African Journal of Business, Economics and Management
Review Article
• Open Access
Strategic Management, Knowledge Management, and Information Systems in the Public Sector: An Integrated Framework for Enhancing Organizational Performance
View PDFAbstract
Public sector organizations worldwide face unprecedented challenges in delivering efficient, effective, and responsive services while operating under resource constraints, bureaucratic structures, and increasing demands for transparency and accountability. This paper examines the interconnected roles of strategic management, knowledge management (KM), and information systems (IS) in enhancing public sector organizational performance. Through a systematic review of contemporary literature and case studies from emerging economies, this research identifies the key facilitators, barriers, and outcomes associated with the implementation of these management practices in public sector contexts. The findings reveal that strategic management provides the overarching framework for organizational direction and public value creation, while KM serves as the mechanism for capturing, retaining, and transferring institutional knowledge, and IS functions as the technological enabler that facilitates these processes. However, significant barriers persist, including bureaucratic inertia, hierarchical structures, limited incentives for knowledge sharing, policy fragmentation, and weak evaluation cultures. The study proposes an integrated framework that aligns strategic management, KM, and IS to create synergistic effects on organizational performance. Practical recommendations include strengthening strategic literacy of human resources, implementing technology-based monitoring and evaluation systems, fostering knowledge-sharing cultures, and increasing stakeholder participation in planning processes. This research contributes to the limited empirical literature on public sector management in developing and emerging economy contexts and provides actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to enhance public sector effectiveness.
Keywords
strategic management, knowledge management, information systems, public sector, emerging economies,References
Assessing Knowledge Management Readiness in Public Sector Organizations: The Role of Individual Motivation and Collaboration. (2025). IEEE Xplore.Berry, F. S., & Wechsler, B. (1995). State agencies' experience with strategic planning: Findings from a national survey. Public Administration Review, 55(2), 159-168.
Chaudhuri, M., & Banerjee, P. (2012). Orientation of MMTC employees towards knowledge management and learning organization. International Journal of Business Performance Management, 13(1), 75-86.
Chawla, D., & Joshi, H. (2011). A comparative study of knowledge management assessment in business excellence awarded and non-awarded organizations in India. Global Business Review, 12(2).
Choi, T., & Chandler, S. M. (2015). Exploration, exploitation, and public sector innovation: An organizational learning perspective for the public sector. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership and Governance, 39(2), 139-151.
Clarke, S. (2007). Information Systems Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Davenport, T. H., & Prusak, L. (1998). Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know. Harvard Business School Press.
Dey, T., & Mukhopadhyay, S. (2018). Linkage between contextual factors, knowledge-sharing mediums, and behaviour. Knowledge and Process Management, 25(1), 31-40.
Exploring the challenges, trends and issues for knowledge sharing. (2025). ScienceDirect.
Flynn, N., & Talbot, C. (1996). Strategy and strategists in UK local government. The Journal of Management Development, 15(2), 24-38.
Fombad, M. C. (2023). Reexamining knowledge management education in higher institutions of learning in Africa: A South African perspective. Library Trends, 72(2).
Goswami, A. K., & Agrawal, R. K. (2023). It's a knowledge centric world! Does ethical leadership promote knowledge sharing and knowledge creation? Psychological capital as mediator and shared goals as moderator. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(1).
GovTech Strategic Alignment and Management in the Public Sector. (2025). ACM Digital Library.
Jarzabkowski, P., Balogun, J., & Seidl, D. (2007). Strategizing: The challenges of a practice perspective. Human Relations, 60(1), 5-27.
Joshi, H., Chawla, D., & Farooquie, J. A. (2014). Segmenting knowledge management (KM) practitioners and its relationship to performance variation – some empirical evidence. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(3), 469-493.
Joyce, P. (2015). Strategic Management in the Public Sector. Routledge.
Kitchener, M., & Ashworth, R. (2025). Strategizing public value. Public Management Review.
Knowledge Management Maturity Level of Indonesian Government Institutions and State-Owned Enterprises. (2025). ScienceDirect.
Masot, O., & Selva-Pareja, L. (2020). Guía para el desarrollo de una revisión sistematizada de la literatura: metodología paso a paso.
Massaro, M., Dumay, J., & Garlatti, A. (2015). Public sector knowledge management: A structured literature review. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(3), 530-558.
Mosimege, K. G. (2025). Evaluating the influence of knowledge management practices on local governments' overall effectiveness. SUNScholar.
Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. Oxford University Press.
Nutt, P. C., & Backoff, R. W. (1992). Strategic Management of Public and Third Sector Organizations. Jossey-Bass.
O'Donnell, G. (2014). Interview by Peter Hennessy. Cabinet Secretaries.
OECD. (2013). Poland: Implementing Strategic-State Capability. OECD Public Governance Reviews. OECD Publishing.
Oliveira, L. F., & Guimarães, T. A. (2024). Factors associated with innovation capacity in courts. Brazilian Administration Review, 21(3).
Pepple, D., Makama, C., & Okeke, J-P. (2022). Knowledge management practices: A public sector perspective. Journal of Business Research, 153, 509-516.
Pillania, R. K. (2005). Leveraging knowledge: Indian industry's expectations and shortcomings. Global Business Review, 6(2), 231-249.
Pillania, R. K. (2006). State of organizational culture for knowledge management in Indian industry. Global Business Review, 7(1), 119-135.
Shahan, A. M., Akter, N., Ahamed, R., Aktar, T., & Rahman, M. S. (2025). Preserving Institutional Memory in the Bangladesh Civil Service: Existing Practices, Challenges, and Way Forward. BRAC Institute of Governance and Development.
Star, Y., Pradana, A., Khasanah, A. N., Anjani, A. Y., & Sutrisno, D. (2025). Basic concepts of strategic management in the public sector: A theoretical study and its relevance in governance in Indonesia. Journal Return, 4(8), 650.
Strategic planning and organizational performance in public health sector: A scoping review. (2025). BMC Health Services Research.
Strengthening local leadership and peer-learning can improve education in Nepal. (2025). Brookings.
Success factors of public sector information systems projects in developing countries. (2025). Sustainable Futures, 10, 101095.
Sudirman, S., Ahmad, K., & Hood, Z. (2025). Strategic information system planning practices in the public sector of developing countries: The case of Malaysia. International Journal of Public Administration.
Torraco, R. J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356-367.
Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546-553.
Yshikawa-Arias, J. F., & Arana-Barbier, P. J. (2026). Knowledge management in the public sector of emerging economies: A literature review. International Journal of Business Excellence, 38(6), 1-21.