KIBS meet at the Knowman transnational meeting in Padova
The third transnational meeting of the Knowman project was held at the University of Padova on October 13-14, 2022. Besides discussing the status of the project and planning for the next steps, this meeting also was a special event by bringing together the Knowman team and representatives of the Italian KIBS. They showed strong support for the project, highlighting its practical relevance. They evaluated that a better understanding of the concepts and processes associated with knowledge management is needed. They also appreciated the usefulness of the proposed Knowman platform, stressing especially the relevance of the knowledge pills.
The main findings of the research documenting the practices of knowledge management and the specific challenges faced by Italian KIBS were also presented. The qualitative research included 13 KIBS, very diverse. The study highlighted that the main KM challenges facing Italian KIBS are the rapid turnover and hiring of new employees, as well as making knowledge documentation a ”natural” activity. The best practices documented by the research are the following: a dedicated team for analyzing knowledge needs, training of new employees using a ”starting kit”, and regular meetings. The research suggests a few lines of action that might increase the effectiveness of knowledge management, such as better documentation, continuous monitoring, or integration of specialized knowledge as a collective process.
For more information on the results of the investigation of Knowledge Management practices in KIBS in Italy, Poland, Romania, and Estonia, please contact us at [email protected].
