Development aid technical assistance knowledge utilization in the Ethiopian public organizations

Abstract

Knowledge management and knowledge utilization is becoming one of the competencies of strategic management and strategic leadership. For this reason, there should be well conceptual understanding. Strategic leaders need to use knowledge strategically and wisely. Development aid has significant proportion of resource that being used for the Ethiopia economy poverty reduction and growth effort. The country gets significant amount of development aid technical assistance through development consultants aiming at strengthening the capacity of government/ public organizations. Hence, knowing this can add significant value. The research probed to what extent knowledge is being used from the technical assistance; explored the partnership clarity; and identified strategic challenges and opportunities in the technical assistance knowledge use. The main aim/goal of this research is to conceptualize and contribute the understanding of knowledge utilization of Ethiopia public organizations that gained from development aid technical assistance through development consultants for the use of strategic planning and strategic leadership practices. The purpose of the study is to explore knowledge utilization of Ethiopia public organizations, gained from development aid technical assistance through development consultants, for the use of strategic planning and strategic leadership practices. Methodologically, qualitative approach through inductive reasoning, case study method, and non-probability sampling are used. Primary data is collected from 32 individual in-depth interviews, 2 focus group discussions, and observation. Secondary data is collected from 3 five years strategic documents. For data analysis, case, content, and quantitative methods are used. The research found that though there is development aid technical assistance knowledge use by Ethiopian public organizations for their strategic management and strategic leadership practices; the use is limited, not well utilized, not systemic, not strategic, not being used wisely. The use is not also effective, efficient, and sustainable. The research also found that development partners collaboration, relationships, and understanding towards effective, efficient, and sustainable utilization of technical assistance knowledge is not clear. Development aid technical assistance partnership is not also developing institutional capacity sustainably in long term. Besides, the research found that despite there are strategic opportunities that can facilitate good use of technical assistance knowledge; on the other hand, there are strategic challenges faced by Ethiopian public organizations to utilize technical assistance knowledge properly. These opportunities and challenges are also mainly related to effective, efficient, and sustainable use of development aid technical assistance knowledge. 19 | P a g e Furthermore, the research found that there is no conceptual understanding of knowledge in the study topic. Knowledge gap is existed on the topic among Ethiopia public organizations, development consultants, development aid agencies, and academicians/specialists. There should be well conceptual understanding of knowledge management and its environment and knowledge utilization for strategic management and strategic leadership. It is important to conceptualize and understand knowledge utilization of Ethiopia public organizations. Public organizations strategic management and strategic leadership activities, interventions, and decisions demands knowledge management and knowledge utilization competencies. These also suggest that public organizations leaders, managers, and employees cannot be effective, efficient, and act sustainably in their strategic management and strategic leadership roles unless and otherwise they have good knowledge management competencies. This makes strategic management and strategic leadership role in TA knowledge use critical. Ethiopian public organizations have strategic key issue/suggestions for their consideration to improve this situation. These include policies and strategies. Development partners and academicians can play great role in the process. The research has contribution to have conceptual understanding on the study topic and to use development aid technical assistance knowledge effectively, efficiently, and sustainably. It has contribution in understanding technical assistance and sustainable capacity building. It contributes by forwarding recommendations that indicates the need of comprehensive and systemic thinking on sustainable capacity development. Institutional capacity building from technical assistance needs paradigm shift. The research initiates preliminary questions on development aid technical assistance and capacity development. The research would be a base for future studies. The current thinking of development partners on knowledge transfer to build public organizations capacity needs rethinking. It needs rethinking, towards knowledge utilization.