Aparajita Suman

Advisor – Knowledge Management, India. Advisor to the Government of India. Work experience with organisations of repute UNAIDS, UNODC, UNICEF, World Bank, BMGF, CDRI and other iNGOs.

Knowledge exists- but in siloes. Since ‘Knowledge is Power’ it is held captive by ‘powerful few’ (individuals, institutions, countries). A knowledge society for sustainable development is possible only when knowledge (tacit as well as explicit) flows both externally (Global North-South, North-North and South-South) and within the organisation.

As knowledge is dynamic, KM approaches also need to evolve. Adoption of newer approaches including strategic alliances along with a wide range of people focused tools and products can only keep the KM strategies relevant. Along with the growing emphasis on proprietary knowledge in today’s competitive world, it will be critical to continue building knowledge networks, communities of practice, peer learning engagements to democratise opportunities for knowledge creation and access.

Let us remind ourselves that only a ‘culture of learning’ that promotes inquiry, dialogue; supports knowledge exchange; has well-oiled systems to capture & share knowledge, can drive sustainable development.

Keywords: knowledge flows, peer learning, knowledge sharing, sustainable development, knowledge economy