A Knowledge Strategy

4.1 The business plan, principles and outcomes
Important objectives of the business plan are to enable broad-based ownership of
and accountability for the knowledge process and optimisation of the Bank’s
resources for implementing a knowledge process: the BSC; the CORE information
application; and, the integrated reward and recognition system (IRR). The
identification of the institutional tools and mechanisms for building knowledge
foundations of development – such as communities of practice – represents a
further objective.
The knowledge management process should be demand driven, ensure
integration, ownership and accountability at all levels and provide measurable
outputs. Principles adhered to in designing implementation require that the
knowledge management process is owned and driven by the operational clusters,
and that the Knowledge Management Cluster provides the institutional infrastructure
and expertise. An example would be the thematic groups established to
support and enhance the process in high impact areas and their structure around
the Operations Cluster’s areas of accountability.
The outcome of the business plan is that it will become the guiding framework
that is implemented throughout the Bank. The implementation plan will
incorporate a knowledge management process into the BSC in all the Bank’s units.
4.2 Issues of knowledge process
4.2.1 Measures
Knowledge management targets and measures form part of the sustainable
development perspective of the organisational BSC. Appropriate knowledge
management measures for the operational clusters are:
• number of new solutions to clients – innovation of offerings;
• an increase in the number of clients who seek partnerships with the DBSA to
build their capacity delivering projects;
• quicker, more efficient and competitive delivery of projects.
Appropriate BSC measures for the Knowledge Cluster are the provision of:
• tools, infrastructure, capability and guidance to enhance the knowledge
management processes;
• expert content on the knowledge management process;
• change management support initiatives, as well as the appropriate alignment
of the performance, reward and recognition systems.
4.2.2 Demand-driven processes
Building knowledge foundations is a cyclical process beginning and ending with
the client in which an operations function identifies the client’s demand for
knowledge, followed by appropriate knowledge interventions, such as a thematic
34 Development Bank of Southern Africa