Preliminary Assessment of Knowledge Management Initiatives in Banks – The Case of Mauritius

It is an acknowledge fact that banks fuel the economic growth of a nation. At a deeper microscopic level, customer delight emerges from the total customer experience derived from quality services provided by banking institutions. Much of this experience depends on the efficient use of banks’ internal resources along with the increasing plethora of significance for strategic enterprise management systems that puts knowledge at the center of attention. Although knowledge brings competitive edge, it is however reckoned that knowledge management (KM) is practised at a more informal level in a good number of institutions in the banking sector. In this context, in order to promote knowledge use and reuse for competitive advantage in banking firms, an assessment of the existing level of KM was undertaken as study. The aim of this research paper has been to evaluate banks in their KM initiatives at an informal level. The preliminary assessment was done through analyzing essential variables identified at the micro, meso and macro levels. At micro level, supplier, customers, competitor and stakeholders have been considered. The meso level comprised of the KM function and top management of banks. On a global environment, the macro level encompassed political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) factors. The research methodology has been mainly quantitative approach where 13 banks in Mauritius participated in the survey. The main findings revolve around customers’ and suppliers’ collaborations in business through knowledge, competitors’ contribution, stakeholders’ relationships towards business continuity; KM function as a unit to promote knowledge propagation, approval by top management for KM to happen in banks, and impact of some PESTLE variables in relation to support knowledge within banks. ___________________________________________________________________________