dc.contributor.advisor Theletsane, Kula Ishmael en_ZA
dc.contributor.advisor Jansen Van Rensburg, Johannes Lodewikus en_ZA
dc.contributor.author Putter, Andries Petrus en_ZA
dc.contributor.other Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Military Science. School for Organisation and Resource Management. Dept. of Management [Mil] en_ZA
dc.description.abstract ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research is to respond to the limited stock of knowledge about military Knowledge Management (KM) and specifically South African Department of Defence (SA DOD) KM. A world in the knowledge era, struggling with data/information saturation, requires KM as an advantage driver and multiplier. The SA DOD is still entrenched in the information era, practising information management as a primary enabler for decision-making, action, effects and advantage. The SA DOD does not seem interested in KM as a primary advantage driver. The research problem and aim of this dissertation are to clarify the extent to which coherent and integrated KM will be beneficial to the SA DOD and what SA DOD KM fundamentals are. The research scope is inclusive of a broad literature review and documents analysis of both the published material on USA military KM and SA DOD legislation and policy, supplemented with questionnaires to a selected sample of SA DOD senior managers. The researcher has a relativist worldview (ontological assumption), calibrated with a constructivist paradigm, favouring a qualitative research methodology and case study research approach/design that will render the rich description of the phenomenon using techniques such as questionnaires and document analysis. A deductive reasoning approach and case study research design was used to structure the research. Document analysis was the primary research method. The secondary research method was questionnaire data collection and analysis to provide insight into the level of interest in KM by the SA DOD and possibly supporting evidence to the findings of the document analysis. The combination of the research philosophy, methodology, design, and methods assisted the researcher in the quest to extract new meaning and propose new solutions for consideration by the SA DOD. A universal definition void for knowledge and KM remains a practical challenge for organisations and a major obstacle to coherence and integration. Literature and business recognise the importance of KM as an advantage multiplier. Even military organisations such as the United States of America (USA) military recognise the importance if KM. The USA military is currently a military KM leader. In contrast, the SA DOD does not recognise the advent of the knowledge era and the importance of KM yet. The SA DOD’s disinterest in KM is based principally on the analysis of legislative, policy and doctrine voids; leadership aspects; information era entrenchment; various levels of misunderstanding; KM policy and doctrine vacuum; and extensive construct dissonance. It is imperative that the SA DOD adopt knowledge era thinking and practice supporting survival and advantage. As a lead department in RSA securing national security, the SA DOD should lead the RSA government in a transition to the knowledge era and KM. Knowledge and KM are fundamental to organisational survival, gaining and sustaining advantage and as enablers to decisions, actions and effects. Public service organisations’, such as the SA DOD, KM motives are typically related to effectiveness and efficiency, economies and risk mitigation. To cope with a world saturated by ubiquitous knowledge continuum artefacts, complexity, and discontinuous change; and fundamental to the decision, action, effect enablers and advantage a KM Capability (KMC) and coherent and integrated KM are recommended by this dissertation for the SA DOD (and probably the entire SA government). SA DOD knowledge is defined by this dissertation as evolving meaning in the form of intellectual capital (IC) that capacitate understanding, decision-making, action, effect and advantage. SA DOD KM is defined by this dissertation as the integrated process transforming organisational IC into evolving meaning to capacitate understanding, decision-making, action, effect and advantage. These definitions are fundamental to a future SA DOD KMC and KM. The dissertation proposes the expansion of KM to Knowledge Continuum Management; within the framework of acknowledging knowledge as a continuum and supporting the continuous requirement for integrated management of divergent approaches, processes and enablers. The dissertation argues for the review of current legislation and the Defence Review 2015 for alignment with the knowledge era. The dissertation argues further for coherent use of constructs such as leadership, IC, capstone military knowledge categories, types of SA DOD knowledge, KM leadership philosophy, and a knowledge continuum (amongst others). Recognition is required for the time-value of the knowledge continuum artefacts, discrepancies in SA DOD policy, doctrine and existing military capability expressions and knowledge security (amongst several others). This should illustrate the importance of knowledge and KM and to recommend possible solutions to a future SA DOD KMC and KM implementation. en_ZA
dc.description.abstract AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing reageer op die beperkte kennis oor militêre kennis bestuur (KB) en spesifiek SA Departement van Verdediging (DvV) KB. 'n Wêreld in die kennis-era, wat sukkel met data/inligting versadiging, vereis KB as 'n voorspong bestuurder en vermenigvuldiger. Die SA DvV is steeds in die inligtings-era vasgevang, en gebruik inligtingbestuur as die primêre grondslag vir besluitneming, aksie, effekte en voorspong. Dit will voorkom of die SA DvV nie geïnteresseerd is in KB as 'n primêre voorsprong drywer nie. Die doelwit van die verhandeling is om te verduidelik in watter mate samehangende en geïntegreerde KB voordelig sal wees vir die SA DvV en wat die SA DvV KB grondslae is. Kwalitatiewe navorsing en 'n induktiewe redenerings benadering, gevallestudies, dokument analise en vraelys metodes word saamgespan om nuwe betekenis te ontsluit. Die navorser het 'n relativistiese wêreldbeskouing (ontologiese aanname), gekalibreer met 'n konstruktiwistiese paradigma (epistemologiese aanname), bevoordeel 'n kwalitatiewe navorsings metodologie en gevallestudie navorsingsbenadering / ontwerp wat a diep beskrywing van die verskynsel sal maak deur tegnieke soos vraelyste en dokumentanalise te gebruik. 'n Deduktiewe redeneringsbenadering en gevallestudie navorsings ontwerp is gebruik om die navorsing te struktureer. Dokument analise was die primêre navorsings metode. Die sekondêre navorsings metode was die invordering en analise van vraelyste om the vlak van belangstelling in KB the ondersoek and moontlike ander ondersteundnend opinieis te kry vir the bevindinge van die dokument analise. Die kombinasie van die navorsings filosofie, metodologie, ontwerp en metodes het die navorser bygestaan in die strewe om nuwe betekenis te verkry. 'n Universele definisie leemte vir kennis en KB bly 'n praktiese uitdaging vir organisasies en 'n vername struikelblok vir koherensie en integrasie. Literatuur en besighede erken die belangrikheid van KB as 'n voorspong vermenigvuldiger. Die VSA weermag is tans 'n KB leier. Die SA DvV herken tot vandag toe nog nie die koms van die kennis-era en die belangrikheid van KB nie. Die SA DvV blyk nie geintereseerd te wees in KB; hoofsaaklik gebaseer op die analise van wetgewende, beleids- en doktriene, leierskap aspekte; inligting-era verskansing; verskillende vlakke van misverstand; KB beleid en leerstelling vakuum; en uitgebreide konstruk dissonansie. Dit is noodsaaklik dat die SA DvV oorskakel na die kennis-era denkrigting en praktyke om oorlewing en voorsprong te ondersteun. As 'n RSA departementele leier vir die versekering van nasionale veiligheid, moet die SA DvV leiding verskaf vir die regering in die oorgang na die kennis-era en KB. Kennis en KB is die grondslag vir organisatoriese oorlewing, die verkryging en handhawing van voorsprong en die grondslag vir besluite, aksies en effekte. Die motiewe vir KB deur openbare diens organisasies, soos die SA DvV, is tipies gerig op effektiwiteit, doeltreffendheid, bekostigbaarheid en risiko beperking. Samehangende en geïntegreerde KB en 'n KB Vermoë (KBV) word aanbeveel deur hierdie verhandeling as n basis vir SA DvV (en waarskynlik die hele SA regering) besluitneming, aksie, effekte en voorsprong - om te oorleef in 'n wêreld versadig deur alomteenwoordige kennis kontinuum artefakte, kompleksiteit en nie-aanhoudende verandering. SA DvV kennis word deur hierdie verhandeling gedefinieer as evolueerende betekenis in die vorm van intellektuele kapitaal (IK) wat begrip, besluitneming, aksie, effek en voorsprong Stellenbosch University bevorder. SA DvV KB word deur hierdie verhandeling gedefinieer as die geïntegreerde proses wat organisatoriese IK omskep in evoleerende betekenis om begrip, besluitneming, aksie, effek en voorspong te bevorder. Hierdie definisies is die grondslag vir 'n toekomstige SA DOD KMV en KB. Hierdie verhandeling stel die uitbreiding van KB tot Kennis Kontinuum Bestuur voor; binne die raamwerk van die erkenning van kennis as 'n kontinuum en ondersteuning van die voortdurende vereiste vir geintegreerde bestuur van uiteenlopende benaderings, prosesse en enablers. Die verhandeling beredeneer vir die hersiening van huidige wetgewing en die Verdedigings Oorsig 2015 om dit te rig op die kennis-era. Verder, die verhandeling beredeneer vir die samehangende gebruik van konstrukte soos leierskaps IK, hoeksteen-militêre kennis kategorieë, tipes SA DvV kennis, KB leierskap filosofie, en 'n kennis kontinuum; onder andere. Daar is ‘n vereiste vir die erkenning van die tydwaarde van kennis kontinuum artefakte, die teenstrydighede in SA DvV beleid, doktriene en bestaande militêre vermoë uitdrukkings, en kennis sekuriteit (onder verskeie ander) om die belangrikheid van kennis en KB te illustreer en moontlike oplossings aan te beveel vir 'n toekomstige SA DvV KBV en KB inwerkingstelling. af_ZA
dc.format.extent xvii, 417 pages en_ZA
dc.subject Organizational learning -- South Africa en_ZA
dc.subject Knowledge management -- South Africa en_ZA
dc.subject South Africa. National Defence Force. Career development en_ZA
dc.subject South Africa. National Defence Force en_ZA
dc.subject NDF en_ZA
dc.subject SANDF af_ZA
dc.subject SANW en_ZA
dc.subject South Africa. Department of Defence en_ZA
dc.subject DOD (Department of Defence) en_ZA
dc.title Knowledge management for the South African Department of Defence en_ZA
Doctoral Degrees (School for Organisation and Resource Management)