Knowledge-Based Approaches in Managing Government Projects in Kingdom of Bahrain (Dissertation Introduction Sample)

Chapter1: Introduction
Assessing knowledge-based approach in managing government project in kingdom of Bahrain
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Chapter1: Introduction
The dynamism of the global world economy has forced many nations of the world to come up with unique strategies in managing their economic growth and development. Economic growth will only be effective if it can be managed effectively. The use of ICT systems and technologies has become a key aspect of processing and management of information that leads to the generation of knowledge. Knowledge just like human capital has become core organizational utility that organizations can utilize it as a competitive advantage against other investors in the industry (Jelenic, 2011). By definition, knowledge is a mixture of framed experiences, values, contextual information and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). There is an interrelationship between knowledge, information, and data. Data are raw facts which consists of figures, tables and numbers that cannot make sense on their own. The data is processed to communicate effectively, and this is what is referred to as information. Utilized information is used to come up with tested and proven facts that end up building complex information called knowledge (Sheffied, 2007). Therefore, knowledge generation and management is an integrated process whose advantages in organization competitiveness can only be realized when fully organized. David argues that effective knowledge management ensures that the critical business knowledge is made available to the organizational leadership to aid in making informed decisions. Organizations with superior knowledge management resources are more competitive than those without (David, 2015).
The economic growth of the world has been steered by the current effects of globalization that have led to the tremendous growth and economic development. Increased competition among organization and nations can be noted in terms of economic growth and productivity. Knowledge has been identified as the third factor after labor and capital (Bhullar & Kaur, 2014). Kaur and Bhullar classify knowledge into three classes. Firm-specific knowledge is one that establishes the link between the production process and the postproduction activities within an organization. It entails all departments of the organization such as the production department, the finance, and marketing departments. The second class of knowledge is the sector knowledge that entails the study of customers’ change of consumption behavior and the implementation of new technologies as a tool against the competitors. The third class of knowledge is the applicable knowledge that entails the scientific understanding of innovations and dimensions in the production phase across all sectors of the economy (Bhullar & Kaur, 2014). Various authors have identified three basic types of knowledge. The first one is the explicit knowledge that is defined as that knowledge that is codified and presented to the users in a physical manner. It includes books, organizational policies, procedures, and routines. It can be communicated, distributed and shared among the users. The second type of knowledge is the tacit knowledge that is usually embedded in an individual’s thinking systems unlike the explicit which is codified. Tacit knowledge is obtained through learning, experiences, judgment, skills and personal insights. The third type is the implicit knowledge that is seen as a type of knowledge that an individual is born having. They are the rules and customs that dictate how individual in an organization behave (Shajera & Al-Bastaki, 2014; Davenport & Prusak, 1998).
Observing the current world economy of today one notable characteristics is the tremendous growth and development of the ICT sector. Several activities both at the organizational level and at the individual level have been affected by the ICTs. Knowledge management is no exceptional to the effects of ICT in its creation, process, and dissemination of the same knowledge (Omona, et al., 2010). It’s very important to note that knowledge can be of no good if it cannot be disseminated and distributed to the relevant people to use them. Therefore, there is a very close relationship between the ICT systems and technologies and knowledge management. The use of ICT in knowledge management hence improved the quality of KM, efficiency and effectiveness in knowledge management (Hawkins, 2000). Hawkins says that it draws from all aspects of knowledge including information retrieval, artificial intelligence, and organizational behavior. The most common information technologies that are used in the knowledge management include data collection systems, information processing systems, information storage systems and the information distribution systems. The use of online survey systems and monkey surveys are some of the major sources of data collection that are utilized in collecting data. Others include online interviews, email questionnaire among many others are some of the most common methods of data collection using the ICT systems. The data collected has to be processed for it to communicate effectively to the information users; raw data is as good figures and numbers. The use of the SPSS software and Enterprise Resource Planning software are among the ICT systems that are utilized in the processing of raw data. Miniaturization of data and information storage facilities has become a common trend in the world today. The storage of knowledge in CD-ROMS, flash disks and Memory cards has become a common factor in the storage of vital information and knowledge. The online information distribution systems such as e-libraries and other online websites that provide vital information to users are among the common systems of knowledge dissemination and distribution systems. Therefore in the current world of technology Knowledge management is not complete without the inclusion of the ICT systems and processes in its creation, process, storage and dissemination (Gao & Nakamori, 2002).
Planning, coordination and the organization of governmental resources require a thorough understanding of the population and the needs of the economy. To project the future needs of the economy, a thorough study of the population is necessary. The first approach requires an understanding of the general population and its current needs. The world today is very dynamic, and the study of the population helps understand the world needs of the future population. The health sector is one of the sectors in a country that needs a thorough understanding economic patterns and population growth. Economic development relies on the basic factors such as the health, education and security of the nation. The information is essential and in the end will become a source of knowledge. Investors and entrepreneurs require this knowledge to determine what type of business they will operate, the size of the business and the customer tastes and preferences. Without the proper collection, process, preservation and dissemination of this knowledge it will result in unplanned and uncoordinated developments that result to poor economic growth.
Several nations of the world have realized the importance of knowledge management as a key input in economic growth and development. However, as noted above effective knowledge management is achieved when it’s incorporated into ICT systems and process. This research will focus on the Kingdom of Bahrain and its strategies in the knowledge management in achieving success in government projects. The Kingdom of Bahrain is one of the world countries that have put in a lot of effort and have invested in the ICT sector in enhancing service delivery to the citizens. The Kingdom of Bahrain located on the western shores of Persian Gulf was founded in the year 1971 when British colony withdrew from Bahrain. Bahrain is one of the smallest Arab states of the world with coverage of 665 square kilometers. As by the year 2013 Bahrain had a population of 1.332 million people. The GDP per capita is at $24,689.11 and a life expectancy of 76.54 years (World Bank, 2013).
Background
Knowledge management is essential for the government in managing the various aspects of the economy. The Kingdom of Bahrain is no exceptional to the necessity of knowledge management in its economy. Knowledge management is very necessary for the management of the public sector and the management of governmental projects. To manage knowledge and enhance the accessibility of information to the citizens the Bahrain government has taken several steps. The first step is the implementation of ICT infrastructure that can enable the citizen’s access the government services in a cheaper and effective manner. The National Web portal was implemented in the year 2007 offering 30 services to the public and by the year 2009 the portal provided over 90 services to the public. Up to the year 2009 the web had enabled transactions of up to $11 million, 15 million requests and an average of 6 minutes time spent accessing the services. The majority of the services that are provided in the National Portal website include the vehicle registration services and birth certificate services. The systems consist of a thorough interlinks between all governmental departments and ministries. It was started with the mission of enhancing service delivery to the citizens in an effective and efficient manner (eGovernment Authority, 2009).
On 25th May 2009 the eGovernment Authority launched the mobile channel with over 15 services. The use of the mobile channel was introduced with the aim of enhancing reach and distribution of government services in the most effective man...