Indigenous Knowledge Creation Practices: The Case of Ethiopia

Knowledge management in general, and knowledge creation in particular, gives organizations a competitive advantage in the knowledge era. Although there is a lack of deliberate knowledge management and creation efforts in modern Ethiopia, the country possesses 1,700-year old indigenous practices of knowledge creation. This research in progress seeks to explore the extent to which indigenous knowledge creation practices can inform knowledge creation practices in organizations. We use Nonaka’s SECI model (Socialization Externalization Combination Internalization) to guide our inquiry, and rely on a qualitative, interpretive field study approach to investigate indigenous knowledge management initiatives and their transferability. This research will be relevant not only to researchers interested in knowledge management in the developing world, but also for those interested in conducting research within indigenous communities.