Download (1157Kb) - E-Ait

investment. Staff are the key asset in libraries whose value can be enriched through
investments.
The following discussion aims at suggesting how intellectual capital can be used to improve
knowledge sharing. It discusses the issue of human capital and structure capital to suggest
how the former and the latter can help libraries excel in knowledge sharing. Such aspects as
leadership, hiring schemes and training are explored under human capital. Subsequently the
discussion on how structural capital can be used to improve knowledge sharing concludes
this chapter.
4.3.1.1. Leadership.
As Bob Buckman suggests in section 2.4.2.1 the culture is indeed important for knowledge
sharing to succeed. Buckman insists that leaders play a key role in shaping the culture which
will have an impact on the organisation‟s ability to share knowledge across time and space.
As noted with the responses from the field, seventeen out of twenty one respondents agreed
that their libraries have a vision. Even though it was beyond the scope of this research to
investigate any strategies for updating library visions, the mere fact that majority of responses
13 of 21 (62%) agreed that the vision is often shared, allows us to postulate that, if sharing is
emphasised in their visions the situation could have been better. Libraries need leaders who
will work as a team to convey a clear and consistent understanding of the vision not only
through their words but as exemplars through their deeds. The visions can become an
obstacle to achieving a sound knowledge sharing strategy. This research was conducted in six
public university libraries with long history, some of which were in existence as early as the
1970‟s (i.e. University of Dar es salaam). This suggests that if leaders come and go and still
use the same vision, then chances are high that none of the visions are anywhere close to
promoting knowledge sharing.
The data collected suggest that knowledge sharing has not been very successful. Sharing
between library staff scored 81% (17 out of 21) through meetings and with other libraries
71% (15 of 21) through best practices. Interpersonal communication as pointed out in 4.1.2
will be more effective for knowledge sharing between staff, whereby the staff asks their
colleagues what they believe their colleagues know better. Online forums and wikis could
have been better ways to learn from other libraries. The keys leading to the success of
53