requires knowledge processes that are tough and reliable within operational contexts and the knowledge creation and conversion processes that must match the tempo of the military operations at all hierarchies.

4. Con…. The above definitions state that Knowledge Management is about the processes and techniques used to rapidly transfer experience and provide a common understanding to execute missions as effectively and efficiently as required. The main limitation of the knowledge management function in Ethiopian Defense Forces include changes of different regimes under which the Army has gone. In Ethiopian history the emperor Army was the first well-structured defense organization characterized by: The development of military sciences and arts;

5. Con……. The establishment of Naval Academy at Massawa to train officers and troops by Norwegians assistance The introduction of Peacekeeping missions in South Korea and Congo that contributed a lot to develop the modern military concept acquisition of new r ifles , tanks, Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) Installation of ammunitions factory in the country In February 1974, popular revolution avoided senior and general officers from the army. Also, the famous Harar Academy was dissolved as a result of political decision by the Derg regime. Due to the abovementioned significant challenges, the practices of knowledge management could not transfer and passed down the next generation of the EDF.

6. Con….. Furthermore, the regime which came to power in 1974 enforced the restructure of EDF as follows: Military Science and Art, A ll foreign military experts were forced to leave the country The regime turned his face to the former Soviet Union to reshape the doctrine of the military A ll western military equipment have gradually been substituted by Soviet systems. New Military industries created by the USSR New military experts from Soviet Union were placed to EDF in advisory and training roles

7. Con…. The Derg regime was involuntary to preserve the previous military legacy in general . Rather, the government started repositioning the military from scratch in a new political psychology. The new set up arrangement of the military include: Military Science and Art Most of the old regime Army officers were demobilized. T he new Defense-wide military doctrine was prepared Trainings was conducting based on it.

8. Con…… In order to defend foreign aggression, operational and tactical level field manuals were prepared and disseminated to the training centers. Light infantry training centers also reconstructed and fully engaged. Peacekeeping missions being conducted successfully on the continent and still ongoing . Technological, Military light industry reviewed and endorsed, Naval force is on restructuring again.

9. Con…… Finally, the 30 years of army knowledge management practices were forgotten immediately after the regime change. No registered documents found in a written form. During the Derg regime, a number of military Science and Art manuals were in utilization, No single document transferred to the current Army. Regarding qualified military personnel retention, nothing expressed in the army rules and regulations manual in three consecutive regimes.

10. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The Ethiopian army has gone through major change under different regimes The army’s concept of operations was shaped by the doctrines and strategies of its foreign sponsors. Imperial army and military regime was influenced by the doctrine and strategy of western armies and soviet senior military advisors, The EPRDF army was an insurgent army that developed its own set of military and military political institutions, military doctrine and its own concept of military science and art of war Practically, the Ethiopian Defense Forces have performed a number of tasks successfully and efficiently,

11. Ethiopian Defense Forces, like any military organization, massive and critical knowledge gain through experiences, practices and trainings are imbedded within the success of mission. This knowledge must be identified, captured, shared, and used. Like other militaries country, Ethiopian Defense Force records and the initial assessment carried out by the researcher discovered that these efforts are very limited and knowledge management practice research on Ethiopian Defense Forces is almost none. Based on the researcher’s observation. Ethiopian Defense Forces is still lack of knowledge management practices and uses. On the other hand , knowledge management in the EDFs are available and fixed in the form of doctrine ,policies, operation, training manual, information system and databases.

12. Con---- Unfortunately, those elements of Knowledge Management were an existence in storage and not managed systematically. The lack of Knowledge Management practices and uses in the Ethiopian Defense Forces was observed as. lack of Knowledge management policy , lack of awareness , and less commitment of leadership. For this reason knowledge management practices in EDFs are often not structured, managed and not documented properly. Therefore ,depending on above finding and fact this research tries to investigate the practices of knowledge management in context of Ethiopian Defense Force.

13. Objective of the study General Objective To investigate knowledge management practices in Ethiopian Defense Forces with respect to the organization‘s knowledge management policy and strategy, to determine the level and forwards recommendation. Specific Objective To assess the status of Knowledge management practice in Ethiopian Defense Forces. To investigate supporting structures that are designed to help knowledge management practices at Ethiopian Defense Forces. To assess the challenge of knowledge management practices in Ethiopian Defense Forces

14. Research Questions What is the Current status of Knowledge management practice in Ethiopian Defense Forces.? To what extent do knowledge management practices, structured and designed in Ethiopian Defense Forces? What are the major challenges hindering knowledge management practices in Ethiopian Defense Forces? Significance of the study EDF would benefit in addressing the problems related to knowledge management practices. Contribute to create awareness among the EDFs leadership to review its systems and fix problems on the knowledge management practice. This paper could be also used as an initiation for those who are interested to conduct a detailed and comprehensive study on such similar subject matters..

15. Scope of the Study This paper can be regarded as the first attempt to explore the existing knowledge management practices and contribute for organizational success. To simplify the study situation will be used specifically in Ethiopia Defense Forces on four selected departments. Limitation of the study lack of related local literature on knowledge management practices. particularly in Ethiopian Defense forces. During the interview, the commander did not permit to sound recording. The outbreak of COVID-19 was also another challenge during activities in an effort of conducting the research.

16. 2. Review of related literature Concept of knowledge management Importance of knowledge management Knowledge Management Practices Dimensions of knowledge management Organizational development and knowledge management Types of knowledge Knowledge management systems and approaches Knowledge management in military organization Experience of knowledge management in Defense Departments globally Organizational Challenges of Knowledge Management Practices and Challenges of Knowledge Management in Ethiopian Defense Forces Conceptual framework of the stud y

17. Knowledge management The concept of finding ,gathering ,assessing ,organizing, and sharing information or knowledge. Importance of knowledge management The purpose of knowledge management is to increase an organizational performance to gain a competitive advantage . Several benefits including better decision making , better customer handling , faster response to key business issues , improved employee skills , and increased profits. (KMPG Consulting ., 2000 ) Knowledge Management Practices Practices refer to the way ideas are translated into action in the process of realize job functions.

18. Knowledge management practices include the understanding of knowledge management: knowledge generation, knowledge acquisition, knowledge organization, knowledge storage, transfer, knowledge sharing, and knowledge retention ( Nonaka , & Takeuchi,, 1995 ) Dimensions of knowledge management Defines knowledge as taking five distinct forms: Embodied knowledge , Embedded knowledge , Embroiled knowledge, Encultured knowledge , and Encoded knowledge. Embodied knowledge ; is action oriented and likely to be only partly explicit and it depends on people’s physical presence (Wilkinson, A., Townsend, K., & Suder , G. , 2015)

19. Embedded knowledge is a “knowledge that resides in systematic routines and procedures” ( Blackler , 1995, p. 1026 ). Embroiled knowledge is abstract knowledge dependent on conceptual and cognitive skills and often equated with scientific knowledge ( Blackler , 1995 ). Encultured knowledge is related to the creation of shared understanding and embedded in cultural systems (Wilkinson, A., Townsend, K., & Suder , G. , 2015 ). Encoded knowledge is „recorded in signs and symbols and requires interpretation‟ ( Blackler , 1995, p. 1026)

20. Organizational development and knowledge management The words organization development refers to something about organizations and developing them. “ Organizations are social systems possessing characteristics Development is the act, process, result, or state of being developed. O rganization development is anything done to “better” an organization . Knowledge management is composed of various processes to include: ‘‘generating new knowledge; accessing knowledge from external sources; representing knowledge in documents and databases;

21. Explicit knowledge Tacit knowledge Knowledge that can be codified and transmitted in a systematic and formal language, documents, databases, Informal and uncodified Values, perspectives & culture Knowledge in head. Two types of knowledge Knowledge management systems and approaches define KMSs as “Information Technology based systems developed to support and enhance the organizational processes of knowledge creation, storage/retrieval, transfer, and application”. ( Alavi M. a., (2001)

22. Organizational Challenges of Knowledge Management K nowledge management in organizations , there are various challenges ranging from individual, organizational and technological. I ndividual level , some challenges or barriers according to Riege (2005 ) lack of time to share knowledge, lack of trust in people, lack of social network, lack of trust in knowledge source accuracy and cultural differences. Challenges at organizational level lack of leadership and managerial direction, lack of transparent rewards and recognition system,

23. Practices and Challenges of Knowledge Management in Ethiopian Defense Forces Challenges of Knowledge Management in Ethiopian Defense Forces Creating a culture of flexibility and collaboration Security:  Measuring knowledge Identifying an expert:  Document storage and management:  Disseminating knowledge throughout an organization

24. 3. Research Design and Methodology Research Design The research design for this study would be descriptive. Becouse the researcher to gain more information about the knowledge management practices in Ethiopian Defense Forces. Research Approach Mixed Both Qualitative and Quantitative. The researcher use mixed method b/c Data resource may not be enough in knowledge management practice in Ethiopian Defense Forces. Population of the study The target population of this study would be Military personnel. From Thirty-five departments selected four (4) departments. The total populations of the study would be 324 military personnel; 258 males and 66 females.

25. Sampling Techniques (method ) The researcher used probability sampling method / stratified random sampling Ethiopian Defense force used as strata. because the studies focus on 4 main Department that have heterogeneous character on there goals. Sample Size To determine the sample size of the study, the researcher used (Kothari, 2004) formula. n= the sample size N =study popn e= the level of precision Z=standard variation at given confidence level Pq= standard deviation of population 1=designates the probability of the event occurring N=324, e=2%/0.02,z=2.005,the standard error at 98% confidence level, standard deviation of population pq. p= 0.02 and q=1-0.02=0.98/98%     

26. Types and Source of Data Data types Quantitative Questionnaire form Qualitative Interview form Data source . Primary data collected from currently working on selected department Secondary data ;collected from many source like mission completion report manual and policy document. Method of data collection To get specify information concerning Knowledge management practices in Ethiopian Defense Forces the researcher prepared three types of data collection instruments and used . Those are Questionnaire, Interview and Document reviews .

27. Methods of Data Analysis Quantitative data Compile the data on an excel spreadsheet and SPSS Interpret the data on answering each question Draw conclusions Qualitative Data Constant comparative methods Use critical thinking to synthesize the data Examine the interviews for the department leader insights Utilize the data from the interviews to corroborate with the findings with other data sources.

28. Reliability and Validity of the Instrument Pilot study Tested the reliability using the Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test in SPSS application. Taken about 20 respondents for the pilot study to test the reliability. Cronbach alpha analysis shows about 0.788

29. MAJOR FINDINGS Ethiopian Defense Force has no written policy document s that guide knowledge management, sharing and retention of knowledge. 68.6% of the total respondents agree Ethiopian Defense Force has no knowledge management department. 69.4% of respondents explained that Ethiopian Defense Force has no formal knowledge management policy. Ethiopian Defense forces follow a traditional hierarchical structure , due to its unique organizational culture. Ethiopian Defense forces does not properly utilize information communication technology to support knowledge sharing among its military personnel.

30. Ethiopian Defense Force has lack of system and policy that support knowledge sharing , lack of reward and recognition package. CONCLUSION Ethiopian Defense Force has must establish importance of knowledge management policy in the organization’s Ethiopian Defense force has lack of written knowledge retention policy. Lack of knowledge sharing policy and system that support . Lack of role models on sharing experiences and knowledge in Ethiopian Defense Force. Lack of leader commitment to developing effective knowledge sharing practices in Ethiopian Defense Forces.

31. Ethiopian Defense Forces use different methods to manage and share knowledge one of the best methods used After Action Review. Recommendation The Ethiopian Defense Forces need to establish a clear policy and procedure, including strategy and a specific department to guide knowledge management. Ethiopian Defense Forces need to develop and implement a well focused and wide range of training and learning programs to its military personnel at all level in the hierarchy of the organization. Ethiopian Defense Forces need to create a positive organizational culture to enable individuals and groups openly share and manage knowledge

32. The end