Knowledge management & human resource training policy : the case of EU affairs directorates

Abstract

Human resource training is one of the activities falling under the remit of human resource management (HRM). The field of knowledge management (KM) implies knowledge as an asset, in the form of tacit and explicit knowledge types. Tacit knowledge refers to an individual's knowledge acquired through experience, whilst explicit knowledge to generalised knowledge that is context independent, such as mathematical formulation. The dissertation concerns how such KM aspects affect human resource training, within the context of EU Affairs Directorates within the Public Service of Malta. The research setting is within the wider context of Malta‟s membership in the European Union (EU) and its implications on the Public Service. The Maltese Government‟s public policy is constrained according to the EU‟s policy competences. This means that policy-making now occurs, from the Government‟s perspective, on an international level within the Council of the European Union (CotEU). The research question and context necessitated the need to assess organisational strategy, international relations, the EU‟s decision-making process and Malta‟s challenges as the smallest Member State, in terms of population within the latter. Primary research was conducted in the form of qualitative individual interviewing, categorised in three parts. These are the Public Service‟s Human Resources and Skills Development Strategic Policy Framework (2014-2020), the role of the EU Secretariat in relation to the EU Affairs Directorates and the aforementioned Directorates. The assessed literature, research conducted and analysis imply that KM can affect and enhance human resource training. Two proposed models are presented in the Discussion Chapter; the first concerns the training cycle from a KM perspective, and the second regards the variables that determine knowledge sharing or hoarding in relation to training. KM efforts in relation to human resource training, in a research context of national importance to Malta, have the potential to improve the EU Affairs Directorates‟ effectiveness and efficiency (a characteristic of good governance) and the Maltese Government‟s public policy capabilities at an EU level.