Managing Knowledge in a Volunteer-Based Community

Huck, John; Al, Rodney; Rathi, Dinesh

doi:10.1142/9789814299862_0022

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The study was successful because of their kind help, support, and strong commitment to this project. World Scientific published an earlier version of this paper (Huck et al, 2009), and the authors would like to thank World Scientific for generously granting permission to publish this version here.…”

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confidence: 99%

Finding KM solutions for a volunteer‐based non‐profit organization

Huck

Rathi

2011

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge needs of a small, volunteer-based Non-Profit Organization (NPO) and present recommendations for implementation of KM solutions. Design/methodology/approach -The methodology used in this paper is the knowledge audit. Data collection methods include semi-structured interviews, documentary photography, and a review of content on the NPO's website. Findings -The paper recommends a combination of web 2.0 technology and low-tech solutions to meet the KM needs of the volunteer-based organization within the constraints of its limited resources. Based on the observation that dedicated and reliable volunteers are critical to this organization's success, the paper proposes that the KM solution address personal knowledge needs related to volunteer motivation factors as a strategy for improving volunteer recruitment and retention.Research limitations/implications -The study examined a small group of volunteers engaged in a specialized form of knowledge-sharing work. Future research could test this paper's conclusions in larger and more diverse volunteer-based NPOs. Originality/value -The paper extends KM research into the realm of volunteer-based NPOs and adopts elements from Motivation-Hygiene theory as well as specific volunteer motivation factors as additional criteria for a KM solution.

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confidence: 99%

Finding KM solutions for a volunteer‐based non‐profit organization

Huck

Rathi

2011

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Knowledge needs in the non-profit sector: an evidence-based model of organizational practices

Rathi

Given

Forcier

2016

Journal of Knowledge Management

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Purpose – This paper aims to present findings from a study of non-profit organizations (NPOs), including a model of knowledge needs that can be applied by practitioners and scholars to further develop the NPO sector. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted with NPOs operating in Canada and Australia. An analysis of survey responses identified the different types of knowledge essential for each organization. Respondents identified the importance of three pre-determined themes (quantitative data) related to knowledge needs, as well as a fourth option, which was a free text box (qualitative data). The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses and a grounded theory approach, respectively. Findings – Analysis of the quantitative data indicates that NPOs ' needs are comparable in both countries. Analysis of qualitative data identified five major categories and multiple sub-categories representing the types of knowledge needs of NPOs. Major categories are knowledge about management and organizational practices, knowledge about resources, community knowledge, sectoral knowledge and situated knowledge. The paper discusses the results using semantic proximity and presents an emergent, evidence-based knowledge management (KM)-NPO model. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the growing body of literature in the KM domain, and in the understudied research domain related to the knowledge needs and experiences of NPOs. NPOs will find the identified categories and sub-categories useful to undertake KM initiatives within their individual organizations. The study is also unique, as it includes data from two countries, Canada and Australia.

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