E-government portals: a knowledge management study

Purpose - In view of their significance as well as influence, this article aims to examine knowledge management (KM) mechanisms in 20 Iranian e-government portals used to provide services to citizens. Design/methodology/approach - Using the model "knowledge access, creation and transfer" (K-ACT), a checklist was developed. This checklist was then applied to demonstrate its utility for evaluating 20 Persian-language official e-government portals in Iran. Findings - The maximum score for the knowledge mechanism was 30 for knowledge creation. The mean score for KM in Iran e-government portals was 26 per cent. This percentage indicates that e-government portals in Iran are very poor. Practical implications - Iranian e-government portals and Iran governors must consider some features in their decisions about portal design. This area requires further work, in particular in elaborating the relationship between e-government and KM. In addition, planning strategically with key experts to design new models for the adoption of KM in e-government is of high importance. These experts can be computer specialists, knowledge managers, librarians, portal designers and users of portals. Originality/value - This study provides an insight into the situation of KM processes in the portals of Iranian ministries.