Knowledge Management and Local Government: Some Emerging Trends

Knowledge management continues to be a focus of attention with in recent years considerable public sector interest in developments which initially emerged within the private sector. This paper gives an overview of knowledge management and assesses emerging trends in knowledge management within local government drawing on research conducted in Australia and the United Kingdom. Indications to date are that much of the higher order policies on knowledge and its management are translating in practice to the delivery of specific services under the umbrella of e-government. The major difficulty facing government at both local and national level is likely to lie in finding a way to overcome those softer cultural and behavioural obstacles that lie in the way of successful implementation of knowledge management.