IMPLEMENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE OF THE THAI PARLIAMENT Pakpoom Mingmitr A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Development Administration) School of Public Administration National Institute of Development Administration 2016 ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation Implementation of Knowledge Management: A Comparative Study of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Thai Parliament Author: Mr. Pakpoom Mingmitr Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Development Administration) Year: 2016 The problem addressed in this study is that little action is taken to create the value of Knowledge Management (KM) implementation for the Thai Parliament. There is a need to increase the understanding of KM in terms of the characteristics, processes, outcomes, and critical success factors (CSFs) in order to integrate a framework to study KM. The purpose of this study was to investigate the KM elements, in terms of characteristics, processes, outcomes, and the CSFs at the Thai Parliament. The research questions were: 1) How do KM characteristics affect the KM implementation at the Thai Parliament?; 2) How does the parliamentary staff deal with the KM processes at the Thai Parliament?; 3) How can KM outcomes support the KM implementation at the Thai Parliament?; 4) Why has leadership become the most important CSF for the KM success of the Thai Parliament?; and 5) What is the difference between the approach of KM implementation at the Secretariat of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Thai Parliament?. The overall research design was the qualitative research approach. A number of tools were used to collect the needed data and information - survey-questionnaires, in-depth interviews, critical incidents, and focus-group discussion. The results of the study generated four specific categories - characteristics, processes, outcomes, and the CSFs. The study showed that: 1) most staff members do not understand what the KM characteristics are, but they believe that process-based KM is the KM characteristic at the Thai Parliament; 2) this characteristic leads to the KM process at the Parliament, iv which has five stages - knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application, and most staff members think that knowledge sharing is the most important stage of all and they deal with KM by instruction; 3) KM outcomes were represented in terms of KM activities, i.e. the KM Day at the Secretariat of the Senate and the LO Day at the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, which support the concrete direction of the Thai Parliament as it aims to be a learning organization; and 4) both Secretariats agree that leadership is the most important CSF. The second group of the important CSFs was ICT, culture, network, training, and motivation. The rest were strategy, structure, HRM, measurement, and process. In the meantime, the study also set assumptions for the research study. In this respect, the findings were well-suited to respond to the assumptions. Lastly, the research study attempted to synthesis the findings and to establish an integrated KM-element to be a model for KM implementation success. The conclusion of the study is as follows: a) both Houses have the same KM characteristic: a process-based approach; b) both Houses believe that KM processes contain five stages: knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application; c) both Houses participate in the LO Day / the KM Day as their KM outcomes; and d) both Houses believe that leadership is the most important CSF for KM success. The study contributes to the theory and practice of KM: a) as an authoritative guideline for social behavior, which is corroborated by Scott’s model of institutional pillars and carriers; and b) as a policy- making guideline, in terms of presenting an integrated model of KM implementation. Lastly, as the Thai Parliament is an important social change agent in the society and has the power to exert positive social change in society by engaging in KM, the implications of this research study provide a nascent study of the integration of KM knowledge at the Thai Parliament in order to support the best services for the MPs, who are representatives of the Thai people, accordingly. iv which has five stages - knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application, and most staff members think that knowledge sharing is the most important stage of all and they deal with KM by instruction; 3) KM outcomes were represented in terms of KM activities, i.e. the KM Day at the Secretariat of the Senate and the LO Day at the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, which support the concrete direction of the Thai Parliament as it aims to be a learning organization; and 4) both Secretariats agree that leadership is the most important CSF. The second group of the important CSFs was ICT, culture, network, training, and motivation. The rest were strategy, structure, HRM, measurement, and process. In the meantime, the study also set assumptions for the research study. In this respect, the findings were well-suited to respond to the assumptions. Lastly, the research study attempted to synthesis the findings and to establish an integrated KM-element to be a model for KM implementation success. The conclusion of the study is as follows: a) both Houses have the same KM characteristic: a process-based approach; b) both Houses believe that KM processes contain five stages: knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application; c) both Houses participate in the LO Day / the KM Day as their KM outcomes; and d) both Houses believe that leadership is the most important CSF for KM success. The study contributes to the theory and practice of KM: a) as an authoritative guideline for social behavior, which is corroborated by Scott’s model of institutional pillars and carriers; and b) as a policy- making guideline, in terms of presenting an integrated model of KM implementation. Lastly, as the Thai Parliament is an important social change agent in the society and has the power to exert positive social change in society by engaging in KM, the implications of this research study provide a nascent study of the integration of KM knowledge at the Thai Parliament in order to support the best services for the MPs, who are representatives of the Thai people, accordingly. iv which has five stages - knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application, and most staff members think that knowledge sharing is the most important stage of all and they deal with KM by instruction; 3) KM outcomes were represented in terms of KM activities, i.e. the KM Day at the Secretariat of the Senate and the LO Day at the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, which support the concrete direction of the Thai Parliament as it aims to be a learning organization; and 4) both Secretariats agree that leadership is the most important CSF. The second group of the important CSFs was ICT, culture, network, training, and motivation. The rest were strategy, structure, HRM, measurement, and process. In the meantime, the study also set assumptions for the research study. In this respect, the findings were well-suited to respond to the assumptions. Lastly, the research study attempted to synthesis the findings and to establish an integrated KM-element to be a model for KM implementation success. The conclusion of the study is as follows: a) both Houses have the same KM characteristic: a process-based approach; b) both Houses believe that KM processes contain five stages: knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application; c) both Houses participate in the LO Day / the KM Day as their KM outcomes; and d) both Houses believe that leadership is the most important CSF for KM success. The study contributes to the theory and practice of KM: a) as an authoritative guideline for social behavior, which is corroborated by Scott’s model of institutional pillars and carriers; and b) as a policy- making guideline, in terms of presenting an integrated model of KM implementation. Lastly, as the Thai Parliament is an important social change agent in the society and has the power to exert positive social change in society by engaging in KM, the implications of this research study provide a nascent study of the integration of KM knowledge at the Thai Parliament in order to support the best services for the MPs, who are representatives of the Thai people, accordingly. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It was one of the greatest moments in my academic life to have a very helpful and valuable commenting advisor – Assistant Professor Dr. Ploy Suebvises, the Graduate School of Public Administration (GSPA), National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). My special thanks go to “Ajarn Ploy” for her time, insights, and advice on the study. In the meantime, my thanks humbly go to Professor Dr. Chaiwat Khamchoo from the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, as the committee chairperson, and Professor Dr. Anchana Na Ranong from the GSPA, at NIDA, as a committee member, for their valuable comments. They all kept me on the right track and encouraged me to delve into the complexity of the matter, which provided me with the impetus to conquer this long and stressful dissertation process. I would like to thank Ms. Supasinee Khamasundara, Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, for her kind support. My sincere thanks also go to all of the colleagues at both the Secretariat of the House of Representatives and the Senate for their great help and hard effort in filling out the survey-questionnaires and willingly answering each and every question during the in- depth interview process until I was able to meet the target.