Knowledge Management Practitioners' Attitudes Toward KM-Related Training: A Malaysian Case

This study explores the KM practitioners' interpretation the essential KM-related skills needed by KM officers based on their involvement in KM activities and how it influenced their attitudes towards KM-related training. Adopting the qualitative research orientation it also investigates the essential KM-related competencies required by KM managers in performing their KM tasks and how they influence the attitudes for KM related training. Employing the case study approach, the researcher used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to understand the phenomenon based on the experience of KM managers of organization XYZ. The findings reveal that as they progress over their years as KM personnel, besides learning through day-to-day experience, they admit that some essential KM competencies are still insufficient. Generally KM managers prefer some advanced KM-related courses and also certified KM training. Six competencies were highlighted which include KM overview, KM tools, CoPs, Knowledge Taxonomy, Information Management and KM measurement. Although the respondents could not really specify to what level that KM managers need to grasp each competency, they however highlighted the issues of its importance, complexity, benefits, and implementation and application issues related to the competencies. The research also highlighted the relevance of training initiatives, which equipped KM managers with appropriate KM specific skills. Indeed as KM managers' suggestions and views on KM competencies come from their KM involvements, the KM managers admitted that those competencies had influenced their preferences towards KM-related training. KM managers prefer some advanced KM-related courses and also certified KM training.