KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT MODEL OF ELDERLY'S WISDOM OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION: A CASE STUDY OF SAKON NAKHON MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

    This qualitative study explored the wisdom of the elderly in terms of knowledge and capacity, with the goal of identifying knowledge management (KM) issues. It aimed, first, to determine KM for the elderly’s wisdom in Sakon Nakhon Municipality, and, second, to develop a KM model for their wisdom. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify 70 respondents. Participants included government officials, wisdom owners, community leaders, and academic and technical college students. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, which were then assessed by experts. The researchers used in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, and non-participant observation. The data were analyzed using a content analysis and adopted triangulation to check trustworthiness. It was found that the elderly's wisdom comprises of handicrafts, arts and culture, health care, and agriculture. It was unclear whether KM would be adopted in local government. Likewise, there is no single purpose statement for discovering, preserving, or spreading information. There appears to be a lack of follow-up on organizational knowledge, and no channel for the elderly to disseminate their knowledge has been developed. No knowledge has been retained, used, or passed forward. These findings suggest that the KM model may aid knowledge gathering, construction, storage, and distribution. People, KM, technology, and collaboration between local governments and communities are suggested as ways to accomplish KM. Furthermore, senior empowerment, knowledge preservation, and knowledge transfer to the next generation for future application should be included in this model.