Knowledge Sharing and Diffusion strategies in Savings and Credit Cooperatives in Kenya

Abstract

Successful SACCOs generate, share and diffuse unique knowledge within their value chains. This study investigated the strategies successful SACCOs use to share and diffuse the knowledge they generate or gather as a means of enhancing their sustainability. Data for this study was collected through structured interviews from 30 employees of select successful SACCOs in Kenya using online structured questionnaires. The SACCOs were selected based on their annual financial turnover, membership size and staff establishment. Additional data was collected from relevant organisational as well as government and other reports. The findings show that SACCOs in Kenya currently hold knowledge in the form of business products and services; legal and compliance requirements; operational knowledge; markets; relational knowledge on networks and contacts; and institutional memory. Discussion forums and conferences are the most popular knowledge sharing strategies used by successful SACCOs in Kenya while the least popular strategies are storytelling, knowledge café; log files; exit interviews; and demonstrations. Mobile phones are the most popular tools used by SACCOs for knowledge sharing and diffusion. Organisational culture and leadership greatly influence knowledge sharing and diffusion in SACCOs in Kenya.