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Introduction
This paper examines the potential of knowledge management (KM) as a tool for service delivery outside the private sector using a case study methodology to identify the barriers to knowledge sharing (KS) in a social service, not-for-profit organisation (SSNFPO) in Scotland. The study aims to present a revised set of knowledge sharing barriers (KSBs) for this third sector context, and ultimately to explore a case where KM is embedding beyond its original private sector focus. Much of the KM literature focuses on the management of knowledge in competitive, for-profit industries, and, as such, the language used to describe both the theory and application centres on this type of business context. SSNFPOs then often develop their own definitions of what KM means for their organisation and adopt a customised approach (Hume and Hume, 2008, 2015; IRISS, 2012). This paper attempts to highlight this issue and present ways in which existing KM terminology may be used more effectively to reflect this context through an examination of barriers to KS specifically.
The UK Government defines the third sector as: “non-governmental organisations that are value-driven and which principally reinvest their surpluses to further social, environmental or cultural objectives, including voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals” (Cabinet Office, 2007, p. 5), while the Scottish Government expands their definition to include individual volunteers (Findlay, 2012). As such, this sector encompasses a huge variety of organisations. It has been suggested that with less money available to provide public services, the third sector can play a positive role in helping to deliver these. In particular, the third sector in Scotland is increasingly important to the delivery of social and health services to the public, and it is: “in some ways better equipped to overcome challenges facing public sector health and social care services” (Scottish Government, 2011, p. 8). However, the suitability of SSNFPOs in this role has not yet led to a concomitant growth of research in the area (Dickinson et al., 2012).
Whereas in for-profit organisations, knowledge is leveraged almost solely for competitive advantage to increase financial gain (Kong, 2007; Sillanpaa et al., 2010); in a not-for-profit social enterprise which provides social care and services KM may be applied to achieve...