Advancing public sector knowledge management: towards an understanding of knowledge formation in public administration

Abstract

The article proposes a novel way of conceptualising knowledge management in public sector by highlighting the social process of knowledge formation, where knowledge for public policies emerges and takes shape. This approach aims to overcome three main criticisms levelled at knowledge management, namely its excessive internal focus, solving tame organisational problems, and focusing on data over meanings. We take knowledge formation to be a social process in which information is collected, interpreted, and shared. We expand and contribute to the ongoing debate on KM in public sector by integrating insights from administrative sciences, organisation studies, and political science. The suggested approach provides an opportunity to understand the diverse conceptions regarding the role of information and the nature of knowledge in organisational decision-making and policy-making that complements the organisation-centric and instrumentalist approach to KM.