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Editorial verdict
Modest empirical contribution. The qualitative findings are credible and internally consistent, but the 12-participant sample limits generalisability; the core claim — that HRD practitioners enact KM activities in practice, albeit implicitly — is plausible but not yet scalable beyond this South African context.
Executive summary
This article addresses the intersection of knowledge management (KM) and human resource development (HRD), exploring whether and how HRD practitioners (HRDPs) in South Africa apply KM activities in their professional practice. The authors argue that while KM is theoretically embedded in HRD's mandate, empirical evidence on how specific KM activities — beyond knowledge sharing — are operationalised by HRDPs remains scarce, particularly in South Africa, where KM is absent from national occupational frameworks. Drawing on knowledge-based theory (KBT), the study employs a qualitative, interpretive design: 12 HRDPs, selected via expert sampling from a single South African university cohort, were individually interviewed via Zoom, with data analysed through content analysis using a priori coding. Findings indicate that HRDPs apply all seven KM activities — sharing, transfer, creation, acquisition, application, capture and storage — though often without recognising them by formal KM terminology, and frequently in an integrated rather than discrete manner. Key examples include communities of practice, coaching, mentoring, instructional design, peer review, and documentation in quality management systems. The authors conclude that HRDPs function as implicit knowledge brokers and argue for the inclusion of KM competencies within South Africa's occupational classification frameworks for training and development professionals.
Key insights
- 1HRD practitioners in South Africa implicitly enact all seven KM activities — knowledge sharing, transfer, creation, acquisition, application, capture and storage — through everyday HRD functions such as facilitation, coaching, mentoring, and instructional design, even without using formal KM terminology.
- 2Knowledge management activities are not applied in isolation by HRDPs but are integrated and iterative; for example, knowledge creation occurs simultaneously with acquisition and capture during instructional design processes, and coaching serves simultaneously as a knowledge transfer and application mechanism.
- 3A key tension exists between knowledge acquisition and application: while HRDPs actively facilitate learning, participants acknowledged that acquired knowledge is not always applied in the workplace, with factors such as organisational culture and insufficient managerial support identified as barriers.
Practical takeaways
- South Africa's Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO) currently excludes KM from the task profiles of Training and Staff Development Professionals; the study's findings indicate a disconnect between formal occupational definitions and actual practice, pointing to a gap in national skills planning.
- HRD practitioners who engage in activities such as communities of practice, coaching, peer review, and documentation are already performing KM functions; organisations may benefit from making these implicit KM contributions explicit within Workplace Skills Plans and HRD role design.
Frameworks mentioned
SECI Model
Nonaka and Takeuchi's Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination, Internalisation model of knowledge creation, referenced to explain how tacit and explicit knowledge are converted and transferred through HRD practices.
Knowledge-Based Theory (KBT)
A theoretical lens treating knowledge as a strategically significant organisational resource and source of competitive advantage, used to frame how HRD practice facilitates the development, mobilisation, and application of organisational knowledge.
References
- Association for Talent Development (ATD) (2025).Talent Management Capability Model.
- South African Government (2010).HRD Strategy 2010–2030 (HRDSA).
- South African Government. National Skills Development Plan (NSDP).
- Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) (2021).Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO).
Source & Provenance
sajhrm
Petro Smith, Helen Meyer
October 12, 2026
Research Study
Africa
Original source metadata is preserved. AI analysis is generated separately.
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