Influence of Tacit Knowledge Management Techniques on Productivity within an Organization: A Case of Community Based Organizations in Westlands Sub County Nairobi City County

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of tacit knowledge management techniques on productivity within organizations focusing on the community-based organization CBOs) in Westlands Sub County, Nairobi. The study adopted a qualitative research design and the target population was directors and program officers of selected community-based organizations within Westlands Sub- County, Nairobi City County. The sample size was 57 CBOs. Data was collected using questionnaires and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The findings were presented in form of frequency distribution tables and charts. The study found that in tacit knowledge management, CBOs faced challenges including infrastructure weaknesses, lack of policy framework, high costs, employees’ unwilling to communicate their knowledge to others and rapid technological changes. Further, the study revealed that tacit knowledge influenced productivity by enabling CBOs to have good resource management techniques from knowledgeable staffs at 46.7%, creating new ideas at 55.1% and identifying effective and efficient team members at 40.2%. The study concluded that selected CBOs preferred training, teamwork and focus group discussion as tacit knowledge management techniques used to capture, transfer, document and manage tacit knowledge in the CBOs. It recommended that CBOs should invest heavily in tacit knowledge management techniques by putting in place policy structures that would allow organizational culture and leadership to support and encourage tacit knowledge capture, transfer, sharing, documentation and management in CBOs.