Knowledge management in the public sector: synthesis and research agenda

Abstract

Purpose: Knowledge management aims to maximize the results of an organization through processes that foster the creation and sharing of knowledge. The objective of this article was to analyse what the international scientific literature has focused on regarding knowledge management in the public sector and whether there is research related to knowledge management with environmental management.
Design/methodology/approach: This is a systematic review of the state of the art of the knowledge management in the public sector
Findings: The authors’ main contribution is the proposal of a research agenda with recommendations for future researchTwenty articles pertinent to the purpose of this research were identified. The results of the study identified that the topic of knowledge management is still quite insipid in the public sector, encountering numerous cultural and technological barriers.
Practical implications: The study showed that knowledge management practices in the public sector tend to significantly increase the performance of organizations, generating greater efficiency and productivity. As shown in the results, the proposed ideal is to align learning, leadership, technology and organizational culture to the process of sharing organizational knowledge.

Originality/value: This is the latest research that conducts a state-of-the-art review of state-of-the-art knowledge management in the public sector and proposes a research agenda with several suggestions that can guide researchers, managers and governments to advance research that is truly useful to development the theme in a world context